Opioid Addiction: a legal criminal justice problem or a mental health problem? For years, we have treated drug addiction in this country as a criminal justice problem. We’ve declared war on drugs and lost miserably. Our courts are overloaded with otherwise law-abiding citizens who are imprisoned for time ordinarily reserved for violent offenders who are addicted to heroin, crack or cocaine. Previous laws have taken drugs away from prescribing doctors and placed them in the hands of high risk/high reward street dealers and drug cartels who’ve used violence, intimidation, children and sex to induce innocent men and women to try their goods.

According to mental health professionals, one in 12 people who try alcohol become alcoholics; one in six who try cocaine become addicted; one in four who try crack cocaine become addicted; and one in three who try opioids become addicted.

Today, we face another drug/alcohol crisis, which in many respects exceeds all other addiction issues because these addicts are our neighbors, friends, colleagues and most cruel of all, our grandparents. Yes, most of those now dependent on opioids are our elderly. When they wore out joints and suffered injuries that created chronic pain, their doctor compassionately prescribed opioids. Unfortunately, with opioids comes narcotic creep, leading to increased dosages needed to obtain the same relief. Addiction follows.

Now, we are faced with an addiction crisis with pills so available that street dealers can obtain them from almost anyone who was over-prescribed this medicine, such as nurses, PAs and patients. The White House commission on opioid addiction has requested that President Trump declare opioid abuse a  national emergency.

When the prescription drugs dry up, which they will, our neighbors will fight withdrawal. Many will head to the streets, and when they do, they will take heroin, crack cocaine and methadone, placing their lives in danger. Do we imprison our neighbors for addiction, or do we help them?

Resources are scarce. We have one treatment bed for every 20 people addicted. Mayors are reduced to applying for competitive grants that only touch the problem, while the Veterans Affairs is cutting drug treatment by 40 percent.

Our state legislature is complacent in raising grant monies for the problem and refuses to invest in its citizens who need help the most. While we have a rainy-day fund of $1.8 billion, we give none of it to this crisis, which is a national emergency. Not one dime to halfway houses, treatment,  law enforcement, emergency rooms or education.

Statistics show we are about to cut off millions of dependent souls who will begin withdrawal, which causes tremors, uncontrolled sweating, feelings of anxiety, nausea, vomiting and cravings. Life savings will be lost and families destroyed. People will continue to die unnecessarily. Emergency rooms will  be flooded.

The $10 million cut out of Attorney General Josh Stein’s budget demonstrates that our state legislature remains ignorant of this problem. Stein has attempted to get the state to recognize the crisis it will face when prescriptions are cut off this fall. North Carolina has four cities in the top 20 in addiction in the nation: Fayetteville; Wilmington; Jacksonville; and Hickory. Many of these addicts are veterans.

For once, let’s try not to jail our way out of a crisis. Let’s also not stick our heads in the sand. Let’s face this crisis, which calls for all of us to use our resources, intelligence and compassion, and for once, do a service to our communities, state and nation. The law, justice and mercy demand nothing less.

I often write about the challenges facing American society. Those challenges include poverty, a widening racial divide, crime, political disarray, governmental financial madness … the list goes on. What follows are my thoughts regarding a valuable, but much under-utilized, asset. I firmly believe this asset can contribute a lot toward positively addressing many of the adverse conditions that weigh heavily on our city and even our nation. That asset is the Fayetteville Community Garden. My describing a garden as a valuable asset might shock some readers. I encourage you to continue reading.

The garden is located at the corner of Mann and Vanstory streets in Fayetteville. It consists of 94 plots that are available for rent on an annual basis for $25. This amount includes water access at no additional charge. The garden was the brainchild of Candace Williams, who was involved with community gardens elsewhere. With the support of the Sandhills Area Land Trust, where she was employed, Candace led the effort that brought the garden into existence.

I have written before about how the garden is a place where people can get to know one another … where community can be built. Doing so contributes to creating an atmosphere where issues that divide us can be more productively addressed. Beyond building community, I contend that the gardening experience can help prepare individuals for successful living. My experience says that state of mind — attitude — is a key factor that determines how one’s life unfolds.

Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, made this point in a recent interview. Regarding Carson’s comment, Pam Fessler wrote the following in an article titled “Housing Secretary Ben Carson Says Poverty Is a ‘State Of Mind:’”

“On Wednesday night, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson — whose budget to help low-income households would be cut by more than $6 billion next year — added his own thoughts. He said in a radio interview that ‘poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind.’ Carson — who himself grew up in poverty to become a widely acclaimed neurosurgeon — said people with the “right mindset” can have everything taken away from them, and they’ll pull themselves up. He believes the converse is true as well. ‘You take somebody with the wrong mindset, you can give them everything in the world (and) they’ll work their way right back down to the bottom,’ Carson said.”

After reporting what Carson said, Fessler goes on to quote several individuals who disagree with his assertion regarding state of mind and poverty. Beyond those referenced in the article, I heard a chorus of people who strongly disagreed with Carson. Interestingly, there is a video on YouTube that shows Morgan Freeman, the renowned actor, making a similar statement. I have heard no opposition to Freeman’s statement. That’s a topic for another time. Please go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHNo7SxrOFQ and view the statements by Carson and Freeman. I agree with Carson and Freeman: Mindset is a critical key to successful living.

As farfetched as it might seem, my research and experience indicate a properly planned and executed program in the community garden could contribute remarkably to developing an achievement-oriented mindset in participants. This would definitely be true of our youth. Among the components of this achievement-oriented mindset would be: seeing oneself as a person of value; appreciation for work; respect for others; attention to the need to care for others and for surroundings; a burning desire for education; goal-setting and pursuit of those goals; and ability and willingness to interact with others.

During my years of volunteering with a local nonprofit organization, I’ve had the opportunity to see boys as young as eight years old work in the community garden alongside older boys. I would work with them as a group. We grew vegetables in three plots and helped maintain the walkways and open areas.

In the beginning of this effort, I spent a good bit of time just trying to keep the boys in the same area. It seemed no work would happen. Over time, that changed as they realized their work would produce vegetables that they could take home. We also had a means by which the boys who were faithful in attendance and worked hard could earn a cash award annually. Adults who had plots in the garden would stop to talk with the boys and often thank them for their work in the open areas. Those caring adults also shared words of encouragement and engaged in general conversation with the boys.

Those boys also did tasks that allowed them to put into practice some of what they are exposed to in the education process. For instance, they were involved in laying out rows for planting. That required measuring and then using division to determine the appropriate distance between rows and between plants.

It was years ago that I last gardened with that group, but several memories are still with me. There was one particular day when it started raining and we took shelter in one of the two sheds. The boys and I sat on buckets in a semi-circle. I offered to discuss any topics they wanted to address. The conversation started, and we covered several topics of interest to them. In the end, it was about making wise choices, setting goals, believing in self and not taking on a victim mentality. Not because of me, but because of what those boys brought to the table, it was about mindset.

That is a good memory. Another time nearly brought me to tears. Even now, remembering the incident saddens me. I asked one teenaged boy to connect a water hose to the faucet. He looked at me and said he did not know how to make the connection. I showed him, and the work went on, but all these years later, that experience still haunts me.

It haunts me because I am convinced that, as a nation, we are failing to provide young people with the experiences that effectively help prepare them for successful lives. Not knowing how to connect a water hose to a faucet is probably not unusual for young people today. However, I think it says we have dangerously strayed from the basics, and people are suffering because of our straying.

The point is that we must be about helping people, especially youth, to take on the mindset required for successful living. I am convinced, beyond any doubt, that the Fayetteville Community Garden is an asset that can, and should, be used in this endeavor. How to make it happen is a question I pose for consideration by caring people in our community.

Garden Meetings

Two meetings will be held in the Fayetteville Community Garden on Saturday, Aug. 12. The first, at 9 a.m., will be for individuals who currently rent plots in the garden. We will discuss ways of continuing the process of making the garden a beautiful place where plants thrive and community-building happens. That means addressing ideas, questions and concerns.

The second meeting will start at 10 a.m. Persons not now involved, but interested in learning more about the garden, are invited to attend. Information on which plots are available for rent will be provided. If you are not interested in renting a plot but want to consider volunteering or otherwise supporting efforts in the garden, please attend this meeting.

Attendees at both meetings should bring a lawn chair. The garden is located at the corner of Mann and Vanstory Streets, across from the church at 405 Vanstory Street. If weather on the evening of Aug. 11 calls for a 40 percent or greater chance of rain on the 12th, these meetings will be held on Aug. 19.

It seems fair to say that many Americans of all political persuasions believe there is something deeply and profoundly wrong with our nation’s political process, though we do not agree about exactly what the troubles are.

Among the culprits seem to be our major political parties, the Democratic and Republican parties, both of which are struggling to find their way in the 21st century. Our nation has had many parties over more than two centuries, but Democrats and Republicans have dominated our political landscape for more than a century.

That may be changing.

Democrats have traditionally been a big tent party, hoping to be all things to most people. Will Rogers described Democrats this way: “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.” In 2017, this has meant a lack of focus that is not appealing to or inspiring for voters the party desperately needs to have.

Republicans are focused but so internally divided that the chattering classes openly wonder whether it can survive. Writing recently for “The Washington Post,” Jennifer Rubin questioned “the moral culpability of those who lifted Trump to power and kept him there. They elevated a very dangerous man who has done and continues to do great damage to our country. Given the enormity of the Republican Party’s malfeasance, a new party may, in fact,  be required.”

Meanwhile, the fastest-growing category of voters is “unaffiliated,” which now makes up about one-third of North Carolina voters and 42 percent nationwide, according to a Gallup Poll last year. We Americans like to think of ourselves as having a maverick streak, and unaffiliated voters find outsider status appealing.

Both Democrats and Republicans will have to be more appealing if they hope to survive in their current forms.

Every marriage I know, especially long-running ones, has issues at some point. Children. Parents. Relatives, especially in-laws. Money. Job demands. Home chores and who does them. Fidelity. Diverse interests. Sex. Plain old boredom.

Here is a new one.

Prince Henrik of Denmark, the 83-year-old consort of Queen Margrethe, has announced he does not want to be interred beside his wife of 50 years and mother of their children. The Queen, now 77, will eventually lie in a Danish cathedral in a sarco- phagus created by a Danish artist. And now she will  lie alone.

Prince Henrik has reportedly been unhappy that he was never named king consort, and upon his retirement last year, he renounced his title of prince consort. He now spends much of his time in a vineyard in France, not in Denmark.

To the Danes’ credit, their very upfront royal communications chief says that the Queen has accepted her husband’s decision. “It is no secret that the prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy,” Lene Balleby said. “This discontent has grown more and more in recent years.”

How fascinating are the elements of this story?

The balance in relationships between men and women. The balance of power in a marriage, especially a high-profile and nationally symbolic one. Two long-marrieds still figuring out their relation
ship after half a century. The upside-down basket of order when the wife has the clout and the husband is left to find his way.

This is a sad ending to a long and public marriage.

It also sounds like a whine.

When I was a very young girl, 4 or 5, our across the-street neighbors added a family room onto their home. I was fascinated by the construction workers and what they were doing, so I spent time every day watching them build.

One day, a worker came over to me and said, “Little girl, I know what happened to you. You ate a dollar bill, and it broke out on your face in pennies!” It took a moment, but I realized he was referring to my freckles, which no one had ever remarked upon before that day. I know he was trying to be funny in a kindly way, but for most of my young life I was selfconscious about my “spots.”

Fast forward to July 2017 when a very grown-up Margaret sneaked a peek at the current issue of VOGUE in the grocery store line. I was flabbergasted to stumble upon an article touting freckles’ newly found “fashionability” to the point that some women are drawing them on their faces.

Who knew?

I have been fashionable and never realized it.

Publisher Bill Bowman is on vacation this week and is yielding this space to U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson in support of first responders.

Last week, people all across the United States celebrated the 34th Annual National Night Out. Thousands of communities — big and small, urban and rural — held events so people could get to know their neighbors who serve as law enforcement officers.

I’ve always been a huge supporter of this event every year. It’s a great chance to encourage neighborhood camaraderie and help build relationships between law enforcement and the people they protect. The end goal is to make our neighborhoods safer for all. And, it’s always a lot of fun.

From the parades, cookouts and games, to the safety demonstrations and discussions, there is something for everyone to enjoy. But the best part is getting to say thank you to the men and women who serve as our first responders. These heroes work tirelessly to protect our freedoms, keep us safe, respond to emergencies, and represent our communities as loyal friends and incredible citizens. They are the ones we turn to in times of crisis. And they deserve our unyielding respect  and gratitude.

Every day, our law enforcement officers leave their homes and put themselves in harm’s way to protect us and enforce our laws. They make sure our roads are safe. They are always there to extend a helping hand for those in need. And they do all of this with courage, compassion and respect. We are so fortunate for their service.

Several weeks ago, I’m sure you saw the story about Asheville Police Department senior officers Carrie Lee and Joe Jones. These two officers made a splash — quite literally — when they respond
ed to a noise complaint and, after finding no laws being broken, joined in on a neighborhood slip-and-slide. Did you read the recent story about the time a Greensboro police officer prayed with a man on the side of the street? There are hundreds more stories just like this that show the compassion of our law enforcement community.

At a time when the police are too often targeted by unfair rhetoric and even violence, we must never take them for granted. They don’t do the job for the glory or the gratitude. But we should never stop trying to give it to them.

That’s one reason why I was proud to support the Honoring Hometown Heroes Act (H.R. 1892), which honors law enforcement by permitting the American flag to be flown at half-staff when a police officer, firefighter or first responder is killed in the line of duty.

I was also proud to support the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2017 (S. 419), which makes several changes to Department of Justice programs to supply death and disability benefits to public safety officers and their families. This critical legislation was signed into law in June. It’s an important measure to ensure a law enforcement officer’s family will be taken care of in the tragic event they are killed or disabled in the line of duty.

I am thankful for all of you who have answered the call to serve and protect, and I look forward to continuing my work alongside you to build a better future for all North Carolinians.

2016 record: 15-1 (4-A East Regional champion)    |    Coach: Jacob Thomas

Top returners: Justice Galloway-Velazquez, 6-2, 240, Sr., QB; Tyone Tillman, 5-11, 185, Sr., WR/SS; Tyler McCoy, 5-10, 170, Sr., WR/DB; Joey Saldana, 5-10, 180, Sr., DT; Chris Matthews, 6-0, 220, Sr., LB/FB; Austin Hunt, 6-1, 205, Jr., LB/ FB; Austin Blackwell, 6-1, 175, Sr., LB; Josh Jones, 6-3, 255, Sr., DT/OL; Noah Rowsey, 5-11, 225, Jr., OL/DT; Kyshawn McLean, 5-9, 140, Sr., CB/WR.

Top newcomers: Caleb Krings, 6-2, 250, So., OL; Marcus Jackson, 6-1, 225, Jr., OL/DL; Zaire Boykin, 6-0, 190, Jr., RB; J’Velus Peterson, 6-0, 205, Jr., RB; Sincere Hale, 5-11, 225, Jr., OL; Nick Minnacapelli, 5-10, 195, So., OL/DL; Derrick Whitted, 5-100, 190, So., LB; Jalen Hudson, 6-4, 220, So., S.

Team strengths: “We have a really strong group of seniors. Their leadership and commitment has been outstanding this summer. They are led by our fouryear starters, quarterback Justice Galloway-Velazquez and linebacker  Chris Matthews.’’

Team concerns: “The biggest concerns this year will be replacing the offensive line, running backs and team depth. With only one returning starter on the offensive line we will be very young up front.’’

Coach’s comment: “Trying to build off of what we did last year, we know it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and commitment. We know we are going to get everyone’s best shot, and we are doing our best to prepare for that.’’

PHOTO:  Top returner Justice GallowayVelazquez

2016 record: 3-8    |    Coach: Brian Randolph

Top returners: C.J. Davis, 5-10, 153, Sr., WR; Preston Wise, 6-1, 253, Sr., OL; Brennan Shortridge, 5-11, 172, Jr., QB; Cornell Raynor, 5-10, 175, Jr., RB; Jaden O’Leary, 6-0, 200, Sr., TE; Virginyle Monroe, 6-0, 272, Jr., DL; Malcolm Faulkner, 5-11, 170, Sr., LB; Jaleel Johnson, 5-1, 160, Sr., DB; Mike Harris, 5-9, 206, Sr., LB; Christian Davis, 5-7, 142, Sr., DB.

Top newcomers: Barry Elliott, 5-10, 151, Sr., WR; Malik Graddy, 5-8, 150, Sr., WR/DB; Marcus Sanders-Johnson, 5-6, 200, Sr., OL/DL; Jeremiah Hamilton, 5-9, 260, Sr., OL; Chancellor Johnson, 5-10, 158, Jr., RB; Corey Simmons, 6-1, 236, Sr., OL; Nico Perofeta, 6-0, 240, Jr., DL; Donta McGregor, 5-6, 157, Sr., DB; Michael Matthews, 6-0, 233, Jr., LB; Erik Martinez, 5-9, 185, Jr., LB.

Team strengths: “We will have great depth at our skill positions. This season there will be several guys on the team that received a significant number of reps as sophomores. The experience they gained will be the core foundation of our team.’’

Team concerns: “Our returning senior class will be very small, only six returning senior starters from the 2016 season. We also lack depth at the offensive and defensive line positions. Several young players will have the opportunity to perform early and often.’’

Coach’s comment: “The players and coaches have worked extremely hard in the offseason and are motivated to improve upon the 2016 football season. Jack Britt has built a tradition of being one of the top programs in the region, and we intend on continuing that tradition. We want to put out a product that Jack Britt, the parents and the community at large can be proud of.’’

PHOTO:  Top returner Virginyle Monroe

2016 record: 2-9    |    Coach: David Lovette

Top returners: Trey Beckett, 5-9, 175, Jr., RB; Sean Best, 6-2, 250, Jr. OL; John Burton, 5-10, 200, Sr., OL/LB; Mike Gambrell, 6-3, 240, Sr., DL; Aaron Harrison, 5-10, 250, Sr., DL; Devin Cowan, 6-1, 230, Sr., DL; Trevor Thomas, 5-11, 170, Jr., SE; Nathan Scott, 6-1, 200, Sr., QB; Stephin Straughter, 5-9, 155, Sr., DB; Demarche Hilliard, 6-0, 165, Sr., DB.

Top newcomers: Cedrick McDowell, 5-10, 180, Jr., RB/LB; Armiah Banks, 5-11, 190, Jr., RB/LB; Andre Allen, 5-10, 185, Jr., RB/DB; Tony Tyndall, 6-1, 230, Jr., OL; Dalton Patrick, 6-0, 175, So., TE/LB; D.J. Cruthcher, 6-1, 170, RB/DB, So.; Jonathan McNeill, 5-10, 190, Jr., OL.

Team strengths: “We have a bunch of skill athletes from a junior varsity team that won eight games last year. Offensively, Beckett and Allen are a pretty good one-two punch in our backfield. Defensively, our line is definitely our strength. Harrison is a four-year starter and Gambrell is a three-year starter.’’

Team concerns: “We must shake off last season. Our depth is still not great so we must avoid the injury bug again.’’

Coach’s comment: “We have a chance to be a very competitive team  this fall.’’

PHOTO: Top returner Trey Beckett

2016 record: 0-11    |    Coach: Mike Paroli

Top returners: Deontae Washington, 5-10, 175, Sr., CB; Bryheem Swanson, 6-0, 160, Sr., S; Eric Kitt, 5-10, 220, Sr., LB; Ronald Carroll, 5-9, 205, Jr., LB; Iumble Brown, 6-1, 185, So., LB; Tyler Clifford, 6-3, 295, Sr., OG; Jon Hicks, 6-0, 240, Sr., C; John Carroll, 6-0, 150, So., QB; Hameen Melvin, 5-9, 170, Jr., RB; Isaiah Jaques, 5-8, 155, Jr., CB.

Top newcomers: Arden Billington, 5-10, 235, So., OT; Zion Cameron, 6-0, 220, So., OG; Ray Dixon, 6-1, 223, So., DT; Saveon Campbell, 5-6, 150, So., RB; Wesley Charlton, 5-11, 160, Sr., WR; Mickey Bell, 5-11, 185, Jr., LB; Nikai Butler, 6-2, 230, Jr., TE.

Team strengths: “Several returners have two or three years of experience. We had a good off-season in the weight room.’’

Team concerns: “We have a lack of numbers and are inexperienced in some important areas.’’

Coach’s comment: “Our numbers are not good, but we are doing everything possible to play everyone on just one side of the ball. We are counting on some freshmen and sophomores to play early and in some key areas. Several weeks last year, we were close at halftime and had some chances to win in the fourth quarter. Hopefully we will be better at finishing this year.’’

PHOTO: Top returner Iumble Brown

William Barber, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP and a key orchestrator of protests against Republicans in the Tar Heel State, is a minister. He serves as pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro.

Barber isn’t just a minister who engages in activism on the side. His political rhetoric is thoroughly infused with religious ideas and calls for divine guidance and  biblical scripture.

This got him into trouble a few days ago. Asked about a photo of religious leaders praying for President Donald Trump in the White House, Barber exploded with indignation. “It is a form of theological malpractice that borders on heresy when you can p-r-a-y for a president and others when they are p-r-e-y, preying on the most vulnerable,” Barber told MSNBC host Joy Reid. “You’re violating the most sacred principles of religion.”

As you might expect, believers reacted to Barber’s outburst with disappointment and disgust. Religious congregations pray all the time for leaders with whom they disagree. They pray that such leaders receive guidance and wisdom.

Christians point to specific passages of the Bible exhorting them to do this. Other faiths have similar teachings. To put the matter bluntly, it is theological malpractice, bordering on heresy, for a Christian minister to urge believers not to pray for someone.

My guess is that Barber spoke before thinking. If you spend enough time in public life, you’ll do that — believe me. His remarks have drawn so much criticism from across the political spectrum that I suspect he’ll have to walk them back, at least somewhat, if he wants to continue to communicate with an audience beyond the unhinged fringe.

There is one line of criticism against Barber that I reject, however — that there is something unseemly or even unconstitutional about infusing political rhetoric with religious ideas. Barber isn’t the only one who does it, obviously. Since the 1970s, conservative evangelicals and other believers within the Religious Right have formed an important component of the Republican coalition. Earlier still, people of faith created, led and sustained America’s civil rights movement.

Yes, there is a Religious Left. It has a long history in our country. If you go back and examine the organization, leadership and rhetoric of the populist movement of the late 1800s and the progressive movement of the early 1900s, you’ll see lots of explicit references to God, the Bible and church teachings. The conservatives and liberals (we’d call the latter libertarians today) who opposed the populists and progressives also referenced religious ideas.

You can’t keep religion out of politics any more than you can keep words out of sentences. People choose causes and candidates based on personal values, which arise from their understanding of themselves, the world and their proper place within it. Most derive at least some of these perceptions from their faith in a higher power. Others, agnostic or atheist, start with different but still metaphysical premises.

In a free society, then, you can’t forbid citizens from casting ballots on the basis of spiritual beliefs (or lack thereof). You can’t forbid, and you shouldn’t shun, those who speak honestly about the source of those beliefs. Some of America’s greatest political rhetoricians — from Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King Jr. and Ronald Reagan — have employed religious allusions and scripture to argue their points.

What you also can’t do in a free society, however, is force people to join or espouse belief in any particular religion. Courts can’t cite scripture as binding legal authority. If you fail to convince a majority of lawmakers to enact a bill on its merits, you can’t compel them to do so by citing the Bible, the Koran or other religious texts.

It’s bad manners, and poisonous to political discourse, to question other people’s faith just because they disagree with you on an issue. William Barber is learning that now. But it’s also bad manners, and poisonous to discourse, to demand that people set aside their deepest personal convictions and motivations when they engage in politics.

It’s time again to showcase a few of the leading ladies in Fayetteville. And the best part is, you’re invited. This year’s third Fayetteville Ladies Power Lunch, which celebrates and connects the “lionesses in our community” according to its website, is set for Aug. 10. The goal of the event is to provide a space for networking and inspiration.

The event includes a shopping opportunity and wine-tasting before the lunch from 10 a.m. to noon and then again from 2-3 p.m. The luncheon portion runs from 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a keynote speech by Melody Chalmers, principal of E.E. Smith High School and the 2016 North Carolina Principal of  the Year.

Chalmers said it’s an honor to be chosen to share her story with other professional women in her hometown, where others first “poured into” her. “I think it’s definitely a privilege to be able to … give back to the community,” she said.

As a principal and educator, she said she plans to talk about the importance of education at every level in the community.

Since she has been a part of the Cumberland County Schools system, she said there’s been a “shift in our society as it relates to (students’) preparedness.

“The impact of education and the importance of making sure students are prepared to meet the needs of the ever-evolving, changing world we live in” is something she said she takes into consideration often.

Chalmers began as an English teacher at Cross Creek Early College in 1998. “Once an English teacher, always an English teacher,” she said. Even as a principal, she said a part of helping students to be well-prepared is encouraging good reading and writing practices.

Past keynote speakers for the Ladies Power Lunch include Dr. Sandhya Thomas-Montilus, Serenity Integrated Medical Spa owner; and Bo Thorp, founding artistic director of the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. Col. Marsha Lunt, emergency manager at Womack Army Medical Center for 15 years, will speak on Nov. 9 as the final motivational speaker in 2017.

Tickets must be purchased in advance for $35. Vendors who wish to participate can expect to pay a $75 admission cost, which includes one lunch ticket.

Peggy Manning, FLPL advisory board member and Park Lane Jewelry owner, said there will be upward of 60 vendors comprised of local businesswomen.

During the “Shopportunity,” attendees will have the chance to browse and buy. If you’re not able to purchase your favorite item from each vendor, Manning said there will be many door prizes you can win by entering your business card into the drawing.

Manning said the FLPL mission is, in part, accomplished by enhancing local women-powered businesses by supporting them financially.

A portion of the 2017 profits will be donated to the Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation, according to the FLPL website. The nonprofit’s mission is to “improve literacy, education and character development among America’s youth by providing support for various early learning and literacy-based initiatives nationwide.“

The event takes place at the Ramada Plaza at Bordeaux, at 1707 Owen Dr. Guests, vendors and sponsors can use #FLPL to document the event’s happenings on social media.

This year’s sponsors include Bizcard Xpress, Carolina Selfie Stand, Dale’s Florist, Gates Four Golf & Country Club, J&J Desktop Publishing, Omni Plaza, Premier Cardiovascular Center, The Richardson Firm, Rocket Fizz, The UPS Store, McKee Homes, Up & Coming Weekly and Women’s View Magazine. To register or find contact information for any of the sponsors, visit www.FayettevilleLadiesPowerLunch.com.

With the coming of the total solar eclipse in late August, a lot of attention has turned to the Carolina skies. The eclipse is not the only interesting astronomy event happening this summer, though. Park Ranger Michael Morales of FayettevilleCumberland Parks and Recreation will host the Summer Constellations and Meteor Shower event in Clark Park on Aug. 12 from 8-11 p.m.

Morales will lead a group in enjoying a summer night, watching the Perseid meteor shower and discussing the legend and stories behind the visible celestial bodies. “The Perseid meteor shower is supposed to be one of the most active meteor showers every year,” Morales said. “At their peak, there could be 150 or more meteors visible an hour.  I’m hoping for even a fraction of that earlier in the evening when we’ll be out.” 

Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation has many events throughout the year intended to engage local community members with nature, but a summer astronomy event is a little harder to coordinate. Most of the astronomy events are held in the winter because there is less light pollution earlier in the day. Dates for events are chosen half a year in advance, and working around Mother Nature is always unpredictable. “Come to the program with an appreciation of the fact that we will be on Mother Nature’s schedule, which is quite a bit slower than what folks are used to these days,” Morales said.  “I want people to try to relax and just spend some time gazing up at the night sky in wonder as our ancestors did. Many people do not have a place where they can safely just observe the sky.”

Morales’s focus is biodiversity. He leads many events in the park that focus on exploring the animals in the woods. Astronomy, however, is a hobby about which he is passionate. He is amazed by the discoveries constantly made about space, and he memorizes stories and legends about the constellations. He is usually the only ranger that leads the astronomy events. “You don’t need a telescope to learn about the night sky, but it’s nice to have one to zoom in on any heavenly bodies that may be up in the sky, like planets, nebula or galaxies,” Morales said. “Sometimes I try to coordinate a local expert to come by and assist with a larger telescope. You will not be fast enough to catch a glimpse of a meteor through a telescope. To see the constellations and the meteor shower you need to have a wide view of the whole sky. All I need is a laser pointer.”

While sitting outside on a summer night and gazing at the sky is always beautiful, Morales does have some tips for making the evening as rewarding as possible. He advises participants to bring insect repellent, lawn chairs and flashlights. It is also best to protect your night vision by avoiding electronic devices during the event. “Also, I would lower your expectations down just a bit as to what will be seen,” he added.

“The photos in magazines and websites of objects in space tend to be long exposures over hours made by powerful telescopes. The pictures are often color-enhanced on a computer to show radiation and wavelengths of energy that are invisible to the human eye. If we do see a planet or nebula through a telescope, it will be much more diffuse and washed out than what a lot of people expect it to look like.  If we see just a few shooting stars, I consider the program a success. As I said, the peak time for viewing will be after midnight. I leave this to individual families as ‘homework’ if they want to stay up late to watch them at home. My parents used to let me stay up late to watch meteor showers when I was a kid, if it wasn’t a school night. Shooting stars often appear as a quick streak of light. Larger, brighter fireballs are much less common. Seeing either for the first time can be a memorable experience for anyone.” 

Call (910) 433-1579 to register.

PHOTO: Clark Park is set to host a Summer Constellations and Meteor Shower event.

Bud Light presents headlining act and country artist Kasey Tyndall Friday, Aug. 11, at 8 p.m. in Festival Park for the Fayetteville After 5 concert series. The opening performance will feature country artist Faith Bardill.

“Fayetteville After 5 is a summer concert series and the purpose is to provide a free concert for the community that raises money for the next event,” said Sarah Suggs, marketing and events coordinator for the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival. “We are a nonprofit organization so whatever money we make in one event rolls over into the next event in order to make all of our events free
to the community.” Suggs added that this is the last concert of the summer concert series.       

Kasey Tyndall is from Greenville, North Carolina. She has performed at local festivals and opened for country music artist Jason Michael Carroll. Her newly released single “Everything is Texas” is a heartfelt song about how the guy she loved disappeared on her with no explanation.     

Faith Bardill is from Sanford. She won the 2016 Carolina Music Awards “Country Female Artist of the Year” and the 2015 Carolina Music Awards “Teen Artist of the Year.” Her band plays modern country, classic country and classic rock. Some of her songs include “Walk Out” and “Takin Me Down.”     

There will be food trucks on site that include R Burger, Tony’s Concessions, Carolina Tropical Ice, Chef Glenn and many more.  Beer will also  be sold.      

“We encourage everyone to arrive early for the concert,” said Suggs. “Please come and enjoy the fun and excitement.”     

Gates open at 5 p.m. for this free concert. No outside food, coolers or beverages are allowed within the park. Bring your blankets and chairs to enjoy the event. For more information, call (910) 323-1934.

PHOTO: Kasey Tyndall is set to perform at Fayetteville After 5 on Aug. 11. Photo credit Aaron Stearns.

It’s been nearly three years since the North Carolina General Assembly liberalized state gun laws. “There is a culture in the South that believes in individual liberties and freedom from government interference,” retired N.C. Sen. Eleanor Kinnaird said. “Guns symbolize that freedom,” she added.

In October 2013, a new law went into effect in North Carolina that made it legal for people with concealed carry permits to take their weapons into bars and restaurants. The law was met with praise from gun-owners, and much negativity from people who feared the law would create disasters. The revised concealed carry statute says anyone armed who frequents an establishment that serves alcohol is not allowed to have a drink.

Under the law, businesses are allowed to post signs that prohibit any firearms inside their establishments. Some have chosen to do so, but others have not. In Fayetteville, one sports bar proprietor posted such a sign but was told by the police to take it down. The owner asked to remain anonymous. City Attorney Karen McDonald said Fayetteville Police Attorneys could not comment. “Our officers are aware of the new gun laws and enforce them on a complaint basis,” said police spokesman Lt. Todd Joyce.

Other North Carolina laws restrict a citizen’s right to carry guns openly, such as the ban on weapons on school grounds and the ban on possession in any assembly where a fee has been charged for admission. Side arms cannot be worn in any establishment where alcoholic beverages are sold and consumed. This is where the law seems ambiguous. People with concealed carry permits may take handguns into a bar, but those who openly display pistols cannot; at least they’re not supposed to.

An Up & Coming Weekly reporter recently saw an older man with his wife leave a popular restaurant with a pistol strapped to his hip. That was a violation, but apparently no one complained.

“Some may see friction between private property rights and the Second Amendment,” said State Rep. John Szoka, R-Cumberland. “Another viewpoint is that ‘safe zones’ are a license for crazy people to attack because they know that law-abiding citizens will not break the law and carry weapons into those zones,” he added.

Szoka recalled the 1993 mass shooting at Luigi’s Italian Restaurant.  A drunk soldier killed four people and wounded eight before he was shot by police. “If someone with a valid carry and conceal license had been carrying in the restaurant, maybe the death toll could have been less,” he said.

Local governments have some authority to limit open carry rights. An example of a regulation that is within the power of local government is a decision by Cumberland County Commissioners to ban guns in the courthouse and libraries and on the grounds or parking areas of those buildings. Several years ago Fayetteville police arrested a man carrying a loaded rifle on the county courthouse grounds. He was charged with going around armed to the terror of the public. It’s a little-known common law that gives authorities the right to arrest someone they believe has nefarious intent.

The 2017 City Council Election should be a Donnybrook.

It is election time again — this time a Fayetteville municipal election. This fall, voters will elect a mayor and nine City Council members. Council members are elected from districts while the mayor is elected in a citywide vote. Four councilmen will not be in the primary this year. District 9 representative Jim Arp is unopposed. District 5 Councilman Bobby Hurst decided not to seek re-election. Two incumbents have only one opponent.

In an 11th hour turn of events, veteran Councilman Ted Mohn, who represents District 8, jumped into the race after declaring in April that he would not seek a fifth term. John Miner opposes him. Mohn is one of the incumbents who will not face a primary in October. Primaries are elimination elections that must be held if more than twice the number of candidates for seats being selected file. District 4 Councilman Chalmers McDougald is the other member who faces only a single opponent. Former Councilman D.J. Haire chose not to seek re-election four years ago because he was recovering from  back surgery.

Two incumbent councilmen are challenging two-term Mayor Nat Robertson. He repeatedly said he would not seek a third term if someone he considered worthy filed for the office.  
But, Robertson changed his mind and announced he would run again long before anyone else filed. Since then, Councilmen Kirk deViere and Mitch Colvin declared they, too, want to be mayor. Their decisions and the vacancy in the 5th District mean at least three new members will be elected in the fall. 

No fewer than 10 people want to take deViere’s place representing the majority minority District 2. Most of them apparently believe it’s time an African-American serve in the district seat again. The candidates are Len Brown, George Butterfly, Dan Culliton, Ted Donovan, Kia Henry, Kurin Keys, Linda L. Miller, John Mulvaney, Paul Taylor and Tyrone Williams. District 3, represented by Colvin, is also
predominantly black. Melissa Allen, Mike Dobs, Tisha Waddell and Jeremy Wright filed for the seat. District 1 is represented by the only woman on City Council, Kathy Jensen. She had no opposition until Curtis Brown and Cathy Dickens entered the race at the  last minute.

Six of the 40 candidates for City Council want to replace Hurst, the dean of the body. He has served five consecutive terms and served on Council earlier 15 years ago. District 5 candidates include former councilman Johnny Dawkins — son of the late Mayor J.L. Dawkins — Hanah Ehrenreich, Tammy Laurence, Tommy Macon, Henry Tyson and Paul Williams, also a former City Council member.

Veteran 6th District Councilman Bill Crisp is seeking a sixth term, despite having said prior to the last two elections and again this year that he would not run again. He’s Council’s elder statesman and has health issues. Crisp is opposed by Gary Blackwell, Jason Brady and Toni Stewart. In the 7th District, incumbent Larry Wright is being challenged by Trevone McNeill, Tawanda Robinson and Calvin Rome. It, too, is a majority minority district.

PHOTO: This fall, voters will elect a mayor and nine City Council members.

The City of Fayetteville and Houston Astros will break ground on the downtown minor league baseball stadium Monday, Aug. 21. August was set as the original groundbreaking target date a year and a half ago.

The ceremony will be staged across from Fayetteville Police Headquarters on Hay Street. The new $33-million stadium will be located in the triangular area behind the former Prince Charles Hotel on city-owned property which today is a large parking lot. The Army’s Special Operations Parachute Team, the Black Daggers, will take part in the ceremony. The Black Daggers will perform a freefall parachute jump flying in the U.S flag, a North Carolina flag, a City flag and an Astros flag. City and Astros officials will also be present.

GenX Controversy Heats Up

North Carolina is denying Chemours permission to discharge GenX into the Cape Fear River, but the chemical company has already stopped doing so.  GenX will be slow in leaving the Cape Fear River and may never be completely removed, experts said.

The most recent testing by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and Cape Fear Public Utility Authority has shown decreasing levels over the past several weeks. The company has said the chemical had been discharged into the river for up to 37 years. Chemours announced in June that it had stopped discharging GenX at its Fayetteville plant.

“The levels haven’t dropped as much as I would have expected if really the discharge had gone away,” said Detlef Knappe, a professor at N.C. State University who was part of the team that detected the chemical in the river. The levels are below the 140 ppt standard advised by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, but the chemical may never vanish completely. GenX persists in the Cape Fear River thanks to higher temperatures and a lack of rain.  The river’s flow has been slowed. That means the unregulated chemical has been able to spread out and get onto vegetation in the river, said Lawrence Cahoon, a professor and biological oceanographer at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. “It won’t ever get to zero because that stuff is all over the ecosystem,” he added.

New Military Family Clinic now Open

The Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic has opened in Fayetteville. An open house was held last week at its new offices in the Tochari Center at the corner of Village and Fargo Drives. 

The Cohen Clinic, in conjunction with Cape Fear Valley Health System, provides military veterans and their families treatment regardless of insurance or the ability to pay. The expected wait between an intake screening and a first appointment is one week. The network’s founder and namesake, Steven A. Cohen, became involved in veterans’ mental health care after his Marine son returned wounded from a tour in Afghanistan. In 2016, he launched the Cohen Veterans Network with a pledge of $275 million to support the creation of 25 clinics across the nation. The Fayetteville center is the 10th.

Cumberland County Sobriety Court

The Cumberland County Sobriety Treatment Court recently recognized three graduates and eight participants in a ceremony presided over by District Court Judge David Hasty. The three graduates completed the final phase of Sobriety Court and have begun the after-care phase. Participants received coins to recognize their commitment and progress in the court.

There are currently 72 people enrolled in Sobriety Court. It was established in Cumberland County in 2010 as a treatment program for people convicted of driving while impaired, or with pending DWI charges. The court requires participants to receive treatment, counseling and education; abide by curfews; attend meetings; and submit to alcohol and drug screenings.

Aftercare meetings are held once a week with less intensive supervision. Participants become eligible to work a 12-step program and become a sponsor for someone who is in the same situation as they were in. The special Court is funded by the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. 

VA Choice Funding Passes in the U.S. House

In a flurry of 11th hour activity, U.S. House lawmakers passed legislation that includes an emergency funding measure to keep the Veterans Affairs Choice program alive for another six months.

The House overwhelmingly approved a $3.9 billion emergency spending package designed to address a budget shortfall at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill provides $2.1 billion for Choice funding, which allows veterans to receive private medical care at government expense. Some Fayetteville area veterans have complained they’ve been denied care because their doctors say they were not being paid by the VA. The Choice program was put in place following a scandal three years ago when lengthy wait times were discovered at the Phoenix VA hospital. The Fayetteville VA was initially among those with record wait times. Many vets waited weeks or months for appointments. During floor debate, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., called the measure a critical solution to the problem. “We know that veteran demand for care through Choice has never been higher,” Roe said. House members have started their extended summer recess.

Broad Daylight River Trail Crime

The popular Cape Fear River Trail was the scene last week of what’s believed to be the first reported instance of crime along the popular trail. Police say a man exposed himself during mid-afternoon to two women who were walking along the trail near the 0.4 mile marker. “They observed a male subject in the wood line that was exposing himself,” said Police Lt. Todd Joyce. The women ran back to the Jordan Soccer Complex where they called 911. Officers were not able to locate the man. The FPD encourages walkers to do so in pairs and to keep a cell phone on hand. “There are emergency call boxes positioned along the trail,” Joyce noted.

John Decker sat quietly and listened as the City of Fayetteville’s former Environmental Services director, Gerald Dietzen, talked about recovering from last year’s Hurricane Matthew.

Dietzen retired last year after 30 years with the City. He spent a large portion of that time directing the city’s sanitation collection services. He retired in October, the same month that Hurricane Matthew dumped 15 inches of rain and carved a swath of destruction through Fayetteville and much of southeast North Carolina.

Dietzen returned to his former employer as a consultant, a sort of project manager. He’s tasked with ramrodding the City’s cleanup of the debris left by Matthew and fixing the damages from the tons of water that gushed through the city on Oct. 8.

At a July 22 Cumberland County Citizens United meeting, Dietzen talked about the City’s ongoing work to recover from the effects of last October’s hurricane. Just the day before, Bingham Drive opened for traffic. A major city thoroughfare, the road had washed away during the storm, and restoring it took nine months. It opened ahead of schedule.

The City so far has spent $3,884,251.27 on repairs and cleanup projects, according to an internal memo from Assistant City Manager Jay Reinstein to City Council members.

But it’s going to cost a lot more. The Federal Emergency Management Administration is supposed to reimburse about 75 percent of the actual cost, but only if FEMA determines the project is eligible. And, the state is supposed to reimburse the remaining 25 percent.

Overall, the City asked for around $9.1 million. The State of North Carolina got about $4.5 million from FEMA on behalf of the City. For the state’s part of the deal, it allocated $1.5 million to Fayetteville, but as of early July only forwarded $1.2 million of that allocation.

The day Hurricane Matthew rolled into Fayetteville, the City’s budget gurus, I imagine, could hear the cha-ching ring loud and clear.

The city’s damaged vehicles alone came to more than $1.4 million. Here’s a sampling of what the storm has cost this City so far:

• Temporary Shawcroft Road access: $246,249

• Debris removal: $1.12 million

• Rayconda alternate connector: $242,193

• Greenoch Drive in Arran Lake: $207,599

• Mirror Lake Dam: $1.5 million

And the list goes on.

Luckily, the City has another source of money: the Golden Leaf Foundation. This nonprofit corporation was created in 1999 and got its greatest bulk of money from settlements with major cigarette companies. The companies had to fork over $206 billion to 46 states for their part in forcing people to smoke and get sick. The Golden Leaf Foundation is supposed to award grants for projects that enhance the long-term economic well- being of North Carolina, especially in the rural areas of the state that were dependent on the tobacco trade.

Well, we’re not rural. But Fayetteville somehow got Golden Leaf Foundation money to clear debris in Cross Creek from Green Street to the pedestrian bridge next to Heritage Place. Several other projects are on the waiting list, with some going to bid in August or early September.

The City is still waiting to hear whether they’ll get foundation money for an alternate connector into King’s Grant subdivision, for more waterways cleaning, and for stabilizing the Cross Creek bank. In the meantime, Dietzen and crew are chugging along, taking bites out of the huge task that lay ahead.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of questions Dietzen couldn’t answer from folks at the meeting because they lived outside the City.

Dr. Josee Bourget, from the Wendemere subdivision just outside City limits, wanted to know the status of storm water studies. And Kittie Elrod, who lives south of Hope Mills in the Grays Creek community of Mt. Vernon Estate, is frustrated. Apparently, there is no one she knows of who can give her an update on stormwater-related issues that have plagued her neighborhood. Those are questions that need to be answered.

But John Decker’s question hit the mark. John finally raised his hand, and when called on by the moderator, he said that while he was all for parks, splash pads and downtown baseball stadiums, he wondered why those items seemed to be given priority over people and property recovering from the hurricane.

It was a good question. The answers are for another column.

What are the four most frightening words in the English language? “A new study revealed...” My advice is to skip this column. Do not read it. Please do not read it. Go do the crossword puzzle. Wash your car. Balance your check book.

But if you must read it, here it goes. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, it isn’t. This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the release of the movie “Jaws,” which came out in 1975. “Jaws” scared me out of the water then. Now this new study renews that primordial fear. It’s been a lousy week for swimming. It was bad enough that Michael Phelps raced a fake computer-generated shark for “Shark Week.”

Water sports hit the proverbial bottom of the barrel with an excellent, nauseating article in the Wall Street Journal by Jo McGinty about a study done by Canadian researcher Lindsay Blackstock. Blackstock’s study determined the amount of pee in public swimming pools and hot tubs. I told you not to read this column. It’s not too late to turn the page. The truth is out there, and it’s yucky.

Blackstock studied 31 swimming pools in Canada. Everyone knows Canadians are much tidier than Americans, so you can extrapolate that the contents of American swimming pools are much grosser than Canadian pools. Her study looked for the amount of an artificial sweetener called Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K) that shows up  in pools. Ace-K is in thousands of foods and drinks. It is 200 times sweeter than regular sugar.

Ace-K is not absorbed by the body and ends up being excreted in urine. The urine containing Ace-K bonds with the chlorine in the pool. This reduces the ability of the chlorine to kill the pool cooties. The study showed that pool water had from 4 to 570 times the level of Ace-K that plain old tap water has. Where does the Ace-K in pools come from? It comes from people peeing in the pool.

There was a “South Park” episode in which a bunch of first-graders get into a swimming pool. They unleash a yellow tide that scares Kyle, Cartman and the rest of the third-graders out of the
pool. Unfortunately, art sometimes imitates life. It could be worse, though. In the greatest movie about golf ever made, “Caddy Shack,” someone drops a Baby Ruth candy bar in a pool. The music from “Jaws” plays as the Baby Ruth bobs on the surface of the pool and horrified swimmers struggle to get out while screaming, “Doodie in the pool!” Bill Murray puts on a Hazmat suit to remove it from the pool and realizes it is only a candy bar. Bill takes a bite out of the Baby Ruth as observers pass out in horror. A true American classic. But I digress.

According to the study’s calculations based on Ace-K, a 110,000-gallon pool typically contains 8 gallons of urine. Unfortunately, urine is not the only cootie in a swimming pool. Fecal material clings to the human body. The study estimates that an average adult carries 0.14 grams of hanging poo. The average child can have up to 10 grams of poo along for the swim. In a big water park which has 1,000 children playing in the water on a given day, the water could be packing up to 22 pounds of poo. The children put the poo in the pool. Human poo carries such delightful free swimmers as E. coli and Norovirus.

The problem for scientists is not having urine in the pool. Into every life, pool urine must fall. The Ace-K rains on the just and the unjust. The health-related issue is that the urine, Ace-K and chlorine bond into a weakened chlorine that is not nearly as good at killing germs as urine- free chlorine.

Urine and chlorine cause your eyes to turn red and your nose to run. You don’t have to be a scientist to know if your pool is overly contaminated with pee according to the study. Sniff it. A relatively urine-free pool doesn’t have much of an odor. If your pool smells strongly of chlorine that doesn’t mean it is a healthy pool. It means you are swimming with something other than  the dolphins.

Kindly note that I totally resisted any mention of Russian hookers and presidential pee tapes in this column. I award myself a gold star for restraint. Swim at your own risk. The Ace-K is fine. Jump in.

We Americans, especially Tar Heels, love the small-town simplicity evoked by native son Andy Griffith in fictional Mayberry, a still-in-rerun 1960s sitcom valentine to his hometown, Mount Airy, North Carolina. Fifty years later, we still laugh at Barney Fife — Sheriff Taylor’s inept deputy — and Otis Campbell, the local drunk who checked himself into the county jail when need be for three hots — cooked by Aunt Bee — and a cot.

Mostly, though, we celebrate and yearn for the mythical goodness of small-town America, the perceived kindness of its residents and the wisdom and common sense of its kindly widowed sheriff raising his boy, Opie, with the help of his maiden aunt. Those were the days, we imagine.

They probably were not then and are not  now, either. The reality is that rural America, including rural North Carolina, is having a hard time.

Here are some cold, hard facts about small-town North Carolina, according to data from the UNC Carolina Population Center.

While North Carolina’s major urban areas are booming, population is declining in 41 percent of our municipalities.

Three out of four towns have either lost residents or have grown slower than the state average  since 2010.

The largest declines have been in northeastern North Carolina, with Jacksonville, a military city, the biggest loser with a decline of more than 2,300 citizens. Our neighbors, Lumberton and Clinton, are among the top 10 losers for 2015-2016.

What is more, the people remaining in areas of declining population are older, with 23 percent of Northampton County residents now 65 and older. These are people more likely to be retired than to be full-time workers. Across the state as a whole, only 16 percent of the population is 65 or older.

We know what is causing some of these losses. Young people are leaving small towns and rural North Carolina for better career opportunities and more diverse social lives in larger cities, many of them in booming North Carolina metropolitan areas like the Triangle and Charlotte. We see this trend among people we know, many of them in our  own families.

Some small towns are taking the bull by the horns and reinventing themselves through special economic development plans that do not involve large-scale manufacturing and other traditional efforts. Although Fayetteville is not a small town in a rural area, we are surrounded by many such areas whose residents often come our way. Part of the draw is Fayetteville’s reimagined and bustling downtown area, with restaurants, arts and  boutique shopping.

Smaller towns are working on similar ideas— specialty food areas, regular festivals and other events and unique offerings. Google “Sylvan Heights” outside tiny Scotland Neck to learn about an impressive aviary that draws visitors from all over the state and beyond.

As fine as some of these efforts are, they are not enough. For almost a decade, the North Carolina General Assembly has been cutting funding to public schools, community colleges and our university system. Education is the backbone of economic development because our people cannot be successful and our communities cannot thrive if we are not ready to do the jobs of today, not yesterday. If young people outside North Carolina’s robust urban areas cannot get education and training, they will not be employable and productive in those communities or anywhere else.

These are not theoretical issues that affect “other people.” They shape the lives of our children and grandchildren, nieces, nephews and neighbors. They are issues to corner our legislators about not just in the halls of the legislature, but in the grocery store, in church, in restaurants — where ever you can  find them.

And finally, North Carolina is one state, not two. We are not urban and rural, and if we allow ourselves to think that way, we cannot prosper. Entrepreneurship and creativity are playing huge roles in bringing small towns back to life, but local and state governments must play roles as well through public policies aimed at floating all boats.

Our beloved Mayberry harkens to a time when most people, including North Carolinians, lived in towns much like that imaginary place. As North Carolina evolves, our Mayberrys are both part of our collective past and part of our collective future.

“The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next election while the statesman thinks about the next generation.” — James Freeman Clarke

In a community that welcomes 1,500 new families each month, keeping the public informed requires effort. With the upcoming elections, this effort becomes even more important. Community members must have access to reliable information so they can vote in ways that reflect their ideals and vision for Fayetteville.

There are many hardworking citizens currently serving in public office working diligently on behalf of the greater Fayetteville area. There are many more not yet in office who are eager to serve as well. And there is much work to do. The issues are many, as are the opportunities.

July 21 was the deadline for local candidates to file to run for public office. As citizens throw their hats into the ring, vying for a chance to serve this community, there are plenty of issues to tackle: economic development, responsible growth, public safety, homelessness, stormwater issues, a tight budget, taxes, education, Hurricane Matthew recovery projects and funding, lingering issues from the Big Bang Annex — the list goes on.

These are all issues our publisher, Bill Bowman, addresses on a regular basis. They are issues citizens deal with every day. As an advocate for the community and its best interests, this publication takes seriously the issues that face this community and seeks to be a part of the  solution. And solutions can’t be found unless people know about the issues and know about the options leaders in our community are brainstorming.

This column is an open invitation to all the local political candidates. Now through Sept. 29, we invite you to send us your platform. In 500 – 600 words, tell your potential constituents what it is they need to know about you and your vision for the community. Share your plan, your passion, your vision. What do you bring to the table?

Our readers want to know why they should vote for you and what you plan to do to make this community stronger. Candidates, this is your opportunity to get your message out.

Send your comments to editor@upandcomingweekly.com or bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com.

Readers, throughout the election process, we’ll bring you insights and input from candidates. As your community newspaper, we’ll keep you in the know so you can make informed decisions and do your part to contribute to Fayetteville’s future.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Starting on Aug. 7, fans of local sports in Fayetteville will have another source for news and commentary as DK Sports debuts its weekly radio talk show, “The Sports Page.”

Don Koonce, founder of DK Sports, said he’s been kicking the idea of a local talk show around for a couple of years. It will air weekly on Monday nights on WCLN, 107.3 FM, featuring well-known local play-by-play announcers Trey Edge and Bill Boyette.

Both Edge and Boyette have been working with DK Sports for some time in various roles. Last year Edge also anchored the weekly Terry Sanford football radio show while Boyette has for some time handled the DK Sports weekly pre-game football coaches show.

“Bill’s got connections with basketball, Trey with football and I’ve still got some with baseball,’’ Koonce said. “I thought we could attract some good interviews for the show. We wanted it to be quality, locally based, with guys with ties to the community.’’

The show will air four times a month from 6-8 p.m. It will be available both on air and via internet streaming.

“The sports base in Cumberland County has been looking for something like this,’’ Koonce said. “I certainly hope we fill that void. This show brings together two premier play-by-play guys.’’

Edge and Boyette have worked together in the broadcast booth before, and Edge said he’s excited to resume that pairing. But he said coaches he’s spoken with are excited too, for a different reason —“Getting even more exposure for their kids and their programs,’’ Edge said. “For us, that’s a win-win. If you can get more exposure of a kid doing something on the field or in the classroom, it’s a good thing.’’

While high school sports will be a big part of the show, Boyette said it wouldn’t end there. “Trey knows college football coaches, and I’ll have ties with college basketball coaches,’’ Boyette said. “I think we’ll have a good shot of making them a part of our program.’’

The Sports Page will also have an association with Up & Coming Weekly, with the two outlets cross-promoting their work covering high school athletics.

Bill Bowman, publisher of Up & Coming Weekly, said the new alignment is part of the community newspaper’s role in the Newspapers in Education program. By the start of this school year, Up & Coming Weekly will have racks in all Cumberland County Schools providing free copies.

Bowman said this will provide students the chance to read about themselves in the High School Highlights feature each week in the newspaper. “It not only recognizes the outstanding young people, but we can get children reading... about other things going on in the community,’’ he said.

“Now DK Sports can be everywhere Up & Coming Weekly is and Up & Coming can be everywhere DK Sports is. With Don Koonce, Trey Edge and Bill Boyette being advocates for these young people, they are going to become advocates for education, literacy and community involvement. "We're excited about that."

PHOTO: Bill Boyette, Don Koonce, & Trey Edge