Can you believe it has been almost a year since I last wrote a column about local countrycooking eateries, my favorite stopping places when I’m on the road?

My editors have been kind enough to let me write about eateries every few months or so in place of my usual topics such as books and politics. It turns out that the foodrelated columns are almost always the most popular of all.

I confess I have exploited my editors and readers by getting them to tell me about their favorite stopping places when they are traveling North Carolina roads. Then, I used their reports to write more columns about eateries. All of that help eventually led to the descriptions of more than 100 eateries featured in “North Carolina’s Roadside Eateries: A Traveler’s Guide to Local Restaurants, Diners, and Barbecue Joints.”

“Roadside Eateries” was designed for regular travelers with an adventuresome bent. It is for those who would rather experience a special or unusual local favorite restaurant at mealtime than eat another quick meal at one of the ubiquitous national chains.

Since you and other readers and editors helped write that book, you are entitled to a report about how it is doing. There is good news and some bad news.

The good news is that the book is selling well and has gotten good reviews. The publisher, UNC Press, is pleased. Folks seem to like the way the book is organized along the routes of the interstates so that it is a good glove compartment resource and reference. If you do not have the book, you can see a list of the eateries covered and read the introduction and a sample chapter at: https://unc.flexpub.com/shelfpreview/oEEpO.

But there is bad news too. A few of the book’s favorite restaurants have closed. Fuller’s in Lumberton was destroyed by flooding after Hurricane Matthew. The Acropolis in Cornelius sat on ground too valuable not to sell. The owners of Angelo’s in Graham just wore out. We know such things happen, but each one still makes  me sad.

More bad news. Some readers tell me they wish that  “Roadside Eateries” had not restricted itself to restaurants near the interstates. They say, “There are plenty of other great eateries and barbecues in other parts of the state and along other North Carolina roads.”

To respond to these comments, I am considering another book to complement and supplement “Roadside Eateries” by covering more North Carolina highways. Many of the roads in the U.S. highway system are as important as some interstates, and they cover North Carolina more completely. For instance: U.S. 64 runs almost 600 miles from Murphy to Manteo and into Tennessee, U.S. 74 begins near Murphy and runs to Wrightsville Beach, and U.S. 17 runs along our coast from Calabash through New Bern and Elizabeth City to the Virginia line.

Along these highways and others with numbers like 70, 264, 501, 421 and the iconic U.S. 1, I hope we can assemble a group of local eateries where the food may be modest, but tasty enough to attract the locals.

I want to be sure to include some classic favorites such as King’s Barbecue in Kinston, TL’s in Manteo, the Daniel Boone Inn in Boone, Shatley Springs in Crumpler and West Jefferson, Cyprus Grill in Jamesville, Short Sugar’s in Reidsville and lots of similar ones that I am counting on you  to recommend.

The new book would be a great project, but I am not sure I have the strength to take it on right now — certainly not without your help and willingness to suggest your favorites. So let me hear from you. Write me at nceateries@yahoo.com and share your favorites.

Work-based learning is a partnership involving the employer, the student and the college — a situation where everyone benefits. At Fayetteville Technical Community College, the Work-Based Learning program has been successful in intern placement with partnerships developed for on-the-job training experiences. The experience focuses on enhancing classroom knowledge by allowing students to apply knowledge in the workplace. Students also develop a professional work ethic, workplace skills, resumes and employer contacts.

FTCC offers the work-based learning experience in over 50 programs of study. Over 300 FTCC students completed internships during the 2016-17 academic year. Employers throughout the community work with students in all academic areas, including funeral services, culinary arts, health care management technology, paralegal technology, criminal justice technology, business administration, carpentry, A/C, heating and refrigeration technology and medical office administration.

The program offers each student the opportunity to collaborate and network with individuals in their chosen careers. In some cases, employers hire students immediately upon completion of the  internship.

During the internship, an FTCC faculty coordinator and an on-the-job supervisor advise the students. This partnership builds the bridge between college student and hired graduate. The faculty coordinator is a specialist in the career area at the college level, and the supervisor is the professional expert on the job. The internship provides the opportunity for students to ask questions when in doubt. It also encourages the students and gives them a sense of confidence to achieve success in their careers. 

The Work-Based Learning office is located at the Fayetteville campus of FTCC at the Tony Rand Student Center, Room 3. Prospective students and employers can call, email or stop by to learn more about the opportunities available through workbased learning experiences. 

Registration for fall semester classes is currently underway. Fall classes begin Aug. 21. FTCC is the smart choice for a high-quality education at an affordable price, with more than 250 programs of study to choose from that lead to an associate degree, certificate or diploma.

Students can begin work after graduation or transfer to a four-year college to pursue a bachelor’s degree and beyond.

FTCC offers opportunities to help students achieve success. To learn more, visit www.faytechcc.edu or visit our Fayetteville, Spring Lake or Fort Bragg locations. To learn more about the Work-Based Learning program, call (910) 678-8268, email nunneryj@faytechcc.edu or visit www.faytechcc.edu/academics/work-based-learning/.

The economy does not work well for some individuals. For many, keeping food on the table and lights on in the house is a challenge. It is not an easy task for some students to obtain school supplies for the upcoming school year, and that is why the Register of Deeds Office is having its annual backpack school supply drive for Cumberland County Schools’ homeless students.

The idea for the school supply drive started when one of the senior staff members at the Register of Deeds Office came to work discouraged. She shared that at church the previous evening there was a presentation on the number of homeless students in Cumberland County. She indicated there were some children who lived in storage units, under bridges and in vacant houses. This news affected the entire office. The office had a meeting that day and decided they wanted to try to help.

“This is our 10th year that we have collected school supplies for backpacks for Cumberland County’s homeless students,” said J. Lee Warren Jr., register of deeds for Cumberland County. “Our third year of the supply drive Zan Monroe and his Realtor Association wanted to help, so they bought all of the book bags that year and have continued purchasing them every year since including this year.” Warren Jr. added that they want every child’s book bag to look alike.

There are plenty of other items needed, too. These include pens, pencils, notebooks, rulers, folders, composition books, notebook paper, pencil sharpeners, erasers, glue sticks, crayons, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toothbrush cases and hand sanitizer.

The goal this year is to collect items for 1,000 backpacks for students. “This year, due to Hurricane Matthew, we have 800 homeless students,” Warren Jr. said. “So this year we are doing an additional 200 backpacks for Hurricane Matthew victims. That makes it 1,000 backpacks, and it is kind of a stretch for us.” Warren added that he and other Register of Deeds employees have faith that the residents of Cumberland County will come through to help. 

School supplies can be dropped off at the Cumberland County Courthouse in room 114 by Aug. 1.  

Gift cards and monetary donations can be dropped off until Aug. 7. No checks, please.

“If you would like to drop something off at our office, please give us a call, and we will have someone to meet you in the parking lot to obtain the supplies or the donation,” Warren Jr. said. “This is something that really touched our hearts, and we have done (it) every  year since.”   For more information, call (910) 678-7775.

In May, after a national search that included 85 applicants, Cape Fear Regional Theatre announced its new artistic director: Mary Kate Burke. Burke will be the theater’s third artistic director in its 55-year history, following founding artistic director Bo Thorpe and exiting artistic director Tom Quaintance.

Burke moved to Fayetteville from her home in New York City to take the position and officially started July 1. She is originally from Connecticut and graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas with a BFA in theater studies (concentration in directing). She brings almost 20 years of experience as a director, dramaturge, assistant director and artistic director to her new position with CFRT.

Why Fayetteville?

Burke said she spent a lot of time looking at CFRT’s programming when she applied for the job. “That was probably the biggest draw for me,” she said. “There’s this theater that programs things like ‘Caroline, or Change’ … and the next season they’re doing ‘Disgraced.’ It felt like it was being produced in a very smart way.... The voice that the community responds to in the arts is … bold and adventuresome, and I found it really appealing.”

The other draw, Burke said, was the warmth she felt from the Fayetteville community. She said the reception and support she received in Fayetteville was different from the sometimes “sharp-elbowed” fight for people in the arts to be acknowledged in NYC.

“It’s been one of the most welcoming experiences of any theater that I’ve led,” she said. One CFRT board member made a particularly striking impression on Burke. Of the board member, who preferred to remain unnamed, Burke said: “She’s the most generous human being I ever have met. I even mentioned one time that I liked her iron, and she sent me a discount that Macy’s was running on the iron. You just don’t see that level of consideration of other people … it’s very distinctive, and I’m excited to be a part of that.

“Everyone is really motivated to make the transition a success, and also, everybody knows about the theater. That’s a huge (benefit) for an artistic leader coming in.”

Burke’s Passions

Burke’s journey with theater began as a young performer onstage. “My older sister was in a production of ‘The Music Man,’ and they needed some little kids to run around the stage, so I was one of those little kids,” she said. She became involved with theater more seriously in high school.

At a certain point she realized that, while she enjoyed acting, she was more excited by a different aspect of theater. “I really liked understanding why people did what they did,” Burke said. “To me, that was more interesting than having eyes on me.”

She started focusing on directing, and in her senior year of high school, Burke directed her first full-length show. “We ended up doing an original children’s musical about recycling that toured all the elementary schools that (my theater teacher) let me direct,”  Burke said.

A love for children’s theater stuck with her. As the producing artistic director for Millbrooke Playhouse in Pennsylvania from 2009-11, Burke commissioned two new musicals for children. One of them outsold its box office goals by 700 percent and transferred to NYC. A few years ago, Burke led the effort to create autism-friendly performances for the children’s series as the director of programming for the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the largest musical theater festival in the United States. 

She plans to carry this passion into her position as CFRT’s artistic director. She said she wants to make sure children’s theater thrives. “I think theater can teach a lot of things that are helpful life skills for children, including... how to work backward and accomplish a goal and how to work with other people,” she said. “And I think the connectivity of theater in what is an increasingly technological world has a value that you can’t place a price tag on.” She added that CFRT already has a long, prized history of children’s theater programming. “I’m going to continue to build off of that,” she said.

She said a focal point in her interview process with CFRT was the relationship between the arts and the military. Burke wants to make theater more accessible to the Fort Bragg community. Her goal, she said, is to use children’s theater as a means of easing the transition for military families. “It can be something that helps people feel like a part of the community even if they’re shifting communities frequently,” she said.

Burke also wants to focus on “homegrown stories. Stories that are about …the South and about the regions theaters are in, I think, is an important part of what a cultural institution does for a community. I’m excited to jump into this in the following season,” she said.

The Role of Local Theater in Fayetteville’s Growth

Burke believes a good local theater exists in supportive relationships with the institutions around it and invites people from outside the community to enjoy its unique offerings. These ideas, she said, are catalysts for growth.

Burke is brainstorming strategic decisions with her growth goals in mind. “We’ve shifted one of our ‘Dreamgirls’ performances to a Wednesday matinee to see if we can start to build some bus tourism in the area,” she said. She said bus tourism is a great opportunity for institutions in Fayetteville to build more symbiotic relationships and foster an awareness of each other to tourists. “You can make your marketing dollars go further because you’re putting a visit to the museum with a visit to the theater with a meal, and that’s a day trip,” she said. “Because all of the infrastructure already exists in Fayetteville, it’s primed to now move into the execution phase of a marketing strategy around that.

“One of the things I have witnessed as somebody who is new to the community is how much there is to do here.” Burke cited the city’s many museums, the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra and the Cape Fear Botanical Garden as a few examples. “The theater itself is a real asset to the culture of the community, and so I want to continue to build off the incredible work that has already been done,” she said.

Burke said she’s impressed that business people in Fayetteville are very aware of and invested in the value of the arts and culture. “When I sat down with some of the key stakeholders of the theater, who aren’t board members but are business people, I was so impressed with how they’re thinking about the arts in tandem with commerce as an economic engine. It’s a really exciting place to be at this moment in the city’s trajectory.

“It really does feel like a community that’s primed to... jump into its next moment in terms of  self-identity.”

CFRT’s 2017-18 Season

The theater’s upcoming season is a “Season of Discovery.” Its first show, “Dreamgirls,” opens this September, followed by a unique combination of laughter-inducing and conversation-starting shows, from “Seussical” to “Disgraced.”

“I think the best theater really reminds people to take advantage of the time we have,” Burke said. “I love that a whole bunch of strangers can come together and share an experience … whatever their differences and backgrounds may be. … it creates a kinder world.”

To learn more about CFRT’s mission and its upcoming season, visit www.cfrt.org. To learn more about Mary Kate Burke, visit www.MaryKateBurke.com.

 

PHOTO: Mary Kate Burke, CFRT's new Artistic Director.

The time and place of the Murchison Road Community Farmer’s Market remain constant, but the market’s organizers aren’t letting it go stale.

MRCFM organizers are bringing more than just local produce as a resource to the Murchison Road community. They’re bringing a safe medication disposal bin and knowledgeable health service providers, too.

On Aug. 9, the Fayetteville Police Department is set to host Operation Medication Drop at the farmer’s market to collect any unused or outdated medications. “Medicine take-back programs are a good way to safely dispose of most types of unneeded medicines,” according the Food & Drug Administration.

“Medicines play an important role in treating many conditions and diseases and when they are no longer needed it is important to dispose of them properly to help reduce harm from accidental exposure or intentional misuse.”

Julius Cook, MRCFM manager, said for now Operation Medication Drop is a one-time event, but he hopes it will serve to spearhead a more frequent initiative. The market is also planning Healthy Wednesdays, a health-oriented market to be held on the second Wednesday of every month.

During Healthy Wednesdays, community members will be able to get free health screenings and healthcare information from community service providers, including representatives from Stedman-Wade Health Services, Cape Fear Valley Health System, the CARE Clinic, the Cumberland County Department of Social Services and more.

According to a Fayetteville State University press release, there will be many perks of attending Healthy Wednesdays. “Blood pressure, blood sugar and other simple, but important screenings are provided,” the press release said.

It went on to say that local chefs would also provide healthy cooking demonstrations with produce from the market.

As always, shoppers can purchase produce, chicken eggs, duck eggs, quail eggs, pastureraised processed chickens, baked goods, organic tea blends, boiled peanuts, fresh herbs, herbal salves and handmade soaps — all fresh and from local farms and vendors.

Cook has managed the MRCFM for three years while attending FSU for entrepreneurship and owning his own business, Bezzie’s Homestyle Foods, Inc. He said in his three years working with the market, he’s seen the market have a positive effect on the community.

“The community’s very satisfied with the market coming to them and not having to go to the market,” Cook said. “(Before) they had to wait on some form of transportation in order to go and even attempt to shop.” This is the MRCFM’s fourth season serving the community. The market was created after a few food markets closed and four business students at FSU recognized the need for fresh food that was accessible to their community.

“Food deserts are defined as parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas,” according to the American Nutrition Association. “This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy  food providers.”

Don F. Bennett Jr., MRCFM operations and marketing manager, said, “We try to make it as convenient as possible for the families to come and shop without having to go too far out of their neighborhood.” It’s for convenience, too, that the farmer’s market accepts all major forms of payment, including EBT.

Even though the market is intended to keep Murchison Road community from becoming a food desert, Bennett said, it’s open to anyone in the city looking for good, fresh, local foods.

“It may be small, but it definitely packs a large experience and offers everything you need to supplement your weekly groceries with local items,” community member Anna-Caterina Fiore said in a Facebook review. “Almost all of my produce comes from local farmers markets in town, including the Murchison Road Community Farmers Market!”

In the future, Cook said he hopes to “grow the market to where we’ll be able to conduct the market more than one day per week.” For now, the Murchison Road Community Farmer’s Market is set to be open every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Oct. 18 in Bronco Square across from FSU.

Tedious restoration and repair work in Fayetteville’s historic Cross Creek Cemetery Number One downtown has been completed. An artisan hired by the city spent months resetting headstones, setting monuments upright that had fallen, repairing cracks and even locating stones that had sunk into the ground.

The City of Fayetteville owns Cross Creek Cemetery Number One and four others. “That’s rare because only a few cemeteries are municipally-owned,” said City Historian Bruce Daws.

Cross Creek Cemetery Number One, located at N. Cool Spring and Grove Streets, is among the oldest in North Carolina. The others stretch along Ann Street from Grove Street to beyond Lamon Street. Number One was established in 1785, following the American Revolutionary War. Some markers date to 1786 and are the graves of Revolutionary War dead.

The cemeteries are managed and maintained by the cemetery office of the Fayetteville/Cumberland Recreation and Parks Department. Cross Creek Cemetery Number One was added to the National Register of Historic Places in September 1998 as a national historic district. “It’s one of Fayetteville’s most significant historic landmarks,” Daws said. “Being listed on the national registry is a big deal because cemeteries are rarely considered for the honor,” he added.

Following the Civil War, the Ladies’ Memorial Association of Fayetteville had soldiers who had been killed in battle — along with those who had died and been buried in various nearby locations — interred or re-interred in the cemetery. The group raised funds to erect a Confederate Soldiers Monument in the cemetery. It was crafted by noted Scottish stone mason George Lauder and is believed to be North Carolina’s first Confederate monument, dedicated on Dec. 30, 1868.

In 1915, the General Assembly created the Cross Creek Cemetery Commission to provide for the graveyard’s upkeep.

Brookside is an area of Cross Creek Cemetery dedicated to burials of post-Civil War African-Americans. It contains the graves of many notable families of the Fayetteville area. They include E.E. Smith, members of the Chesnutt family, Dr. Paul Melchor, Robert Harris, the first principal of the Howard School and Bishop Hood. The grounds consist of free blacks buried after the Civil War and others born during the days of slavery.

Cross Creek Cemetery Number One, and to a lesser extent Number Two, has been desecrated by vandals from time to time. In 2001, Daws and then-City Councilwoman Betty Milligan toured the grounds noting significant damage. Milligan called for security fencing to protect the sacred property. In June 2010, more than 50 headstones were damaged and in disarray following another period of vandalism.

Finally, in 2013, a massive eightfoot wrought iron fence was installed around the perimeter of the cemetery. In 2016, the city installed fencing across Grove Street along the front of Cross Creek Cemetery Number Two to discourage vandalism there. “Since their completion, there has been no vandalism in the cemeteries because vandals can’t cut through them now,” said Recreation and Parks Director Michael Gibson.

The other three cemeteries are not fenced because officials said they are not as vulnerable to vandalism. Daws noted that Cross Creek Cemetery Number One sees regular tours of students attending high school humanities classes. “It’s a museum of Fayetteville’s history,” he said.

Skeptics have yet to be convinced, but talk of minor league baseball in downtown Fayetteville has already attracted interest in the financial market. PCH Holdings, LLC, expects final approval of a $9 million loan commitment from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development any day now. The firm’s renovation of the former Prince Charles Hotel into 62 apartments is expected to cost $15 million.

“Conversations with banks, which were initially disappointing, have started to be more productive as the amount of confidence in investing in downtown Fayetteville has increased,” said PCH Development Manager Jordan Jones. He added:

“We have received several term sheets from bank lenders that have a strong interest in providing us a loan. We have also secured all of our historic tax credit investors as well. Essentially, funding for the Prince Charles Hotel is secured, and we look forward to starting the project this fall.”

That puts the enterprise a few months behind schedule. Ironically, Jones’s grandfather built the hotel, which opened in 1923. The $33 million stadium and the millions to renovate the Prince Charles represent about one-half the financial developments planned for the remaining two acres of property adjacent to the ballpark. A four-story hotel topped with a four-story parking garage will also anchor the Hay Street project. A pedestrian patio and main gates will showcase the stadium entrance between the two buildings, according to design plans recently approved by the City of Fayetteville and Houston Astros Baseball Club.

Lafayette Park Handicapped Accessibility 

Officially, the park on Green Street in the heart of downtown Fayetteville is called “Cross Creek Park.” The park was badly damaged by the flood when Cross Creek overtopped its banks during Hurricane Matthew. Repairs have been a long time coming, but “they’ve been worth the wait,” said Recreation and Parks Director Michael Gibson. Last week, FEMA approved reimbursement for the cost of replacing the pedestrian bridge that stretches from the Green Street fountain to the statue of Lafayette. “The FEMA award will cover up to $200,000,” Gibson said.

The original bridge was built more than 30 years ago. The new bridge will eliminate steps and will be handicapped-accessible. New footings and pilings will secure the bridge where it crosses the creek. Design work is underway. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Fire Station

The City of Fayetteville is about to replace an aging fire station with a brand new $3 million station house.

The former Lafayette Village Fire Station on Hope Mills Road became the Fayetteville Fire Department’s Station 12 following the annexation of the area. “The new Fire Station 12 is a needed addition for our department,” Fire Chief Ben Major said.

The station was built 60 years ago and has become structurally unsound. It likely would have cost more to bring the old building up to standards than replace it, said FFD spokesman Battalion Chief Michael Martin. “It was easier to build new with land conveyed by the school system at no direct cost,” Martin said. The Cumberland County School Board donated property in front of J.W. Coon Elementary School, 905 Hope Mills Rd., to the city for the new station. Construction is underway.

 

Workforce Development Honors

The Cumberland County Workforce Development Board presented awards to program participants and partners during its annual recognition luncheon held at Cape Fear Botanical Garden. Workforce
Development offers programs for youth, adults and dislocated workers through the Cumberland County NCWorks Career Center.

The objectives are to increase employment and training opportunities and to enhance participants’ productivity and competitiveness in the workplace.

Honorees included: Outstanding Young Adults – Tiquell Allbrooks, William Johnson and Daniel Thompson; Outstanding Adults – Christine Diamond, Elaine Johnson and Marion Person; Outstanding Employer – Mears Construction Company; Outstanding Workforce Development Partnerships – Nursing and Allied Career Pathway, Cumberland County Public Library and Cumberland County Schools.

Hot Weather Emergency Funds

The Salvation Army is accepting Energy Crisis Intervention Program applications from individuals and families who are experiencing or in danger of a health emergency.

Household assistance with cooling needs is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Cumberland County Department of Social Services administers the program, but applications are made to the Salvation Army at 1047 Southern Ave. in Fayetteville, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Funds will be available until they  are exhausted or through the end of the State’s  fiscal year.

Household benefits may vary depending on the amount needed to alleviate the crisis but cannot exceed $600. Individual identification and crisis verification must be fully documented. A household is considered in crisis if a resident experiences or is in danger of experiencing a life-threatening or healthrelated weather emergency. More information is available at (910) 307-0359.

Laws, to have an impact, must be enforced — fairly and impartially. In North Carolina we have elected district attorneys to enforce laws in our hundred counties. But it is the elected attorney general who oversees enforcing our laws in North Carolina. As such, many call our attorney general North Carolina’s chief law enforcement officer.

The attorney general, to be effective, must have the respect and support of all elected officials and the citizens of our state. Josh Stein is currently our elected attorney general. He needs our support and respect.

Apparently, our legislature does not want our current attorney general to be an effective law enforcement head. During the last days of the last long session, after our Appropriations Committee met and decided about the attorney general’s budget, leadership, at the urging of the Tea Party, decided to cut the attorney general’s budget by $10 million.

Not only did they cut his budget, but they cut it where it would hurt the most: personnel. And to ensure that the attorney general did not replace the cuts with leftover monies or reserves, they put a ban on his ability to transfer monies into these areas.

Such cuts are not just cruel. They are mean politics, and they are flat-out dangerous.

The cuts will impair the attorney general’s ability to keep criminals behind bars. For example, with more than 126 attorneys and other key personnel being laid-off because of this $10 million cut, who will be available to prosecute white-collar criminals and our most violent offenders? Who will handle close to 700 criminal appellate cases each year? With these lay-offs we also lose institutional experience, which further adds to the loss.

These cuts affect the department’s ability to handle frivolous and other lawsuits filed against the state. Presently, there are 115 civil lawsuits pending with over $400 million in potential liability. These include everything from breach of contract to tort claims.

The attorney general’s staff who will be laid off are all dedicated, hard-working employees. They enforce DWI revocations, do countless calls from agencies and citizens and enforce consumer protection laws. They enforce credit and usury laws. They represent every phase of the state and state agencies that we have, reviewing transportation contracts, enforcing regulations and protecting our interests.

Now, every state agency will be short staffed and face difficulties without effective assistance and counsel. Who will enforce and protect our waters from pollution and unintended consequenc
es of the same?

This careless action by our leadership is unnecessary. We did not do this for cost-saving or out of necessity. We especially did not do this after hearings and deliberations. We did not even get the attorney general’s input on the cutbacks. And we did not hear from our bosses — you the people.

Rather, this is mean, cruel, harsh politics designed to hurt the attorney general, presumably because of his party-affiliation or because he refused to defend the unnecessary court cases our bad laws have created.

Currently, we have more than 22 lawsuits pending that are the result of bad legislation. This is wrong. Wrong intent. Wrong process. Wrong result.

Laws not enforced, agencies not advised and 110 fine state servants laid-off because of political gains and intent to harm. Mark Twain once said, “It’s never wrong to do the right thing.” The same is true of doing wrong. It’s never right to do the wrong thing. This is wrong. We have important laws that protect you that need to be enforced. An unenforced law is worse than no law because it creates disrespect for the law. The rule of law is essential to  our democracy.

Citizens want lawmakers to serve with a servant’s heart. They want us to stop playing petty games and to compromise with each other and put their interests first.

As former Republican Justice Bob Or said, “Our citizens deserve a General Assembly who will stop this vindictiveness and move on to doing their business, which is serving the people.” He is spot on. Playing political games with people’s lives and the one-ups-man ship must stop. It is past time to put North Carolina first and political party engagement ship last on the priority list.

 

PHOTO: NC Attorney General Josh Stein.

 

I am the product of a Bible college. In the fall of 1977, as an 18-year-old, I enrolled in a college in Birmingham, Alabama. I graduated four years later with a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Ministries.

God graciously allowed me opportunities to go back to school three subsequent times for two master’s degrees and a doctoral degree — for which I am grateful. With each course taken and additional degree earned, I learned truths that were new to me. That being said, it is not a stretch when I tell people that a significant part of who I am and the foundation for much of my life and ministry over the past 35+ years was laid in those first four years at Bible college.

Bible colleges exist to prepare men and women for various ministries, including but not limited to pastoral roles, youth and children’s ministries, missions and nonprofit ministries.

They are similar in many ways to seminaries except for the degrees offered — associate’s and bachelor’s degrees rather than master’s and doctoral degrees.

Why was Bible college so foundational for me? After all, I have nine years of additional study in graduate schools and seminaries and only four years in Bible college. The following are a few reasons I advocate for Bible college:
• My degree from Bible college required a healthy dose of Greek (the original language of the New Testament) and Bible interpretation courses. These courses aimed to prepare my fellow students and me to understand what the Bible says with greater clarity.

• Six semesters of preaching and communication courses aided me greatly in taking what I’d learned from my study of God’s word and being able to communicate it effectively to others. I am sure I would have been a much less effective communicator without those courses.

• Finally, I met others who had the same goal I did. They wanted to serve Jesus, be instruments used to bring him glory, and help people find peace with God and purpose for living. Those classmates became my best friends … one became my wife.

Since 2004, I have had the privilege to be at Carolina College of Biblical Studies. I have the joy of leading a team of faculty and staff that are being greatly used by God to lay a foundation in our campus and online students’ lives for current and future ministry around the world.

I often tell CCBS students if they get half as much out of Bible college as I did, they will still be transformed, useful for God’s purposes and grateful as I am. Hardly a day passes, even 36 years after graduating, that I don’t find myself reflecting on and relying on the truths I learned in Bible college.

 

Hit

The Houston Astros 

It doesn’t hurt local enthusiasm for minor league baseball that the parent organization of our team is the best team in the American League. The Astros have posted a winning record of 60-30 and have a commanding 10-game lead over their nearest opponent.

 

 

 

 

Miss

City Streets

Why doesn’t the City of Fayetteville take better care of our streets? Numerous utility patches deteriorate and make for rough roads. Manholes become the equivalent of pot holes.

 

Hit

Fayetteville Dinner Theatre

What a wonderful idea! Dinner Theatre has returned to Fayetteville, ironically at the same hotel where it was last seen decades ago, but now under a new name. Off-Broadway mainstay “The Fantasticks” was the inaugural show.

 

 

 

 

Miss

Bike Trail

In historic Haymount and some nearby neighborhoods, there are bike paths marked along newly-paved streets. Three issues: Planners put them on steep, hilly roads. Most of the bike paths are not marked as such. And the lack of a city ordinance means cars can park on bike paths. Huh?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hit

Baseball Park

Ground breaking for the downtown minor league baseball stadium is on schedule. City officials hope to begin the project Sept. 1. Preparations are already underway. Construction is expected to take 18 months.

 

Miss

Flag Disrespect

Flags flown at the historic Lafayette statue in Cross Creek Park off Green Street downtown have become badly faded, and one of them is torn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hit

Splash Pads 

The city is wasting no time. Crews broke ground for the first two splash pads authorized by voters in last spring’s recreation and parks referendum. Mayor Nat Robertson was the moving force behind the water features.

 

Toss up

New York Restaurant

The popular Eastern Boulevard restaurant is a throwback to 50 years ago when it first opened: It still serves delicious and inexpensive southern-style home-cooking. But, patrons have to pay with cash. There’s no handicapped parking and the restrooms are outside the building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hit

Hire Vets

More and more local and national businesses, literally hundreds of them, are hiring veterans. Two vets I know who’ve been living on the street now have full-time jobs with benefits.

In a column titled “Tim White: Time to kick government out of the booze business,” White wrote, “Remind me again, please: Why is it that North Carolina needs to regulate when a restaurant can serve a drink?”

He was referring to SB155: legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly and signed by Governor Roy Cooper. A key component of the legislation allows cities and counties to adopt ordinances that permit restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages starting at 10 a.m. on Sundays. The previous start time was noon, in consideration of the normal church worship hour.

Tim White is not alone in supporting this legislation. Jeff “Goldy” Goldberg, host of “Good Morning Fayetteville” on WFNC Radio, described opposition to the legislation as “ridiculous.” These two men, who are in positions of influence, are joined by others who argue that preventing the sale of alcoholic beverages before noon on Sundays will not cause more people to attend worship services or deter those who do. White wrote:

“And while we’re at it, can someone give me a really rational explanation why we’re getting so worked up over legislation that would let restaurant brunch customers order Bloody Marys before noon on Sunday? Does anyone really think that an 11 a.m. mimosa will be the deciding factor for anyone pondering the church-or-brunch conundrum?”

My response to Tim White and the multitude of others who support this legislation has nothing to do with worship attendance. I oppose the legislation because of the message it sends. In a country founded on Judeo-Christian values and ushered into greatness because many people embraced those values, the message of this legislation belittles those values. Dr. Richard Lee listed some of these Judeo-Christian values in an article titled “Seven Principles of the Judeo-Christian Ethic.” Here are six of the listed values which are rather selfexplanatory: the dignity of human life; the traditional family; a national work ethic; the right to a Godcentered education; common decency; our personal accountability to God.

Every indication is that, across several centuries in the history of America, leaders understood the tremendous benefit to society of messaging that held these values as deserving respect and attention. I contend the previous regulation on serving alcoholic drinks on Sunday mornings was, in part, meant to encourage respect for Sunday as a primary day of worship. I remember that in my youth most businesses were closed on Sunday. The following quote from http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Blue+Laws speaks to this point:

“Blue laws have been part of U.S. Legal History since the colonial period. These laws, which today are usually referred to as Sunday closing laws, prohibit certain types of commercial activity on
Sundays. Originally these laws were directed at personal activities regarded as moral offenses, such as gambling or the consumption of alcohol. In the nineteenth century, however, state and local governments passed laws that forbade businesses from operating on Sunday. Although these laws were clearly based on Christian beliefs, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled they do not violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Many blue laws have been repealed since the 1960s, but some laws that ban the sale of alcohol on Sunday remain in force.

Consider those Judeo-Christian values provided by Dr. Richard Lee referenced earlier in this article. I find it very difficult to understand how anyone would fail to see the tremendous positive impact on society if respect for these values is encouraged. I am old enough to remember when respect for Judeo-Christian values was encouraged. In spite of all the societal challenges of that time, I remember a country that was far more moral, civil, patriotic, family-oriented … simply a much better place. Among the reasons was the messaging of those  blue laws.

We have come to a time when the prevailing thinking is that Judeo-Christian values are to be relegated to a period in the far-flung past. Consequently, these values have been shelved by far too many individuals and groups who control the messaging in our country. My father talked about how there are many voices that cry out to us regarding what is acceptable behavior and reasonable thought. My observation is that the voices that oppose promotion of Judeo-Christian values are so strong, so powerful, that they are drowning out the voices that support these values and call the world to them. I contend that one who chooses any of the challenging issues of our world will, upon honest examination, find that embracing Judeo-Christian values is our best hope for rectifying those destructive conditions. Choose one … poverty, crime, racial tension, war, homelessness and on the list goes.

He does not specifically refer to Judeo-Christian values, but in a column titled “The sequence to success,” George Will speaks to this practice of routinely discarding past approaches:

“In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s day, as in ours, it was said that problems were so daunting that old principles must yield to new realities. Perhaps, however, unfortunate new realities are the result of the disregard of old principles. Hawthorne recommended consulting ‘respectable old blockheads’ who had ‘a death-grip on one or two ideas which had not come into vogue since yesterday morning.’ Ideas like getting an education, a job and a spouse before begetting children. 

The words and actions of those in authority influence the thinking of the masses as to what behavior is acceptable. In pursuit of power, people in positions of authority are also influenced by the desires of the masses. In this circumstance, messaging flows both ways. Couple this two-way messaging with JudeoChristian values being shelved and replaced by feel-good values, and the result is what George Will and Nathaniel Hawthorne warned against.

We are on the precipice of totally turning from the values that helped make America an amazing country. Our rapid movement is toward being a nation with no moral compass. My problem is that the message from many in authority, and many under that authority who support the Brunch Bill, is that replacing Judeo-Christian values with feel-good values is acceptable. No matter the destructive consequences to society, this shift is viewed as and messaged as acceptable.

I spend a good bit of time in the Fayetteville Community Garden. On a recent visit, a young lady who has a garden plot told me someone stole three of her watermelons. She also showed me a sign she had put in the plot. It read, “Is that the way you want to be when Jesus comes back?” After hearing her account and thinking about the possible effectiveness of the sign, I concluded it will not likely be a deterrent when the melons next to it are large enough for eating. In a time when society embraced Judeo-Christian values more fervently, the sign probably would have caused a thief to pause and maybe not steal the melons. Today’s messaging says those values belong in the past and that we should leave them there. I contend that messaging is extracting a high cost from America and the cost is rising. The Brunch Bill is part of this messaging.

I hope the thinking presented here qualifies as “a really rational explanation why we’re getting so worked up over legislation that would let restaurant brunch customers order Bloody Marys before noon on Sunday.”

 

PHOTO: In a time when society embraced Judeo-Christian values more fervently, the sign probably would have caused a thief to pause and maybe not steal the melons.

The timing couldn’t be better for the local theater scene. Good things are happening. The Cape Fear Regional Theatre has a new artistic director, and Fayetteville has a new live theater venue. We are “moving on up!” 

This being the case, I’m yielding my editorial space this week for the awareness and promotion of the newest cultural venue coming to our community. This will be an exciting week for Fayetteville. On Thursday, after an absence of more than three decades, the curtain will rise on the Fayetteville Dinner Theatre at Bordeaux, which is returning to the Fayetteville, Fort Bragg and Cumberland County
community. July 27-29 the Ramada Plaza Convention Center and Up & Coming Weekly, in conjunction with Purple Door Productions, will present the wonderful and delightful romantic musical comedy “The Fantasticks.” This is one of the most popular and continuous-running musicals in the world. It is the longestrunning off-Broadway play of all time.

The Fayetteville Observer’s Rodger Mullen wrote an excellent feature on the show and the production company in the Family Life section of Sunday’s newspaper. You can read it here: http:// www.fayobserver.com/news/20170723/ dinner-theater-returns-to-fayetteville.

So, no more four-hour round trips to Greensboro. Hallelujah for that!

“The Fantasticks” is being billed as “A unique theater experience.” And, it will be. I promise. 

See the details below and check it out for yourself at www. fayettevilledinnertheatre.com. We hope to see you there. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

 

PHOTO: Go to www.FayettevilleDinnerTheatre.com to learn more.

You can see the this year's composite football schedule for Cumberland County Schools. 

The biggest change isn’t directly visible looking at the schedule, as many of the teams will face each other this year. But as we’ve reported before, the 10 schools will be split into two new conferences.

Gone are the old Mid-South 4-A and Cape Fear Valley 3-A Conferences.

Most of the county schools will now be in a combination 3-A/4-A conference called the Patriot Athletic Conference. These include 4-A members Pine Forest and South View with Overhills from Harnett County.

Moving to the 3-A ranks to join Cape Fear Valley holdovers Westover, Terry Sanford, Douglas Byrd and Gray’s Creek are 3-A newcomers Cape Fear and E.E. Smith.

The remaining two county schools, Seventy-First and Jack Britt, are headed to the new Sandhills Athletic Conference, a 4-A league that includes old Southeastern 4-A members Richmond Senior, Scotland, Pinecrest, Hoke County, Lumberton and Purnell Swett.

Here are a few odds and ends that jump out from the new schedule:

• Cape Fear faces a tough non-conference schedule as it travels to Clinton and Wilmington New Hanover and faces a home game with its toughest Mid-South rival from last season, Seventy-First.  The good news for the Colts is star quarterback Justice Galloway-Velazquez is out of the walking boot he was wearing following surgery on his damaged ankle and will hopefully be back at full speed by the time Cape Fear opens the season on Aug. 18.

• Douglas Byrd will be getting a slight break in its non-conference schedule as it faces a pair of 2-A teams, Fairmont and South Columbus, in its first two games.  Both teams made the state playoffs last year, South Columbus reaching the fourth round and Fairmont the second round.  Fairmont is under the direction of former South View and Terry Sanford assistant Kevin Inman.

• Douglas Byrd, E.E. Smith and Westover are the only county schools with six home games this year. Due to a quirk of moving to new conferences and starting new two-year schedule agreements, the other seven schools only play at home five of 11 games this year in the regular season.

• The award for longest trip on the non-conference schedule goes to Pine Forest, which will head to Concord for its second game of the year. Concord, a member of the tough South Piedmont 3-A last year, was 8-4 and finished in a three-way tie for second, one game back of league champion Concord Robinson. According to MapQuest, that’s 113 miles one way from Andrews Road in Fayetteville to Burrage Road N.E. in Concord. Drive time is estimated at two hours and 27 minutes.

• Former Terry Sanford coach Bryan Till may be at Richmond Senior this fall but he will not be a stranger to Cumberland County Schools. Till’s Raiders will make two trips back to Cumberland County, visiting Pine Forest in the non-conference season and coming to Jack Britt for a Sandhills Conference Game.  Seventy-First will also head to Rockingham to play Till's team in another Sandhills game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PHOTOS: Justice Galloway-Velazquez & Bryan Till

Can a former North Carolina governor bridge the gap between science and religion?

James G. Martin gives it a try in his new book “Revelation Through Science: Evolution in the Harmony of Science and Religion.”

Why would Martin want to take on the task of showing that the discoveries of science pose no threat to Christianity or any other religion?

Martin is a Davidson and Princeton trained chemist. He is a champion of the scientific method and, without apology, endorses the discoveries his fellow scientists have made, including the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe and basics of the theory  of evolution.

He is also the son of a Presbyterian minister and himself a lifelong Christian. He believes the Bible is “the received word of God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe and of any life it holds, on earth or elsewhere. I believe the Bible is our best guide to faith and practice.

“I believe there is, and can be, no irreconcilable conflict between science and religion, for they are revealed from the same God. Even more than that, as a Christian, I believe that God is most clearly revealed in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, I firmly believe that a loving God intended us to have the capacity to observe and interpret nature, so that we would grow in understanding the majesty and mystery of His creation and all that followed.”

How can Martin reconcile his scientific truths with the biblical account of a six-day creation or with the related belief that the earth was created about six thousand years ago?

He admitted that he would sometimes avoid discussion of these questions when he was involved in electoral politics. For instance, as governor he visited the small town of Hobucken on Pamlico Sound. He stopped at the local fishing supply store at R. E. Mayo Company and saw a “monstrous skeletal whale head standing right outside the store.”

Martin remarked to some of the local people, “Wow! That whale must have lived and died there millions of years ago!”Martin said everything got quiet. Then, one person responded: “No, sir, we reckon she couldn’t have been there more’n six thousand years!”

“No,” Martin wrote, “I did not stand my ground and debate the age of the earth with these fine gentlemen. I knew what I knew, part of which was that they knew what they knew, and this debate was not winnable.”

Now Martin is ready, not to debate, but to explain that scientist’s conclusions about the time of creation (13.7 billion years ago) and the age of the earth (4.5 billion years ago) are firmly based. More importantly for him, they are not in conflict with religion, including the creation accounts in the book of Genesis.

In his 400-page book, Martin lays out a seminar for the “educated non-scientist,” explaining the awesome complexities and orderliness of our world. He gives details of the sciences of astronomy, physics, biology, evolution, geology, paleontology, organic chemistry, biochemistry and genomics, including efforts to spark living organisms from inert chemicals.

With every scientific advance or explanation of how the world came about and works now, Martin said there is a further revelation from the Creator.

Does he assert that these advances prove the existence of God?

No, but throughout the book he points out what he calls “anthropic coincidences” that made for a universe that “was physically and chemically attuned very precisely for the emergence of life, culminating thus far in an intelligent, self-aware species.”

If the discussions of science and religion are too complicated for some readers, they should not put down the book before reading its final chapter in which Martin describes his personal journey of faith, study, service, and tolerance and respect for the opinions of those who see things differently.

State legislative leaders this week dismissed a report by their own nonpartisan legislative staff showing the latest round of tax changes will create a budget shortfall of more than a billion dollars in two years, growing to $1.4 billion two years after that.

The projections came in response to a request made by Democratic leaders in the Senate during the budget debate warning about the impact of the tax cuts, the bulk of which will go to corporations and wealthy families.

The analysis prompted headlines about a looming budget gap and revenue problems. Democratic leaders said it confirmed Governor Roy Cooper’s characterization of the Republican budget as irresponsible.

The response by Republican leaders, including the office of Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, was to first irrelevantly blame Democrats for past budget problems and then to promise that no shortfall was looming because Republicans would simply cut spending to make up the difference.

They are technically right, as the state constitution requires a balanced budget. But missing from the headlines and the reaction to the budget news is what the projections really mean: that we are experiencing a dangerous new normal in North Carolina.

No longer does everyone assume the budget will increase spending to keep up with the state’s needs. Not too long ago, funding for increased enrollment at public schools, community colleges and universities was automatically built into budget assumptions. But now lawmakers must decide every year if they want to pay for the additional students who show up at school. Many Republicans boasted during the budget debate that they did fund the enrollment increases, though in the university system’s case, they asked for more budget cuts back in return.

The memo from the legislative staff projecting the shortfall assumed “inflationary increases for salaries and other line items” and “spending consistent with a current services approach.”

In other words, the projections of the billion-dollar shortfall is based on lawmakers’ keeping things just like they are, which is spending well below historical levels as a share of the state’s economy.

The analysis also assumes lawmakers will make investments to keep up with increased health care costs and retiree benefits and some of the projected changes in Medicaid.

It does not include any significant new investments in anything, no big teacher raises to reach the national average in salaries, no reasonable increase to help state workers, no new initiatives in child care or K-12 education, not even an effort to fund the class size mandate for public schools passed by the General Assembly without the funding to pay for it.

No, the analysis used by the legislative staff is a bare bones budget that continues the inadequate spending levels of recent years — but it still results in a massive budget shortfall.

That is the real story here. Not that the unwise Robin Hood in reverse tax breaks is pushing the state towards a budget crisis, but that Republican leaders are clearly planning even more cuts to education, health care and essential human services.

Raises for teachers and state employees will never be significant, not in the scenario they have created. Inflationary increases will not be fully funded and Republicans will demand credit when they are even partially paid for.

State leaders used to build increased investments into the budget plans and whatever was left over was invested in new programs or bigger raises or more help for children.

Now, budget cuts are instead built into the budget by the big tax breaks given every year. There is no assumption that schools will be adequately funded or that teachers will get a raise or that at-risk children will have access to pre-K programs.

All that will be decided every year, AFTER the tax cuts are paid for. It’s a dangerous new normal, indeed.

On the evening of July 28, Downtown Fayetteville will come alive with its monthly 4th Friday festivities. Local restaurants, shops, galleries and museums host special events and extend their normal hours. Vendors and performers fill the streets, making a stroll through beautiful Downtown new and lively.

4th Friday focuses on showcasing the arts and entertainment in Downtown Fayetteville. This monthly event is a perfect opportunity for new and longtime residents to explore what Fayetteville has to offer. It runs from 6–10 p.m. 4th Friday is in large part organized by the Downtown Alliance, a not-forprofit membership advocacy organization. Local business owners work together to revitalize and strengthen Fayetteville through business recruitment and support, economic development, marketing and special events. The DTA organizes several events throughout the year.

The Arts Council kicks off the opening of the “Cultural EXPOsure” exhibition. Enjoy a Cultural Cabaret featuring Scottish music. The short performances highlight the community’s diverse cultural arts industry. The opening reception lasts from 7  to 9 p.m.

The Ellington-White Gallery, at 113 Gillespie St., continues its exhibition “Resemblance: New Works by Soni Martin.” See the art from 7 to 9 p.m. Martin is a local professor and artist.

From 7-8:45 p.m., the Headquarters Library, located at 300 Maiden Ln., will be filled with lively music, stories and discussion. This month, The Piney Woods Boys play Southern traditional string band music. This style of music has its roots in “oldtime” and bluegrass music genres. The Piney Woods Boys, back by popular demand, are a local favorite. This program is sponsored by Systel. Light refreshments provided.

During 4th Fridays, Fayetteville’s history is on display. The Market House in the center of Downtown is open to the public from 6-10 p.m. and admission is free. A National Historic Landmark, this iconic building serves as a small museum for local history. It has a permanent exhibit called “A View from the Square: A History of Downtown Fayetteville” and a rotating exhibit that changes monthly. The rotating exhibits focus on different aspects of local history. Past exhibits have included “Scottish Heritage,” “Vintage Postcards” and “Banking.”

The Fayetteville Area Transportation Museum, located at 325 Franklin St., is a restored 1890 Railroad Depot and includes exhibits that rotate frequently. The exhibits cover local history from pre-history to the early 20th century. The museum is open from 6-10 p.m. on 4th Friday, and admission is free. This is a particularly fun place to visit for history buffs interested in trains and cars. Fascinate-U is a great place for families with smaller children to visit.

Fascinate-U is a museum specifically designed for children. The exhibits are designed to be interactive so kids can learn about the world through play. It makes learning vital skills fun and natural. On 4th Friday, admission is free from 7-9 p.m., and kids are usually invited to participate in a free artistic project.

Call the Downtown Alliance at (910) 222-3382 to learn more about 4th Friday.

 

PHOTO: The Piney Woods Boys are set to perform at Headquarters Library on 4th Friday.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the only cause of death among the top 10 in the U.S. that cannot be prevented or cured. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and that’s why McKee Homes presents July events for Alzheimer’s. 

“All of our events have the same intended goal, which is to help the Alzheimer’s Association bring awareness and funds to this disease and one day put an end to it,” said Julie Russo, vice president of community relations of McKee Homes, LLC. 

“Purple is the color for Alzheimer’s Awareness and we encourage everyone to wear purple to the events,” said AnneMarie Ziegler, marketing chair for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s committee. 

Alzheimer’s Walk Kickoff Party at 7p.m., July 21 at the SwampDogs Stadium.

Purple jerseys will be worn by SwampDog players and will be auctioned online the day of and also during the game. Proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. 

Paint the Town Purple Facebook Contest runs June 26-28. Post your best “purple pic” or Facebook Live video. Connect your post to Alzheimer’s awareness by using the hashtags #PTTP and #ENDALZ. The post must be dated between June 26 and July 28. Promote your purple posts to win  a prize. 

Paint the Town Purple Distribution Event from 1-8 p.m., Friday, July 28, at McKee Homes, 109 Hay St. This is a community effort to get the word out about the walk on Sept. 9. Free-floating pickup for the distribution of posters and flyers is from 1–5 p.m. Starting at 5 p.m., every hour on the hour there will be a mini training session on the distribution  process. 

Purple 4th Friday Events On Friday, July 28, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Committee and the Joe McKee Memorial Foundation sponsor Downtown Fayetteville’s 4th Friday. Ziegler said many Downtown merchants will wear purple that night and pass out bracelets and save the date cards. ARRAY Magazine hosts a fundraising night at Wine & Design, 113 Donaldson St., starting at 6 p.m. All attendees will receive a door prize. If they wear purple, they’ll get an extra ticket for a prize drawing, with many items donated by Downtown businesses. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Alzheimer’s walk. Visit www.wineanddesign.com and click on the July 28 calendar block to register. 

2017 Fayetteville Walk to End Alzheimer’s at 9 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 9, at SwampDogs Stadium. Registration is at 9 a.m., ceremony at 10 a.m., and the walk begins at 10:30 a.m. Over the past six years, the Fayetteville Walk to End Alzheimer’s has raised $350,000. To volunteer, email Ashley Schaus at fayendalz@gmail.com. For more information about the events, email Julie Russo at Julie@mckeehomesnc.com.

Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra’s last season comprised an exciting search for a new music director and conductor. In April, at a speakeasy-themed reveal party, FSO proudly announced that Stefan Sanders had taken the position.

When Sanders was an auditioning candidate last year, he met FSO president and CEO Christine Kastner. Kastner said he asked her about the region’s history. “As the week went on, we discussed more and more Carolina things because he was really trying to get to know the community,”  Kastner said.

When Sanders was hired, they both agreed a Carolina-themed season would be perfect for his first year with the FSO. “This theme gave me an opportunity to really dig into the rich history and culture of North Carolina and Fayetteville, programming music that our audiences can relate to as well as discover something new from,” Sanders said.

Six concerts, starting in October and ending in April, promise to transport listeners from the pirateriddled Carolina coastline of the past to the Appalachian Mountains in the spring.  

“Cape Fear” • Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017

Explore the world of pirates and shipwrecks, both in myth and history, embedded in the Carolina coastline. Look forward to Wagner’s “Overture to The Flying Dutchman” along with music from “Hook” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” for this family-friendly evening. Kastner encouraged guests to come dressed in their best pirate costume. “Yes, I’m serious,” she said. She added that children who come in costume will get to march in a costume parade. 

“A Carolina Holiday” • Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017 

Enter a lush, nostalgic, merry world of sound where every Fayetteville native’s dream of a white Christmas can finally come true. The repertoire includes music from “The Nutcracker” and the classic holiday film “Home Alone.” Fayetteville Academy’s children’s choir, which has traveled to competitions at Disney World, will sing with the orchestra for por
tions of “The Nutcracker.” A certain red-suited guest will be in the lobby handing out candy canes.

“The French Connection” • Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018

The FSO String Quartet pays homage to Lafayette’s legacy in the beautiful nave of St. John’s Episcopal Church for the first chamber concert of the season. Sanders described chamber concerts as “having a more intimate feel.” Kastner agreed. “It’s a smaller group of musicians, but it’s also a much smaller venue,” she said. “With two violins, a viola and a cello, you can actually distinguish the sounds of the instruments and … you’re close enough to... watch the individual musicians.” The musicians perform Maurice Ravel’s iconic “String Quartet,” considered to be a cornerstone piece of French impressionism. 

“Music of the New World” • Thursday,  Jan. 25, 2018

The Fayetteville Symphony Brass and Woodwind Quintet perform American works by Stephen Foster, George Gershwin, Elmer Bernstein and more. The Symphony Brass is composed of two trumpets and a French horn, trombone and tuba, while the Woodwind Quintet is composed of a flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and French horn. The second chamber concert of the season will also be held in St. John’s, which seats 300 people. “We usually come very close to selling out these concerts,” Kastner said. 

“1867-2017: A 150-Year Celebration!” • Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018

FSO partners with Fayetteville State University to celebrate the school’s sesquicentennial anniversary. World-renowned opera soprano Angela Brown joins
the orchestra to perform pieces that explore and honor the influence of African-Americans on music from 1867-2017. Composers to be played include Gershwin, Scott Joplin, Stephen Price and William Grant Still.  

“Americana” • Saturday, March 10, 2018

Celebrate being American with “American Salute” and music from classic American films “Apollo 13” and “Forrest Gump.” “I think there will be (at least one thing) in that concert everyone’s heard before, and so I think it will be really accessible for the audience,” Kastner said. The Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra joins the FSO onstage for portions of the concert. The winner of the Harlan Duenow Young Artist Concerto Competition, to be announced this spring, also has a solo performance. 

“Appalachian Spring” • Saturday,  April 21, 2018

“Gone to Carolina” ends in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” and Jean Sibelius’s “Finlandia” evoke hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Guest soloist Alex Jokippi, principal trumpet of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, also performs an original piece composed for him by Finnish violinist and composer Jaakko Kuusisto. “He is a brilliant musician, wonderful person and dear friend,” said Sanders of Jokippi. 

“Once the concert is happening, it isn’t about anyone in particular — staff, musicians, conductor — it is purely about the music,” said Julia Atkins, FSO director of artistic operations and marketing. “By the end, everyone goes home happier, refreshed and even nourished.... It is a goal we set for ourselves for every concert, and it’s amazing to see those results.”

“The FSO and I are devoted to being a part of what makes Fayetteville so special,” Sanders said. “This coming season begins a new chapter in the FSO’s 61-year history, and I am beyond excited to share all of this great music with you!”

All concerts are at 7:30 p.m. with venue varying. Visit www.fayettevillesymphony.org to purchase tickets and to learn about special events outside of the season’s regular concerts.

 

PHOTO: FSO’s chamber concerts this season will be performed in the beautiful nave of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

 

It was the military that brought Jeanne Koonce to the Sandhills. She was a singer and an actress — a performer steeped in the magic that is theater. And she stayed. 

She found work with the Bordeaux Dinner Theater and later at the Carolina Civic Center in Lumberton. While there, she created a program for the public schools. It was a a series of countywide productions that allowed students from all over the county to meet each other and participate in musical and theatrical events.

“I ran it for many years,” Koonce said.  She and the choreographer for the program eventually realized they shared a dream. “She and I started talking about wanting our own company,” Koonce said. “It was great doing shows with young kids, but these were teens, and I wanted to work with adults. I wanted to do shows like ‘Chicago,’ and you can’t do that with high school students. My friend and I put our heads together and decided to take the plunge.”

Four years ago, Koonce and three colleagues opened Purple Door Productions. Between them, they shared a multitude of skills. They were all actors, dancers and singers. One had experience in stage design, and two were choreographers as well. “This is something most theater groups don’t have,” Koonce said. “You may have a director and some actors or a business person; you seldom have a core who can do everything plus two choreographers and a director. We had two costumers, and two could build sets.”

 

They rented a studio space in downtown Lumberton to put on small shows designed for audiences of 25–30 people. There, they also taught dance and music and acting.

Then Koonce bumped into a student of hers from years ago who worked at Robeson Community College. “She and I talked about it and entered into a partnership,” Koonce said. “We would do big shows there, and part of the money goes to her foundation at RCC to pay for scholarships.”

Suddenly, the group was performing in a theater with dressing rooms, sound equipment and more. That was in 2015. Now, the staff of four, including Koonce, Jacob Barton, Lance Carter and  Teresa Davis produce shows that can entertain small groups or audiences as big as the 800-seat space at RCC.

Now, three-and-a-half decades after performing in the Bordeaux Dinner Theater, Koonce is back.  The Fayetteville Dinner Theater returns for the inaugural performance, “The Fantasticks,” under Koonce’s direction. July 27-29, this romantic musical comedy takes place at Ramada Plaza.

“The Fantasticks” is the longest-running off-Broadway show of all time. “There is a reason why,” Koonce said. “It is a crazy, peculiar little piece of work. It has its roots in Shakespeare, but it’s a musical. It has sharp edges, but its word play is quite good.”

Playing on the strength of the script and the talent of the actors, Koonce sees the intimate setting a dinner theater provides as another strength for this production. It is a smaller-scale show with only eight characters. “The philosophy of young lovers and family arguments is carried forward into (this) intimate little play,” Koonce said. “It is done very sparsely — just like it was in Shakespeare’s day. The focus is on the actors and it is lovely this way.”

The cast is composed of regional talent that many local theater enthusiasts will recognize. Amber Jansen, a junior at Massey Hill Classical High School and a regular performer at Purple Door Productions for the past three years, plays Luisa. Ryan Ransom plays Matt. Ransom is a St. Pauls native and a music/theater student at UNC Pembroke. Matthew Jacobs and Steve Chambers are the meddling fathers. Jacobs is a Robeson County native with more than a decade of acting experience in the region. Chambers is a working actor from the Lumberton area who has been a stage performer since he was five.

Clay Rogers is El Gallo. Rogers is a native of Fairmont and has performed across the country for the past eight years. He currently works at Givens Performing Arts Center in Pembroke.

Denver McCullough, an Oklahoma native, plays Henry, the old actor. McCullough has performed in many regional theaters, including Fayetteville’s own Cape Fear Regional Theatre. “Denver has a long history in Fayetteville’s theater world,” Koonce said. “He’ll be easily recognized here.”

The evening includes much more than dinner and first-rate theater. The event opens with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery will be on-site offering a variety of wines for tasting and sales. Located in Elizabethtown, Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery offers fine dining and lakeside lodging and hosts weddings and events.

At 6:30 p.m., dinner is served. The curtain rises at 8 p.m.

Special musical guests include the award-winning Fayetteville Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, the Cross Creek Chordsmen.

“With a V.I.P. reception, door prizes, a great dinner, an awesome show, an exclusive wine-tasting, dinner entertainment by the Cross Creek Chordsmen — all culminating in a post-show meet-andgreet with the actors and a giveaway grand prize from Cape Fear Winery each night — this is truly a unique theater experience,” said event producer and Up & Coming Weekly publisher Bill Bowman.

Tickets cost $75 per person and are available at www.fayettevilledinnertheatre.com or from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the box office at Ramada Plaza. Proceeds benefit the Kidsville News Literacy and Education Foundation.

 

PHOTO: Matt (Ryan Ransom) defends Luisa (Amber Jansen) from swashbuckler El Gallo (Clay Rogers) and his gang (Wynona Oxendine and Dakota Hammonds), while the fathers (Matt Jacobs and Stephen Chambers) are excited by the whole plan.

 

North Carolina environmental officials have received data from the first rounds of water sampling in the Cape Fear River to test for the unregulated chemical GenX. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality received the first sets of water quality data from the Test America lab in Colorado for further analysis.

The data comes from water samples collected June 19-29 near the Fayetteville Chemours facility, which makes GenX, and from water treatment facilities in the Fayetteville and Wilmington areas.

The industrial chemical is produced at a plant just inside Bladen County from Cumberland County. DuPont began using the compound called GenX to produce many consumer products, including Teflon. Chemours, a DuPont subsidiary that makes GenX, insists it’s safe, but it has been linked with cancer and other serious health problems. Little is known about the relatively new industrial chemical’s health effects. There are no U.S. regulatory guideline levels for GenX.

Test samples first collected three years ago detected the chemical in the water supply for southeastern North Carolina at levels considered to pose a low risk to humans. Chemours said it would capture, remove and safely dispose of the wastewater that contains GenX from the Cape Fear River.

But the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services will continue to investigate the issue. Once the analyses are completed, both agencies will share the results and updated health risk assessments with the public. It will be of special interest in Wilmington, where some officials charge that the river water  is contaminated. 

Officials have collected water samples in 12 locations near Fayetteville and Wilmington and are wrapping up a fourth round of tests. A 13th location upstream of the Chemours facility — Fayetteville PWC’s Hoffer Water Treatment Plant — was added to the sampling regimen. State officials will base future sampling decisions on the results. Separate samples were sent for analysis to two labs capable of detecting GenX at low concentrations: Test America and the EPA’s lab in the Research Triangle Park. Both labs continue to receive and analyze data from the water samples collected and will make that data available to state officials during the coming days and weeks.  

“Our goal is to make the public aware of our findings as soon as possible,” said Michael Regan, secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality. “We will continue to report the results of the analyses in the coming days and weeks.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said public health staff is working with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and academic researchers to better understand any possible health risks associated with GenX.

“There is limited information available … but we are working every day with our federal partners and academic researchers to better understand everything we can about this unregulated compound,” Cohen said.

When City of Fayetteville garbage trucks and those that serve rural areas hit the road four days a week, they eventually end up at the Cumberland County Landfill on Ann Street, not far from Downtown. The 300-acre property was opened in the 1980s. More than 80 acres are currently in use for two so-called cells, one to contain household waste and the other for commercial and industrial waste.

County government owns and operates solid waste facilities. It just spent $8 million preparing two new Ann Street landfill cells, having closed two others and topping them with a foot of dirt. The new cells are opening this week. “They’ll have a total capacity of a million cubic yards of trash,” said Solid Waste Manager Jerod Roberts. Each new cell is lined with plastic to prevent contents from leaching into the earth. Eighty thousand tons of household garbage and trash of all sorts are buried in these cells each year. About half of the land is still available with a life expectancy of at least 16 years, said Roberts.

A county enterprise fund amounting to millions of dollars a year supports the landfill, a yard waste processing facility and 17 rural roadside disposal sites. Additionally, the department accumulates between $700,000 and $1 million a year in a fund balance, or surplus. That money is used to purchase expensive equipment and to maintain the facility while providing for future needs. The annual solid waste disposal fee went up July 1 from $48 to $56. That’s in addition to a significant fee increase for city residents. But, remember, the city collects the garbage; the county disposes of it. Many other fees have gone up also, including the cost of individually disposing of household trash and other items.

Additional fees are also charged for commercial and industrial waste. It’s $38 a ton compared to $20 for a pickup load of household trash. Roberts chuckled when told during an interview that a tax by any other name is a tax. Watch out for what’s called a special handling fee. It’s $100.

The county sells two kinds of mulch at the yard waste processing center, 771 Wilkes Rd. Screened compost costs $20 a pickup load. Red mulch is $60 a pickup load. Cumberland County’s roadside container service surprised Roberts when he came to town in November of 2016. He previously worked in Virginia and Maryland and had never seen such a large network of rural disposal sites. “They’ve been around so long though, we could never change that,” he said. Roberts said about 40 percent of all the garbage taken in by the county is generated at the 17 convenience sites — 80,000 tons of the total 180,000 tons disposed of annually.

A complete schedule of solid waste fees is available on line at www.co.cumberland.nc.us/solid_waste. aspx. For more information, call (910) 321-6920.

It’s official now. Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Colvin issued a formal announcement that he is running for mayor.

He joins fellow City Council member Kirk deViere in challenging two-term mayor Nat  Robertson.

A fourth candidate, Quancidine Hinson Gribble, has also filed for the post. After declaring for months that he would not seek a third term, Robertson announced in April that he would run again.

Colvin’s entry into the race makes for interesting political dynamics, especially since two of the nine incumbent Council members have chosen not to seek re-election. Because more than twice the number of candidates for the mayor’s seat are in the running, a primary election will be held Oct. 10. The candidates who receive the top two most number of votes will meet in November.

 

 

 

Speaking of Elections…

The Cumberland County Board of Elections is seeking precinct workers for the 2017 municipal election Nov. 7. Interested persons must be U.S. citizens, registered voters in Cumberland County, available to attend required training and able to operate laptop computers.

They must remain non-partisan on the day of the election and be available to work the entire day from 5:30 a.m. until dismissed by the Chief Judges, usually between 9 and 11 p.m.

Precinct workers are compensated for attending training and for working on Election Day. Twentysix precincts/polling locations are especially in need of workers. Interested people should call (910) 678-7733.

Fort Bragg Soldiers Are Encouraged to Re-up

The Army is offering big bonuses to qualified soldiers it hopes to retain in order to build the force back up to 1 million troops. It’s an acrossthe-board effort in the regular Army and the reserves. Bonus money is available to persuade service members to stay on, especially in critical MOSs. Applicants will be expected to score well on aptitude tests.

“There is a group of young men and women that are motivated by money,” Command Sgt. Maj. Anthony Stoneburg told the Army Times. For example, an airborne-qualified combat medic NCO interested in Special Forces can reenlist, complete special operations qualifications and receive up to $72,000 in bonus money, depending on rank and contract commitment. Non-airborne infantrymen can also earn bonuses by becoming paratroopers. Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division is the only parachute division in the military and is considered the Army’s elite.

Tokay Senior Fitness Center to Open Soon

The City of Fayetteville missed its mid-July target date for reopening the popular Tokay Senior Fitness Center on Hamilton Street off Tokay Drive. It will reopen Aug. 1, according to Fayetteville / Cumberland Recreation & Parks Director  Michael Gibson.

The interior of the building sustained smoke damage in late March during an electrical fire caused by a short circuit in an electric treadmill. The rubberized floor of the building had to be replaced, and air conditioning ducts were cleaned, all of which delayed the reopening of the center. Patrons and some city officials voiced concerns that it took four months for city contractors to make repairs to the building.

North Carolina Veterans Park

Fayetteville was chosen by the North Carolina General Assembly to host the nation’s first state park devoted to military veterans. The multi-million dollar facility at 300 Bragg Blvd. is adjacent to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. It was built at state expense and is maintained by the City of Fayetteville. It is the first state park dedicated to military veterans — young and old, living and deceased, from all branches of the  armed services.

Admission is free. The North Carolina Veterans Park’s hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. It’s closed Mondays, except on federal holidays. It’s also closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Easter.

 

Improving Pedestrian Safety in Fayetteville

The City of Fayetteville is asking residents to take part in a survey to help improve pedestrian safety in the city. City Council wants to complete a pedestrian master plan in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. A committee met this spring to begin the process for developing the plan. Since then, a consultant has been creating an inventory of options for pedestrians. The committe has built a website for the project: www.WalkingFayetteville.com.

A section of the website is devoted to collecting input from residents who are encouraged to complete the survey.

I predict next year’s Fayetteville City Council will bite the bullet and raise your property taxes. That’s my prediction. Here’s why.

The Council kicked the can down the road and passed an election-year budget. If you notice, two Council members who are not running for re-election were ready to give City Manager Doug Hewitt what he wanted: a tax raise to recoup the money the City is losing from lowered property values and then a little more to sweeten the spending pot.

A majority of those running for re-election would have none of it. Instead, they let Hewitt slip in a $60 annual hike into your garbage collection fee. But they never cut spending. Instead, the budget had enough padding to allow a 1 percent increase in spending. It befuddles me. How can you earn less money but spent more? Well, does government ever spend less?

Here’s my problem with how this tax and spend culture works … and I’ve been yelling about this for years. We cannot forever dip into the property tax well for new spending programs. I know the City says property taxes don’t pay for everything and that there are other sources of revenue. That may be true, but tell that to the retiree on fixed income whose property taxes (or fees) keep going up.

The City has ambitious spending plans for all sorts of amenities. I worry that we are focusing on the icing of a half-baked cake. Don’t get me wrong,  I like icing. But it needs a sturdy  foundation. Here’s what I want our City Council members to do: Take charge and recruit meaningful industry — build a foundation. I’m not talking retail, but the kind of industry that invests in high-dollar facilities they won’t  easily abandon.

Let’s recruit the kind of industry that pays enough for people to raise a family and buy a house. Let’s chip away at Fayetteville’s above-state-average unemployment rate. Let’s build a strong tax base.

Here’s an idea. Let’s spend a few hundred dollars on a first-class plane ticket and invite Joe Max Higgins to Fayetteville. We can put him up at one of our finest hotels, show him the sights at Fort Bragg, Fayetteville State University and Methodist University and maybe even take him to a SwampDogs baseball game. Then we put him in a conference room with our best and brightest and pick his brains for a couple of days.

Joe Max Higgins is not a character from “Talladega Nights” or the son of a preacher man, although he is the son of an Arkansas sheriff.

But that’s not what makes  Higgins special. Here’s his claim to fame. Since 2003, he’s brought more than 6,000 manufacturing jobs to the poorest area in the poorest state in the nation, Mississippi. It’s an area the locals call the Golden Triangle.

It had at one time a 20 percent unemployment rate, and other than Mississippi State Bulldogs, there was not much left in the area after the Sara Lee slaughterhouse and a couple of other factories bailed in the late 1990s. Cotton and textiles also left.

Civic leaders hired economic developer Higgins away from Arkansas for a hefty annual salary, and like a bulldog himself, he went to work.

So far, he’s recruited an automated steel mill where former sawmill workers tripled their salary; a helicopter plant where 200 workers build 50 helicopters a year for military and law enforcement; a truck motor plant using robotics operated by 500 employees; and a tire plant, just like we have in Fayetteville.

Part of Higgins’ success comes from his winning kick-butt attitude. Just look at his GTR LINK Facebook page displaying four championship rings with the following inscriptions: Airbus, Dynamic Steel, PACCAR and Yokohama Tires.

The tagline says it all: In the Golden Triangle, We Play to Win. Maybe here in Fayetteville we can play to win and not depend on the whim of retail therapy to ensure our future.

 

PHOTO: Since 2003, Joe Max Higgins (right) has brought more than 6,000 manufacturing jobs to the poorest area in the poorest state in the nation, Mississippi.

Recent events involving our fearless leader President Trump and his merry band of Russophiles spurred me to think about “From Russia With Love,” my favorite James Bond movie. This was the second in the James Bond series and starred the greatest Bond ever, Sean Connery. The plot in “From Russia” is actually more believable than the widely varying explanations coming out of the White House regarding its relationship with Russia in 2017.

We recently learned of the fascinating versions of alternative facts as told by Donald Trump Jr. about his once-forgotten meeting with the lovely Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Jared Kushner the imperial son-in-law, and Paul Manafort the campaign chairman.

According to one version of the story that Don Jr. was peddling, the purpose of the meeting was to get some secret dirt from the Russians on Hillary’s campaign. He didn’t know who he was going to be meeting with, but he thought it was important enough to get Jared and Manafort involved. They apparently didn’t ask who or what the meeting was about either. According to Don Jr., Natalia’s story about Hillary dirt did not hold up, evolving into a touching story about the adoption of Russian orphans. If you believe Don Jr.’s story, I have a martian slave colony under a pizza parlor on the angry red planet I would be willing to sell you at a discount.

Let us wallow for a moment in 1963 nostalgia, which is when “From Russia” graced the silver screen. The photograph of the lovely Russian lawyer, Natalia, reminded me of Tatiana Romanova, the dazzling Russian spy who set a honey trap for James Bond by sleeping with him. Unknown to Tatiana and James, a rogue criminal outfit called SPECTRE secretly filmed Tatiana and James making whoopee for the purpose of blackmail.

As you may recall, there is a dossier story floating around from the Russian spyworks that makes reference to a video made of The Donald and some high-class Russki hookers. Yet another case of life imitating art. Perhaps there really is nothing new under the Moscow moon.

A great character in “From Russia” is Colonel Rosa Klebb, who defected from the Commies to join SPECTRE. Rosa is one tough cookie. She wears sensible work shoes that have switch blades dabbed in poison, the better to kill you with. She takes no guff from anyone. As the saying goes, Ms. Klebb would rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth. She reminds me of Kellyanne Conway.

The McGuffin in “From Russia” is the Russians’ top-secret Lektor decoder machine. SPECTRE wants James Bond to steal it, and then SPECTRE will kill James to take the machine. In Trumplandia, the McGuffin was secret information from the non-colluding Russians on Hillary’s campaign that supposedly revealed that she and the Democratic National Committee were taking money from the Commies.

SPECTRE’s ace-killing machine, who was to assassinate Bond once James purloined the Lektor decoder, was a giant, blond, lean and mean killing machine named Red Grant. Grant cannot be stopped. No rules apply to him. He off’s Russians, Brits and Turkish gypsies without any human emotion. He reminds me of a clean-shaven version of Steve Bannon. I suspect Bannon eats live puppies  for breakfast.

My favorite presidential tweet o’ the week was the one The Donald sent out right after the G20: “Putin and I discussed forming an impenetrable cyber security unit so that election hacking and many other negative things will be guarded.” This was the equivalent of King Kong tweeting: “Chiquita Banana and I discussed forming an impenetrable banana security unit so that bananas will be guarded.” Trump left his tweet dangling in cyberspace just long enough for his hapless Secretary of the Treasury Mnuchin to come out and announce that Trump’s proposed “U.S./Russia cyber security partnership was a very significant accomplishment.” Then Trump hacked off Steve Mnuchin’s feet by tweeting that “The fact that President Putin and I discussed a cyber security unit doesn’t mean I think it can happen. It can’t.” The Donald giveth, the Donald taketh away.

As Doonesbury once accused George H.W. Bush, apparently Trump’s advisors have put their manhood in a blind trust. What does Trump really believe? The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind. Turns out you do need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

Did you know the U.S. House of Representatives has passed more than 150 bills this year? No, I didn’t hear that on the news, either. Did you know that President Trump has signed 43 bills into law?

Just before July 4, the House of Representatives took action to crack down on “sanctuary cities” by passing the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, which withholds certain federal grants from sanctuary cities and allows crime victims to sue sanctuary cities. We also passed Kate’s Law, named for Kate Steinle, who was murdered by an illegal immigrant shielded from federal custody by San Francisco’s sanctuary city policy. Kate’s Law increases penalties for deported felons who illegally return to the United States.

In June, President Trump signed legislation I cosponsored to drain the swamp and restore accountability at the VA. On any given day, my dedicated staff is managing 400-500 active cases for local veterans who are unable to receive adequate or appropriate care at the VA. The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistle-blower Protection Act makes it easier to fire incompetent employees, increases protections for whistle-blowers and streamlines the hiring process to help recruit experienced  management.

Did you hear that Congress passed legislation to end taxpayer-funded bailouts of Wall Street? The Financial CHOICE Act, which I co-sponsored, does what President Obama did not, bringing an end to taxpayer-funded bailouts and imposing the toughest penalties ever for Wall Street fraud. The Financial CHOICE Act also lifts unnecessary regulations, which have devastated community banks and credit unions. North Carolina lost 50 percent of its banks under Obama-era regulations, which in turn made it harder for small businesses to access the capital needed to grow and create jobs.

On 13 additional occasions this year, the U.S. House of Representatives joined me in voting to repeal costly and unnecessary Obama-era regulations. Through these votes, we have supported the growth of small businesses and jobs, protected our Second Amendment rights, provided clarity for farmers, protected the unborn, made it easier for states to require drug testing to receive unemployment benefits and given states more flexibility in education.

While national media has largely ignored our work in Congress, I am grateful Up & Coming Weekly has provided coverage of our efforts to support the local community. This includes helping secure more than $1 billion in Hurricane Matthew disaster assistance and ongoing efforts with HUD Secretary Ben Carson and House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen to secure additional funding for remaining needs. This year, President Trump signed my legislation to help improve National Weather Service radar coverage in our Congressional District, and a key House subcommittee approved my legislation to help Robeson County develop a much-needed community facility.

There is one major item the national media did not ignore. My House Republican colleagues and I fulfilled our promise and passed legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare. Frankly, maintaining the status quo is not an option. Ninety-five out of 100 North Carolina counties have only one Obamacare carrier, Blue Cross, which has seriously considered exiting the market. Nationwide, 38 counties are projected to have no Obamacare options next year. Aetna, United Healthcare, Humana, Anthem and various Blue Cross plans have all exited Obamacare markets. The American Health Care Act ends Obamacare’s costly regulations, protects those with pre-existing conditions, makes the most significant reforms to Medicaid in 50 years and restores your freedom to choose the health coverage best for you and your family.

This year, I have been hard at work with President Trump to drain the swamp, restore economic freedom and protect our values at home and abroad. Even if the national media ignores our efforts, rest assured my colleagues and I are committed to make America great again.