Students and teachers often have a unique relationship. When it’s good it can be magical. When it’s not, well… On March 24, the Cumberland Oratorio Singers in conjunction with the Campbellton Youth Chorus present The Student and the Teacher at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.

The concert features the works of Vaugh, Williams, a teacher at the Royal College of Music and his not so admiring student Benjamin Britten. While it is not unusual for composers to disparage one another, Britten never held back when he had an opportunity to criticize Williams. Williams was equally uncharitable regarding his student.

While the two men were hard pressed to say a kind word about each other, in this concert, their works complement each other. “They complement each other thematically as British composers,” said Cumberland Oratorio Singers Director Michael Martin. “Past that, they have very different styles. That in itself, is refreshing and wonderful.” 

The performance features well-known works from each composer, including Williams’ “Serenade to Music” and Britten’s “Rejoice in the Lamb.”

Martin noted that the men lived very different lives and had different influences regarding why they wrote the music they did. “Vaughn Williams came into his being later in his life and tended to look to English folk songs for his inspiration. Britten showed musical brilliance at a much younger age and tended to write for the people that were performing the work. They are both incredibly important British composers and their intersection occurred at the Royal College of Music. Vaughn Williams was on the faculty; Britten was a student. Past that, they held strong opinions of each other, and not always positive.”
As an organization, the Cumberland Oratorio Singers have three choirs under their umbrella: the COS, the Cross Creek Chorale, and the Campbellton Youth Chorus. Sometimes, they come together as a complete organization to present different material, and this is one of those moments. “In terms of the CYC being in this concert, I would like to believe that they, and the audience, will see that singing is truly a lifelong commodity,” said Martin. “Our mission includes that inference and we are thrilled to put it all in context in this performance.”

Founded in the 2015/16 season, the Campbellton Youth Chorus is a relatively new component of the group Cumberland Oratorio Singers. It is made up of youth ages 9-14 regardless of school affiliation, ethnicity, socio-economic background or religion. The goal of the organization is to help participants and audience members develop a lifelong appreciation of and participation in great choral music. Members of the youth chorus get to work with a range of choral music, both sacred and secular. The group accepts members regardless of school affiliation, ethnicity, socio-economic background or religion. “Since we do not have the youth in every concert, it’s nice to have them do a part of the concert. This concert will actually feature each part of the organization equally, which is what is both special and great about this COS concert,” said Martin. “The COS represents our Fayetteville community. We have singers from all ages and all walks of life in this group. What drives their passion is choral music and they do it quite well. This has earned them the honor of being in the 2017 class of inductees into the Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame.”

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Visit http://singwithcos.org for more details.

The Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery is a new destination resort. It opened in the spring of 2016 in Elizabethtown. It combines all of the elegance and amenities of a beautiful resort with an element of refined agro-tourism from the winding grapevines that support the winery. The beautiful manicured gardens, lakeside amphitheater and pavilion make the area particularly suited to host stunning events of all kinds and weddings. March 19 is the perfect opportunity for the community to explore the Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery and enjoy the Champagne Bridal Showcase, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. “We are here to inform, enlighten and let the guests discover the ambiance of this extraordinary venue and its amazing diversity,” Executive Director Corky Chaple explained. 

The Bridal Showcase is the perfect way to explore both vineyard and winery. It is designed to allow brides to explore everything the venue has to offer in the form of a fun and adventurous afternoon. There will be complimentary mimosas and horse-drawn carriage rides to show off the beautiful landscape, including one of the largest camellia exhibits in the state. Chaple invited attendees to “…explore the immaculately landscaped grounds with unique water features — discover the wonders of our private art collection — and meet our ‘critters’: mini ponies & llamas, majestic white swans and dazzling peacocks!” 

Wedding-oriented vendors who are specifically invited to participate comprise another important aspect of the showcase. Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery carefully selected each vendor based on their exceptional work and impeccable reputations. Chaple said that interacting with vendors is one of the most valuable opportunities that the showcase has to offer. “Interview all of the vendors and learn from them” Chaple advised. “Let their long experience work for you — then compare and choose the one with whom you are most comfortable. Remember — they work for you!”

Admission to the Champagne Bridal Showcase is free for everyone and includes complimentary gift bags. “The complimentary bags are a muted burlap reusable monogrammed tote filled with goodies provided by each vendor. The vendors are also donating prizes, which will be raffled off throughout the show,” Chaple said.

There will also be a complimentary tasting of the estate wines. There is an idea in the culinary world that products reflect the soil and the environment in which they were cultivated. There is something truly incredible about enjoying a product while admiring the very landscape that nurtured it. The Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery embraces this idea. Guests are encouraged to enjoy estate wines while relaxing on the private lakefront cottage decks just a short walk from the vineyards. 

The landscape, while stunning, is not all that this venue has to offer. There are also incredible amenities like the full-service restaurant. There is also the Gallery Ballroom that is uniquely decorated. It has, “Sparkling chandeliers made from wine barrels and hand-laid Tuscan stone walls infused with rich burnt pine logs that display an unparalleled eclectic collection of private artwork; artwork by masters like Dali and Picasso, as well as celebrities like Sir Paul McCartney and Janice Joplin. There’s also a multitude of memorabilia from stars including Elvis!” Chaple said. Visit www.capefearwinery.com for more information.

When applying to be a Guest Conductor for the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Dina Gilbert knew she wanted to honor those who serve. She wanted to center Fayetteville’s military community and dedicate the concert to Fort Bragg and all civil service members. The concert she will conduct on March 25, closing out FSO’s 2016-2017 season, is appropriately titled Heroes Among Us.

The early stages of Gilbert’s journey towards conducting involved the military. At age 12, she started playing clarinet and joined the Cadet Program in her hometown of Saint-Georges de Beauce, Canada. In this program, she had her first chance to conduct marching bands and to participate in the International Festival of Quebec Military Music — through which she met military musicians from around the world. At age 18, she joined the Reserve in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a Cadet Instructor Cadre Officer, working to give youth the same opportunities she had, and having more opportunities to conduct throughout. 

But she didn’t yet realize that conducting could be her full-time profession. She enrolled in an optional conducting class as she later pursued an Undergraduate degree in clarinet. It was there she met a professional orchestra conductor for the first time, Paolo Bellomia. “After a few classes, he said to me that I had an intuitive way of communicating music through gesture and he offered to give me private lessons. From that point on, I realized that I wanted to become a conductor... and that passion never left me since,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert has now founded her own chamber orchestra, Ensemble Arkea; served for three seasons as assistant conductor of the Symphonic Orchestra of Montreal; and served as a guest conductor for orchestras throughout Canada, Europe and China. She made her US debut last year at the Eugene Symphony in Oregon. 

The 2016-2017 season has been unique for the FSO, as they are in the process of finding a new permanent music conductor. To find this person, the FSO board has introduced a new guest conductor for each concert this season; Gilbert will be the 5th and last auditioning candidate. Fouad Fakhouri served in the position for 11 years and stepped down almost one year ago. “He took it from being a community orchestra to a professional orchestra,” Director of Artistic Operations and Marketing Julia Atkins said. So they want to make sure his replacement is truly excellent. “The board chose their favorite candidates and built a season around their unique talents and interests,” Atkins said. FSO President Christine Kastner spoke of her excitement about Gilbert’s approach: “We were so pleased that she had researched our area well enough to understand the significance of the military in our community and that she decided to program a concert that demonstrated that understanding,” she said.

In preparing for Heroes Among Us, Gilbert combined many lenses of interpretation. She included Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 3,” often subtitled “Eroica,” which means “Heroic.” “The symphony is quite romantic in sound … there are so many ideals in it. You can feel that Beethoven wanted to write a piece about the kind of man who would contribute to history changing.” she said. Joshua Busman, PhD in musicology, professor at UNC Pembroke and “FSO Music Nerd,” agrees: “One of the primary things that I love about orchestral music is the way that it connects us to the past. Reading about the [French Revolution] might give you some idea of what was going on at the time, but listening to Beethoven’s Eroica … connects you to those moments in history in a profound and visceral way.” 

But this isn’t just a concert of classical odes to heroism, timeless as they may be. Gilbert also asked her colleague Simon Leclerc, who is well known for composing music for films and pop artists, to arrange Ramin Djawadi’s Game of Thronestheme. “I wanted people who are less acquainted to classical music to realize that maybe they already do know and like classical music,” Gilbert said. Gilbert also asked Leclerc to compose a new piece in tribute to military members and the experiences they go through. “You can feel from the music (Leclerc created) the aspiration of the soldier and also the sad and the fearful moments … and how it is to come back and what you’re so blessed with after all the experiences.” 

Gilbert has included other musical delights that you’ll have to attend to find out about! Tickets can be purchased at https://squareup.com/market/fayetteville-symphony-orchestra. They cost $10.28 for children and students, $22.43 for military members and senior citizens and $25.23 for adults. The show will be held at Huff Concert Hall of Methodist University on March 25, starting at 7:30 p.m. 

Fayetteville’s historic Prince Charles Hotel may one day be brought back to life as a dynamic downtown centerpiece. For many years, the once-prosperous hospitality property has been anything but. Several attempts at repurposing the eight-story building have failed. A Durham developer, Prince Charles Holdings, believes it can breathe new life into the 90-year-old structure. It purchased the building and adjoining parking lot at auction in 2014 for $200,000. Michael Cohen, an advocate of historic preservation, is the lead investor for the project. 

“I’m excited about the opportunity to bring one of Fayetteville’s most iconic buildings back to life and contribute to the revitalization process already underway in downtown Fayetteville,” Cohen said. He’s awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a low interest loan to begin the work of refurbishing the once proud hotel. The firm hopes to begin reconstruction this summer. 

Fayetteville City Council believes the repurposed hotel building, along with an adjacent $33 million minor league baseball stadium, will be the economic catalyst for $100 million in economic investments on only nine acres of inner-city property. “That whole area around the hotel is going to be developed into retail and commercial space,” said Mayor Nat Robertson. “It will also include additional apartments and a hotel,” he added. Planning is nearing completion for construction of the stadium and the property around it.

Almost unnoticed has been the redevelopment of a couple dozen heretofore vacant buildings in the downtown area. The first block of Person Street has come to life with historic updating. Along the south side of West Russell Street, smaller buildings have been repurposed into offices. Larger commercial buildings left vacant for decades have been restored, cleaned up and reoccupied. The Moore Building at 215 Williams Street has spawned investor interest in a once-impoverished section of town. It houses two or three small businesses and a large, open social hall. Down the street, at 159 Maxwell Street, the Greater Fayetteville Chamber occupies a building built as a warehouse more than a century ago. “It was put to many uses over the years, and before being occupied by the Chamber, it was Zimmerman Millwork and Cabinetry,” said City Historian Bruce Daws. 

At 112-114 Gillespie, Street, Sherefe Mediterranean Restaurant used to be Fayetteville Drug Company before it closed many years ago. It was built in 1891, according to Daws. Historic tax credits assisted property owners in making financial investment that made these facilities useable once again. The investments were good for local government, too, since they enhanced the tax value of the properties. 

Of particular interest, on Bragg Boulevard near W. Rowan Street just outside downtown, is a former gas station, which is now a used car lot. “It was built as a service station by the Rankin Family after World War II,” said Daws. Because of its historic significance, the N.C. Department of Transportation spared the building while demolishing everything around it to build the new Rowan Street bridges and realign Bragg Boulevard, Murchison Road and Rowan Street. “We hope to acquire the building and restore its historic significance,” said City Manager Doug Hewett. 

Many career law enforcement officers have an ambition to make a chase to the top … to be a chief. Many local folks wondered why now retired Fayetteville Police Chief Harold Medlock would leave the Charlotte/Mecklenburg P.D. to come to Fayetteville. He was a Deputy Chief in the queen city and had twice as many officers under his command in his area of responsibility as there are in the Fayetteville Police Department. Yet Medlock applied for and was chosen to succeed Chief Tom Bergamine, who was a protégé of former Chief Ron Hansen. It was an opportunity for Medlock to finally make his way to the top. 

Interim Fayetteville Police Chief Anthony Kelly, an assistant chief, has decided to toss his hat in the ring to succeed Medlock even though just a couple of weeks ago City Manager Doug Hewett launched a national search for the top cop’s job.  Many members of city council and senior commanders in the department hope Kelly will be selected. He’s a hometown man having grown up here. He got his degree at Fayetteville State University and knows the city inside and out. He’s been a policeman for 20 years. 

Another top Fayetteville cop, Charles Kimble, has also climbed the law enforcement ladder of success. He was recently sworn in as Spring Lake’s Chief of Police. He succeeded Troy McDuffie, who had been chief of a smaller town, and before that served for years in the Fayetteville Police Department. There’s just something about the lure to be a chief. Like the others, Kimble has been in law enforcement almost all his adult life. He spent three years in the Army, and in 1991 joined the P.D. in Milwaukee, WI, his hometown. He spent four years on the force. Then he and his wife, Yon, came to Fort Bragg in 1995. She was then a recent college ROTC graduate with a commission in the Army. “I was able to join the Fayetteville Police Force as a lateral entry because Milwaukee’s standards at the time were higher than the F.P.D,” Kimble said. 

Kimble rose through the ranks over 20 years to become an assistant chief. He regards the late Chief Tom McCarthy and Medlock as his mentors, and hopes to further develop community policing in Spring Lake. In 2015, Kimble left the F.P.D. to become Chief of Fayetteville State University’s Department of Police and Public Safety. He said he “wanted to return to urban policing” and applied for the Spring Lake chief’s post when McDuffie retired. One of his first goals “is to modernize internal operations of the department with emphasis on traffic and accident management and prevention.” Kimble says 60,000 cars travel through the NC 210/87 ‘split’ each day. He says massive construction projects along Bragg Boulevard should be completed in May or June. 

Shaw Heights Annexation

A growing chorus of Fayetteville City Council members is publicly opposing the annexation of Shaw Heights. So, how did the proposal get in the legislative hopper in Raleigh? “No one on council requested legislation which would allow the city to forcibly annex Shaw Heights,” said Mayor Nat Robertson. It turns out Rep. Elmer Floyd (Democrat - Cumberland County) sponsored the bill following a joint meeting between the local legislative delegation and city council. Robertson said Floyd took it upon himself without first speaking with individual council members. The mayor is one of at least three members who do not favor annexing the large, unincorporated doughnut hole off Shaw and Murchison Rds. It’s in the county, and Robertson wants to know why county government hasn’t paid more attention to the needs of the residents. “They have an inspections department; they have housing standards,” Robertson said. “How would the people benefit from annexation?” he asks. To be seriously considered in the state house of Representatives, Floyd’s local bill would need unanimous support of city council. He did not respond when asked for comments.

Additional Charges Against Serial Pedophile 

Another victim of Rodney Scott has come forward to allege he was molested by the former school basketball coach. The youth is Scott’s eighth victim, police said. One hundred five additional charges have been filed against him, including 21 counts each of statutory sex offense against a child by a defendant who is at least six years older than the victim, sexual activity by a substitute parent, child abuse, crime against nature and taking indecent liberties with a child. Scott remains in the Cumberland County Detention Center. His total bond is now more than $21 million. The police department first became aware of Scott in May of last year. Detectives were informed of a sexual assault that occurred at a home on Vestal Avenue. The juvenile victim said Scott had sexually assaulted him. He was charged then with statutory sex offense with a child. Soon after that, the police department received dozens of calls from people with information about Scott. Until his arrest, he had earned a reputation as a pillar of his community. He was a substitute teacher for Cumberland County Schools. He became a Safe Schools Coordinator and volunteer assistant basketball coach at Pine Forest High School.  

Facebook Post Deserving of Special Note

“So many awesome visitors in the house today at Elizabeth Cashwell (Elementary School)! They came to serve our students breakfast for national school breakfast week! City of Fayetteville Council Member Bill Crisp, Cumberland County Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, Mayor Nat Robertson, CEO of the United Way of Cumberland County Robert Hines, Bill Bowman, Publisher of Up & Coming Weekly, and many more! Also, a shoutout to our fab Principal Kim Robertson and Christina Osborne with her cafe crew for starting our students off right every day!”

New Operation Inasmuch Facility

A new facility for homeless men has opened on Hillsboro Street across from Operation Inasmuch. It’s known as The Lodge and is described as a commercial grade, one-story dormitory-style building. “Our mission is to be an effective, efficient transformational program providing integrated services to meet the spiritual, physical, mental and emotional needs of the homeless and very low income,” said Executive Director Sue Byrd. The Lodge has 40 single metal beds, four of which are designed for special needs occupants. The building has five standard restrooms, two handicap-accessible restrooms and a laundry. It was built at the cost of nearly $500,000 in donated funds. Supervision is provided 24/7. An office for the police department’s liaison officer to the homeless is located in the shelter. For additional security, a real-time camera provides 360-degree coverage of the property and is monitored at police headquarters.

Fayetteville Business & Professional League

Building capacity and opportunity is the theme for 2017 among members of a reinvigorated Fayetteville Business & Professional League, now in its 49th year of service. League President Thaddeus “TJ” Jenkins spoke at a news conference announcing new directions for the league. “I hope to help and influence our community just as my mentor and past president, the late Floyd Shorter had done,” said Jenkins. He noted Booker T. Washington was a key proponent of African-American business and was one of the founders of the National Negro Business League. “We must not be overlooked for contract opportunities,” Jenkins declared. He said he wants to keep businesses connected and be better positioned to earn business with the City of Fayetteville. He noted that 48 percent of contracts with the city this fiscal year have gone to out of state businesses. Jenkins remarks were timely, as city council is putting emphasis on steering opportunities to local and minority companies. 

United Way and PWC

The United Way of North Carolina has honored Fayetteville’s Public Works Commission with its Spirit of North Carolina Award for outstanding support of the United Way. The Spirit Award recognizes companies and their employees who demonstrate campaign excellence and community commitment. This is the 11th time since 2004 that PWC has won the award. In 2016, PWC employees pledged $113,985. A record high 99.1 percent of PWC’s 604 employees made contributions. United Way of Cumberland County funds 109 programs offered by 19 agencies.  PWC Senior Customer Programs Officer Mark Brown, Director of Financial Planning Rhonda Haskins and Budget Manager Rhonda Graham serve on the local United Way Board.

Fayetteville area businesses need to attend the Building Business Rally early next month for a shot at doing business with the Fayetteville Public Works Commission or other local government entities.

For the second year, the PWC is hosting the Building Business Rally. This year it’s on Thursday, April 6 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the utility’s Operations Center, 955 Old Wilmington Road.

The Building Business Rally gives local businesses a chance to see how PWC and local government agencies are planning to spend your money. And it will give them an opportunity to meet the people whobuy goods and services for those agencies.

It’s a free event. But you have to be a local business that offers equipment, supplies or professional services. Or you have to be a prime contractor or subcontractor. Did I say it’s free?

During this meet and greet drop-in event vendors can get an idea of what  supplies, equipment or services PWC and local government need. Others expected to attend include the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County, Cumberland County Schools, N.C. Department of Transportation, N.C. Department of Administration, the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and several other local agencies.

The buyers for those agencies will give attendees information about how you sell to them. It’s government so there’s a registration process and oodles of paperwork, but it could be well worth it.

For example, Carolyn Justice-Hinson, PWC’s spokeswoman, said, “We spend about $1.2 million locally a month.”

The Building Business Rally is one of PWC’s initiatives that will help grow the local economy.  PWC hosted the first such event last July. Thirteen of the 35 businesses attending that event now do business with PWC. But Hinson isn’t sure if they were “first time” vendors or had done business with our Hometown Utility.

Among PWC, city and county government, there’s about $600 million worth of projects on their respective to do lists for the next several years. 

For instance, PWC is still churning away at building sewer and water mains down the middle of residential streets in the Big Bang Annexation area. 

Then there’s overall upkeep of water and sewer facilities, and moving water and sewer pipes when the state highway department wants to widen a road. I’m sure the utility is still licking its wounds and making repairs from damages brought on by Hurricane Matthew.

The city is getting ready to spend your tax dollars on more swimming pools, splash pads and other recreational amenities approved in last year’s $35 million bond referendum. And in case you haven’t heard, the city also is building a baseball stadium.

I hope the city  continues work on storm drainage problems, fixing roads damaged by Hurricane Matthew and working on alleviating the frustrations of driving in Fayetteville traffic. There also is the construction of a new fire station on the horizon. Fayetteville is growing, folks.

And I’m sure the cash-strapped county remains committed to working on its limited water and sewer projects in rural Cumberland County.

Basically, there’s work to be had for construction-related companies and their suppliers. And for engineers, project managers, tree and vegetation removal companies and a host of other related jobs. The best part is that local businesses can get a shot at some of that business.

But the only way to get a piece of the pie is to come attend the event on Thursday, April 6, and get your business registered to bid on upcoming opportunities. 

The topic of last Saturday’s meeting of Cumberland County Citizens United focused on the communities of Shaw Heights and Julie Heights. The presentations, discussions and information provided were to assist Fayetteville and Cumberland County residents in determining whether these poor, scarcely populated, run-down and nearly forgotten pieces of Cumberland County geography were worthy of annexation into the City of Fayetteville. 

Well, it was a very interesting and informative session with the pros and cons pretty much balancing each other out. For me, the highlight was the main presentation by District 8 City Councilman Ted Mohn. He was masterful in his explanation and delivery of what is a very important, intricate and delicate issue. The annexation question of Shaw Heights/Julie Heights showcased perfectly Mohn’s ability to analyze and articulate even the most complicated of issues. He recently announced he would not seek another term on the council. And that is unfortunate. Now, more than ever, the City needs his kind of insight and level-headed intelligence. 

In addition to Mohn, there were others on hand providing helpful information and explanations. State Representative Elmer Floyd, who introduced the Shaw Heights annexation bill, was on hand and spoke of the bill’s intention to provide governmental consistency that would allow for greater fairness and opportunities for economic growth and development, moving Fayetteville/Cumberland County forward.

 Wade Fowler was also present to represent PWC and explained the intricacies and cost of adding water and sewer service to residential and commercial projects and the various finance options that may or may not be available in the near future. 

City Councilman Bill Crisp was on hand. His position on the Shaw Heights annexation was muted. Even though Crisp is not a fan of forced annexation, he has made it clear he will not stand in the way of progress and will support whatever initiatives are recommended if they are in the best interest of Fayetteville residents. Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson feels pretty much the same way. He has empathy for the residents of Shaw and Julie Heights. He knows and understands their limited resources and he does not want to cause them undue financial or mental stress. Robertson takes his commitments and promises seriously. He has stood steadfast in opposition to forced annexation. This being said, I see no bigger advocate for the citizens of Shaw and Julie Heights and for whatever resources, plans or ideas that will enhance economic development, increase the tax base while enriching the lives of Fayetteville residents. There is so much potential in this area.  

Conspicuously absent from this important conversation was anyone from Cumberland County. No Commissioners. Extremely disappointing from the point of view that a great opportunity does exist here with the issue to “annex or not annex” Shaw Heights. Think about it: When approaching Fayetteville from Spring Lake, this portion of Fayetteville and Cumberland County could be a beautiful – impressive – Gateway into Fayetteville. To me, it resembles a huge blank canvas waiting for a talented artist to engage in painting a creative Gateway masterpiece. And, on the artist’s paint palette are all the necessary resources to make it a reality, unobstructed. The only thing needed to make this
a reality is cooperation. 

Cooperation between the city and the county. Cooperation, communication and teamwork. Those elusive traits that serve as the fuel for progress. Fuel? Perhaps our local governments have been running on empty for way too long. This would explain our inability to retain our citizens, grow our tax base and attract new business and economic development.  I will close with this request: I implore our local leadership to use this Shaw Height situation as an opportunity to demonstrate to the citizens and taxpayers of this county that collectively you have the ability to “do the right things, for the right reasons” while demonstrating that not all things the city and county engage in have to be partisan or controversial. 

With so many wonderful developments happening on the horizon, i.e. new parks and recreation enhancements, a baseball stadium, Civil War Education Center, a revitalized Downtown, the prospect of a performing arts center and the recent community-based initiative Vision 2026, we do not need any distractions. Distractions will only impede our progress, and progress is what we want to be all about. Thank you for reading U&CW. If you have a comment or opinion, feel free to email us or contact us on Facebook. We love hearing from our readers.

All the world is on pins and needles as President Trump’s domestic and foreign policies unfold. The Russians! Affordable Health Care replacement! Early morning Tweets accusing his predecessor of illegal wiretapping! Who can begin to imagine what might come next?

Weighty matters aside, every new presidency brings with it change in all aspects of the White House. The areas traditionally focused on the First Lady are closely watched as well. While our new First Lady, Melania Trump, has been nowhere nearly as vocal or unpredictable as her husband, she is leaving observers guessing about what she will do and how she will do it.

Her predecessor, Michelle Obama, was noted for her fashion choices. She wore young American designers and jump-started a few careers that are now booming. She made a point on important state occasions of wearing clothing designed by someone from the country being honored. She also made a point of wearing clothes available to the rest of us — sweaters from J. Crew and sundresses from Target, and she saw to it that her daughters did as well.

Our new First Lady is a former model — usually with clothes on, but sometimes without, so it is understandable that fashionistas around the world are curious as to her White House style. Fashion enthusiasts may remember her Voguecover posing in her $100,000 wedding gown, but thus far in her husband’s presidency, she has favored monochromatic ensembles with high heels and long, flowing tresses. White and red seem to be favorite colors, though she did choose a Carolina blue suit for her husband’s inauguration. Another question is who will design Mrs. Trump’s First Lady wardrobe. American designers and fashion industry titans generally supported Hillary Clinton in 2016, and several even fundraised for her. That leaves open the questions of whether Mrs. Trump might hold a grudge and whether some in the industry will decline to work with her. 

My guess and my hope is that everyone will do some metaphorical kissing and making up. America’s First Ladies, particularly Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan and Michelle Obama, have been big boosters of the American fashion industry. As a beauty and a former model, Melania Trump is an ideal person for this particular responsibility. She is, after all, married to one of our nation’s most famous business tycoons, and she was entrepreneurial herself earlier in their marriage. As Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey sang so memorably in Cabaret, “money makes the world go round.”

Then there is food.

Former President Bill Clinton was famous for his fast food tastes, but he reformed and is now a vegan. President Trump has had no such epiphany. The New York Timesreports our new president’s favorite foods include Kentucky Fried chicken, McDonald’s, Diet Coke and meatloaf. He drinks no coffee, tea or alcohol.

 So what about White House entertaining, from casual and private to the ultimate in formality, a state dinner? President Trump has joked about doing away with them in favor of working lunches in order to make “better deals.” Will there be no wine in the White House, a la former President Jimmy Carter?

The truth is no one really knows, because such planning is traditionally part of the unpaid First Lady’s job, and she is still in New York while their young son completes the school year. Michelle Obama was known for her White House vegetable garden with heirloom tomatoes both to serve at the White House and to promote her campaign for healthy eating. The New York Times reported last week that Mrs. Trump is keeping the garden, but she has not said much else about things in the kitchen. So, for the time being at least, the White House is operating much as it has for the last eight years, although it is known that Mrs. Trump supports eating lots of fruit and drinking lots of water.

She has lots of history to borrow from if she chooses, ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt’s abandonment of things domestic to the point that guests ate before going to dinner at the White House because the food was so bad to Jacqueline Kennedy’s keenness for French wine and cuisine. In between, Mamie Eisenhower demanded thrifty use of leftovers, and later Ronald Reagan and George Bush the First introduced the nation to Jelly Bellies and pork rinds.

Melania Trump is keeping the home fires burning in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, but there is no shortage of interest in what she will do once she takes up her volunteer responsibilities as First Lady. My guess is she is going to do exactly what her husband is doing. 

She will be a first lady on her own terms, whatever they may be.

Think your family situation is messy? Don’t waste your money on years of therapy. Read this column instead. The Greek gods had it worse than you, or even Clark Griswold when Cousin Eddie showed up uninvited for Christmas. When you see what was doing with the Greek gods, your own family will seem as normal as Leave it to Beaver. Let us take a walk down memory lane into the wonderful world of Greek mythology to visit our old friend Theseus and the innkeeper to the stars, Procrustes.

Theseus had two daddies. But it’s not what you think. Daddy Number One was Aegeus the king of Athens who was married to the beautiful and frisky Aethra. One night Aegeus got drunk and made whoopee with Aethra. Being a bit of an insensitive male slob, Aegeus passed out afterwards. Aethra was not through partying for the night. She waded out to a nearby island and made whoopee with Daddy Number Two — Poseidon the Sea god. Aethra became pregnant with Theseus who had two daddies — Aegeus who was mortal and Poseidon who was immortal.

Neither Aegeus nor Poseidon were stick around kind of daddies. They both abandoned Theseus to be raised by single mom Aethra. Once Theseus grew to manhood, Aethra told him about his daddy being King Aegeus and how to claim his rightful birthright. As part of the deal, Theseus had to move a big rock and take the sword and sandals that Aegeus had buried there to prove Aegeus was his baby daddy. Naturally, Theseus moved the rock and headed out to Athens with the sword and sandals. Unsurprisingly, there was going to be trouble on the road in the form of bad guys.

The first bad hombre Thesueus met was Periphetes, whose weapon of choice was a big club he used to beat travelers into the mud. Theseus grabbed the club and smote Periphetes into a big puddle of bandit pulp. Next up was Sinis who hung out at the door to the Underworld. Sinis’ thing was to catch travelers and tie them between two bent pine trees. Sinus would then release the pine trees which would split the traveler into two more or less equal sections, causing them to expire. Theseus outsmarted Sinis, pulling the old switcheroo using the pine tree method on Sinus. To add insult to Sinis’ injury, Theseus impregnated Sinis’ daughter Perigune.

Down the road a piece, Theseus ran into and fought a giant pig, the Crommyonian Sow.  We are talking big pigs. The Crommyonian Sow was pork enough to feed all of the N.C. State Fair attendees for ten years. Theseus enjoyed a pig picking and kept on moving towards Athens.

Next on the road was a geriatric robber named Sciron who had a foot fetish. Sciron hung out on a narrow path that went along the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean. When a traveler came along the path, Sciron would not let him pass until the traveler had washed Sciron’s gnarly feet. As the traveler was bent over washing Sciron’s disgusting toes, Sciron would kick them off the cliff into the ocean far below. Once in the water the unfortunate traveler would become sushi and be eaten by a giant turtle. Naturally our man Theseus shoved Sciron off the cliff to become turtle food.

The last guy Theseus met on the road to Athens was Procrustes the Stretcher with his iron bed. Procrustes was a seemingly friendly dude who invited travelers to spend the night at his place. Procrustes was the spiritual father of the Bates Motel where Norman Bates and his mom welcomed weary travelers in with gently smiling jaws. Procrustes’ quirk was that he wanted his guests to have a bed that fit them. If the bed was too short Procrustes would chop off the legs of the guest to make the guest fit the bed. If the bed was too long, Procrustes would pull out his Acme brand rack and stretch the guest to fit the bed. Theseus was hip to the evil plan. He forced Procrustes to lie on the bed himself and undergo the adjustment meant for travelers.

Procrustes lives on in the concept of the Procrustean Bed which essentially holds that to get to the solution being sought, you change the facts to fit your desired end result. The Procrustean Bed theory is used by The Donald every day in the White House. The Procrustean Bed is now called Kellyanne’s Amazing Alternative Facts. Change the facts to reach the outcome you want. Meeting the Russians is not meeting the Russians. Obama not wire tapping Trump is Obama wiretapping Trump. Look! Over there! Squirrel!

Now don’t you feel better about your own family?

David Perez-Benitez Cape Fear Soccer Senior

Perez-Benitez was a member of Cape Fear’s soccer team last fall, which was second in the Mid-South 4-A Conference with a 17-4-2 record and advanced to the state 4-A playoffs. He has a grade point average of 5.0.

Adrianne Stevens South View Swimming Junior

Stevens was recognized as the MVP in the conference swim meet. She qualified for regionals where she swam a personal best of 1:01.60 in the 100-yard fly. She has a grade point average of 4.15.

Terry Sanford’s girls’ soccer team made one of its deepest state playoff runs ever in 2015. So when the 2016 playoffs began and the Bulldogs were the top seed in the 3-A East, bigger and better things were expected.

It didn’t happen. They lost in a penalty kick shootout to Wilson Hunt in only the second round. But don’t expect coach Karl Molnar and this year’s team to dwell on that fact.

“Right now, I think we are looking at each other and saying this is a talented group,’’ Molnar said. “We better make something happen.’’

Numbers tell a lot of the story for this year’s Bulldog team, which opened the 2017 season with a 9-0 rout of Cape Fear that included three goals from senior captain Gracey Lewis.

Molnar has nine seniors and seven juniors on this year’s roster. “We’re pretty talented at every position,’’ he said. “I don’t know that I attack any better than I defend. We’re pretty solid across the board.’’

Among the most solid players on the team is Lewis. Athletics is very much in her blood, as she’s the daughter of two veteran coaches, Randy Lewis and Dotty Lewis. Although neither coached soccer, both have plenty of wisdom about preparation and gamesmanship to share with their daughter.

“She’s a very mature kid,’’ Molnar said. “She kind of looks and understands differently from most kids. And we’ve got a bunch of type A personalities around her that believe the same things she believes.’’

Like her coach, Lewis said the loss to Wilson Hunt last year is already forgotten. “You’ve got to move on or you’re never going to move forward,’’ she said.

The key to success for the Bulldogs this year, said Lewis, is staying healthy. “I think our starting lineup is going to be unreal,’’ she said. “We have a lot of speed and a lot of communication. We can possess the ball this year.’’

Lewis said she will be keeping the advice of her parents in her head as she tries to make the Bulldogs a winner again. “They like to see me work hard at everything I do,’’ she said. “If you mess up, don’t give up, get the ball back.

“They always told me for every shot you take you have to have amnesia and forget about it so you can make the next one.’’

As a senior and a captain, Lewis said she feels more comfortable in the role of team leader. “I have halftime speeches going through my head on how we can improve,’’ she said. “I think it runs in the genes.’’

It’s the eternal question for high school football programs when the time comes for a coaching change: Do you build from within, or reach outside the school to take your team in a different direction?

For both Terry Sanford and Jack Britt, the decision was to hire someone with a link to the program.

Terry Sanford picked Bruce McClelland, a 1988 Terry Sanford grad currently in his second stint as an assistant coach on the school’s staff.

Britt also turned to an assistant, a man who was with the school a few years ago but will leave E.E. Smith to return to the Buccaneers, Brian Randolph. Randolph is a Douglas Byrd graduate and played for its legendary coach Bob Paroli during his years there.

McClelland has an obvious advantage already being in the building at Terry Sanford and serving as offensive coordinator under former head coach Bryan Till, now at Richmond Senior.

Routines are important for high school coaches, so McClelland said you don’t need to expect many changes for now. “We’ll have the whole staff but Coach Till,’’ McClelland said. “We’ll keep things familiar so we can add to it rather than reintroduce things.’’

As offensive coordinator last year, and with quarterback Christian Jayne returning, the Bulldogs will figure to be one of the area’s most prolific passing teams. Defensively, McClelland plans to stress bringing the pressure to the opponent.

One of the biggest concerns will be replacing Till’s leadership in the weight room to keep the Bulldog strength training program on track. 

When the spring conditioning period begins in a few weeks, McClelland said his focus will be on developing linemen. “We want to see how much we’ve progressed from last year and put in the basics of our system to see how the kids react to that,’’ he said.

Randolph is only the third football coach Britt has had since opening in 2000. He worked with both his predecessors, Richard Bailey and Brian Rimpf, and is excited for the great opportunity he has to build on the legacy at Jack Britt.

His biggest concern is how soon he’ll be able to start work at Britt. He teaches a critical math course at E.E. Smith, so finding a way for him to transition to Britt before school’s end this year won’t be easy.

When spring conditioning begins, he wants to focus on getting students who haven’t been playing football out for the team. “I want to let them know it’s a clean slate and we’re starting from fresh,’’ he said. “We want as many numbers as we can within the parameters of what we can do.’’

Randolph wants to run a no-huddle, up-tempo offense. He’s not set on defense, except that he wants his team to be sound fundamentally. “There are no easy weeks,’’ he said. “The schedule is tough. No days off.’’ Britt will move into the Sandhills Athletic Conference and face traditional powers Richmond Senior and Scotland as well as some of the top teams from Cumberland County.

He plans to borrow a lesson learned from his old high school coach, Paroli, and try to field a team that is mentally tough. “He loved to make practice harder than the game,’’ Randolph said of Paroli. “If you make practice hard, the game is easy.

“We’re going to have fun. At the end of the day, winning games is more fun.’’

Man, I was pumped to see The LEGO Batman Movie (104 minutes). This movie was going to redeem all the crap-tastic DC Universe films I’ve suffered through. It would be funny yet edgy, I told myself. It would showcase some of that DC humor my DC-loving friends keep insisting abounds in the comics. It would be as righteously awesome as its predecessor, The LEGO Movie, with a different but equally catchy theme song. Less angst, more Batusi — like in the 60s. At the end of the day, perhaps the weight of my expectations dragged at the film, because, quite frankly, I was bored.

The film is set after the events of The LEGO Moviein the LEGO version of Gotham. Joker (Zach Galifianakis) is trying to destroy the city while the Gotham Brain Trust runs in circles and I try to figure out why some young gun with sniper skills doesn’t just hang out on top of a tall building and wait for his moment to become the hero of Gotham by taking Joker out for good. Whoops. Was that too dark a comment in a review of a movie aimed at kids?

The opening sequence is highly kinetic, leading to a face-off between Joker andBatman (Will Arnett). This scene, which sets up a dichotomy between being the love of Batman’s life and his arch nemesis had potential but fell flat in execution. Maybe due to Galifianakis’ complete lack of appeal? As far as I can tell, the slightest cameo by Galifianakis manages to ruin even good movies. He’s the worst.

Anyway, Joker takes it personally and swears vengeance. Understandably, given the relative success rates of Joker vengeance plots, instead of quaking in his Batboots, Batman opts to swing by an orphanage and pass out Batswag in celebration of his latest victory, then return home to chow down on some Lobster Thermidor. The Lobster Thermidor keeps popping up, and I spent more time than I should have trying to figure out if it was some insider joke or comic book reference. By the way, after 20 minutes of searching, I know everything about Lobster Thermidor except why it was a central plot point in the film.

To move the plot along, Batman attends the retirement party of Commissioner Gordon and falls in love with Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson), the new Commish. The Joker crashes the party along with all the villains from the classic sixties version of Batman, 1989’s Batman, Batman Returns, Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Batman Forever, and The Batman Movie That Shall Not Be Named, and a whole lot of other Batman properties. Most notable? The Condiment King, who is, I swear, an actual Batman villain.

The Joker surrenders and gift-wraps all the other villains for delivery to Barbara Gordon, changing Batman from a valued vigilante crucial to the safety of Gotham City into a rich poser who likes Bat-themed toys. It’s pretty funny, but that’s because I like it when cartoons make sad faces. Somewhere in there, Bruce Wayne manages to adopt Dick Grayson (Michael Cera). Perfect timing, because Batman needs a young and expendable acolyte to steal something that belongs to Superman (Channing Tatum).

Overall, I got what I paid for. Batman, but in LEGO form! This was a decent follow-up to The LEGO Movie, the references to other Batman properties came fast and furious, and, unlike some Christopher Nolan Batman movies I could mention, the plot was both reasonably coherent and possessed internal logic. I wish the film had lived up to my expectations, but given the lofty nature of those expectations, perhaps disappointment was inevitable. P.S. I will not be watching The LEGO NINJAGO Movie. It looks stupid. 

Now playing at Patriot 14 + IMAX.

The Dental Assisting curriculum at Fayetteville Technical Community College prepares individuals to assist a dentist and to to function as integral members of the dental team while performing chair-side, office and laboratory procedures. Students receive up-to-date training in the dental field from a CODA-accredited program. This means students who graduate from FTCC are considered DA II’s in the state of North Carolina and are eligible to perform some expanded functions in this state without paying for further training or certification. 

Dental assisting is an exciting career that gives students a variety of options upon graduation. Those options include working in general dentistry or in a specialty field such as orthodontics, oral surgery or pediatrics, etc. Work is also available in administrative roles and through opportunities to work with dental vendors. Students who receive training in dental assisting receive the knowledge and flexibility to advance in the dental field. FTCC’s program covers instruments (general and specialty) and their functions, infection control policies and procedures, dental radiography, dental materials, dental sciences, anatomy and practice management. Students train on campus as well as through clinical rotations at dental offices in Fayetteville and the surrounding area. Rotation sites include general dentistry and specialty areas. The broad range of exposure also allows students to map out their career paths by finding their areas of interest. It also allows students the opportunity to experience different areas to facilitate mapping out their career paths and find their areas of interest. 

As students move through their semesters at FTCC, they also prepare for the National Board examinations. Students have the option to take their exams in three sections: Infection Control, Radiation Health and Safety, and General Chairside, or students can opt to take all three exam components in one sitting. Once students pass all components, they are considered Certified Dental Assistants or CDAs, which is a national recognition. 

Training to become a dental assistant is a one-year program that begins in the fall semester, with program completion the following summer. Most graduates have secured jobs before graduation and gained valuable hands-on experience from their clinical rotation sites. The job outlook for dental assisting shows that there will be growth in the field through at least 2024. The average salary for a North Carolina dental assistant is $38,720. Students who have advanced certification and training are more likely to have the best job prospects, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Students interested in dental assisting are encouraged to call 910-678-8574 or email walkers@faytechcc.edu. The application process for all health programs is open from Nov. 1 through Jan. 30. Financial aid is available for qualifying students. Students will need to apply to the college first and have all academic transcripts sent to FTCC for processing. We at FTCC are excited to help get you started on the path to your new career! We look forward to having you become part of the FTCC dental family. 

The Civil War is a defining moment in America’s history. One of the most important events in the Civil War was Sherman’s March. “Sherman’s March is captivating for two reasons: it eventually signaled the end of the war, which meant freedom for slaves; and it created a swath of destruction in the South, leaving families in a destitute state. Families who experienced Sherman’s March directly told their stories to each generation, up to this day. After more than 150 years, these stories continue to resonate with those families as part of the “Lost Cause,” and it’s worn as a badge of honor,” Leisa Greathouse, Curator of Education at the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex, explained. On March 12, at 2 p.m., the Museum of the Cape Fear will host a presentation about this topic by the award-winning Civil War author Col. Wade Sokolosky, U.S. Army, retired.

Fayetteville has a particular connection to Sherman’s March. “Fayetteville was an attraction for Sherman because of the North Carolina Arsenal. After leaving Savannah and heading north through South Carolina, he had the potential of many objectives of where to go next. He was bringing his Total War Policy to North Carolina. He deliberately tried to fool the Confederates with which direction he would take, but he had his eyes set for Fayetteville to raze the arsenal. It was, after all, producing weapons for the Confederacy,” Greathouse said. “Fayetteville was the starting point for what would turn out to be a series of events that led to the end of the war in North Carolina.”

Sokolosky is a 25-year veteran of the Army and a graduate of East Carolina University. He is considered one of the state’s experts on the 1865 Carolinas Campaign. He is well known for his book No Such Army Since the Days of Julius Caesar: Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign from Fayetteville to Averasboro, March 1865.There will be books available for purchase and an autograph session at this event. His presentation is entitled In the Path of Sherman’s March: The Final Days of the Fayetteville Arsenal. “Audience members will hear about some of the finer points regarding what happened in Fayetteville when it was occupied by the Union Army under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman while simultaneously describing how the Confederate Army attempted to take a stand against Union forces at the Battle of Averasboro,” Greathouse said.

One of the most compelling parts of Sokolosky’s work is his inclusion of first-hand accounts. “First-hand accounts give historians the best facts possible. First-hand accounts give voice to those who have come and gone before us. First-hand accounts can very often take away the guessing of what happened. First-hand accounts instill empathy,” Greathouse said. “But most of all, first-hand accounts make obscure events real. Whatever is in that first-hand account happened to a real person and not just a faceless name in a book.” For more information visit http://museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov. 

The future of the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex continues along this Civil War theme. “The Museum of the Cape Fear is slated to become the North Carolina Civil War History Center,” Greathouse said.  “Fundraising efforts currently remain underway. Local organizers hope to break ground by 2020. The focus will be on the state-wide story of North Carolina and the Civil War, and will still include an exhibit on regional history. Historic Arsenal Park will be the setting for this one-of-a-kind attraction. Personal stories, previously uncollected, are now being sought to create exhibit content to tell a more complete and comprehensive story of North Carolina in the Civil War.”

Josalyn Legg died five years ago. She was just 15 months old. “We don’t know why she passed away,” said Josalyn’s mom, Laura Legg. “You hear about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome but not Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood. It is not as prevalent as SIDS, but when it does happen in children over 12 months, it’s called SUDC.

To honor Josalyn’s memory, her parents Laura and Duane Legg organized a 5k run/1-mile walk. The Fifth Annual Josalyn’s Jog will be held on March 11 at the Medical Arts Building in Downtown Fayetteville. 

“The year after Josalyn died, we decided to organize a run in her memory to raise money to build a playground and to support the SUDC Foundation,” said Legg. The SUDC Foundation “is dedicated to increasing the awareness of sudden unexpected deaths in childhood and funding crucial research to better understand and prevent these tragedies. We are the only organization worldwide devoted solely to the needs of families and professionals touched by unexpected/unexplained deaths of children,” according to SUDC.org.

The family is trying to partner with the Cumberland County Parks and Recreation Department to build the playground. “I didn’t realize how expensive playgrounds are,” said Legg, noting that a medium-sized playground costs about $100,000.

While the main event of the day is the 5k, there is also a 1k walk and activities the entire family will enjoy. The route is the flattest and fastest in Fayetteville, and the start time is a little later than most races. “We decided to start it at 10 a.m. so that people with little ones could still come out and participate in the race,” said Legg. “And even if you don’t want to be in the race, we have plenty of other things going on that will make it a fun day.”

Guests can enjoy a rock climbing wall, face painting, a bounce house, food vendors and more.

Several organizations, including local running clubs and churches come out to support the event. “Because it is a community event, a lot of people come together to make it possible,” said Legg. “You find out how many good people there are that want to come out and help.”

This year, local schools are showing support as well. Students at Howard Hall have been training for this event, and Legg is expecting more than 100 students from the school to show up for the race. She noted that for many of the students it is their first 5k. Midway Middle School from Dunn is also planning to participate.

Registration for the event is $25 for 1-mile participants and $30 for the 5k. Age groups are 10 and under; 11-14; 15-18; 19-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-39; 40-44; 45-49; 50-54; 55-59; 60-64 and 65 and above. Race packet pickup and late registration are at La Cocina Mexican Restaurant in Hope Mills on March 10. Same-day registration closes at 9:45 a.m. on March 11. To register online, visit http://www.active.com and enter Josalyn’s Jog in the search bar. To learn more about Josalyn’s Jog, visit https://www.facebook.com/JosalynJog/?fref=photo.

A lip sync battle, in its simplest form, involves people enthusiastically mouthing the words to popular songs. For the Child Advocacy Center’s Ultimate Lip Sync Showdown, members from many of our community’s influential organizations will lip sync, solo and in groups, dressed and acting as a variety of popular singers past and present. Guests to the event on March 25 will be seated at lushly decorated tables in the Crown Center Ballroom set with linen, fresh flowers and substantial hors d’oeuvres. 

But the evening, which will begin at 6 p.m. for social hour and 7 p.m. for the show, is about so much more than entertainment. Lip sync-ers and attendees of the event will help to give unheard children a voice. Fayetteville’s Ultimate Lip Sync Showdown is the Child Advocacy Center’s spring fundraiser, replacing the previous and long-running American Girl Fashion Show fundraiser. 

Roberta Humphries, executive director of the Child Advocacy Center since 2009, is no stranger to the nonprofit sector. She previously worked in leadership positions at the Cumberland County nonprofits United Way and Better Health.  But when the position with CAC opened, something was different — she knew this job was for her. “I have a real passion for wanting to help children who are victims of abuse. I had [been sexually abused as a child], so I’ve just always had a real passion for wanting to help other children. Because … it doesn’t have to define who you are, and it doesn’t have to define your life as you move forward. So when this position became available, it came at the right time, and I just felt like I could really give back to other kids.” 

And she’s doing just that. CACs exist all over the world. Each is founded, owned and run independently, but may receive support from larger accrediting bodies like the National Children’s Alliance. All accredited CACs work with a multidisciplinary team of agencies in that community to create an integrated approach to meeting child abuse victims’ needs. Fayetteville’s CAC works with 19 community agencies, including all the county Police Departments, the DA’s office, CC Mental Health, CC Schools and Ft. Bragg Schools, Cape Fear Valley Health System, Womack Dept. of Social Services and more. 

One way this integrated approach works is to ensure a child need only give their full testimony once. Previous to Robert “Bud” Cramer’s creation of the first CAC in Alabama in the late 80s, a child might have to repeat the story of their abuse as many as 15 times, with defense attorneys picking apart their words and pouncing on any (understandable) childlike inconsistencies — a horrific and re-traumatizing experience. By bringing all relevant agencies together into one child-friendly environment, the CAC eliminates this issue. 

Also previous to the CAC’s establishment, children would have to travel to UNC-Chapel Hill or Duke for their medical evaluations and exams. By coordinating with our local medical care providers, the CAC can make the process more efficient for the family’s sake, talk directly to doctors and nurses about how to speak with and treat the children and enable children to be in a more familiar and comforting environment while being examined. 

Fayetteville’s system, however, is unique from other CACs in one crucial way. Humphries explained that their system has hugely expanded its prevention component in the last nine to 10 years. Prevention training and education is not one of the core components required for accreditation, but the Fayetteville CAC has 76 partners in prevention. “Darkness to Light, one of our partner organizations in prevention, believes that this number is not just higher than any other CAC in North Carolina, but in the United States,” said Faith Boehmer, CAC Prevention/Volunteer Coordinator. 

Humphries added: “CACs were founded to provide coordinated services to children that had been identified as already having been victimized. But the real goal would be for a child never to be victimized and to have a happy, healthy childhood from the beginning. If we can prevent [abuse] from happening, we can save a lot of children’s futures and also community dollars that go into putting the pieces back together.” 

Every service the CAC provides comes at absolutely no cost to the family. This is made possible through events like their spring fundraiser, which makes up about 10 percent of their total income each year. The committee and some board members gathered last March to come up with an event that was popular, unique and that nobody else was doing in the community: lip sync! 

Many CAC partner agencies will be represented at the Showdown, which is being organized by Julia Adkins, long-term chair of the American Girl Fashion Show. Cumberland County Schools’ Pre-K educators Wanda Wesley, Patricia Easton and Denise Dutcher will serenade the crowd as The Supremes. A group from the Fayetteville Police Department will perform as Cyndi Lauper, The Spice Girls, Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson. Rainbow Pediatrics will bring the house down with a Glee mashup of “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” Other performances to look out for include Rob Lowe as Prince, Roberta Humphries and her husband Paul as Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, and local theatre and musical star Cassandra Vallery as — ahem, herself. 

Participants are more than happy to dress up and dance their hearts out in support of the CAC. Catalina Orrego, marketing and administrative assistant at Rainbow Pediatrics by day, will transform into an all-star Glee member on the evening of March 25. “The CAC is a great cause we’re really excited to support! It’s also been fun for us [Rainbow co-workers] to get to know each other on another level, practicing our routine and getting together outside of the work environment. We’ve all come together, and it’s been a real team effort,” Orrego said. 

Peggy Smith, supervisor of Fayetteville PD’s Youth Services Unit, will perform with her co-workers as a number of strong female artists, from The Spice Girls to Beyoncé.  Smith shared that her peers appreciate how the CAC not only helps children who “suffer horrendous acts of violence and are often overlooked,” but also the police officers themselves. “The help that they provide to us is priceless, she said. “[Our unit] investigated over 1,000 cases last year involving children. … [The CAC helps us] get training that is needed and yearly strive to try to educate and [prevent child abuse]. The Child Advocacy Center needs the community’s support, and we are proud to help give back to them who are so often there for us.”

Fayetteville First Lady Kim Robertson will help determine the winner for the night, with audience participation to determine the People’s Choice Award. Audience members can also boost their favorite group’s score by purchasing votes. The event will also feature a raffle ticket drawing for prizes of a 50-inch flat screen TV, an iPad mini and a Fitbit. Raffle tickets are available for purchase in advance or evening of for $5 each. A limited number of performance slots are still available! To learn about performing, or to purchase tickets, visit www.CACFayNC.org or call (901) 486-9700.  Regular tickets cost $50. VIP tickets cost $75 and reward guests with closer seating, more elaborate table decorations and a bottle of wine. 

The CAC is located downtown at 222 Rowan Street. If you would like to support the work they do but cannot attend the Lip Sync Showdown at the Crown Center Ballroom on March 25, consider volunteering your time to do needed clerical work. You can also stop by the center and donate everyday items they need, such as individual snack items, comfort blankets and office supplies. “To see [the kids] laughing and smiling and realizing they’re not alone, to see them move forward and live happy lives, to see these kids be kids … that’s the best thing we see here,” Humphries said.

Intimate Apparel is a show of visual and conceptual dichotomies that allow you to arrive at subtle, tender and painful conclusions for yourself. “It’s a play set in 1905 about who you’re not supposed to love and who perhaps you do anyway,” Director Khanisha Foster said. “There’s something dangerous and beautiful about that. A lot of what we explore in the play is what the rules of the time are versus what happens when people actually connect to each other.” 

Upon arriving to Intimate’s first preview, I was immediately struck by the sweep of a deep, luxuriously red curtain on the right side of the stage. Nestled in front of the curtain were a red velvet chaise lounge, a stuffed red armchair and a grand piano. A chandelier dangled above the red carpet. These reds, arranged with powerful simplicity by Scenic Designer Josafath Reynoso and beautifully lit by David Castaneda, grabbed my eye first. 

My gaze then wandered left, ascending a short wooden staircase to a shelf full of bolts of fabric, and then back down to the left side of the stage. Here, in the “rented room” of black seamstress Esther Mills (played stirringly by L.A. native Ashlee Olivia Jones), I saw a single desk with a sewing machine, lit by a single kerosene lamp. Grace Schmitz did a great job rounding out this bland visual impression with her costume design, dressing Esther in whites, browns and olive greens. 

As the play unfolds, Esther never leaves the stage, weaving back and forth between her kindly if exasperating landlady, Michelle Walker’s Mrs. Dixon, and the red, rich world of Lauren Mae Shafer’s warm but ignorant Mrs. Van Buren. Mrs. Van Buren is a lonely Manhattan socialite who hires Esther to sew her beautiful undergarments that go ever-unseen by her aloof husband. Her relationship with Esther is illustrated by Foster’s skillful blocking: in at least half of their scenes, Mrs. Van Buren continuously stands up on and then steps down from a block of wood while Esther flutters around her, adjusting her lingerie. The visual seesaw seems to mimic Mrs. Van Buren’s conflicting awareness of her hierarchical place in relation to Esther and her genuine desire for friendship with her. 

It is also on the “red” side of the stage that Esther visits her friend Mayme, a prostitute who sometimes lets herself dream of being a concert pianist. Alason Little is irresistibly fresh and funny, free-spirited and guarded as Mayme, and it is a treat to watch these two actresses connect onstage. 

Once a week, Esther’s horizontal tread is broken by visits up the staircase to Mr. Marks, a Hasidic merchant of beautiful cloth played with an enchanting sincerity and quiet by Patrick Poole. It is here, among the bolts of carefully crafted cloth that Mr. Marks loves to show Esther, that the show finds its underlying heartbeat and most intimate moments. For their heartfelt but tentative friendship encapsulates the theme that Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Notage’s script weaves throughout: humans in relation to social structures that tell them who or what they can and can’t have intimacy with.

There is a beautiful moment when Esther reaches out to touch Mr. Marks’ coat and he flinches away. “The color won’t rub off on you,” a flustered Esther quickly apologizes. “No, no…” Mr. Marks urges. He explains that he can’t be touched by anyone other than his relatives or future wife. “It is rabbinical law. Not mine,” he explains. I felt both respect and regret in his words.

Beethovan Oden, who lives in New York, is convincing as George –  Esther’s letter-writing, long-distance marriage proposal – the outcome of which provides yet another thought-provoking juxtaposition.

Director Khanisha Foster returns to CFRT for her third time to do Intimate Apparel. She had her directorial debut with The Bluest Eye in 2015, returning in 2016 to direct Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, which became CFRT’s highest grossing non-musical at that time. “I was thrilled to come back to the community,” she said. “It’s been a very loving process.” 

Intimate Apparel runs through March 19. Visit www.cfrt.org or call (910) 323-4233 to purchase tickets.

The TEN Tenors, Australian musical sensation that blends rock, pop and opera in dynamic live performances, first toured internationally on a European circuit in 2001. They sold 120,000 tickets in five days. They have now sold over 3.5 million concert tickets worldwide, produced six platinum and gold records, and performed alongside music legends such as Andrea Bocelli, Lionel Richie, Keith Urban and Christina Aguilera.

And they are coming to the Crown Complex courtesy of Community Concerts on Saturday, March 18. The group will travel to Fayetteville as part of their 20th Anniversary World Tour, “The Power of TEN.” 

“The Power of TEN” tour promises to demonstrate just that – how powerful ten tenors onstage can be, and why they’ve kept audiences enthusiastically returning for so many years. On this tour, The TEN transform popular rock and pop anthems with their distinctive “tenorial” renditions, bringing their trademark charisma and gorgeously arranged music to the stage. When asked about the song he is most excited to perform on tour, longest-serving member and musical director Paul Gelsumini said “…Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Boxer.’ This arrangement is remarkable and I could never sing it enough.”

 Virgilo Marino, who joined in 2016 as the group’s newest member, has performed in many internationally prestigious operatic capacities, from the Concorso Riccardo Zandonai in Italy to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in Singapore. Florian Voss, who also joined The TEN in 2016, uses his skills not just to impress audiences, but also to empower others. His many credits include a partnership with non-profit organization The Broadway Dreams Foundation to help gifted young artists develop their musical abilities. “The [TEN family] is large and unique like the music and genres that we have covered. Members may come and go … but our style and presence [remains] true,” said Gelsumini.

These impressive musicians also enjoy the little things about touring. Guitarist David Orr said, “I love to explore the new cities and find awesome venues to sit back and enjoy some live music!” Benjamin Keane, pianist, added that he loves “being able to live life as a local and do what the locals do” as he travels. 

The show on March 18 will be preceded by a short induction ceremony for new members into The Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame. The Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame was founded by Community Concerts to honor those who have brought musical distinction to our community. Past winners of the prestigious award include Bo Thorp, long-term creative director and voice of the Cape Fear Regional Theater, and the late dance legend and ballet teacher Charlotte Blume. Community Concerts, founded in 1935, is an “all-volunteer, non-profit whose goal is to bring the finest in top-notch entertainment to Fayetteville.” 

After The TEN Tenors concert, Community Concerts will hold its season finale on April 11, featuring the Broadway smash hit “RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles.” Michael Fleishman, attractions director for Community Concerts, shared his excitement about the show on March 18: “If you think three or four tenors are great, wait until you see what TEN can do. Don’t miss this! It’s a show you’ll long remember.”

Tickets to see The TEN range from $30 to $75.50 and are available in person at the Crown Box Office or online at www.CapeFearTix.com. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. 

One of the most famous plays in football history happened on New Year’s Day in the 1929 Rose Bowl. Georgia Tech was playing the University of California. A player for California by the name of Roy Riegals recovered a fumble but somehow got turned around and ran over 60 yards the wrong way. 

A teammate by the name of Benny Lom caught Riegals and tackled him just before he crossed the goal line. A few plays later, California would attempt a punt deep in their end zone as a result of “wrong way Riegals” run, only to have the kick blocked with Georgia Tech scoring a safety. 

Riegals’ mishap occurred in the first half. During halftime, Riegals settled into a corner, draped a blanket around his shoulders and cried like a baby. The locker room was uncharacteristically quiet that day. Just as halftime was coming to an end, California Coach Nibs Price looked at his team and said, “Men, the same team that played the first half will start the second.” 

Everyone started out of the locker room except for Roy Riegals. The coach approached his broken player and said, “Roy, didn’t you hear me? The same team that played the first half will start the second.” Riegals looked up at his coach and with tears still streaming down his face said, “Coach, I can’t do it to save my life. I’ve ruined you. I’ve ruined the University of California. I’ve ruined myself. I couldn’t face the crowd in the stadium to save my life.”

Coach Nibs Price reached out and put his hand on the shoulder of Riegals and simply said, “Roy get up and go on back. The game is only half over.” Riegals did get up and go back onto the field, and he played an outstanding second half of football against the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. 

Roy Riegals is a wonderful example of a second chance. Many would look back at the 1929 Rose Bowl game and say, “What a great coach.” And indeed, Coach Price was a great coach. And his encouragement to Riegals to go out and play the second half is a powerful lesson for overcoming setbacks. But greater still is when we make similar mistakes in life, and God says, “The game is only half over.” And He gives each of us a second chance in life.

The story of the Bible is God’s second chance for a people who have been disobedient. Consider the story of Jonah. Jonah ran from God’s calling, and yet God gave him a second chance. The city of Nineveh was wicked and corrupt, and yet God gave them a second chance. The world today is rampant in disobedience to God and the Bible. But our God is a second chance God. But in our second chance, let’s play our hearts out for the Head Coach, Jesus Christ. 

Paul writes in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Accept the free gift that Jesus offers, and live the rest of your life playing hard for Jesus, much like Riegals became known for in the second half of the Rose Bowl. Don’t quit, because God hasn’t quit on you!

Have you been injured at work?  Well, you are not alone.  

In 2015, there were 2.9 million work-related injuries in our country with almost 70,000 reported work-related injuries in North Carolina.  For ten years, I worked at the North Carolina Industrial Commission, our state’s “court system” for workers’ compensation cases. Over those ten years, I found that people with work-related injuries face the most serious situation in their lives — they are sick, unable to work and are having financial difficulties. 

When you are injured at work, there are a few things you should do. 

1. Inform your employer about your injury immediately and in writing. 

2. If you do not report your injury within thirty days of the injury, you could lose your rights to benefits.  Many employers have a form for you to complete.

3. Seek medical treatment as soon as possible.  Your employer may send you to the doctor.  If not, use your health insurance to get medical treatment.

4. Take care in how you describe your injury.  Not all work-related injuries are covered by workers’ compensation. 

5. File your claim, or Form 18, with the Industrial Commission within two years.

6. Consult an attorney for help.  

7. You can also call the Industrial Commission Information Specialists at 1-800-688-8349 for information.  

Workers’ compensation is complicated.  Follow these steps to avoid making a mistake which can cause a problem later in your claim.

North Carolina legislators are considering a bill that would result in a significant tax break for disabled veterans living in the state. Rep. Nelson Dollar (R-Wake) is the primary sponsor of the measure. It would grant vets a 100 percent exemption from the payment of property taxes. As written, the bill is an unfunded mandate that would not provide cities and counties an offset for the loss of tax revenue.

To qualify as a disabled veteran and be eligible for a homestead property tax exemption under North Carolina law, a person must meet certain criteria. The property owner must be a permanent North Carolina resident and legally own and occupy the residence. The property owner must be a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces and have a service-connected disability from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the veteran’s character of service at separation must have been honorable or under honorable conditions. The surviving spouse of a disabled veteran may also qualify for a tax exemption. The current disabled veteran homestead exemption is the first $45,000 of the assessed property value of one’s home. Dollar’s bill would increase the exemption to 100 percent of a home’s tax value. 

Cumberland County would lose $2.77 million in annual revenue if the bill becomes law. The City of Fayetteville would lose $1.17 million. Both local governing bodies have discussed the consequences of the measure with local legislators. “It is my understanding that they are working on some language to fix the unfunded mandate implications of the bill,” said Rep. John Szoka (R-Cumberland). “I am in favor of recognizing the sacrifice … disabled veterans have given in the service of our country and I think that this would be a good public policy,” Szoka added. He clarified, however, that he does not favor passing unfunded mandates down to cities and counties. 

“I’d prefer the exemption be done on state income tax rather than property tax,” said Rep. Billy Richardson (D-Cumberland). “That way it would spread the burden around statewide not just on the counties that would be heavily impacted by loss of property tax revenue,” Richardson added. “Cumberland County already does so much for veterans.” The measure is in a house committee presently. 

Rep. Dollar did not respond to Up & Coming Weekly’s repeated requests for comment.

Details of the property tax exemption and other services available to all veterans can be found at the Cumberland County Veterans Service Office at 301. E. Russell Street, adjacent to the courthouse. The office assists veterans and their dependents in obtaining benefits to which they are entitled by: submitting claims for benefits to the Department of Veterans Affairs; reviewing and following up on decisions of the VA for fairness and accuracy; and writing and submitting appeals to the Board of Veterans Appeals for disputed decisions. These services are always free to veterans and their dependents. Veterans services officers are available for one on one counseling Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  

It’s been awhile since Cumberland County Commissioners and Fayetteville City Council members have spoken with each other regarding the future of local sales tax receipts. Mayor Nat Robertson is disappointed. “The county is 30 days in default to start a joint discussion,” said Robertson at a council committee meeting. He was referring to an agreement reached last year that both boards would meet no later than January to begin discussions on a new sales tax distribution contract. The current interlocal agreement is in effect until June 30, 2019. It virtually extended a contract that has been in effect for about 15 years. The towns of Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Stedman, Wade, Falcon, Godwin and Eastover are also parties to the arrangement.  

It provides that city and county elected officials begin negotiating a new sales tax distribution agreement no later than last month. Robertson said he hadn’t heard from Commission Chairman Glenn Adams. But in December, Adams proposed that a joint committee begin work on a new contract. City Council rejected the idea because it didn’t like the proposed membership composition. The city favors a working group of all involved so the issue can be resolved in six months. However, the four-member council committee offered no suggestion as to the working group’s makeup. Robertson, Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Colvin and councilmen Jim Arp and Kirk deViere serve on this new group put together by Robertson. 

By law, county government has the authority to use one of two methods to distribute  sales tax receipts. The method currently in use tends to favor the municipalities. But all parties agreed to it. Fayetteville took in nearly 50,000 residents in the 2005 phase V annexation better known as the ‘big bang.’ Council agreed to rebate to the county 50 percent of sales tax proceeds from the annexed areas. There was no expiration date. Robertson says it’s long past time that agreement was phased out. The council committee agreed to the mayor’s idea, noting the agreement has cost the city $60 million in lost revenue. The proposal is that refunds to the county be phased out by 10 percent annually beginning in 2021. After 2029, the city would retain all tax proceeds from the annexed areas. 

County government is considering adopting another method of revenue distribution using established tax districts. The entire county is Cumberland’s tax district. The city limit of Fayetteville is its district. However, most council members believe they have an advantage since the largest number of voters live in the city and smaller towns. And county commissioners would be reluctant to change the formula. “I’m a little disappointed that we haven’t started this conversation,” council committee member Jim Arp said. And now, complicating matters are lower property values this year, meaning all units of local government may have to adjust their property tax rates and/or cut services in order to reach revenue neutrality. Council awaits a response from the county.