Rayvin Griffin

E.E. Smith
Basketball
Senior
Griffin averaged 14.3 points and 4.2 rebounds for the Mid-South 4-A Conference regular-season champion Golden Bulls. She shared the county lead in 3-point goals and was Most Valuable Player of the Cumberland County Holiday Classic. She ranks in the top ten in her class and has a grade point average of 4.30.

Trent Agee
Gray’s Creek
Football
Senior
Agee, the starting quarterback for the Bears last fall, threw for 740 yards and eight touchdowns. He carries a 4.50 grade point average.

Pine Forest High School’s baseball team is coming off back-to-back trips to the third round of the state 4-A playoffs.

With the loss of nine seniors from last year’s team, head coach Tom Willoughby isn’t predicting his Trojans will fare as well this season, but he’s sticking with a formula that seems to breed success for his program.

Willoughby has had his share of exceptional players, like infielder-pitcher Cobie Vance, who is in his second season playing for the University of Alabama.
Players like that certainly help, but Willoughby thinks the guys who aren’t going to play baseball after high school are just as crucial. “They are going to put the most into that opportunity,’’ Willoughby said. “You raise the team up from the bottom. If you get those guys to play better, the whole team gets better.
“Role players are a big factor.’’

As with Vance a couple of years ago, Willoughby has another budding star to build this year’s team around, shortstop-pitcher Isaiah Bennett. A gifted athlete, Bennett has been a standout in both baseball and soccer for the Trojans.

In January, Bennett flew to Arizona to take part in Major League Baseball’s Dream Series showcase, a special event to expose African-American pitchers and catchers to pro scouts and team staff for evaluation and instruction.

Bennett, a sophomore, has also made an early commitment to play at the University of North Carolina, but Willoughby doesn’t think all that exposure will go to Bennett’s head. “He loves playing the game and he’s going to go about his business,’’ Willoughby said. “He won’t feel the pressure to live up to expectations.’’
Bennett said he’s set a high bar for himself this season and wants to focus on being a team leader, showing his teammates the right way to do things. “I think I can perform at any level I put my mindset to,’’ he said.

One of the biggest challenges for Bennett, and the rest of the Pine Forest pitching staff, will be adjusting to a new rule that limits the number of pitches a player can throw before having to take mandatory days off.

As a short reliever, Bennett doesn’t think the rules will affect him greatly, but he said it could be a problem for pitchers if hitters become patient and pitchers aren’t able to find the strike zone.

“You’ll have to focus on what you’re doing and go after them (the batters),’’ he said.

Willoughby said he supports the new pitching rule but added it will require coaches to think ahead a little more on who they’ll be using in a game and how much.
“I’m getting seven or eight guys ready to start the season,’’ he said. “We’ll have to use two or three guys early on because you don’t want them throwing 85 to 100 pitches right out of the gate.

“We’ll have to use guys as a bridge to get to a closer or just to break up games.’’

Willoughby said the Trojans have some three-game weeks early in the season, so he’s already looking at which pitchers he’ll be throwing in those games.
“It builds depth, and that’s what you want to do as team,’’ he said.

As for how that depth performs on the field, Willoughby will just have to wait.

“As a group we’ve been together about a week now,’’ he said. “These guys have put in a lot of work. It depends on how quickly they develop as to how good we do this year.’’

When Up & Coming Weekly publisher Bill Bowman and I first started discussing the things we wanted to do with this page, one of the first items I mentioned was honoring scholar-athletes from Cumberland County.

We see plenty of lists of athletes with all kinds of scoring and rushing and passing averages through the athletic year, but I fear we often forget that athletics is a sideshow to what young people are really in school for, to get an education.
I was reminded of that last week when I got a request from Tracy Esterly on Facebook to add her to my circle of friends. Esterly is the mother of Gray’s Creek High School wrestler Andrew Esterly, who competed for the Bears in the recent N.C. High School Athletic Association wrestling championships held at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Esterly wrestled in the 132-pound classification where he finished fifth in the state in his weight class.
But that’s not why I mention him in this week’s column. His mother posted a picture of him on Facebook, which you’ll see elsewhere on this page, sitting in the stands in the Greensboro Coliseum with textbook open, studying for his class in advanced placement human geography.
Making good grades is enough of a challenge by itself, but it’s even more challenging when you’re in a sport like wrestling. Of all the sports I’ve covered, wrestling makes the most personal demands on athletes, from maintaining precise weight to having to monitor their health carefully for signs of illness that can keep you out of competition.

I applaud Esterly and all athletes like him for their commitment to push themselves to athletic excellence while at the same time maintaining the highest possible standards in the classroom.

My longtime friend Rick Strunk, now retired as associate commissioner of the N.C. High School Athletic Association, recalled a conversation he had with a parent who called in a few years ago.

The father wanted to know if he, as a parent, could override the diagnosis of a doctor who said his son shouldn’t return to the football field. According to Strunk, the son had been diagnosed with a concussion, and the doctor wouldn’t release him to play.
Strunk tried to explain the logic of keeping the son on the bench, asking the father if he would want to reverse the doctor’s decision if his son was suffering from a knee injury.

There’s currently a bill pending in the North Carolina House of Representatives that would give parents the right to overrule the doctor if it passes.
Under the language of the bill, an athlete diagnosed with a concussion will be removed from the game or practice and not be allowed to return that day.
However, it then gives a parent or legal guardian the right to submit written clearance to the school so the athlete can resume competition.
I’m certainly in favor of parents being involved in making key decisions about their children and athletics, but the logic behind giving this much latitude
escapes me.

Parents don’t need to be given the freedom to decide if their children are healthy enough to return to the playing field, especially with concussions. That decision should be left in the hands of medical professionals.

Hopefully, this bill will not get serious consideration and die quickly in committee. Names have been determined for the conferences the Cumberland County Schools will be playing in next season. Both leagues will have new names.  Members of the former Mid-South 4-A and Cape Fear Valley 3-A are joining a combination 3-A/4-A league that will be called the Patriot Athletic Conference. The old Southeastern 4-A, which will be adding Jack Britt and Seventy-First next season, is changing its name to the Sandhills Athletic Conference, or SAC-8. Both new leagues begin play in the 2017-18 school year.

Take a trip back in time on March 5 at the Crown Theatre at Dinosaur Zoo Live. It is fun to learn about and imagine life on Earth when dinosaurs roamed, but this show takes the excitement of dinosaurs to a new level. Audience members are taken on a realistic tour through prehistoric Australia. Realistic dinosaurs of all sizes along with performers will teach audience members about the amazing creatures onstage. It makes for a show that is visually stunning, fun and educational for all ages. 

This production features 19 dinosaurs onstage, including the amazing triceratops. The sometimes giant and always realistic dinosaurs are actually puppets. Trained puppeteers in the performance are able to make the life-sized puppets move in lifelike ways. It even allows audience members to interact with the dinosaurs. Because the show is both visually stunning and physically interactive, it makes paleontology come to life. By combining science and theater, it makes the knowledge accessible and entertaining. Prior knowledge and a passion for paleontology are not prerequisites for this show. Everyone is welcome to come and explore the ancient world of giant reptiles. The goal is for everyone in the audience to walk away with a little something more than they arrived with. That could be a little more knowledge about dinosaurs, a new passion or interest in paleontology or just a little more happiness from the joy of watching the show.

Erth Visual & Physical INC. is the company responsible for creating this show. The company was founded in 1990 and is based out of Sydney Australia. They are widely recognized for their visual work. They specialize in creating out-of-the-box and unexpected visual experiences that engage audiences in novel ways, especially when dinosaurs are involved. Their puppets are incredibly well-respected for their craftsmanship and realism. They have been commissioned for museums, zoos, theaters and festivals from all over the world. Their most widely recognized work is Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo. The show is constantly touring globally and has several highly trained teams of puppeteers and performers that tour simultaneously so that they can bring this show to a variety of venues across North America, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live has been recognized as one of the best children’s shows and has received positive reviews from multiple critics in the United States, not to mention the opinions of many happy families.

Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Live will be at the Crown Theatre for just one night: March 5. It starts at 4:30 p.m. The Crown Theatre is located at 1960 Coliseum Dr. Ticket prices range from $20 t0 $50. Audience members under 2 years old do not need a ticket. The $50 VIP tickets include a post show meet & greet, a signed photo and a tour laminate. To purchase tickets or for more information visit the following website: http://www.crowncomplexnc.com/events/detail/erths-dinosaur-zoo-live.

“Campbell University is in the final stages of a major expansion to Jim Perry Stadium that will literally change all facets of the facility from just a few short years ago,” said Campbell University Athletics Director Bob Roller. The university’s 2017 baseball season is underway, and next month, the Buies Creek Astros will take to the field. The Astros are a new minor league team licensed to Fayetteville. But they will call Campbell home for the 2017 and 2018 baseball seasons while a new stadium is built in downtown Fayetteville.

The most recent contribution to Campbell’s stadium is new synthetic turf, which was donated by the Houston Astros organization. “We were already underway with a multimillion-dollar fundraising effort for the opening of the Jim and Daphne Perry Pavilion in March of this year,” said Roller. The Pavilion, which overlooks the third base line, “will have a state-of-the-art locker room, a training room, coaches’ offices and a recruiting lounge for Campbell baseball,” Roller added. “It will also add more than 300 spectator seats to increase our capacity to approximately 1,500.” The expansion also includes new dugouts, an outfield wall, a ticket window and restrooms, and the largest video scoreboard in the conference. It will be ready by April of this year. “The one area we were unable to finish was a new field turf at the stadium, and the negotiations with the Houston Astros allowed that goal to be reached with the Astros providing the majority of the funding as part of their lease agreement with Campbell,” Roller explained.

What is commonly known as AstroTurf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. The main reason for its use is maintenance. Artificial turf stands up to heavy use and requires no irrigation or trimming. Artificial turf first gained substantial attention in the 1960s when it was used in the newly-constructed Astrodome. The specific product used was developed by Monsanto and named AstroTurf. The term has since become generic for any artificial turf and while AstroTurf remains a registered trademark, it is no longer owned by Monsanto.

Jim Perry was born in Williamston, North Carolina, and attended Campbell University until being signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1956. He is the older brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry and was a fine pitcher in his own right. Jim Perry was a three-time All-Star and won the 1970 AL Cy Young Award when he posted a record of 24-12. Jim and Gaylord Perry are the only brothers in Major League history to win Cy Young Awards. He also won 20 games in 1969 and won at least 17 games five times. His longest tenure in the majors was with the Minnesota Twins from 1963
to 1972.

Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson hosted a roundtable discussion last week on the opioid epidemic sweeping the nation. Robertson and Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Director Elizabeth Goolsby have co-chaired a local task force on efforts to reduce the scourge for about a year. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and more than a dozen other local and state officials in law enforcement and healthcare were in attendance to hear and learn about their successes. 

“I’m excited to hold this roundtable with Attorney General Stein so that our community can assist the rest of the state in reducing opioid abuse,” said the mayor. Stein applauded the effort and achievements the Fayetteville community has made to reduce opioid addiction. “The opioid epidemic is tearing families apart all across our state,” said Stein. “Fayetteville is a leader in implementing innovative programs to combat this crisis, and I’m excited to learn from the community leaders. It has taken 15 to 20 years for the state to get into this crisis and we must take it on,” he added.

The Fayetteville Opioid Abuse & Awareness Task Force focuses on reducing the number of opioid overdoses and educating providers who prescribe opioids. They also want to bring awareness about opioid addiction to the public while promoting treatment and recovery resources. “The epidemic is unlike anything I’ve seen since I’ve been district attorney,” said Billy West. “It’s the biggest problem we have in the criminal justice system,” he added.

Opioids or opiates include strong prescription pain relievers, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl and tramadol. The illegal drug heroin is also an opioid. The attorney general can learn a lot from Fayetteville’s Task Force on Opiate Abuse and Awareness. Opportunities for assistance in substance abuse are continuing to develop in Fayetteville. Cohen Veterans Network provides quality, accessible, comprehensive mental health care for veterans and family members. And it’s free. In a task force report for August 2016, the company said it would “open a Fayetteville facility costing between $8-$12 million.” For now, it is leasing space in a Village Drive office building, said Mayor Robertson.

Cumberland County Communicare will soon be opening a recovery center that will “provide open access for screening, assessments and referrals for anyone looking for recovery services, including substance use treatment, opioid treatment, 12-step programs and other resources,” stated the report. It has opened a 24-hour crisis phone line as well. Numerous organizations, providers and faith-based groups will volunteer their time at the call center. Recently, the Cumberland County District Attorney’s office in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies initiated the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. It is a comprehensive program geared toward helping those addicted, not the drug dealers. This is the only program of its kind in the Southeastern United States and only one of four in the country.

Fayetteville Police got involved in combatting opiate overdoses nearly two years ago. Former Police Chief Harold Medlock equipped his patrol officers with Naloxone heroin antidotes. This medication is used to block the effects of common opioids like heroin, specifically in overdose situations. This medication, along with the dedicated training of the Fayetteville City police, can be credited with saving 55 lives since the program began. No doubt the program works and the City of Fayetteville is the recognized agent of this positive change. Now all that is needed is more state and federal money to enhance and extend the program.

The search to replace retired Police Chief Harold Medlock hasn’t begun yet. But background information is being gathered by headhunters from Developmental Associates of Durham. Steve Straus, president of the firm, has been speaking with members of the police department’s command staff, community representatives and citizen groups. “We’ll recruit for 30 days, followed by two screenings,” he said. Straus says he expects at least 50 police executives to apply. His firm will narrow the field to 15 who will be thoroughly vetted and referred to City Manager Doug Hewett. He will likely narrow the field to two or three before holding community meetings for introductions. Straus says he hopes to refer his recommendations to Hewett by mid-May. Medlock retired the end of last year after spending three-and-a-half years as chief.

Haymount Grill Boarded Up
It’s been 10 months since the Haymount Grill & Steak House was destroyed by fire. The cause of the blaze remains unknown and the Skentaris family, which owns the restaurant, has not indicated whether they will rebuild. Meanwhile, it has not gone unnoticed by the city that the owners have failed to board up the property according to code. “Code enforcement is aware of the violation,” said City of Fayetteville spokesman Nathan Walls. “When you board up a building, by Chapter 14, the boards are supposed to match the color of the building and fit in place,” he said “Some boards don’t match the color of the building, and some don’t fit in place,”

Bridge to Replace Hurricane Damage
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is replacing a local underground highway culvert destroyed during the recent hurricane with a bridge. The culvert was on Bingham Road near North Carolina 162. Sanford Contractors, Inc. was awarded what’s called a $1 million express design-build contract. The express design-build method allows for faster construction and earlier completion by combining the work into one contract. DOT says the project should be wrapped up by Aug. 8. This is one of eight road and bridge projects approved by the State Board of Transportation this month, totaling $73.2 million.

A New Fayetteville Business Co-op
Sustainable Sandhills is delighted to be one of the founding private office members of Revolutionary Coworking, a collaborative workspace that acts as an incubator for the business community. The organization has relocated to the sixth floor of the Self Help building at 100 Hay Street in Downtown Fayetteville. It’s designed to encompass small and startup businesses, independent professionals and students. Revolutionary Coworking fosters a green business environment that promotes education, innovation and collaboration. A ribbon-cutting presented by the Downtown Alliance was held Feb. 23 and was followed by a tour of the shared workspace. For more information about Revolutionary Coworking, visit www.revolutionarycoworking.com.

New V.A. Secretary
The Senate has confirmed Dr. David Shulkin as the new Veterans Affairs Secretary, making him the first non-veteran ever to serve in the post. Shulkin currently serves as the head of VA health programs. He was approved by a remarkable vote of 100-0. The 57-year-old physician was praised by lawmakers from both parties and veterans advocates as a leader with inside knowledge of ways to reform the agency. Shulkin is the only member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to be held over from former President Obama’s administration. His parents both served in the Army. He has repeatedly promised not to “privatize” VA services and told lawmakers he would not have accepted Trump’s nomination if it came with such a requirement.

How do you turn a $15 million local government investment into a $65 million community asset?
Well, you get someone who realizes we are a low-wealth community with a scarcity of tax dollars. Then you give him the job of making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
That’s exactly what the Fayetteville City Council and Cumberland County Commissioners agreed to do. They unanimously pledged $7.5 million each toward the creation of the North Carolina Civil War History Center here in Fayetteville.
It’s not just a museum, says Mac Healy, president of the Civil War History Center’s board of directors. “It’s not just a battle story.” Instead, Healy said the center tells the story of how the Civil War and its immediate aftermath affected people’s lives. Healy made his remarks before the Cumberland County Citizens United February meeting.

Not a fan of taxes, Healy said he came to the project intrigued by the economic development opportunity. “Once built, we toss the keys to the state and we don’t pay another dime.”

The board of directors supporting this effort created a nonprofit organization. That allows them raise money to build the center. Healy acknowledged Cumberland County is a low-wealth community. Even so, before coming before local government for tax dollars, Healy and company made sure they had at least $5000 in private donations. The private fundraising effort continues.
Supporters expect the center to draw at least 120,000 visitors to Fayetteville every year. And, with the Airborne & Special Operations Museum and the Botanical Garden nearby, those visitors could stay longer; maybe even spend money on local fried chicken and lodging.
The county’s state legislative delegation also is on board, Healy said. “We started talking to the delegation four years ago.”
The Board hired a Raleigh lobbying firm to work on other state legislators. “We need to convince someone in Asheville to fork over money for a project in Fayetteville,” Healy said.

The state recently touted a $500 million in excess funds. Maybe with that kind of surplus, legislators wouldn’t mind putting the project into the state budget. That way, the state could allocate a little more than half of the total $65 million price tag over several years.
The cost breakdown for building the center on the grounds of the current Museum of the Cape Fear goes like this: Main Building (60,000 square feet) $24.8 million; Campus Development $10 million; Exhibits $11.8 million; Statewide Digital Outreach $2.8 million; Soft Costs $8.7 million; Four-year Operating Cost $1.9 million; Operating Endowment $5 million

The economic development part of this endeavor is great. How can you not like bringing 120,000 people with money in their pockets into Fayetteville every year? And how can you not support employing 200 people?

But also important is the Civil War History Center’s ability to enlighten us in great detail about the state and national impact brought on by a Civil War that claimed the lives of almost a million Americans. I have to mention that many from the North were recent immigrants.
The proposed North Carolina Civil War History Center will be like no other. It will serve as the state’s and the nation’s premiere Civil War era history resource. Digital technology will extend its reach throughout the state. The technology also will allow visitors to interact with the learning center.
Finally, this. The History Center plans to collect 100 stories about the Civil War from each of North Carolina’s 100 counties. In the end, the History Center hopes to have 10,000 stories about North Carolina people involved in the Civil War. These are stories handed down through the generations. They are stories sequestered in the archives of churches, or documented in the Bibles of families whose roots run deep in the Old North State.

If you have such a story about the Antebellum era, the Civil War or during the Reconstruction years following the war, contact www.nccivilwarcenter.org/share-a-story. If the story makes the grade, you get a free membership.

As Roy Rogers almost sang, “ Unhappy Trails to ObamaCare.” ObamaCare has been on life support since the election. Soon, The Donald will pull the plug and bury ObamaCare somewhere under the rainbow. The White House recently leaked a draft to repeal and replace ObamaCare with Trump’s own health insurance plan. The Donald, being the extremely modest person he is, resisted entreaties to name his plan TrumpCare. He has opted to name his new insurance program “MedievalCare.”

MedievalCare will replace Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. MedievalCare’s mission statement is “Make America Ache Again.” The government’s expenditures on medical care for Americans who are foolish or greedy enough to get sick will be almost wiped out under MedievalCare. There will be no payment for physicians or hospitals because MedievalCare will only provide medical treatment developed during Europe’s Dark Ages. Folk healers are coming back, baby. It’s going to be beautiful, believe me. Social Security retirement benefits will be abolished. No one will live long enough to reach retirement age after depending on Medieval medicine to cure what ails them. The death of potential Social Security recipients before they reach retirement age will save literally billions of dollars, thus, allowing more tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

The better to keep you from retirement age, the Department of Health and Human Services is bringing back the great diseases of the Middle Ages: Black Plague, Dropsy, Saint Vitus Dance and Quinsy. Current medical science is actually a very fake science pushed by the dishonest media on an unsuspecting American public. Science will be replaced by the tried-and-true medical beliefs of the Middle Ages. Medicine will be based on the use of the four humors: air, water, fire and earth represented by blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile to diagnose and treat all medical impairments. Medieval physicians believed that too much or too little of any of the four humors caused illness. Too much blood was really bad. Medieval doctors were huge on blood letting either by leeches or venesection. Venesection was a charming practice where the doctor would open a vein and let the patient’s illness bleed away until the patient was a quart low. Venesection ultimately did in George Washington. Oops.

All MedievalCare cures we can look forward to receiving are going to be very, very, beautiful. Ague? Swallow a spider wrapped in a raisin. Skin rash? Cover it with the skin of a wolf soaked in urine. Black Plague ? Drink a cup of crushed emeralds, lance the plague boils, make a poultice of butter, dried toad, tobacco, arsenic and bathe in urine. Fainting spells? Breathe the smoke from burning feathers. Sinus congestion? Stuff garlic and onions up your nose. Gout? Put a plaster of goat droppings mixed with Rosemary and Thyme on the aching foot. Internal bleeding? Wear a dried toad in an amulet around your neck. Toothache? Burn a candle close to the painful tooth. The worms gnawing in the tooth will overheat and drop out into a cup of water held by your mouth. Joint pain? Pluck an owl, clean it. Put the owl in a pot with a stone on top. Place the pot in an oven until the owl is burnt. Pound the burned owl with bear grease and put the poultice over the joint.

Can’t sleep? Eat a bowl of nettles mixed with egg whites. Got Quinsy? Flay a fat cat, clean it, pull out its guts, take grease from a hedgehog and bear fat mixed with sage, honeysuckle and venison fat and stuff the cat. Roast the cat collecting the grease that drips out. Anoint the patient with the grease. Sore throat will be gone. Need a neurosurgeon? Got you covered. MedievalCare will bring back trepanning by barbers which involves drilling a series of small holes in the patient’s skull to expose the Dura Mater which is the outer membrane of the brain. This cures migraines and mental disorders, plus you get a hair cut.
Folk Healers will be taught to pick herbs and medicinal flowers at sunrise while facing south. The softly spoken magic healing spells will be retaught to an army of Folk Healers by specially trained Republican Congresspersons. Patients will be supplied amulets made of tanis root, senna and mint to avoid evil spells and sickness. Your kid is sick? Cut woodbine on a waxing moon. Make it into a hoop. Have the ill child jump through the hoop three times. Bingo! Healthy kid again.
MedievalCare will save millions by closing unneeded medical schools. Send doctors to re-education camps in the basements of empty Walmarts to retrain as grave diggers in case some of MedievalCare’s cures don’t work out so well. Naturally, members of Congress and White House staff will keep their own medical insurance. For the rest of us, implementation of MedievalCare makes financial sense in a bigly way for the one percenters.

Our men and women in uniform have sacrificed dearly to pay freedom’s price and ensure our way of life. The soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who serve our country are emblematic of bravery, courage and the American spirit.

Suzanne and I join with millions of hardworking Americans in expressing our sincere thanks to active-duty military, veterans and their families. North Carolina is home to almost 800,000 veterans, many of whom live here in our community.

One of my greatest privileges in serving as a United States Congressman is serving our veterans and working to ensure access to the benefits they were promised and deserve. As part of that commitment, one of my very first moves when elected to Congress was to hire the most experienced veterans specialist available, who on average is assisting 500 local veterans navigate red tape at the VA.

Unfortunately, brave veterans and my team too often have to fight through a bureaucratic maze involving dozens of forms, requests, waivers and frustration. To simplify the process, this week I helped pass the bipartisan WINGMAN Act (H.R. 512), which I’ve supported since it was originally introduced in 2016.
This legislation would allow a veteran who files a claim for benefits to permit a certified Congressional staff member to have read-only access to the veteran’s files at the VA. Certified Congressional staff members already have permission to possess these files, but this bill eliminates the bureaucratic step of using the VA as a middle-man and makes it easier for my staff to assist veterans with their requests.

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two additional bills to encourage job creation for veterans. The HIRE Vets Medallion Program Act (H.R. 244), which I helped pass with overwhelming bipartisan support, will establish a HIRE Vets Medallion Program to properly recognize those who recruit, employ and train veterans, as well as provide community and charitable services supporting the veteran community.

The Boosting Rates of American Veteran Employment Act (BRAVE Act - H.R. 974), which also passed with bipartisan support, will allow the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to give preference to organizations which employ veterans on a full-time basis when awarding government contracts. Any organization caught misrepresenting the number of veterans they employ would be forbidden from contracting with the VA for at least five years.

These three bills won’t solve all of the problems at the VA, which for too long has suffered from a lack of accountability. Nor will they solve every issue veterans face when reentering the workforce. However, these bills do represent progress. There is much more work to do, and as your Member of Congress, I am committed to continue fighting for better outcomes for our veterans. If you are a local veteran who needs assistance with red tape or other problems at the VA, please don’t hesitate to contact my office at 704-362-1060. We would be honored to serve you.

Do You Want Your Voice heard?
As your Representative in Washington, I work hard to hear from as many constituents as possible. You are always welcome to e-mail me at nc09constituents@mail.house.gov. My team and I receive, read, and respond to hundreds of e-mails and letters each week, so you can be sure your voice will be heard.

Congressman Robert Pittenger (NC-09) is Chairman of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare, Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance, and serves on the House Financial Services Committee, with a special focus on supporting small businesses, community banks, and credit unions.

For years, I have heard how bad our schools are. Like each of you, I have heard that our hard-earned taxes go to an educational system that is set up to fail. Yet certain facts nag at me, so I continue to ask … Why are we 44th in teacher pay? Why are we 50th in principal pay? Why are we last in-per pupil funding? And, why are we third in our teachers having to work two jobs?

Those glaring stats demand honesty. When do we ask, “Are our schools failing us, or are we failing our schools?” The answer is obvious, but I wanted to confirm it for myself. So I went to all the schools in my district. First, I found them to be very clean and very safe. I was impressed with the principals and their staffs. These principals were doing everything possible to advocate for their teachers and for technology needs so they could prepare our children for their futures. I found teachers who desperately needed raises but, only asked for assistance in purchasing books and computers for their (our) children.
It is time we ask ourselves these questions:

(1) How do we expect our schools to be in the top 10 when we are last in investing in them?
(2) If we have the money to fully invest in our schools why then do we not do so?
(3) What are other North Carolina counties that are excelling in education and paying their teachers? And how much money are they investing in their schools?

Does not a lot of a little add up to still be a lot? Why do we ask so little of ourselves and expect so much from our schools? We need to “wake-up and smell the coffee.” In North Carolina, the coffee is burning. Should we not reinvest and fill the educational coffee pot back up?

Like millions of Americans and bumfuzzled people around the world, I have been focused on our new president and the build-out of his administration. Never in my lifetime have we experienced anything quite like it, and it is difficult not to be riveted to the news, no matter what one’s partisan political leanings may be. Every day is new and different and sometimes alarming.
That being said, the world is still turning, and news is happening outside Washington, D.C. and Palm Beach, Florida.
Some of that news is truly weird.

The world learned last month of the murder of a man identified as North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-un’s half-brother at a Malaysian airport. News reports were murky at best but implied that a man — maybe the half brother and maybe not — was showered with some sort of poison, perhaps poison darts. Then the story veered from strange to bizarre when The Guardian reported that one of two women suspected in the attack thought she was participating in a comedy “prank” show. The 25-year-old Indonesian woman was paid to convince men to close their eyes, and then she and the other suspect sprayed them with a water gun. It is not clear how a lethal substance got into the water gun, but the woman and a man are under arrest in connection with the murder by poison, or whatever.
Meanwhile, the other woman is nowhere to be found, after moving hotels and borrowing scissors from a front desk clerk, apparently to cut her hair, which was found by hotel housekeeping. The Guardian also reports that North Korea is demanding the return of the man’s body, citing his supposed nationality, but Malaysian authorities are holding on to it until they determine the man’s actual identity and cause of death.
How weird is that?

It is not, however, the only weird news so far in 2017. The Huffington Post chronicles such stories, some of them falling into the “don’t try this at home” category. Here are a few samples.A hair-freezing contest in Canada’s Yukon province, where the outdoor temperature rarely reaches 25 degrees Fahrenheit, offers a $700 cash prize for the best-frozen hair photo. And how exactly do contestants freeze their hair for a winning pic? That area of the Yukon is blessed with many hot springs, so contestants jump into pools fed by the warm water, wet their hair, pop up until their hair begins to freeze, and then coax it into the desired style. 

Other stories include a 39-year-old Mexican attorney who was born without arms setting a new Guinness World Record. The woman lit 11 candles in 60 seconds with her feet, breaking the previous record of 7 candles. She also writes, cooks, talks on the phone and does her hair and makeup with her feet.
Someone — it is hard to imagine who — has purchased Adolf Hitler’s personal travel telephone for $243,000. A photograph of the phone shows a battered red device, old style, of course, engraved with the Fuhrer’s name and a swastika. In addition, someone else purchased for a mere $24,300 a porcelain dog, said to have been made by slave labor at Dachau concentration camp. A Maryland auction house sold the items. Sales of such items are banned in many European countries, including France, Germany, Austria and Hungary, and prominent auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s do not sell Nazi artifacts.
From the stupid criminal department comes this doozey. A Michigan woman faces jail time after she bragged about beating a random Breathalyzer test on Facebook of all places. Apparently, it had not occurred to the 22-year-old woman, already on probation for a DWI conviction that her friends are not the only people on Facebook. Law enforcement officers scroll it, too.

Then there is a former sculptor for Disney who is trying to crowd fund production of a 4-inch, anatomically correct troll doll of Donald J. Trump, complete with flowing yellow tresses and a cellphone in his hand. We will go no further on that one.
Finally, much closer to home, residents of Calabash, that fried seafood heaven on North Carolina’s southern coast, are intrigued by sightings of “Donny,” an orange alligator. Apparently, Donny is not the only one. Another orange gator has been spotted in Hanahan, South Carolina. Wildlife officers in our neighboring state say not to worry. The odd color may come from where the crawling critters spent the winter — perhaps in a rusty pipe. Since alligators eventually shed their skin, these two guys will likely be green again at some point.
You really cannot make up this stuff.

“Oh, the places you’ll go!” Dr. Seuss

Literacy is vital. We want our future youth to be excited about reading and develop a routine to read every day, and that is why Kameo Events NC presents Dr. Seuss’ Inaugural Birthday Parade and Family Fun Day Saturday, March 4, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Main Street in Spring Lake. North Carolina’s first lady, Kristin Cooper is the Grand Marshall of the parade.

“We first started talking about the idea of a parade in 2015. In 2016, right before Thanksgiving, the Town of Spring Lake gave their blessing to host the parade. We have been full speed ahead since,” said Kristy Sykes, owner of Kameo Events. “A few years back I worked with Cumberland County Association of Educators on a Read Across America event that was held at the former Holiday Inn Bordeaux, and that was a great event.” Sykes added that she kept thinking about what could be done to keep encouraging local youth in learning the fundamentals of reading and continue to make it fun for them. 

The National Education Association’s “Read Across America” is a nationwide annual reading awareness program that aims for every child to celebrate reading on March 2. Various events will be held across the country and students everywhere will participate in activities that promote and encourage reading.

The parade step off will be at 9 a.m. at the Bragg Boulevard Bridge. The route will continue to Spring Lake down Main Street and end on Ruth Street. “This will be the first parade of its kind in the area and the first parade in Spring Lake,” said Sykes. “It will conclude with a family fun day of activities at the Spring Lake Recreation Center.” Sykes added that parade participants are asked to have a Dr. Seuss theme, but they have the option of not doing so.

The day will feature food, fun and vendors. Activities include bounce houses by Mega Play, mascot appearances, author Dr. Elondra Napper, Crafty Parties, the Cumberland County Public Library, Fascinate-U Children’s Museum, Book Your Next Adventure, Steps to the Future, Jungle Gym Playground and more. Various vendors such as Pink Zebra, It Works, Park Lane, LuLaRoe, Usborne Books, The Produce Box, The Renaissance Day Spa and more will be there with information and items to sell. The food entails pizza by Fazoli’s, Green Eyez Street Foods, Dusty Donuts and more.

“I would like to thank our sponsors for their support of this inaugural event,” said Sykes. “We look forward to seeing everyone on March 4.”

Parade entries will be accepted until February 24. For more information about parade entries, sponsors or vendors email kameoeventsnc@gmail.com or call 797-9568.

Ron White knew he was funny; he just wasn’t expecting to make a living at it. It was 1986, and a comedy club had just opened down the street from where he worked. “My friend went to open mic night and came back and said, ‘You are funnier than these guys. You’ve got to get onstage,’” said White. And he did. It just so happened Jeff Foxworthy was headlining that week. “He saw me perform and he came up to me and said, ‘You are funny, but you need to put the punchline at the end of the joke.’ That is just how generous he is. He didn’t know me, but he still gave me good advice” said White, who took Foxworthy’s words to heart and got serious about what it takes toto deliver a joke. Later, White toured with Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable guy on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. According to White it was an act of kindness on Foxworthy’s part. Now, White is an actor, an author and owner of a tequila company, but his favorite job by far is still making people laugh. He’ll be onstage at the Crown March 4. For an entire evening of fun. Anstead’s Tobacco will make a night of it with a pre-show party, the live Ron White performance and an after-party. The Pre-Show Party runs from 5-6:30 p.m. and includes drink specials, door prizes and more. The after-party starts at 9 p.m. and runs until midnight.

Even though he’s been at it for three decades, White says it’s not too hard to find things to laugh about. “Sometimes, it just falls in your lap. Other times you have to go out and find it … then you have to get onstage,” he said. “Get in front of as many crowds as you can and start developing it.” And that’s not too hard for him to do, either — at least when he isn’t touring. When he is home in L.A., it’s not unusual for White to perform three shows a night several nights a week. It keeps him sharp, and it’s what he loves. “Well, if you are going to be a painter, you’d better paint. I am a better comedian when I am a comedian every day,” he said. “Besides, my wife will tell you I am way less grouchy when I am doing stand up.”

As a comic, connecting with an audience can be the deciding factor in whether a night is a success. North to South and from Europe to Canada, White finds that people have more in common than you might expect. “Most people think you would have to fine tune your act, but I talk about the human condition,” said White. “And that doesn’t vary. We aren’t all that different. We all have to get up and do things we don’t want to do. We all have to feed ourselves and often other people, too. We face the same issues every day no matter where we live. We just aren’t that different.”

At 60 years old, White jokes that his brain is a combination of a lazy Susan and a colander — always spinning and leaky, but he has no intention of stopping any time soon.

“I am a comedian. As long as people stay interested in what I have to say, I will keep doing this. It has been a wonderful run. I love my fans, and I will work hard for them if they keep showing up.”

Tickets to Anstead’s Ron White Night cost $69 and include the preshow party at Ansteads, the Ron White show at the Crown and the after-party at Anstead’s. Call (910) 391-3859 for more information about this event. To purchase ticket to just the Ron White show at the Crown, visit http://www.crowncomplexnc.com/events/detail/ron-white.

His Bread of Life Food Bank presents Fayetteville’s Inaugural American Warrior 5K Walk & Run Saturday, March 4, at 9:30 a.m. at Festival Park.

“The purpose of this walk and run is to raise awareness and funds for His Bread of Life Food Bank which is a division of His Outreach Worldwide,” said Lynne O’Quinn, president of His Outreach Worldwide. “We feed many in the community every week, so we are just trying to let people know we are there and try to bring in funds to continue feeding many people every week.” O’Quinn added that the reason the race is named the American Warrior is that the organization is trying to fight hunger.

The 5K walk and run is a certified and competitive race. “We have a new route because the older route that we originally were going to use got washed out by

Hurricane Matthew,” said O’Quinn. “This will be a route that no one has done before.” Awards will be presented to the first, second and third place runner in these divisions: ages 12 & under, 13-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70+. Overall awards will be given for first, second and third place. 

The mother ministry, His Outreach Worldwide, is a worldwide ministry in 122 countries.

His Bread of Life is one of their seven umbrella divisions. It is a non-profit Christian-based food bank serving children and families in Fayetteville who need food assistance. They give out food on a weekly basis and serve 30-40 households each week. The gospel message is provided to each family or individual who receives food from the food bank in hopes of spreading the message of Jesus Christ.

“It has its own building at 204 S. Reilly Road, and that is where everyone comes to get their food,” said O’Quinn. “We are different and unique in the way that we let the families come in and do their own shopping.” O’Quinn added that individuals can get a certain number of canned goods, meats, soups, cereal and other food items. They get to choose their items because the food bank does not want any food wasted. Anyone can come to the food bank. The organization will never turn anyone away.

Checks can be made out to His Bread of Life. Monetary and canned good donations are appreciated.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. Pre-registration is $25, the day of registration is $30 and $20 for the military.

Come dressed in red, white and blue. T-shirts are guaranteed and included in registration fees placed before February 17. For more information call 864-3991.

In 1901, Mr. and Mrs. Jessie Coogan purchased a mansion in the very exclusive section of Newport, Rhode Island. They paid $200,000 (equal to about $2,000,000 today) for the gorgeous mansion called Whitehall. The wife, Harriet Gardener Lynch before her marriage, was from a prominent and wealthy New York Family. She married James Coogan, a Bowery merchant and local politician. As a result of these unimpressive credentials, the family was considered a brash upstart when they moved into the elegant neighborhood.

After 10 years, the Coogans felt they had “paid their dues” and should be considered a respectable member of the community. So, on June 16, 1910, they gave a lavish coming-out party for their daughter Jessie.

Newport’s finest shops fitted them fabulously for the occasion. The orchestra tuned their strings and waiters were stationed everywhere to serve the movers and shakers who had all been invited.

The doors were opened at 7 p.m. By 8 p.m., no one had arrived. Nine, 10 and 11. They waited till midnight — until it became apparent that no one was going to show. The enraged mother was so angry that the entire family moved from Whitehall and determined to “get even.” For 35 years, all that happened to Whitehall was that the taxes were paid.

The once-elegant estate became a crumbling, devastated house. Finally, it was the town eyesore — the sweet revenge for the humiliation and rejection she had experienced. Eventually, in 1945, her son, moved by the pleas of the Newport residents, prevailed upon his mother to have the house razed.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Coogan retreated from the world after her husband’s death in 1915. Few of her 15 grandchildren ever saw her. She lived in the Biltmore Hotel until her death in 1947 at the age of 86.

The one dominating emotion that controlled her life was bitterness. Can you imagine how many thousands of times she replayed the coming-out party in her mind to recreate the rejection and to stoke the fires of bitterness? Then when her anger was white-hot, she would deny the pleas of Newport’s citizens to raze the mansion. Since the house was torn down only two years before her death, it almost appears her only motive for living was to exact revenge — and when she gave up her instrument of revenge, she died.

Think of the price she paid to get even. All the years of enjoyable family relationships. All the friends she could have made. All the people she could have helped.

The traveling she could have done. The life she could have experienced.

Bitterness controls, destroys, consumes, and impoverishes—not the object but the subject himself. When we are bitter we are the loser.

He left you for a younger lady with less weight and wrinkles — and how many times have you replayed the “tape” in which you get even? Or your business partner cheated you out of your part of the business. Or your sibling got your part of the inheritance. “Because of my race, I didn’t get the job.” “The doctor made a mistake and I’m paralyzed for life from the waist down.” The list is endless.

It is for this reason the scripture wisely admonishes us, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you with all malice.” (Ephesians 4:31 NASB)

Now think hard about this. Forgiveness frees me while anger and bitterness bind me and control me. My enemy imprisons me as long as I hate and revile him.

The instant I forgive, the door opens and I am free from my prison! Free to love. At last, free to live! When I am unshackled from the bitterness that binds me and controls me, I am overwhelmed with the freedom to enjoy all that life once again offers. Is not the man or woman wise who holds no grudges, and nurses no petty grievances, harbors no “get even” agenda?

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” (Galations 5:1 NASB)

When I was in law school in Buies Creek, I lived in an apartment complex on Marshbanks Street, just off Highway 421. Next to the complex on Marshbanks was a small, concrete and stone bridge that covered a creek running toward the Cape Fear. Wood-ducks would roost in the creek at dusk, and copperheads and a pet turtle emerged on occasion. I snuck down there out of boredom one afternoon, needing an escape from my laptop and case books. While crossing the bridge, I noticed a concrete plaque on its face. Looking like a tombstone, it reads:

NEILLS CREEK BRIDGE
HARNETT COUNTY
STATE PROJECT NO. 437
BUILT BY NORTH CAROLINA
STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION
1923

I remember being impressed by it. The thought occurred to me that the men who built this bridge were proud of it despite its size, and they marked their work. I later learned that the State Highway Commission was the pre-cursor to the N.C. Department of Transportation and that this bridge was likely funded under the Highway Act of 1921, which was spearheaded by Governor Cameron Morrison, a champion of roads and infrastructure and the namesake of my wife’s dorm at UNC-Chapel Hill.

I intended to write this article about the legal issues surrounding the roads, bridges and dams that were washed out in Hurricane Matthew, but I quickly became bogged down. There is not much that citizens of this area can do to force the city council, our legislators or F.E.M.A. to fix these problems. There is no legal mechanism to compel the government to repair its own damaged property, and we can’t make our leaders save money in rainy day funds for the next storm that is sure to come.

We are a government of the people, and as such, we are ultimately responsible for our leaders’ failures and shortcomings in this regard. Their policies and decisions reflect the values of their constituents. They pinch pennies and cut corners in the name of lower taxes and limited government, which we all seem to favor until our neighborhood needs something. When the old bridge washes away, we’re forced to deal with this reality.

I try not to present a problem without suggesting a solution, and it is this: elect leaders who believe that sound, quality investments in public infrastructure are worth their weight in gold. Leaders in our past understood this. Their wisdom is on display on the side of a country road in Buies Creek. The bridge is still standing.

The new Fayetteville Area System of Transit bus terminal will come online under budget this spring. City officials say that, despite numerous delays, the transit center is more than $500,000 under budget. The City of Fayetteville was awarded a Federal Transit Administration grant of $8 million in 2012. At that time, the facility was a concept that had been in development for over six years. The project was selected by the federal government on a competitive basis and was the largest FTA grant of its kind ever awarded in the state of North Carolina. It represents 80 percent of the cost to build the basic transit portions of the facility.

A local firm, Construction Systems, Inc., was the low bidder and was awarded the building contract in August of 2014. The total cost of construction was set at $12,150,000. City council increased the budget to $12,441,000 to cover unforeseen costs of soil remediation and removal, said Transit Director Randy Hume. The site at West Russell and Robeson Streets was the former location of a commercial laundry, and toxic cleansers had saturated the ground over time. In addition to the federal grant, the State of North Carolina initially contributed more than $1 million in matching funds, and has added to it since then. The city’s current share of the project is $1,486,325. That’s more than half a million dollars less than the $2,003,750 originally committed by city council.

The current total budget for the project is $12,654,125. The contract with CSI, with change orders, is $11,891,751. The city has additional commitments related to construction management, inspections and testing totaling $441,000. Also, Hume says, FAST expects some additional costs related to bus bay signs, technology components and public art of $270,000. That brings the total cost to $12,602,751, which is under budget.

Unforeseen delays in construction have not resulted in added costs from the contractor. “Based on our contract, we will have substantial claims against CSI for liquidated damages,” Hume stated. “Liquidated damages are a contractual agreement … when damage occurs,” said Deputy City Manager Kristoff Bauer. “We have contractually agreed that the loss is $1,000 per day,” he added. FAST applied for and received federal grants to cover 80 percent of the added costs. And, NCDOT provided $213,125 of additional grant funds which were set aside as a contingency.

“I am not expecting any significant cost overruns from CSI,” Hume stated. “We will have added costs related to construction administration and management because of the delays in completing the project. We have enough contingency in the budget to handle these.”

The city makes “progress payments” to the contractor as construction proceeds. Payments are based on the work completed as certified by the project architect, according to Bauer. The construction contract has a provision whereby the city holds out about 5 percent of each payment to ensure all the work is completed, Bauer added. He pointed out that this project experienced three different challenges along the way. The first was the unexpected requirement to remove contaminated soils. The second was a series of permitting and design issues, some of it relating to relocation of previously permitted utilities. The third issue was with a subcontractor who was unable to deliver and assemble steel for bus bays. That subcontractor had to be replaced. The soil was addressed early. The other two issues have had spillover effects described as far more complex. “At each stage, however, the City has timely inspected work, provided effective notice and held the appropriate party accountable,” noted the deputy manager. Completion date for the transit center originally was June 17, 2016. “A six- to eight-week preparation period is needed following completion before our opening,” said Hume. Had the general contractor met the contract date, the center would have opened in late August 2016. Hume says the new date for operations to begin is this May.

“Every day we are working with our members to capitalize on opportunities to prosper and grow. It is only through our collective efforts that we can truly strengthen our economy. ”These are the words of Patricia Gonzalez, the Greater Fayetteville Chamber’s new director of membership services. Patricia is no newcomer to Fayetteville. She’s lived here for 15 years and is the wife of a retired Air Force officer who’s now working for the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Gonzalez is a native of Petaluma, California, and a graduate of Cal Poly State University in northern California with a degree in business. She withstood what she called a rigorous, in-depth interview process before being chosen for her new post. She’s looking forward to working with a new Chamber President and CEO, a position that has been vacant for 10 months. Interim CEO Darsweil Rogers notes in this edition’s News Digest that the chamber hopes to fill the vacancy about the end of the month.

Gonzalez has been on the job a little over a month and is anxious to get to know the chamber’s members. She regards her duty as one of service to the membership of 800 businesses and military units. She hopes her interpersonal skills will allow her to increase the chamber membership to 1,000 in two years. She’s in “the process of creating processes,” of building the chamber’s rolls, she says. “We’re here to champion Greater Fayetteville’s businesses.” First, comes shoring up existing members by providing them with the expertise and support vital to their economic success. Gonzalez believes the chamber is an essential element of the community’s efforts to expand economic development, noting that small business is the community’s underlying foundation.

Gonzalez tells of lessons learned from reading a book several years ago on how to clean house. Typically, she says, one begins by straightening up one bedroom at a time. The mistake you can make is to come across an item that belongs in another room and taking it there. Then you turn attention to that room and overlook the one where you started. Completing the task at hand is the lesson learned, which is the key to concentrating on the needs of one business at a time. Gonzalez is a perpetual note taker, insisting that good notes are so important. Clearly written, accurate notes help to capture information for later study and review. She’s “already filled up four notepads,” she says. Asked how she keeps up, she said: “You just do it!”

The things Gonzalez says makes her job most enjoyable are the longtime members who’ve supported the chamber and the community. She cites Bryan Honda’s unique position as the Greater Fayetteville Chamber’s oldest and most dedicated member having first joined in December 1954. In her introductory message in last week’s edition of Up & Coming Weekly Gonzalez wrote: “Through collaborative efforts, we’re able to provide valuable networking opportunities, advocate for the business community with government and work with our current business leaders while preparing our next generation of leaders.”

Fifth District City Councilman Bobby Hurst is considering not seeking re-election in the fall. Councilman Ted Mohn, who represents the 8th District, said earlier that he will not run. Hurst said, “My new job with Senator Meredith and Cardinal Landscaping and Fayetteville Beautiful are priorities that take a lot of my time.” Hurst became an aide to Meredith after closing his family business recently. “Perhaps it is time to let someone else serve this great city,” Hurst added. He has been on council since 2007 and before that from 2000–2001. Mohn has served four terms, the last two of which came following a two-year interruption after he chose not to run.

Hurricane Matthew Costs
City of Fayetteville taxpayers may end up picking up part of the tab for costs associated with Hurricane Matthew last fall. Budget Director Tracey Broyles has told city council the Federal Emergency Management Agency will likely reimburse the city much of the $9.6 million in damages or recovery costs the city has incurred. FEMA will send the city $6.9 million; the state will reimburse the city $2.3 million and insurance will cover $150,000 in costs. After $225,000 has been taken from city reserves or fund balance, it will leave a projected $325,000 which may not be reimbursed, Broyles said. It too would likely come from this year’s fund balance, which is an unappropriated surplus the state requires local governments to maintain.

Chamber Hunt for CEO Nears an End
The Greater Fayetteville Chamber hopes to select a new President and CEO in a matter of days. “Three finalists among 20 candidates from across the country have been interviewed,” said Interim CEO Darsweil Rogers. None of them are from North Carolina, he added. Rogers has held down the post for 10 months. “It’s been a wonderful ride,” he said. Rogers says the most important thing he has learned in his chamber experience is the importance of communicating among members. He suggests it will be job one for the new CEO. “There’s a presumption the chamber is a good ole boy’s club,” he said. “There has been a gap, a misunderstanding” of what chambers do, Rogers added.

Housing Rehab Contractors Needed
Building contractors are encouraged to apply for Cumberland County’s approved Community Development registry. Contractors who reside in Cumberland County and want to be added to the registry should apply at the Cumberland County Community Development office at 707 Executive Place. Information is online at www.co.cumberland.nc.us/community_dev.aspx. Those jobs include single-family, owner-occupied homes and homes damaged by Hurricane Matthew. Homeowners must reside within Cumberland County but outside the city limits of Fayetteville which has its own community development program. Cumberland County has been awarded funds by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency through the Disaster Recovery Act of 2016. Funding is also provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Is this really compassion?

Whether it is determining how America should address illegal immigration, the possibility of terrorists entering the country through legal means, suspected voter fraud, the plague of poverty, or a multitude of other challenges, there seems to be a recurring call for compassion. This emphasis on “compassion” is contributing to a dangerous divide in our nation.

That divide is reflected in the protests we seem to see daily. This is especially true of those protests that seek to deny free speech to people who hold conservative views. This is far too frequently accompanied by violence and threatening speech. On the other side of this vocal outcry are those who remain quiet but grow more and more frustrated and disgusted by what they see in the outcry; the calls for compassion. I contend that in this tension between those who scream for compassion and those who question the legitimacy of those screams is the divide that is fed by the calls for compassion. For those pressing so fervently for compassion, the critical question regarding what they want becomes: “Is this really compassion?”

Here is a definition of compassion from greatergood.berkeley.edu:
“Compassion literally means ‘to suffer together.’ Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering."

Compassion is not the same as empathy or altruism, though the concepts are related. While empathy refers more generally to our ability to take the perspective of and feel the emotions of another person, compassion is when those feelings and thoughts include the desire to help.”

The phrase “relieve that suffering” is the key component of this definition. Compassion does not simply make people a bit more comfortable in their state of suffering. No, the aim is to help them be free of that suffering. In the account (John 8:1-11) of Jesus helping the woman caught in adultery, He did not simply save her from being stoned. Jesus challenges her accusers and, in the face of His question, the accusers leave. In verse 11, Jesus says to the woman, “Go and sin no more.” He did not leave her in a state where she might easily commit this act again. Instead, Jesus “helps” this woman by not only saving her from being stoned but by also showing her the way to avoiding similar suffering in the future. This is the look of compassion.

With this definition of compassion, where helping relieve suffering is central and the compassion of Jesus as points of reference, consider a current issue where these points might be applicable. That issue is requiring that prescribed identification be presented by citizens in order to vote. Opposition to such legislation has been and is being, vehemently opposed in states across America. The primary reason given for opposition is that certain groups of citizens cannot obtain any one of the required forms of identification. Following are relevant quotes from a document posted by the American Civil Liberties Union titled, “Oppose Voter ID Legislation - Fact Sheet:”

“Many Americans do not have one of the forms of identification states acceptable for voting. These voters are disproportionately low-income, racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Such voters more frequently have difficulty obtaining ID, because they cannot afford or cannot obtain the underlying documents that are a prerequisite to obtaining government-issued photo ID card.”
“Minority voters disproportionately lack ID. Nationally, up to 25 percent of African-American citizens of voting age lack government-issued photo ID, compared to only 8 percent of whites.”

“Underlying documents required to obtain ID cost money, a significant expense for lower-income Americans. The combined cost of document fees, travel expenses and waiting time are estimated to range from $75 to $175.”

These quotes paint a picture of a person who cannot afford $75 to $175 to take the actions necessary to get the ID required to vote and is very likely a black citizen. The ACLU, NAACP, and many other organizations, along with individuals, respond to this situation by spending and causing what must be millions of dollars to be spent by defendants to stop enforcement of voter ID laws in various states. There is no doubt in my mind that every organization and individual involved in mounting these court cases, coupled with protests and tremendous media support, will argue that these are acts of compassion.

Put these claimed acts of compassion to the test of the definition of compassion and the example of Jesus. If a person cannot spend $75 to $175 to get an ID required to vote, what might that indicate about the person’s overall life condition? Very likely, not being able to vote for lack of an ID card is among the least of his or her difficulties. Compassion would direct us to help that person move beyond the state of suffering that makes it impossible to get an ID card. However, this is not the response of those who fight with amazing energy to prevent implementation of voter ID requirements. What is described here does not pass the “compassion test.”

The question then becomes why these people would claim compassion but not act in ways that really reflect compassion … help people move beyond their state of suffering? The answer is pretty obvious to me. If a person is struggling and suffering for whatever reason, it is not likely that he or she will make the investment of time and energy required to get informed regarding issues and facts on which voting decisions should be made. That situation leaves one open to be influenced by people he or she chooses to trust. Along come strong personalities who claim to have the best interest of these suffering masses as a top priority. Those strong personalities, in sound-bites, make a case, such as voter ID, being about preventing these suffering people from voting and it rings true. The result is feigned compassion that does nothing by way of freeing people from suffering, but smoothly ushers them into being controlled and manipulated while coming nowhere close to recognizing what is happening.

What we need now is real compassion. For the most part, it must come from Americans who are quiet, but frustrated and disgusted with the havoc being perpetrated on our nation in the name of compassion. We must speak up and get involved publicly with efforts that help others move beyond their suffering while not punishing or penalizing those who are not among the suffering. Breaking free of quietness and taking a stand will be costly to those who choose this course. However, failing to do so will be far more costly.

As I write this, TV sports channels are all about the upcoming NBA All-Star game in not Charlotte, as originally scheduled, but New Orleans, which is thrilled to have it. New Orleans got the nod—and the money—after North Carolina passed and has failed to repeal the infamous HB 2, commonly called “the bathroom bill.” Eleven months ago, our General Assembly passed that discriminatory legislation, and it has been downhill ever since.
Not a fan of professional basketball, I probably will not watch the game –much less attend, nor do I favor one team or the other. What I do care deeply about is that Louisiana, not North Carolina, is getting millions in hotel, restaurant, shopping, rental car and tax revenues, while North Carolina is getting nothing but bad press. Front and center on the All-Star Weekend website is this statement: “Due to the North Carolina Transgender bathroom law, the NBA has relocated the 2017 NBA All-Star Weekend.”
This sort of negative publicity has been going on since last March when the bill was enacted, and promptly signed by then Governor Pat McCrory the day after he saw a poll that erroneously reported a majority of North Carolinians supported HB2.

No one knows, of course, the exact cost of HB2, but a November 2016 article by Corrine Jurney in Forbes magazine said at least $630 million and counting. Under the heading “Cross-Industry Carnage,” Forbes lists the aforementioned All-Star game, the loss of NCAA and ACC championship, which recent news reports say might not come back until 2022, decisions by financial services providers PayPal and Deutsche Bank not to expand in North Carolina, entertainers including Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Ringo Star, who took a pass on our state, a moratorium on Google Ventures investments here and more. We will never know the businesses, conventions, vacationers and others who quietly made decisions not to come to a state with an openly discriminatory law.

Less quantifiable is the damage done to North Carolina’s once progressive reputation. While jokes may have died down a bit over time, North Carolina remains a regular target of late night comedians. I had my HB2 moment last spring in New York City when an art museum docent overheard a friend and me chatting and asked where we were from. When we replied “North Carolina,” the woman actually blurted “OOOH! How embarrassing!”
So how did we get in this hole, and how do we get out?

We got here not because transgender people were terrorizing other people in public restrooms but because leaders in control of the General Assembly thought HB2 would be a great “run on” issue for their candidates in the 2016 elections. In hindsight, they both misread the people of North Carolina and grossly underestimated the economic consequences of social discrimination. HB2 was a solution in search of a problem that is costing our state both money and our national standing, and it should be repealed immediately.

There are some hopeful signs.

Peder Zane, a conservative columnist for the Raleigh News and Observer, wrote this earlier this month.
“As a practical matter, the so-called bathroom bill was completely unnecessary. It addressed a nonexistent problem. Transgender North Carolinians never posed a threat to their fellow Tar Heels.

“Even its sponsors understand this. That is why, as far as I can tell, there has been zero enforcement of the law. Where are all the biological males cited for using the lady’s room?”
Where, indeed?

Where, indeed?

Legislative leaders failed in a special session to repeal HB2, and they are now saying that all this is Governor Roy Cooper’s fault, that he should come up with a compromise. This is an “alternative fact”—aka, a whopper—if I have ever heard one since Cooper was not in the legislature last year and had at all nothing to do with the enactment of HB2. Nevertheless, he has floated a compromise proposal and says he will keep trying.

People all over North Carolina are giving their legislators an earful about repealing HB2, and so should we. The financial cost and loss of national reputation are mind-boggling to address a problem that even conservatives say never existed.

If HB2 were really such a great idea, wouldn’t other states be stampeding to pass their own “bathroom bills?”

I hear only silence.

There’s a TV show called Law and Order, and like most TV shows and movies, it depicts situations and circumstances as they should be, not necessarily as they are. On this show, criminals break the law, law enforcement hunts them down and arrests them. They go to court, get convicted and go to jail to serve their sentence. Really? Well, all that may eventually happen, but in the real world, chances are it would take years. Many think, as I do, that political correctness has gotten so out of control it has our nation paralyzed with intimidation and fear. As a result,
enforcing the rule of law has taken a back seat to political correctness. Really.

When, and at what point, was it decide that Americans had the right to choose what laws they would or would not obey? This obsession with political correctness has transformed our republic into a revolutionary free-for-all when it comes to obeying and enforcing laws and the doctrines outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Have we allowed slick lawyers and glib politicians to dilute and distort the U.S. Constitution by allowing them to use it for their personal political gain?

These questions need to be asked and answered before our American way of life melts down into anarchy. Cases in point: illegal immigration and sanctuary cities. When was the word illegal redefined in America to mean “no harm, no foul?” It used to be if something was illegal then it is unlawful. Unlawful meaning “against the law.” So, if an act is against the law, then it should be stopped and punished and certainly not rewarded. We encourage lawlessness by rewarding such bad behavior and illegal activities. For illegals we issue driver’s licenses, knowingly hire and shelter them and spend billions of taxpayers’ dollars on medical treatment, welfare and social programs, protecting and sheltering those documented criminals whose own countries have rejected them. Why? Because they have political value. To make matters worse, over the last decade, our inept federal government (Congress) has been transformed into the vehicle of choice for diluting the U.S. Constitution and making the rule of law arbitrary. The two most egregious examples of this are federal funding for sanctuary cities and the proliferation of rights, benefits and legal services extended to illegals while millions of our own natural-born Americans live in poverty, receive inadequate health
care and attend schools with few resources and subpar academic records.

Please don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not down on America nor am I being negative. These are all obvious observations. Our country and our American way of life have become much too politically charged and motivated. Why? Mostly out of the pursuit of greed, money and power. So much so that the checks and balances built into our Constitution by our forefathers (the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government) have been politically homogenized. Homogenized? Maybe a better word for this is contaminated? Either way, it is not a healthy situation and the task of righting America should be both a Democratic or Republican objective. It’s the American thing to do. I’m extremely confident that as American’s it is in our DNA to figure out the best way to preserve our country, our traditions and our American way of life. Let’s get to it!

Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Better Health of Cumberland County presents its 20th anniversary Evening at the Theater on March 4, an opportunity for the public to enjoy delectable food, casino tables and dueling pianos while supporting an organization with an inspiring mission. This year’s black and white themed evening and will take place at Cape Fear Botanical Gardens.

Better Health is a nonprofit organization founded by Ruth Peters in 1958 with the vision to “improve access and availability of health care services for the underserved, low-income [Cumberland County] resident … through assistance, referral, and education.”

The organization relies solely on sponsors, grants, individual and corporate donations and fundraising events. Amy Navejas, executive director of Better Health since July 2015, said of Evening at the Theater: “This is our largest fundraiser. It is critical for our operation and the services we provide. One hundred percent of the funds raised go toward our core missions of diabetes treatment and education, emergency direct aid and childhood obesity prevention.”
Evening at the Theater owes its name to its original venue. Twenty years ago the staff, under the direction of then-Executive Director Roberta Humphries, conceived the idea for a fundraising event to be held at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. Since then, the event has evolved every few years in location and content, from dinner and a movie at the Cameo to skits at SkyView. In 2015, sponsor Timothy Edwards proposed to bring in elements of a casino, which proved to be a huge success and greatly increased the fundraising power of the event.

Navejas said, “It’s a lot of fun for everyone! We have a variety of attendees, whether individuals who come because they want to support a wonderful cause, those who are drawn by the casino, or those who want to have a great date night while benefitting the community in the process.”
Due to the popularity of casino-themed entertainment for the past two years, Navejas moved the venue to the Grand Hall and Orangery at Cape Fear Botanical Gardens for this 20th anniversary Evening. The move will create space for more attendees to enjoy the night’s offerings. The casino will have its own space in the Grand Hall, with the UNC-Duke game playing in the background. In the Orangery, adjacent to the Grand Hall, there will be food, bars, seating, room to dance and Blazin’ Keys Entertainment’s dueling pianos.

Dueling pianos is an interactive form of musical entertainment that involves two pianists onstage playing audience-requested songs. Casey Cotton, dueling pianist and founder of Blazin’ Keys, said of the act: “It allows people to be a part of something - a live show. It’s a thrill to see what songs people pick, and I love the challenge of two guys on pianos pulling off a song that it normally takes a whole band to do.” Cotton has played piano for 31 years and has performed in venues across the country, from Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos in Georgia to Centrale Italian Kitchen & Bar in New York.

The Evening will also feature a 50/50 raffle. Attendees can purchase tickets from showgirls who will be floating between the Grand Hall and Orangery, and at the end of the night the winner will receive half of the cash earnings from raffle ticket purchases. Last year’s winner, Clark Reaves, won $2,000 and donated his winnings back to Better Health. There will be a wager board for the UNC-Duke game, with a gift basket for the person who correctly guesses the final score. Finally, there will be a premium liquor basket presented to the casino player with the highest chip count at the end of the night. “I am most excited about seeing the event come together as a whole,” said Brad Laub, volunteer board member and first-time Chair for this event. “The night is going to be full of excitement and energy!”

If you would like to support Better Health’s mission but cannot attend Evening at the Theatre, there are other ways to get involved. “One of our strongest needs is for volunteers to commit to at least one day a month at our diabetes clinic,” Navejas said. “We also always have shortages on used wheelchairs, scooters, transfer benches and eye glasses.” You can also simply donate cash to help Better Health reach their fundraising goal of $50,000. Visit http://www.betterhealthcc.org and click “How To Help” for more details.

Marilyn Coffield, a registered nurse who has volunteered at Better Health since 1998, said of what she does: “The more I learned about Better Health, as I began working for the organization, the more I admired and resonated with their nonprofit mission. We are so grateful to be able to offer free services. We are so appreciative of the community support for events such as Evening at the Theater. It is a delight to see [people who come through Btter Health’s doors] move forward in their lives. We celebrate and encourage any small gains with them… they do the hard work and we are their cheerleaders!”

Tickets to Evening at the Theater are available for $75 per person using the form under “Events” at betterhealthcc.org or by calling 910-483-7534.