We seem to be adrift when it comes to making our community economically prosperous.

During the past decade, our taxpayer-funded industry hunter, the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation, hooked a couple of large employer prospects that could have made a dent in our unemployment rate. We rejected them because they smelled, literally.

I’m not saying we needed an ethanol plant that would foul the air with the stench of French fries or stale beer. And, I’m not saying we needed a chicken-rendering plant considered by some too environmentally unsound for a long-vacant industrial site. But I am saying we need to decide what we are willing to accept to make our economically strapped community whole again.

So, when the civic education minded Cumberland Community Awareness Network hosted a forum for the six candidates vying for three seats on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, the first question I asked as moderator was about our economic health.

My question stemmed from the concerns I had after reading Cumberland County Manager Amy Cannon’s 19-page budget letter to the Board of Commissioners. The letter is the summary of the county’s $430 million budget.

Cannon didn’t paint a good economic picture for Cumberland County. Sure, the tax rate remains at 74 cents for every $100 worth of property, of which each penny rakes in about $2.3 million. It’s an election year for two of the seven-member board, so a tax hike would be a tough choice for the incumbents.

Basically, it’s a bare-bones budget. “The increasing demand for services and rising operational expenses significantly outweigh our available revenue, which has not returned to pre-recession levels,” Cannon states in her message.

She goes on to say that while the rest of North Carolina has recovered from the recession, Cumberland County still lags. For example, the average growth for sales tax before the start of the 2008 recession was 6.68 percent. After the recession, the average growth was 2.45 percent. That, according to Cannon, is a yearly loss of $1.88 million or almost $9.5 million for the past five years. 

So, I asked how they would fix our economy. The answers surprised me. 

While the city, county and PWC fund the FCEDC to the tune of about $1 million a year to lure big business to Cumberland County, the candidates all gravitated around the idea of supporting small, local businesses. 

Candidate Michael Boose called it “growing our own.” And candidate Wade Fowler called it “economic gardening.” And while the others didn’t have a catch name for it, they all touched on the need to do more for local businesses. But there were no details, and to be fair, three minutes to answer the question wasn’t enough time.

But most agreed, helping small businesses in our community grow will help create jobs. And jobs, however small at first, will make our community economically robust.

When you head to the polls this November to vote for one of the two most unpopular presidential candidates ever, know that local elections, especially for the Board of Commissioners, can have a significant effect on how we as a community move forward.

 Remember when you were in primary school and your teacher made you write the annual “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” essay? Old habits die hard. So here’s my report to my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Charlie DelGrande, may she rest in peace. My wife Lani had been wanting to go to Paris for many years. We went 40 years ago on our honeymoon but had not been back. The terrorism news had not made me anxious to go this summer until Lani pointed out to me that we were both getting old, had done a lot and if the terrorists got to us in Paris it would be no great loss due to our age. Not having an answer to this line of reasoning, we went to Paris. The U.S. State Department issued a warning to travelers to France to stay out of public places that would draw crowds. Following that advice would limit travelers to staying in their hotel room with a blanket pulled over one’s head. Stubbornly or stupidly unafraid, we went forth into Paris itself daily.

 On the plane, we got the standard safety talk about using the seats as a flotation device in the event of a water landing. I had always wondered if you could still use the seats as a flotation device if you lost your arms in the event of a water landing. Fortunately we didn’t have to test that theory.

 I expected that at the Charles DeGaulle airport they would be selling large magnetized sterilized tweezers suitable for removing ball bearings and shrapnel in the event of ISIS. They didn’t. They did have soldiers walking around with Uzis. When I first saw the soldiers it was a bit startling but ultimately became reassuring. American tourists are pretty scarce in Paris according to our experience . This is really a pity as Paris is one of the most beautiful cities on Earth.

 The people of Paris are cultured and very smart. I was surprised that even small children there were speaking a foreign language — French. Even the dogs understand French. It’s remarkable. Prior to realizing everyone took Visa, we traded in some American money at a money exchange. The exchange is where tourists go to get fleeced by money changers charging fees and abusive exchange rates that would make Tony Soprano proud. We did a lot of the tourist stuff — getting hustled by pickpockets trying to get us to sign a petition for the children, riding in an open-topped bus and having wine for supper every night. The Parisian weather cooperated with us, it was clear and in the 70s the entire time we were there.

 We went on a quest for the perfect bowl of French Onion Soup. There are many bowls of French Onion soup in Paris and we tried to eat every one of them. Each bowl was better than the one before. We ate most meals sitting outside at the numerous open-air cafes. I have seen some movies about France that taught that when you are sitting outside in café society you are supposed to talk about love, death, the meaning of life, communism versus capitalism and art. Mostly, we talked about where we would get our next bowl of French Onion soup and our dog Molly.

 French people are smokers. Big smokers. You can count on sitting between smokers at the cafes. Smoke happens. French people are not fat. My wife figured out it is because they have not given up smoking like most Americans. Apparently, the French have traded lung cancer for the obesity-related diseases that Americans prefer. 

 Paris has the Museum of Hunting and Nature, which is one of the weirder taxidermy museums I have ever had the pleasure to visit. It is more or less a put on of big game hunting but with Gallic humor — you can’t be sure. I was able to stand on a step ladder and put my head into the body of a life-sized plastic giraffe. That alone was worth the cost of the entire trip. Until you have been inside a fake giraffe, you cannot truly say that you have lived. On one wall of big game trophies proudly stands the south end of a north bound lion.

 French people sound much more intelligent than most Americans because I can’t understand French. One of the few times that I sat next to some Americans, they spent 10 excruciating minutes discussing how to make Chai tea. If that discussion had been in French, it would have sounded much more intellectual as I wouldn’t have been able to follow any of it.

 Next column — our close encounter with possible terrorism on the metro. 

We have all heard that men are from Mars, women are from Venus. In fact, author John Gray wrote an entire book entitled just that, waxing eloquent on exactly how different we really are and how our differences cause us the same problems over and over again. All of us have experienced Mars-Venus at some points in our lives — probably at many points, and here is a real whopper.

Writing for the Washington Post,columnist Kathleen Parker weighed in on the mess at Fox News created when a blond, good-looking — aren’t they all? — former anchorwoman sued Fox founder Roger Ailes for sexual harassment. That broke the floodgates and other accusers poured out with lurid tales involving garter belts and kneeling promises to “obey.” Unsavory as all that is, the plot got convoluted in the extreme when it was revealed that some of the accusers had stayed at the Ailes-run Fox and advanced in their careers after receiving payments in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and at least one of several million.

Such money ups the “ick” factor of this mess considerably. It also prompts Parker, considered a conservative columnist, to pose hard questions. 

“What is sexual harassment?”

“When is a woman a victim and when is she a participant?”

“Is a woman still a heroine if she speaks up only after she has tolerated it and professionally benefited while others were being targeted?”

The upshot of all this is that Ailes has left Fox amid reports of a golden parachute of up to $40 million, but the debate rages on.

Hardcore defenders of victims of sexual harassment might argue that women stay in their jobs because they must to support themselves and their families. Parker takes a harder line, saying “Rallying to any and all women who claim victimhood, even in cases of complicity, damages the cause and credibility of those who are targeted for abuse … Nothing, neither money nor career, is worth surrendering your dignity and self-worth, both of which will be questioned when you call quits on a game you agreed to play.”

Both positions have merit and adherents, but truth is almost always complicated and sometimes known only to the individuals involved. It does not help either that the perpetrator of whatever did happen has apparently been handsomely rewarded.

On a less weighty, but nonetheless awkward matter, how should we describe ourselves in today’s complex romantic relationships?

When we were teenagers or 20-somethings, “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” seemed just right to describe the objects of our affections. For many of us, our boyfriend or girlfriend has become our husband or wife. If somehow they did not, though, these words seem increasingly less appropriate, especially if our current love interests have white hair and worry about their Medicare coverage. 

The Huffington Post recently took a crack at how to describe our special someones as we mature. Somehow “man friend” and “woman friend” do not quite sound right. Nor does “fiancé,” which is preferred by a Social Security-eligible couple I know who has lived together for about 15 years with no wedding date in sight. Other options miss the mark as well. Some committed but unmarried couples fudge a bit and call their partners “spouses,” but that is not quite true. “Lover” is a tad too intimate, and “partner” has left more than one new acquaintance thinking the couple was in business together. I am not crazy about “significant other” either, but it does describe the situation for unmarried people in committed relationships. 

All of which reminded me of my favorite acronym of all time, one coined by none other than the U.S. Census Bureau in the late 1970s when Americans’ personal relationships were becoming more convoluted.

“POSSLQ” (pos-ul-Q) refers to a “person of opposite sex sharing living quarters.” It does not cover every situation, but it covers a lot, and pundits loved it. CBS News’ clever Charles Osgood memorialized the term with this:

“There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do

If you would be my POSSLQ

You live with me and I with you.

And you will be my POSSLQ.

I’ll be your friend and so much more:

That’s what a POSSLQ is for.”

Elliot Sperber, the cryptogram writer for the Hartford Courantoutdid even Osgood with this simple ditty. No one ever asked me this question, but I bet plenty of people did use it with their sweeties.

“Roses are Red,

Violets are Blue,

Won’t you be my POSSLQ?”

In our complicated and churning world, you gotta love it!

I am honored and humbled by being asked to fill the shoes of the man who inks the best column in Fayetteville, Bill Bowman. He’s on his way back from his annual South Dakota motorcycle pilgrimage to Sturgis. 

I appreciate the work of our Mayor and City Council. I’m glad they have a real desire to improve the quality of life in our All-American City. They have illustrated this twice in the last 12 months, once when they charged forward with the Parks and Recreation plan and now in bringing a new baseball stadium to Fayetteville along with a minor league team.

As some of you know I did not support the bond referendum to fund the Parks and Recreation initiative. The reason was simple as I wrote back in January in an op-ed piece “in the recent municipal election, some of our Council members campaigned loudly that they were going to hold the line on hasty tax hikes — they would support no tax increase until they had looked under the hood to see what synergies or savings they could find.”

Without delivering on its promise to drill down into the budget in search of synergies they proceeded with the referendum in March 2016. They went on to ask the citizens of Fayetteville to approve a bond that would raise property tax by 2.5 cents per hundred dollars of assessed value to fund the $35 million Parks and Recreation initiative.

In retrospect I took a closer look to see what would unfold during the budgeting process as well as new initiatives such as the baseball stadium. Here’s what I found.

1) We all remember what the PWC debacle ended up costing the City. Between attorneys and consulting fees more than $1 million was spent to defend the lawsuit the city of Fayetteville brought against PWC. The city of Fayetteville failed in its attempt to take over control of PWC. The good news is it appears this issue has been resolved in a new charter approved by the North Carolina Legislature.

2) Seems our City Council wanted to increase storm water fees to fund an initiative to upgrade our current system. Lo and behold it appeared there was $4 to $5 million left from a previous authorization. That’s right, it was there all along. I’m sure we will need additional funding in the years to come for storm water. It may even involve an assessment of higher storm water fees. My point is, out of the blue, $4 to $5 million was found within the city of Fayetteville’s coffers.

3) Now it appears we are about to build a minor league stadium which carries a price tag of around $35 million. We spent more than $500,000 on consulting fees in doing the cities due diligence. I am assured by our elected officials the financing of this project will not involve a tax increase. Furthermore, I’ve been told the City of Fayetteville can come up with $20 million for this project on its own.

  My question now is, if we could find the money to fund $1.5 million for legal fees and consultant fees, $4 to $5 million to fund the 2017 budget for storm water from monies the Council did not know was there, and finally find $20 million within the coffers of the city of Fayetteville to fund a new baseball stadium, why was it necessary to raise the property tax 2.5 cents to fund the Parks and Recreation initiative?

Sometimes I think the entire City Council is out playing POKEMON GO and the residents of Fayetteville are the one’s getting poked. 

 As Bill would say: “Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.”

Years of research, planning and fundraising by a group of local organizers has turned an idea for the North Carolina Civil War History Center into a real possibility. The $65-million Center could potentially create 200 new jobs and bring 130,000 visitors to the area each year. The regional economic impact could reach $18 million annually.

The Center is designed as a teaching museum, not a collecting museum. It will not present just one side of the Civil War, but rather provide the facts about the Antebellum period, the war and reconstruction said Mary Lynn Bryan, a local volunteer and nationally-recognized historian who has been working to bring this idea to fruition for eight years. She now serves as vice president for the NCCWHC Board of Directors. 

The Center will focus on the human impact of one of the most traumatic periods in U. S. history. 

“We had to think long and hard about what we could do to describe that period of time before the war, during the war and particularly the time after - the Reconstruction,” Bryan said.

The board enlisted historians and scholars from across the state to identify the facts, not lore, of what happened in the state from roughly 1835 until 1900. Once those facts were consolidated and reviewed, they were given to Philip Gerard, author and professor of writing at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, to turn into the story to be presented through the Center. The result is history told through the lens of how it impacted the lives of the people in the state, something Bryan believes will resonate with visitors.

“We wanted to tell it through the people, not so much battles, uniforms and equipment,” she said. “What we wanted to do is look at what happened to the people of North Carolina.”

There will be a collection of artifacts that support the facts and are important to the experience, she said. The human side of the era will be provided by stories submitted from descendants of people who lived in the state during the era, as part of the Center’s “100 from 100” initiative seeking 100 stories from each of the 100 counties.

The interactive museum will feature a 3D in-the-round-theater that tells the story of the last six weeks of the war when General William T. Sherman’s Final March came through Fayetteville and destroyed the Arsenal. Also included in the plans is a digital educational component that will provide resources to school students across the state.

The NCCWHC Board has building and site designs in hand, a favorable economic impact study, a business plan that includes local and state private and public monetary support. The board already raised $6.2 million of the $7.5 million goal from local businesses and individuals. It recently launched a statewide campaign to raise an equal amount from corporations, foundations and individuals from across the state. 

“This project is ready to go,” said John “Mac” Healy, the president of the NCCWHC Board.

“The City and County have to get on board if this is to become a reality,” Healy said. “The critical part is September first, when we go before the finance board of the county.” The NCCWHC Board must get a commitment of $7.5 million each from Cumberland County and Fayetteville City Council. 

With local municipal support, the remaining funds would be provided by the state, Healy said. “We had to raise enough funds locally to say this community is behind it. We had to prove Fayetteville would step up,” Healy said, “and show the legislature that the people of the state support it.”

Once completed, the Center would be operated and maintained by the state, Healy said, with admissions, continued state support and an endowment to offset operating costs. It would merge the existing Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex, which is already a branch of the North Carolina Division of History Museums, into the larger History Center. It would be built on the site of the Fayetteville Arsenal, which is preserved in the NCCWHC plans.

Dollar for dollar, Healy said, he believes the portion of the costs provided by public funds would be a strategic investment to increase tourism in the area. “This project doesn’t stand alone,” he said. “With the Airborne and Special Operations Museum and the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, it is another reason to get off the interstate, visit, eat dinner and spend the night.” He added, “It is true economic development when we attract visitors and their money from outside the area.”  

The overall vision for the Center is to provide an opportunity to draw lessons from the past, examine the present and engage the future. The NCCWHC Board recognizes that with that kind of examination, money is not the only challenge facing the project.

“One of the challenges with this project, quite frankly, is the name,” Healy said. “A lot of people initially are a little nervous to have their business associated with something as controversial as the Civil War – until they hear how we are approaching the story.”

The story of slavery, war and the reconstruction afterward may not be a happy one, but it does make you think, Bryan said, adding that “It’s everybody’s story, it’s our story and that’s why it is so important. One of the glues that hold us together as a nation is a shared past.”

“The Civil War is something people are fascinated by,” she said. “The war is over but the issues are there.”

Healy agreed, citing recent highly publicized racial tension in the U. S., and pointing out that race is “still very much to be on people’s minds. I see other parts of the country and we have an opportunity to examine issues rooted in history. It is an opportunity for us to be recognized as a state that’s not afraid to look at the issues of race relations and the historical impact. Like it or not, the Civil War and its aftermath have a lot to do with a lot of the tensions between people in our country today. The more people can learn and understand from this era, the more likely they are to move on to a shared future.”

The NCCWHC continues to raise awareness and funds for the project. To learn more visit their website www.nccivilwarcenter.org where you can view a video on the project or call 910.491.0602. Those who submit a family story become a member of the History Center at no cost.  

95.7 WKML is Fayetteville’s country station and specializes in playing the newest popular country music to keep the long drives and long workdays interesting.  WKML  has provided Fayetteville with fantastic music for over 30  years. The broadcasting team continues this tradition in new and exciting ways such as the Aug. 18 Parking Lot Party.  This event will feature entertainment, food trucks, a beer garden, corn hole and other fun family-friendly games.  

One of the groups scheduled to provide entertainment is the Josh Abbot Band. The band members include Josh Abbot, who provides vocals and guitar. Abbot has always loved country music, but his career in music began around 2004 when he started writing songs. He combined his talents with his fraternity brother Austin Davis, who plays the banjo. Preston Wait performs on the fiddle and guitar while Edward Villanueva joins in on the drums. James Hertless lends his skills with the bass guitar and Caleb Keeter on the guitar. The group is known for their emotionally raw performances. Their latest album is recognized as the most emotionally challenging of their works so far. Their music is a dynamic and fresh crowd-pleaser sure to provide emotional connections and fun. 

Dylan Scott will also perform at the Parking Lot Party. His self-titled debut album will be released on Aug. 12. He inherited his father’s love of country music and is deeply influenced by his roots. His father was a musician that played guitar alongside Freddy Fender, Freddie Hart and other country stars. His father’s experiences and stories inspired his career choice. Scott grew up in rural northeastern Louisiana, an area rich in musical history. His experience growing up in Louisiana deeply informs his work. His debut single “Makin’ This Boy Go Crazy” has seen a huge amount of success since its release. Just this single song has captured the attention of millions of fans. His honesty resonates for many. He has also been named Spotify’s Spotlight on 2016 Country Artists. 

Tara Thompson is also slated to perform at the Parking Lot Party. She is a native to Tennessee and in many ways a native to Country music. Her style brings an edge of contemporary style to the traditional genre. Her style is certainly unique from her sound to her “tongue-in-cheek” perspective that is evident in her songwriting. She has been described as feisty and is expected to break all sorts stereotypes as she continues in her career. Her sound has been compared to Loretta Lynn, who is her third cousin. It is clear that this relationship influenced Thompson as she grew up on the country music’s back stages in many ways. 

The Parking Lot Party takes place on Aug. 18 and begins at 7p.m. Tickets are on sale to the public and cost $10. They can be purchased at http://www.crowncomplexnc.com/events/detail/wkml-parking-lot-party. As the name suggests, the party will take place in the Crown Complex parking lot, which is located at 1960 Coliseum Dr. 

Ellington-White Contemporary Gallery selected seven artists to participate in Pictorial Space, the new exhibit at the Fayetteville and Cumberland County Arts Council. Visitors to the gallery will be able compare the ways in which these artists express their ideas about the pictorial and objects in space. The exhibit will remain up until Aug.  20. 

Investigating pictorial and aesthetic space was a pivotal development in modern painting. For a representational artist, the object(s) being painted may only be the starting point for the idea of what a painting or drawing can become. For other artists, objects are not copied or represented but viewed as elements of a new reality. Many abstract artists have eliminated a person, place or thing in the natural world; the content of the work can often be about form (color, shapes, scale, line, etc.) and the process of making.

“Rhapsody in Green” by Suzanne Aulds is a beautiful realistic painting of a still life. The painting of a larger-than-life orchid announces itself in the gallery. Detail by detail, Aulds has interpreted, in shades of green and white, a table setting with a plate, orchid and other objects - carefully placed. The illusion of the still life on a two-dimensional surface is at once intriguing, yet the artist has still used artistic license in how she presents distance and guides us to see contour and volume. More than what is being described in the work, Aulds artfully creates a space that informs the viewer about gravity and a type of weightlessness. 

While Aulds’ approach to painting is tonal, painter Deborah Reavis exaggerates color and the contour line to evoke meaning. Although the work is representational of people and the still-life, patterns of patterns of color and shape emerge as equally important as the subject. 

In comparison, Vilas Tonape is interpreting similar issues in an abstract style. A well-known realist artist, for Pictorial Space he was asked to show his abstract works on paper and canvas. Even though the works are abstract, Tonape is realizing the illusion of distance by applying overlapping - color and texture are inseparable from visual weight, gravity and anti-gravity. 

Photographer Capel States uses the floral still-life as a way to evoke a Baroque space of color and fluidity. Using technology, States has literally created states-of-being, flora with crisp edges in an oozy, smoke-filled environment. 

Dwight Smith is sharing several of his drawings and several paintings in the exhibit. Where several of the artists are exact in their approach to the placement of an object or shape, Dwight is the exact opposite. The act of drawing and painting is a process of immediacy, discovery and possibilities. Material and surfaces become rhythmic sources – types of energy emerge. 

As well, Becky Lee works in an abstract manner; but her focus is on the expressive quality of color. For Lee large areas of color wash across the pictorial surface and we are left with an impression of sunlight, water or the green of a landscape. Ever connected to the environment, Lee’s minimal compositions seem to be an effort to bath the viewer with the power of color - an appeal to our visual senses in a tactile way. 

Yours truly is participating in the exhibit. As an artist, I find mixing abstraction with something recognizable is a way to explore perceptions and meaning. For example, That’s Another Conversation, a painting on a Birchwood veneered panel, combines mixed flattened patterns or shapes with a representational element (drips of water). The juxtaposition of the dissimilar is a way of jumping from one reality to another – flat or three-dimensional asserts its own autonomy in the work. As if to say, “look at me, look at me.”

For information on Pictorial Space, call the Arts Council at 323-1776 or visit the Ellington-White website at www.ellington-white.com.

It’s something property owners go through every eight years in Cumberland County:  Revaluation!  It’s the process of appraising all real estate at the fair market value or present use value as of January 1, 2017. 

“A general revaluation is conducted to equalize all property at 100 percent of fair market value,” said Cumberland County Tax Administrator Joe Utley in an appearance before county commissioners’ finance committee. 

The process applies to all property, real and personal, residential and commercial. 

“Tax equity and fairness are the objectives,” added Utley.  

There are more than 95,000 single family homes in Cumberland County according to Utley. They include stick built, mobile homes, modular and log homes.

North Carolina law requires that property be revalued for tax purposes at least every eight years. It can be done more often, and 40 North Carolina’s counties use a four-year cycle. In order to avoid eight-year sticker shock, Wake County is among them, primarily because of its significant and rapid growth. Revals usually result in hundreds of home owners alleging that the process is just another money grab by local government. That’s not something property owners will likely have to worry about next year. 

Unlike Wake County, there’s been little growth in Cumberland County. Commission Chairman Marshall Faircloth has been tracking real estate values over the last couple of years. He says residential values plunged to lows “never seen in his experience.” Faircloth is a certified public accountant in private life. Earlier this year he told Up & Coming Weekly that home values had fallen below 90 percent of those established in 2009, the last time a revaluation was conducted. 

“They’ve rebounded to 95 percent today,” he said. Had property values not made a comeback, commissioners would have faced the prospect of cutting services and raising taxes. 

Utley told county commissioners that it takes his staff two-and-a-half to three years to research and prepare updated and revised property values. This day and time technology has been substituted for shoe leather worn out by appraisers who would visit the tens of thousands of homes and commercial businesses in the community. The county reviews each property through listings, mapping programs, site reviews of some neighborhoods and by analyzing sales of similar properties, according to Utley. 

“Officials have done 952 neighborhood reviews,” he said.

 In October, his office will establish a schedule of values. County commissioners will adopt the SOV in November which will be effective Jan. 1. The bills will go out that month, and must be paid by September to avoid penalties. There is an appeal process, and county appraisers will meet with taxpayers in February and March. A Board of Equalization and Review will be empaneled in April or May to hear appeals that have not been resolved. 

“The vast majority of appeals will be resolved through the normal hearing process,” Utley said. 

County Commissioners will set a new ad valorem property tax rate for Fiscal Year 17 based on the revaluation.

For many years the Fayetteville Transportation and Local History Museum has conducted walking tours around the city. One of the most popular tours is the Historic Architecture Tour downtown, replete with stunning Pre Civil War Greek Revival, Early Federal, Mediterranean Revival and Art Deco buildings. It’s sort of a hodgepodge of styles, City Historian Bruce Daws, director of the museum noted. “That’s what makes downtown real interesting,” he said. Daws has led these tours for years. One of them typically begins at the Cumberland County Headquarters Library on Maiden Lane, then across the street to Burgess Street to the FILI Armory and Museum. The Point News building at Old Street and Ray Avenue is a focal point. Daws tells Up & Coming Weekly he tries not to take large groups along Old Street because of the narrow sidewalk. And there’s another reason: the eight or nine, and sometimes as many as 11, roll out trash carts overflowing with garbage that block the sidewalk at the rear of the Blue Moon Café. “Oh God, they’re terrible,” said Daws. 

That’s an issue that has festered for years. The business community is apparently no closer to a solution than it was a year ago. “Regrettably, our proposal between the city, the church and the property owners has been declined,” said Downtown Alliance President Tony Chavonne. He speaks of an effort among the Alliance, the Blue Moon Café, Hay Street United Methodist Church and the city to locate a pair of dumpsters on church property. 

Fayetteville Infrastructure Director Rob Stone said his office has attempted to negotiate an agreement with the church to swap six church parking spaces for eleven spaces on an adjacent city-owned parking lot. But the church isn’t interested. Pastor David Blackman asked Board of Trustees Chairman Joe Melvin to respond to an inquiry from Up & Coming Weekly: “Unfortunately the parking lot adjacent to our main vehicle entrance...our portico...is a very small parcel of land with a limited number of parking spaces,” he said. “We are not able at the present...to reallocate any parking spaces to facilitate an Old Street dumpster placement.” 

Dr. Menno Pennick who owns many of the buildings on the north side of the 300 block of Hay Street, is frustrated, “I am very disappointed with the response from Joe Melvin and I cannot believe that there is no solution to the problem,” he said. “With the new planned restaurant on the corner of Old and Burgess Streets things will be even worse,” Pennick added.

The Blue Moon Café generates much of the garbage and recyclables in that vicinity. It uses the roll out garbage carts that line the narrow Old Street sidewalk. That’s a violation of a city ordinance. Code Enforcement Director Scott Shuford told Up & Coming Weekly that the city’s Infrastructure & Engineering Department enforces blocked sidewalks.  Not so, says Stone, “We don’t do any enforcement authority at all. We don’t have the power,” he said. Another ordinance requires property owners to remove trash carts from the curb once they’ve been emptied. But, the Blue Moon’s carts remain on the sidewalk 24/7. There’s nowhere else for them to go. A commercial garbage truck contracts with the Blue Moon to pick up its trash weekly, and therein lies another part of the problem. The roll out carts overflow prior to scheduled pickups. “We’ve been called a few times in the past to address garbage at some of the locations downtown,” said Daniel Ortiz, Cumberland County Environmental Health Director. Ortiz didn’t indicate that there had been any violations at the Blue Moon. The owner of the Blue Moon and her general manager declined to comment.

“The ordinance was written for residential collection,” said Environmental Services Director Jerry Deitzen. “It’s not cut and dry as it applies to businesses,” he added. So, a pair of city ordinances go unenforced, and City Council may have to get involved. City Councilman Kirk deViere, who represents the downtown area, is himself an inner-city business owner. “As downtown continues to grow, we must and will address the disposal of trash for both residential and small business, as the current situation like we see along Old Street is unacceptable,” he said. deViere has asked City staff to suggest some alternatives for the disposal of solid waste across the center city. 

“Six or eight community dumpster sites would solve the problem,” businessman Bruce Arnold said. Arnold and his wife Molly have owned a pair of shops downtown for 17 years. Many Hay Street and Person Street businesses have “partnered with one another to share dumpsters,” he added. A half dozen business people pay for two dumpsters on Franklin Street which are contained inside an enclosure with a locked gate. Each merchant has a key. Along the 100 block of Person Street which has seen tremendous development in recent years there is plenty of room behind the stores for merchants to place dumpsters, says deViere. Finding a dumpster site somewhere along Old Street remains an issue. Because of the nature of the historic one-way, one-lane street and the popularity of the businesses fronting Hay Street, a years old dilemma remains unresolved.

There are a lot of dynamics at work in minor league baseball from the west coast to the east coast that will likely result in Fayetteville getting its Single A franchise. Major League ball clubs typically sign Player Development Contracts with their minor league affiliates every two to four years. They are renewed in September of even number years; 2016 is one of those years. 

The Press Enterprisenewspaper of Riverside, California, has reported that the California League wants to reduce itself to eight teams, while coincidentally the Carolina League wants to increase from eight to 10 teams. That makes room on the east coast for two west coast teams, one of which would come to Fayetteville. 

If the Carolina League expands, the Houston Astros propose to move its Advanced Single-A team from Lancaster, California, to Fayetteville. Its PDC expires this year. If the Bakersfield Blaze leaves California, their parent Seattle Mariners would want to remain in the league. They could end up in Lancaster, where the Mariners have been before. Adding to the drama, the Texas Rangers are reportedly interested in moving their southern California minor league team to the Carolina League.  

Thanks to a strong draft and a commitment to rebuilding, the Milwaukee Brewers improved their farm system more than any other organization from the beginning to the end of 2015. Only the Astros can match the Brewers’ total of eight top 100 prospects. They have a nice balance of hitting and pitching talent, as well as depth at the top and bottom levels of the minors. The Astros moved from 10th in the preseason to third in mid-season in the rankings of MLB farm systems. 

A company that specializes in brand loyalty, Brand Keys, issued its 24th annual major league baseball fan survey in the spring. The Astros have consistently been cellar dwellers in fan loyalty. This year they rank 26th, up from 30th last year. The Sports Fan Loyalty Index, which measures all teams in the four major sports leagues, provides apples-to-apples comparisons of the emotional intensity with which fans support their home teams. 

“Everybody loves a winner, but it’s important to note that win/loss ratios govern only about 20 percent of fan loyalty,” said Robert Passikoff, founder of Brand Keys. He says there are other important elements that affect fan loyalty. Entertainment value and giving fans a fun time is most important. History and tradition are important, as is authenticity and how well ball clubs play as a team. A new stadium can also lift fan loyalty. 

Local baseball fans have generally supported the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles because they are the closest major league teams. Fayetteville is considered by many to be a good baseball town, said Kevin Reichard writing in Ballpark Digest. He noted that the summer collegiate league Fayetteville Swamp Dogs is one of the Coastal Plain League’s top draws. 

“With downtown Fayetteville now a considerably upgraded destination (i.e., fewer strip clubs, more brewpubs and restaurants), there’s interest in bringing baseball back to the city,” he concluded.

The City of Fayetteville appears headed toward an all-time high record of annual homicides. Twenty-one murders have been recorded by city police through the first of August. One of the most recent was a retaliation killing, according to police detectives. Before dawn on July 27, a motorist parked outside the 24-Hour Discount Tobacco shop at 816 S. Reilly Road and was shot and killed in retaliation for an earlier murder, Lt. Mike Geske, who works in homocide, said. Diquane McLamb, 20, of Fayetteville, was shot at close range by one of three men who drove up to the store. McLamb was dead on arrival at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Twenty-year-old Jamarqus Deonte Hurley is charged with his murder. Police Chief Harold Medlock said the tobacco shop where the shooting occurred is a known source of illegal activity, as are many of the community’s 60 discount tobacco stores. Police say criminal activity ranges from the sale of illicit drugs and paraphernalia to assaults and robberies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Police Charity Receives Contributions         

The Fayetteville Police Foundation announced it has received a pair of donations totaling $55,000. They come at a time when public support for police has grown, following mass executions of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. “The donors wish to remain anonymous,” said Cindy McCormic, Executive-Director of the Foundation.  The amount of $50,000 was designated by the donor to be used for the police K-9 unit for protective equipment and other needs. A $5,000 contribution was donated to the foundation for the purchase of protective gear for police officers. The Fayetteville Police Foundation, founded in 2009, is an independent nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to fostering public safety through community building, education and outreach. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stadium Proposal Update              

How does the public feel about a minor league baseball stadium in downtown Fayetteville? Will it require a tax increase? City council members want answers to the first question. Residents want answers to the second.  So far neither members of Council nor the administration are willing to comment on the tax question. Council is holding a public meeting at city hall Aug. 11 to take input from citizens. A committee headed by consultant Jason Freier, who owns three minor league baseball clubs, is leading  the City’s negotiations with the Houston Astros. The American League West team wants to move a Single A minor league team from Southern California to Fayetteville. The city is bargaining for a 30-year lease with minor league baseball, said Interim City Manager Doug Hewett. The City and ball club must reach agreement on terms by Aug. 19.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fort Bragg Field Training Exercise   

The 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team paratroopers are taking part in a Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise through Aug. 15. The field training exercise gives company commanders opportunities to plan and conduct realistic tactical maneuvers so they can build adaptive and lethal teams within their units and apply the principles of fire control, planning, safety and risk mitigation in a combat environment. The company-level training is physically and mentally demanding, and serves as the foundation for the brigade’s battalion live fire exercises later this year, said the Army. Various units are conducting numerous mock combat sequences during day and night conditions.

Given that there seems to be a flood of black men relating accounts of their negative interactions with white police officers, I feel obligated to share my experiences. Before sharing my story, setting the climate is important. Why climate is important becomes obvious in the story.

For starters, consider a comment made by black comedian and actor D.L. Hughley in an interview on July 13 with Megyn Kelly of Fox News. Hughley’s quote below is from an article titled “D.L. Hughley Gets Into a Heated Debate with Megyn Kelly on Fox News” by MP The God, a contributing writer on VLADTV. Talking about police officers, Hughley says:

“I don’t know a black man that hasn’t had a run-in with police, from the highest to the lowest. My perspective on this is based on the experience I’ve had, just as yours are, so I am not willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.”

Then there is Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina. He is one of two blacks serving in the U.S. Senate. In a speech on the Senate floor, Scott recently recounted his disturbing experiences with various white police officers and U.S. Capitol Police. His speech is summarized in an article by Ted Barrett of CNN, titled “Black Senator Describes Facing Unfair Scrutiny by Police.” A quote from that speech:

“I can certainly remember the very first time that I was pulled over by a police officer as just a youngster. I was driving a car that had an improper headlight,” Scott said. “The cop came over to my car, hand on his gun and said, ‘Boy, don’t you know your headlight is not working properly?’ I felt embarrassed, ashamed and scared, very scared.”

The final piece in painting a picture of the climate in which I share my interactions shows in comments made by President Barack Obama. Craig Bannister, in an article titled “Obama: Police Can ‘Make the Job of Being a Cop a Lot Safer’ by Admitting Their Failures” writes: “Fielding a question on Sunday, July 10, about violence against police in Dallas, Texas last week, which left five officers dead, Obama said police officers will be safer once they acknowledge their failures.” 

Then he quotes the president: “There are legitimate issues that have been raised, and there’s data and evidence to back up the concerns that are being expressed by these protesters.

“And if police organizations and departments acknowledge that there’s a problem and there’s an issue, then that, too, is going to contribute to real solutions. And, as I said yesterday, that is what’s going to ultimately help make the job of being a cop a lot safer. It is in the interest of police officers that their communities trust them and that the kind of rancor and suspicion that exists right now is alleviated.”

The quotes above attributed to D.L. Hughley and President Obama do not specify white police officers. I watched the Hughley interview and his focus was clearly white cops. Obama’s comments over time regarding police shootings of black males leave no doubt as to his focus on white officers. Senator Scott is clearly referring to white officers. Now I share my experiences in this climate of seemingly all black men having had a bad experience with a white cop. By way of further context, I am a 69-year-old black male.

My first interaction with a white cop came around 1964, while I was still in high school at segregated (all black) Camilla Consolidated School, in the small South Georgia town of Camilla. A white deputy sheriff came to our home and explained that he was there to take me to the sheriff’s office for questioning regarding a criminal incident. I do not remember being afraid of the deputy. I got into the backseat of his car and he drove me downtown. My father followed. At the office, the white sheriff said a forged check had been cashed with my name signed on the back as endorser. The fella who forged the check was in the office. I knew him. The sheriff directed me to sign my name and I did. He looked at my signature and, I could tell by his facial expression, he thought it was a match. Pointing to the forger, I calmly said to the sheriff, “Have him sign my name.” He did and when the sheriff looked at the two, there was no doubt the other fella signed my name on the check. That white sheriff told me I was free to go home … the matter was closed. Neither he nor the deputy who drove me to the office ever disrespected my father or me. I followed instructions and respected those officers. Above all, I knew I had done nothing unlawful.

My next several encounters were traffic stops. The first was driving to Camilla from Savannah, Georgia. This was likely 1964, also. The year is important because it was in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement and the associated racial tension. Including me, a teacher took four students to a journalism conference at Savannah State College. He had a beautiful new Chevrolet. On the way home, he asked me to drive. Everything was going well until I saw flashing lights in my rearview mirror. It was a white Georgia State Patrol trooper. He approached the car and asked the usual questions. There were five blacks in the car. I followed his instructions. He spoke to us in respectful tones, told me to slow down and sent us on our way. 

A white police officer in Maryland stopped me while I was on active duty with the Navy, though I do not remember the reason. He asked for my driver’s license and, after looking at it, said the license had expired. I explained how I understood that as long as I was on active duty, my Georgia license did not require renewal. He said the law had changed and I should get a Maryland license. That was it … no calling me “Boy” or making some other insulting statement. He sent me on my way and I got a Maryland license.

It was probably 1991 that a white motorcycle cop stopped me for speeding in Charleston, South Carolina. I lived in Charleston, but was driving back from visiting a terminally ill uncle in Savannah. All the way home, my mind was on my uncle and I was grieving his impending death. I was driving and crying. When I went into my uncle’s hospital room, he was sleeping and never seemed to wake up. Across the years, he called me “Karl-doon.” I greeted him and tried to talk, but he was silent. At some point, the one thing he said was, “Is that Karl-doon?” The cop stops me and tells me I was well over the speed limit. I am sure he was right. I was not watching my speed. I followed his instructions, but given an opening, told him about my visit and grief. He heard me, showed empathy, gave me a ticket, and sent me on my way. All these years later, I remember that officer’s kindness and look of concern, even in giving me a ticket.

I have been stopped twice by white cops in Fayetteville. Once when someone stole my license plate and I did not realize it. The other was for an inoperative tail light. Both times, the officers were respectful and presented no problem. 

Beyond these interactions at vehicle stops, I had a close-up opportunity to see the hearts of some white Fayetteville police officers and unsworn staff. For several years, I volunteered with a non-profit organization whose mission is to help black boys build a foundation for successful living. During part of that volunteer experience, Tom Bergamine was Fayetteville’s Chief of Police. He heard what we were doing and offered to invite his officers and civilian staff to volunteer in a couple of areas. One was an after-school program where black boys were tutored in reading and helped with their homework. I got to see white cops and staff members meet one-on-one with black boys and help them prepare for life. Bergamine did not just send people, he was there himself, tutoring. Those volunteers embodied genuine concern for those boys. This was not some “check the box” endeavor; these people cared and it showed.

This is my story of interactions with white police officers. I realize it is counter to the picture painted by D.L. Hughley, Senator Tim Scott and even President Barack Obama. I also understand it is counter to the politically profitable narrative of so many politicians, a multitude of social activists and the dominant media. After the recent shooting of police officers in Dallas, my wife asked me if I feared cops. My answer was an emphatic “No!”

This part of summer always makes me a bit wistful.

It is still hot as the hinges and humid enough to make even the straightest hair frizzy. At the same time, ads for back to school supplies are everywhere, and sales abound for beach chairs, plastic floats and sunscreen. There is a clear sense of one season winding down and another bearing down upon us.

As a freckled-faced girl with sun sensitive eyes, summer has never been my favorite season, but I have always loved its more relaxed pace. No after-dinner fire drills to get ready for bed on school nights. No rising before dawn to get to school or work on time. The whole atmosphere is slow, even languid at times.

Early August brings back all sorts of memories of summers past — those from my own childhood and later those with my own little family.

My childhood family took beach vacations with our grandparents to different North Carolina beaches. I caught my first fish at Atlantic Beach with a plastic toy rod. I was the only person who caught anything on our section of the beach that day, and I was so excited with my teeny-tiny pompano that I ran with him, still wiggling, into our house and flung his wet little self onto the bed where my grandparents were napping. 

When my sister and I were a little older, our parents took us to conventions of the 30th Infantry Division, in which our father had served as a medic during World War II. In Chicago, I got lost walking along Lake Michigan, which caused a major family commotion. In New York, our family of 4 had 10 suitcases to for the bellman to take up to our hotel rooms. Our father was none too pleased about this, since only one of them belonged to him. By the time we went to San Francisco, we went to wine tastings in Napa Valley, but that was after my sister and I had to spring for new sweaters. We apparently believed we were heading to southern California and packed only sundresses.

The Dickson’s vacations were largely at the beach as well, in an un-airconditioned cottage that had survived Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and every storm since, including the current benchmark hurricane, Fran, which laid waste to much of both Fayetteville and the southern North Carolina coast. The Precious Jewels got tan as berries, sunscreen notwithstanding, and learned to ride the waves, boat and fish — all of which they still enjoy. Generally accompanied by our faithful chocolate Lab, named what else but Brownie. Their other choice had been Lassie, but the parents vetoed that one. 

 “Real vacations” were few and far between, but there were a few. We drove to New England one summer when one Precious Jewel had 350 stitches in his arm, and the dressing took an hour to change every morning. I would not recommend a long road trip under those circumstances to anyone. We took a family trip to the Caribbean, where the Precious Jewels rode go carts and horses and learned to swing on a trapeze. 

We took an Alaskan cruise one summer, and I still marvel at the sheer magnitude of everything. That trip involved a flight so long that one Precious Jewel announced he could not stand sitting any more and that he was “getting out.” Two parents and a flight attendant eventually disabused him of that thought. 

We also visited the Big Apple one fall, where the boys first got acquainted with the concept of a restaurant bathroom attendant. They returned to the dinner table smelling like they had been sprayed with a knock off of Chanel # 5 and bearing a business card for something called the “Royal Flush.”

Travel, whether to a well-loved North Carolina beach or to destinations less known, gets us out of our ordinary lives and daily schedules and makes everything seem a bit more special. It informs us about the rest of the world whether that means fiddler crabs, sea turtles and tide tables or Denali, trapezes and bathroom attendants. Travel enlarges our worldview and lets us know that while not everyone lives the way we do, that is just fine. 

The best part of travel, though, may be coming home. We are again on our own turf with our own belongings. Everything is familiar, from our favorite sofa pillows to the little fluffs of dog hair stuck to the rug. There is the magazine we meant to read before we left and the stack of accumulated mail, which just might hold something really exciting. 

Most of all there is our safest and most private place, our own bed with its peculiar lumps and bumps and sweet spots. Travel in all forms is a great gift, and to me, among the most meaningful and memorable experiences we can provide for our children.

But at the end of the trip, there really is nothing quite
like home. 

Like many of you, much of my television time this weekend was spent watching the Olympics. I have to admit that this is probably the first time in years that I have dedicated any time to the games. Part of it has to do with the fact I live in a home with two sports addicts, part of it has to do with the lack of quality television programming and part of it has to do with curiosity.

I honestly started watching to see if the official broadcast would talk about the many problems that are complicating the Rio games or if they would ignore them. It was no surprise the latter was case. During my (admittedly limited) viewing of the different events, I heard nothing about the countless problems connected with the games (lack of working water in the Olympic village, busted sewer lines backing up into athletes’ rooms, limited food in the dining facilities, the cycling bridge collapse, the collapse of the dock for the boating events, etc.) Instead the broadcasts concentrated on the athletes, and that is as it should be. 

It took only a few minutes for me to become riveted to the stories of the athletes – their challenges, their accomplishments and finally, their competition. I am by no means a fan of competitive swimming. It is the one sport my son has never shown any interest in. That did not stop me from quickly becoming immersed in the competition. I was amazed and awed by the sheer power and speed of Katinka Hosszu, the Hungarian swimmer who blew away the world record in the 400-meter individual medley. While I was cheering for the United States’ Maya DiRado, I couldn’t help but cheer the win of Hosszu.

I loved the heart and spirit of Kerri Walsh Jennings, a member of the women’s beach volleyball team. Jennings, at age of 38, has now participated in five Olympic Games and won medals in all of them. She is a world-class athlete, a wife and mother. She puts the last (mother) as her greatest accomplishment. Her spunk and drive make her a favorite – and one that kept me glued to the television.

I also cheered on Michael Phelps as he won his 23rd Gold Medal with his team in the 400-meter relay. For Phelps, the award ceremony may have been old hat, but this Olympics is much more than that. Phelps, who has been in the national spotlight for years, spent much of the past few years battling substance abuse. He made it through that dark period and came back stronger than ever. That strength had to be challenged as controversy swirled over his carrying the American flag during the opening ceremonies. He was given the honor by the American athletes, but those who are pushing a racial agenda, vocally disagreed with the honor noting that because he was a successful, white athlete, he shouldn’t be carrying it instead, they argued that Ibtihaj Muhammad, a fencer, should carry the flag.

In an opinion piece on CNN. Kamau Bell wrote, “It would be a symbol for our country in this moment when we are mostly known for one of the most contentious, controversial, scandal-ridden, hateful, xenophobic, jingoistic, and just generally unlikeable presidential elections in recent memory. This is at a time when we could use some more symbols of unity and togetherness. 

Muhammad carrying the flag would be nearly a one-stop inclusion shop. Muhammad is an African-American, hijab-wearing Muslim woman who is also a world-class fencer. Those are all groups that could use some more love, acceptance and respect from this country. (And yes, I’m including fencers in this group.)”

He went on to write: “Your stepping back will allow this moment to become something bigger than just another opening ceremony. No offense, but right now America has enough tall, successful, rich white guys hogging the spotlight trying to make America great... again.”

As we all know, Phelps carried the flag – not because he was “tall, successful, rich white guy hogging the spotlight,” but because he is the most decorated Olympic athlete on the American team. He is an athlete who has given his whole life to his sport. He has trained non-stop. He has worked hard to be the competitor he has become. It has not been handed to him. He is not successful because he is white, he is successful because he of his dedication and drive.

As happy as I was that the problems in Rio did not dominate the headlines, I was equally as sad that an athlete, who has earned the right to be in the spotlight, was shoved into an ugly controversy not of his making, and surely not one that he deserved. 

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Boz Scaggs, or William Royce Scaggs, came into the public eye as a musician in the 1960s. He was born in Canton, Ohio, and grew up in Texas. His nickname, Boz, a far cry from William, developed while he attended school in Texas. A friend gave him the nickname “Bosley.” It was also at a young age that his musical relationship with Steve Miller began. The two met at St. Marks School and later attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison together. On August 17, this multi-talented music legend performs at the Crown.

Scaggs had a brief stint playing rhythm and blues across Europe. In 1967 he returned to the states to live in San Francisco. In 1968 he rejoined Steve Miller as a part of the Steve Miller Band. In the same year, he also experimented with a solo career and as the guitarist and backup vocals for Mother Earth. From 1976-1981 Scaggs recorded Silk Degrees, which reached #2 album in the U.S. He also recorded hits such as “Low Down” and “We’re All Alone.” He continued to produce incredible music for decades. He took a brief break in recording in 2008 but came back strong with a tour featuring Donald Fagen and Michael McDonald. This year, he continues to delight audiences with his 2016 tour across the United States. Boz Scaggs’ latest tour promotes his latest album, A Fool to Care. 

This new album features guests such as guitarist Reggie Young and steel guitarist Paul Franklin.  Bonnie Raitt duets with Scaggs as well as playing slide guitar for the album. Lucinda Williams, whom has also worked with Scaggs previously adds her voice to the incredible line up as well. This album is meant to pair with the album Memphis. Scaggs suggests that a coming album could weave the albums together in a trilogy. 

From the very beginning, Scaggs’ style has been influenced by the traditional sounds of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. While all very different, each of these styles embraces history, family and a range of powerful emotions. What Scaggs brings to the table is an incredible sense of fun. His passion and experience combine to create a once in a lifetime show. Each song is performed with the emotion electricity of a first performance with the technical skill that only comes from years of practice. He describes his current tour by saying, “I have a great band of extraordinary musicians and it is a high energy show. I feature my musicians as soloists. We do hits and more recent work in a Memphis vein. I always do a variety of things. Sometimes I get requests for blues songs.” He adds that some of his performance will feature classic songs from the 70s. 

Over the decades Scaggs has developed a unique style that is accessible and enjoyable for everyone. With a career reaching back to the 60s, there will certainly be lifelong fans in the audience. His passion keeps every performance as fresh as when he first started performing. For this reason, his concerts are also perfect for first-time listeners.  These recent years have been as busy as ever. “We do more than 90 shows a year. It is fun and positive and music that people recognizes as well as some surprises,” Scaggs says. 

When he is not performing, Scaggs stays plenty busy. He and his wife own and operate a vineyard in nothern California. “We travel. I cook. We garden and tend our fruit trees and spend tme with friends and that is pretty much what we do,” he said. “It’s a good life.”

The Boz Scaggs tour stops in Fayetteville on August 17. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Crown Theatre. The Theatre is located at 1960 Coliseum Dr. Tickets range from $34.75-$79.75. For more information or to purchase tickets visit the following site: http://www.crowncomplexnc.com/events/detail/boz-scaggs. 

 A recent trip to Columbia, S.C., gave Fayetteville City Council members and a couple of county commissioners an idea what a new baseball stadium might look like here. They visited the new Spirit Communications Stadium, a minor league ballpark built at a cost of $47 million. It opened near downtown Columbia this past spring. The South Carolina state capitol of 134,000 people is actually smaller than Fayetteville, but its urban area is larger. When it comes to professional baseball, the communities are comparable. Both have nearby military bases and have had minor league franchises in the past. 

Officials want to model a new Fayetteville ballpark behind the Prince Charles Hotel after Spirit Communications stadium, with a few significant differences. While Columbia’s stadium seats 6,500 fans, consultants are suggesting a ballpark seating about 4,000 for Fayetteville. Integral to the project are a variety of seating options. The Columbia stadium has 14 options ranging from a grassy berm and a patio section with tables and chairs for $5, to luxury suites at $750 per game. “Columbians love their baseball,” one fan said. A local facility would not need a dozen expensive skyboxes or some of the other amenities available there. A local stadium would likely not need four full-service concessions. 

Surrounding commercial development is important at both places. But there’s precious little available space locally. Interim City Manager Doug Hewett notes that pending renovations to the adjoining Prince Charles Hotel have the potential for apartments, offices and retail stores. He says the city is working closely with the new owners to coordinate developments. 

City council hopes to meet the Houston Astros August 19 deadline for a mutually agreeable memorandum of understanding (MOU). Hewett says the MOU could easily contain 50 documents of several hundred pages. It’s a voluminous yet nonbinding agreement. The city hopes to win a 30-year lease agreement with either the Astros or Minor League Baseball. The MOU will specify that the city will build a stadium “meeting minor league baseball standards at a cost not to exceed” whatever council comes up with, said Hewett. Council member Jim Arp, who is on the subcommittee drafting the MOU, says that could range from $30 million to $45 million. No one would say whether a tax increase would be required. Councilman Kirk deViere heads the subcommittee working on funding sources. 

Before all parties agree to a memorandum of understanding, city council would have to decide what the spending cap would be. And, the Houston Astros would have to acquire the minor league team in southern California that it wants to move to Fayetteville. Hewett tells Up & Coming Weekly that while a contract could be executed “within 60 to 90 days after the MOU is adopted,” it would likely take several months after that to hammer out all the legalities involved. Construction could take 18 months and likely wouldn’t begin until at least the middle of 2017, he added. The team’s first season at the new park would be 2019, and according to sources, it would play at Campbell University until then.

It takes getting used to, but the local highway road signs now refer to Pope AAF, not Pope AFB. That’s Pope Army Airfield, not Pope Air Force Base. The grounds and facilities are now part of Fort Bragg. The Air Force unit coming the closest to identifying with what we remember as Pope Air Force Base is the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group commanded by Col. Kelly Holbert, 45, a 22-year Air Force veteran. He’s a command pilot with many years of experience flying C-130 Hercules transport planes. That’s ironic because Pope lost all of its troop carriers when it was converted to an army airfield. The 43rd replaces the 440th Airlift Wing. Holbert’s unit is unique in the continental United States, he says, owing to the fact that it supports the 82nd Airborne Division. It provides army airborne support capabilities such as combat airlift, joint forcible entry and command and control. The group also serves the needs of XVIII Airborne Corp and Special Forces. Holbert served at Pope 20 years ago and says it feels no different today. He tells Up & Coming Weeklythere is an “incredible amount of joint support between the Air Force and the Army here. At our level there is tremendous interaction and cooperation,” he said. “I have personal relationships with all three brigade combat team commanders.”  Nine hundred airmen are assigned to the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group. With the inactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing in September, it will be one of four Air Force units assigned to Pope Field. Other Air Force tenants are the 19th Air Support Operations Group, 432nd Combat Control Squadron and the 21st Special Tactics Squadron. One of Holbert’s squadrons provides administrative and human resource needs for Pope’s other units which together comprise 2,000 airmen.

Col. Holbert took command five weeks ago, just in time to help coordinate an 82nd Airborne Division Emergency Deployment Response Exercise in which paratroopers were airdropped over Fort Polk, Louisiana. “It went very well,” said Holbert.  It was the first joint Army / Air Force exercise in which no Pope-based aircraft were used. A larger maneuver actually began days earlier during what’s called a Battalion Mass Tactical Week simulated military operation. Most of the planes used in the exercise were flown in from across the country. 82nd Airborne paratroopers were loaded into nice C-17 aircraft from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.  A few C-130s were also used during the exercise. Six aircraft flying in three-ship formations made roughly 96 passes over Fort Bragg’s Sicily Drop Zone, airdropping over 4,700 paratroopers, six howitzer artillery combos, two Humvees and several other pieces of heavy equipment and cargo, said Lt. Col. William McDonald, the mission commander. 

Without notice, participants had to shift their attention from the BMTW to the Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise. “This is the first time we have rolled a BMTW into an EDRE in order to test our ability to plan… inside of 96 hours,” McDonald said. Planning for the EDRE began July 12 while the MASS TAC was underway. Aircraft began launching on July 16, said Lt. Col. Ben Russo, 18th Air Force deputy chief of combat operations. The transition was significant because it doubled the teams’ work and required them to plan a larger exercise while still running another, which is no easy feat. “This highlights our commitment to the 82nd Airborne and their mission,” McDonald said.

The Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau booked more than 23,500 room nights at area hotels with a direct economic impact of $8.1 million in the fiscal year that ended July 31. In what amounts to an annual report, the FACVB also says the indirect rollover impact on our economy was $20.3 million. The direct economic impact is figured by the number of attendees of the groups booked by FACVB, multiplied by overnights and then by $114, explained FACVB spokeswoman Melody Foote. The $114 is the average nightly rate. “The rollover impact is the direct impact times 2.5 since the money turns over in the community 2.5 times,” Foote added. The figures “don’t include any leisure travelers or day trippers that come here,” Foote said.

All convention and visitors’ bureaus are not-for-profit organizations primarily funded by local governments, usually through a portion of hotel occupancy taxes. An overnight visitor to Cumberland County pays a 6 percent occupancy tax and 6.75 percent sales tax. Occupancy tax revenue is divided three ways -- 1.5 percent to arts (Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County), 1.5 percent in support of the Crown Center Complex and 3 percent to the Tourism Development Authority.  According to the NC Department of Commerce, in Fiscal Year 2012 Cumberland County occupancy tax collections reached just over $5 million. Of that amount $3.6 million went to the TDA. It funds the FACVB, whose mission is to promote the long-term development and marketing of Cumberland County as a destination, focusing on convention sales, tourism and service. And, of course, the agency directly supports the hospitality industry, which generates the tax revenue. 

The FACVB secured 3,754 listings for Cumberland County events in local, regional and travel trade websites and print publications. It handled 14,047 visitor inquiries at its three visitor centers. “In the last year, we added several touch points to our data collection to get a better understanding of visitors and their interests,” said John Meroski, FACVB president and CEO. The visitor profile indicated that 23 percent of them were from North Carolina. Seven percent each visited here from New York and Florida, while 5 percent were from Virginia. As would be expected, 25 percent of visitors were visiting family and friends, many of them military. Seventeen percent were vacationers and 12 percent were here on business. Cumberland County has the eighth highest level of travel expenditures of North Carolinas 100 counties. Visitors’ top destinations included Fort Bragg, local museums, historic sites and dining. 

Cumberland County has 72 hotels, motels and extended stay properties with 5,942 rooms. Currently, the county sees 160,000 overnight visitors per month. Rates for nightly stays vary from day to day. They range from $50 a night at older motels along U.S. 301 S, to $198 for two-room suites at Embassy Suites and Residence Inn. In 2012, the Fayetteville Regional Chamber stated that leisure and hospitality is Cumberland County’s fourth largest industry.  

If and when the City of Fayetteville decides to bring a Single-A minor league baseball team to Fayetteville, the SwampDogs may find themselves in the mix. They are an amateur collegiate summer baseball team. “I don’t worry about a lot of stuff until I have to worry about it,” said owner Lou Handlesman. He declined an interview with Up & Coming Weekly, but in a brief telephone conversation said he had approached the city about the potentially competitive situation. “Can we compete, yeah probably,” he added. Handlesman has operated the local franchise for 16 years. He leases the county-owned J.P. Riddle Stadium on Legion Road. The city is currently finalizing a memorandum of understanding with the Houston Astros. If successfully negotiated, consultants don’t believe a stadium behind the Prince Charles Hotel downtown would be ready for occupancy until the 2019 season, perhaps as early as the 2018 all-star break. Astros owners want to play ball here as early as next season. City of Fayetteville Consultant Jason Freier, in a recent teleconference, dropped J.P. Riddle Stadium’s name as a possible temporary site for baseball while construction of the new park is underway. Sources say the team will likely play at Campbell University through 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chamber Endorses Local Projects  

Fayetteville’s chamber of commerce has come out in support of two major projects, including the planned minor league baseball stadium. The proposed Civil War History Center also got the nod. “We encourage the city and county to each pledge $7.5 million toward the (history center) program,” said Chamber President and CEO Darsweil Rogers. He noted that if built, “the Civil War Center would have more than 100 employees and generate $12 million in annual economic benefit.” The organization’s board asked both local governments to make that commitment. As for the ballpark, Rogers said, “If the city and county can devise an acceptable financial package and funding strategy, we believe this is an attractive opportunity for the community.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art and Entertainment District in Downtown    

The vision for what the Downtown Fayetteville Alliance and the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County have for the city center is a bit clearer following a report presented by consultants who developed a master plan and ideas for an arts and entertainment district. Matt Wagner of the National Main Street Center has completed a market study. Martin Cohen and Jerry Allen of the Cultural Planning Group have come up with draft recommendations. They presented their concepts at a community meeting last week. The consultants envision a district of entertainment, art and fine dining, plus recreation and modern technology. A proposed baseball stadium fits into their plan, but a performing arts center apparently does not … at least not yet. Arts Council Board Member Eric Lindstrum could not say when or where a performing arts center might be developed. Allen, on the other hand, urged city council to be sure an artist is on the planning and design group for the ballpark. “The stadium can be a huge draw,” said Wagner. “It helps build connectivity,” he added. Cohen praised the community for what he called the convergence adoption of the parks bond referendum, the stadium proposal, a downtown skate board park and realignment of the Rowan Street Bridge. “Political and civic leadership is part of the convergence,” he stated. The study defines the core entertainment and arts district as the downtown area bounded by Rowan & Grove Streets to the north, Robeson Street and Bragg Boulevard to the west, Russell Street on the south and Cool Spring Street to the east. The consultants said they will ask city council to adopt the plan in December. 

 

 

 

 

Fort Bragg’s Commander Is off to War 

The commanding general of Fort Bragg’s XVIII Airborne Corps will take charge of the U.S. fight against the Islamic State group in a couple of weeks. He will replace the III Corps commander as head of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend will succeed Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarlan, who has led what Defense Secretary Ash Carter called “this vitally important campaign” since September. The Pentagon announced the deployment of XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters with about 450 soldiers to Kuwait. “The XVIII Airborne Corps has a long and proud history of constant readiness to answer the calls of our nation,” said Townsend. “Our soldiers and units are skilled, tough and stand ready around the clock to defend America,” he added. Carter visited Fort Bragg last week. Townsend and MacFarland are expected to change command this month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Military Trade Show a Success   

North Carolina’s U.S. Senators don’t get to Fayetteville often, Thom Tillis more often Richard Burr. Tillis is a member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees. They, Fayetteville Technical Community College and the North Carolina Military Business Center hosted last week’s 15th Annual North Carolina Defense & Economic Development Trade Show at FTCC.  “The Defense Trade Show at FTCC brings together more major defense contractors, North Carolina businesses, military and federal agencies than any other event in our State,” said Scott Dorney, NCMBC Executive Director.  More than 100 indoor and outdoor exhibitors, military static displays and personnel from Fort Bragg’s XVIII Airborne Corps and Pope Army Airfield and procurement-related educational activities took part. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fayetteville River Trail          

Total funding for Fayetteville’s Cape Fear River Trail from N.C. Department of Transportation (DOT) has reached $2.3 million. The city last week was awarded a $125,00 grant from DOT for the project. Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation also received a $161,000 award from the state’s Transportation Alternative Program. These funds will pass through DOT from the Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for the connector trail from Linear Park to the Cape Fear River Trail.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colonial Media Hires New Assistant Operations Manager

Colonial Media and Entertainment announces Aaron Brodie has been hired as Assistant Operations Manager of its Fayetteville radio stations. Brodie joins Colonial from Townsquare Media in Lubbock, Texas, where he anchored news and sports, guest hosted a local sports talk show and served as play-by-play talent. Among Brodie’s responsibilities is serving as afternoon drive talk show host on ESPNFayetteville.com and 92-5 FBX.

Now, let us praise famous Glutens. Once upon a time in America, we didn’t know Glutens existed. We now know there are many things seen and unseen. We blissfully ate Glutens without realizing they were minions of the evil Lord Glutomon. Who knew Pokemons surrounded us ? Pokemon-Go’s creation resulted in herds of zombie-like Pokemon hunters wandering city streets and falling off cliffs. The Haldron Super Collider confirmed that the universe is filled with invisible Dark Matter. Dieticians determined Glutens are everywhere and they are bad for us.

The great Smokey Robinson was first to warn America about the dangers of Glutens clogging up our intestinal tracts in his song, “The Tracks of My Tears.” Because of the great power of Lord Glutomon, Smokey had to put his musical warning in coded language to avoid being smitten by the forces of Gluten. Recent archeological digs in Motown unearthed the original lyrics to “The Tracks of My Tears,” which clearly reveal Smokey’s warning to us. Read and learn: “People say I’m the life of the party/ Cause I eat a pizza or two/ Although I may be laughing loud and hearty/ Deep in my small intestine, I’m blue/ If you see me with a gluten-free ice cream cone/ Acting like I’m having fun/ Although the cone may be cute/ It’s just a substitute/ Whole wheat, you’re the only one/ Take a good look at my plate/ You’ll see my ham on rye looks out of place/ Now look closer, its easy to trace/ The gastrointestinal tracts of my tears.”

Consider the fate of dinosaurs. They were here yesterday, gone tomorrow. Paleontologists in league with Lord Glutomon promoted a cover story that dinosaurs were wiped out by a comet striking the earth, creating a global ice age. Dinosaurs, not being equipped with anti-freeze, fell over in the cold like so many Republican candidates for president facing the wrath of “The Donald.” As Sportin’ Life sang in Porgy and Bess, “It ain’t necessarily so/ The things that you’re liable to read in the Paleontology Bible ain’t necessarily so.” It was Glutens that killed the beasts. Remember the scene in King Kong after our big ape fell off the Empire State Building? The cop standing over the body of the King, said “Well Denham, the airplanes got him.” Denham replied, “Oh no, It wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty that killed the beast.” Oh no, it wasn’t the comet. It was Gluten that killed the dinosaurs.

If Glutens can kill off the mighty T-Rex, what might they do to the innards of unsuspecting Americans? An entire food industry has sprung up to promote and produce Gluten Free food.

Grocery stores have aisles full of Gluten Free food. What is happening to the Glutens that are being removed from the foods? Where are these free range Glutens ending up? An unsubstantiated rumor says that large quantities of extracted Glutens are being dumped into Duke Power’s coal ash ponds. The Glutens then bond with 

the arsenic, heavy metals and general cooties produced by Duke Power. North Carolina’s environment, after years of neglect by the Republican General Assembly and Governor McCrory, has become a Gluten for punishment.

Like any movement, the Anti-Gluten crowd has spawned an opposition group. The pro-Gluten advocates formed Gluten Lives Matter to promote equality for Glutens. GLM has been holding rallies in favor of donuts, wheat bread and porcupine meat balls. The GLM’s goal is to fight culturally insensitive attacks on Glutens by raising Gluten’s image through the use of social media and civil disobedience. America’s medical establishment is doing its best to discriminate against Glutens. The sense of self worth for Glutens has been severely damaged by a constant barrage of micro aggressions by the Gluten Free bigots.

In an effort to raise awareness of the value of Glutens, the GLM has begun personal empowerment classes for Gluten based foods. These classes are designed to raise Glutens to a level of universal equality with the five basic food groups: Salt, Fat, Nicotine, Caffeine and Sugar. GLM is seeking recognition from the U.S. Justice Department as a federally protected class. Such a designation would allow Glutens to be able to require safe spaces on college campuses where hurtful speech about Gluten free diets would be prohibited.

GLM’s slogan is “No Pizza, No Justice.” GLM will soon be blocking the organic produce aisle of your local super market. You can contribute to the important work of GLM through its Go Fund Me campaign. Or you can turn the page. Only you can prevent Gluten discrimination. Free the Gluten, not Gluten Free. 

The 2016 Republican and Democratic conventions have come and gone and are fading into our shared political history. After all the rhetoric, all the name-calling, all the lines drawn in the sand, we the American people are facing as stark a choice for president as we have ever had. We can only pray that we get it right.

As we look forward with both hope and trepidation, we are also looking backward as Barack Obama’s presidency winds to a close and his public approval polls rise, as do those for many but not all outgoing presidents. Historians will assess his presidency’s effectiveness on many measures — economic, foreign relations, crime, race relations, national security and others, but I am looking more toward the role he and his family have played in our national life.

Illinois may have known Barack and Michelle Obama in 2004 when Barack began the rocket ride from state legislator to U.S. Senator to leader of the free world, but most Americans did not. The family of four we got to know during the presidential campaign of 2008 included two highly-educated professional and focused parents and two young daughters, 7 and 10, when the family moved into the White House. Knowing that the responsibilities of governing would take them away from their children at times, the Obamas brought along Michelle’s mother to ensure stability in the fishbowl lives they knew their young children were going to experience.

The president got right to work, and his family settled in. From the outset, Michelle was both a traditional and untraditional First Lady. She has not worked outside the White House, and she seems to have been both a devoted wife and mother and a woman committed to making America better, notably through childhood obesity prevention, by supporting military personnel, veterans and their families and by promoting education for young people, especially for girls all over the world.

 Michelle Obama has not been shy. 

She has made her causes fun by planting with children, dancing with students and playing with fashion in ways that thrilled both that industry and fashionistas worldwide. She has spoken her mind on more contentious issues, including long-standing inequalities in American life, particularly in education, and on the gun violence epidemic in our country. Most recently at the last week’s Democratic convention, she addressed our nation’s enduring and devastating racial divide, noting that she and her family, the first African Americans to live in the White House, wake up every morning in a home built by enslaved black people.

Think about that.

Think, too, about the insults, indignities and falsehoods that have been leveled at this family over the last eight years, the most offensive — to me, at least — being a U.S. Congressman shouting, “You lie!” to the president of the United States inside the U.S. Capital. 

The Obamas will leave the White House in January a different family than the one that entered it. The president will always be a past president, a leader whose counsel will be sought by both Americans and people from other nations. The children have become young women, with Malia taking a year off before entering college and Sasha just a few years behind. Michelle will be only 53, a Princeton and Harvard- educated attorney whose own credentials can take her places even a former First Lady might not go. Americans will watch as she writes her next chapter, which will surely be one of smart and thoughtful service.

I was in northern Africa the night President Obama was re-elected. It was almost morning there before the results were clear, and my friends and I were surrounded by the cheers of Moroccans as the news spread. No matter what you or I may think of President Obama, his legacy and his family, it is clear that the rest of the world has been entranced by the Obamas and by the fact that the United States elected a man of African heritage not once, but twice. 

You and I will never know what Michelle Obama has said to her husband in private about their experience in the White House — how it has affected them, their daughters and the nation they serve. We will never know how the lives of their children might have been different had they not grown up on the world stage. We will never be privy to the hurts any of the Obamas endured as they lived the reality of being “firsts.”

Maybe it is because I, like Michelle Obama, have been a wife and a mother and understand how those experiences mark a woman’s life forever that I admire how she has handled her role as First Lady. She guided and guarded her family and became a force for healthy, educated children and families of all stripes.

Some other woman might have done it better, but I don’t know how.