The Cape Fear River was once this city’s lifeblood. In the 1700s, settlers built the towns of Campbellton and Cross Creek along her banks because the river was the only navigable waterway in the colony. Later, the two towns joined together to become Fayetteville, and the Cape Fear River still flows through the city. Only now, most residents don’t give the river much thought. We aren’t familiar with the history that has played out along its 202 miles of river banks. We have no knowledge of the changing ecology along the river and what it means for the many species that call it home. We have no idea about the toll that mismanagement and misuse have taken. The potentially crushing changes that the impending water basin transfer plan could inflict on the area is yet another mystery surrounding the Cape Fear for most of us. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. On Aug. 27, Sustainable Saturdays brings the River Run: Down the Cape Fear to the Cameo Art House Theatre.

The 1994 PBS documentary is still the most comprehensive film about the river according to Denise Bruce, Sustainable Sandhills spokesperson “This film goes into detail about the Cape Fear River, the municipalites, the geography and geology of it and its history.” 

She added that, “This film did what it was meant to do — this was a game changer in how North Carolina viewed its rivers. It is also relevant because a lot of things that affected the river 22 years ago are still things we deal with today.”

After all this time, the Cape Fear River is still at risk for over development, mismanagement and pollution among other things. One especially pressing issue for Fayetteville and other towns and cities downriver is the changes that the Cape Fear River interbasin water transfer plan could bring. The plan would allow the cities in the triangle to take 9 million gallons of water from the Cape Fear River. Every day. And not put it back. What would Fayetteville look like with 9 million fewer gallons of water in the river every day? This is, after all, the same river that provides drinking water to the city? PWC, the City of Fayetteville and other communities that depend on the Cape Fear have fouought the state’s decision to allow the interbasin transfer. “The case was heard in June,” said PWC spokeswoman Carolyn Justice-Hinson-Hinson. “We expect a decision in September.”  

“Here, up stream communities are getting water rights before we are even considered,” said Bruce. “That is why we are showing this film… the more awareness we can bring the better. Even though the water basin plan was approved, we can still help people understand.” 

If anything, Sustainable Sandhills is about education and raising awareness. That’s why after every Sustainable Saturday film there are speakers on hand to talk in detail about the films and answer questions. One of the speakers after the film is Tom Hoban from the Cape Fear River Assembly. The Cape Fear River Assembly “represents the views of diverse stakeholders from the entire Cape Fear River watershed.”

The film starts at 11 a.m. For more information, visit the website at
www.sustainablesandhills.org.

Better Health is a local nonprofit organization that aims to improve the quality of life for Cumberland County residents. It was founded in 1958 to help fill the gap in health careservices for underserved and low-income residents of the area. The organization offers educational classes and services like diabetes monitoring clinics and prescription assistance just to name a few. The services provided aid in the prevention and management of  illness with education and medical assistance. In order to support its programs, Better Health hosts annual fundraisers. One such fundraiser is the Diabetes…Dodge it! Tournament. The tournament takes place on Aug. 27.

“Proceeds from the Diabetes... Dodge it! Tournament go to Better Health and our four core programs: emergency direct aid, diabetes management, childhood obesity prevention and medical equipment loans. The funds will help us purchase emergency medications and dental care for clients in need, supplies for our diabetic patients, healthy snacks for children learning about nutrition, and maintenance of our medical equipment,” Amy Navejas, the executive director of Better Health, explained. There are 32 teams of six to nine players registered to participate this year, which is hugely successful. 

This success is due in part to the fact that the tournament offers both opportunities for fun and for supporting great work within the community. For many dodge ball brings back fond childhood memories. “I often get the response ‘Dodgeball? I used to love to play that in school!’ Most people add that they were good at it in their ‘younger years,’ but some are less confident in their skills now,” Navejas said. “The great thing about this tournament is that it’s all about getting active and having fun for a great cause. You don’t have to be a team MVP like in your childhood to participate. We hope that this event reminds people that there is physical activity for everyone, whether yours is dodgeball, running or chair yoga, there is always an activity at your level.”

With so much involvement from the community, there is a limit to the number of teams that participate in the tournament this year. So much participation is a great problem to have, but it is important to remember that playing is not the only way to join in the fun. “Spectators are welcome. This tournament doesn’t disappoint. I tell people that they will laugh until they cry. For those who don’t want to play, please come out to watch and cheer on the teams,” Navejas said, “ You can also come volunteer with us at our office at 1422 Bragg Boulevard. We are always looking for volunteers at our diabetes clinic and also at our upcoming Red Apple Run in November. Anyone interested can go to www.betterhealthcc.org to learn more about volunteering.”

The overwhelming outpouring of support for the dodgeball tournament from the community has been invigorating for many involved with Better Health. The hope is that the community involvement will continue with the other events they host during the year. “Also, keep an eye out for our Red Apple Run for Diabetes on November 19. This year’s run will include a 1-mile Haymount Hill Climb, a 5K and a new 10K route! Not to be outdone, the 2017 Evening at the Theater fundraiser on March 4 will be our 20th anniversary of the event! The committee has begun planning for a very special night at the casino! We are really excited about these events and having a chance to share a little bit about what we do for our clients in the community, and raise funds to continue providing much-needed services!” Navejas said. 

For more information about the organization and upcoming events, visit the website at www.betterhealthcc.org.

Fayetteville City Council’s decision last week to build a $33 million minor league baseball stadium and enter into a 30-year agreement with the Houston Astros has its genesis more than three years ago. Soon after being hired in March of 2013, Deputy City Manager Rochelle Small-Toney was given a task by the new City Manager, Ted Voorhees. “He asked me to come up with a plan to spur economic development,” Small-Toney said. “How about minor league baseball?” she responded. She had some experience because she had proposed a ball club in Savannah, Georgia, before coming to Fayetteville. But voters turned down a proposal to build a new stadium and the team considered for Savannah ended up in Columbia, South Carolina. 

Small-Toney, Voorhees and Recreation Director Michael Gibson went to Nashville to meet with Pat O’Conner, president and chief executive officer of Minor League Baseball, to feel him out on Fayetteville. Soon thereafter, O’Conner came to Fayetteville and met with community leaders. Small-Toney told Up & Coming Weekly that his visit was positive, and he shared with the city that the Houston Astros were interested in locating a Class A team here. 

By the summer of 2014, local officials were talking about building a baseball stadium in one of two suggested locations. The top spot was the vicinity of Rowan Street and Murchison Road near what would be a new railroad overpass and realignment of city streets. Astros Owner Jim Crane was in Fayetteville in April of 2015, and the next month, sports writer Kevin Richards was writing in Baseball Digest that “Fayetteville has changed a lot in recent years: downtown has been cleaned up and there’s been a growth of the economy independent of military spending. If a team becomes available, you can bet that talk accelerates.” 

It did, and last week Fayetteville City Council voted unanimously to ink a deal with the Houston Astros for a High-A Carolina League team, with a 2019 opening. The vote is nonbinding, but it commits the city to further talks with the Astros and a plan that allows for the move of two California League teams to North Carolina for the 2017 season. The goal is to have a new ballpark deal, including the 30-year lease with Houston by the end of this year. The location for the new stadium had shifted to the city center and city-owned property behind the former Prince Charles Hotel on Hay Street. But the stadium won’t be ready until the 2019 season. In the meantime, the team will play elsewhere, perhaps at Campbell University. City officials are keying on a larger redevelopment that includes an overhaul of the historic hotel. It has an executed memorandum of understanding with private investors granting them exclusive development rights to property surrounding the hotel and stadium. It’s a combined investment of nearly $100 million.

Cracker Barrel’s Operation Homefront is making its famous rockers available to lucky military families for free. The promotion began over the July 4th weekend and continues through Labor Day. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store calls the project an effort to build “strong, stable and secure military families.” Operation Rocker is a promotion whereby folks go online and purchase rocking chairs (http://shop.crackerbarrel.com/collections/holidays/operation-rocker). For each one that’s sold, the company donates a chair to Operation Homefront. It’s part of the organization’s broader Homes on the Homefront program that helps military families by placing deserving veterans in mortgage-free homes. “Cracker Barrel is proud to serve the families of the men and women who serve our country,” said company executive Beverly Carmichael. 

Families live in their houses rent-free for up to two years while Operation Homefront helps them understand how to be effective homeowners by building their savings and making timely payments as they contribute to a small equity fund that goes back into their house. The program also assists with home repairs and helps families navigate through the sometimes cumbersome Veterans Affairs system. More than 550 houses have been donated through Homes on the Homefront, according to Margi Kirst, chief development officer. Operation Homefront has made 21 homes available in North Carolina, seven of them in the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg area. The company has committed to donate $100,000 through contributions over the next year, and the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Foundation has pledged another $100,000, said Kirst.

Fayetteville is one of the few military communities with two Cracker Barrel restaurants. The original is at I-95 Exit 49. More recently a second store was opened on Skibo Road. “We get a lot of traffic from military families who are traveling to and from Fort Bragg,” said Tony Ciamillo, General Manager of the Cracker Barrel on Jim Johnson Road, off Cedar Creek Road. Of military patrons “Skibo likely gets more than I do,” he added. He said the iconic rocking chairs sell very well in this community. They range in price from $129 when on special, to $199 for customized military versions. 

For a Cracker Barrel patron who is not interested in buying a rocker but would still like to contribute, donations of $5 can be made by texting SALUTE to 27722. 

Cracker Barrel is a natural for the military because of the home-away-from home concept in its stores and restaurants. The company says it is recognized for superior performance by independent charity oversight groups; that 92 percent of Operation Homefront’s expenditures go directly to programs that provide support for military families. 

 

Who are the men of the Greatest Generation? They’re the men who went off to fight in the Big One. And they’re the men who came home from that war and built the nations of the western world into economic powerhouses. They knew the meaning of sacrifice. They were humble men who never bragged about what they had done or been through. They were loyal, patriotic and level-headed. They are our Greatest Generation. Army Private First Class Fred P. Dallas is one of those men. He and his wife Doris live in Fayetteville. He talked about his World War II experience at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum as the Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau kicked off Heroes Homecoming.

The community’s first Heroes Homecoming series of events was staged five years ago to belatedly honor returning veterans of the Vietnam War. This year, the community honors veterans of World War II. Most events are in October and will culminate on Veterans Day in November. The Airborne and Special Operations Museum has already dedicated about 40 percent of its gallery to World War II, according to ASOM Foundation Executive-Director Paul Galloway. It’s a self-guided tour that includes a C-47 aircraft mockup, a re-creation of a Normandy village and images of the European and Pacific theaters. 

“Our town is a point of departure and return for thousands of vets every year,” observed Mike Gillis of the Cumberland County Veterans Council. “It is imperative that we maintain the memories and legacies” of those who have gone before us,” he added. 

More than 16 million American men and women served in the Great War. There were 407,000 casualties among them. Dallas joined the Army in 1943 and was assigned to the 45th Infantry Division in Italy. He was captured by the Germans in 1944 and spent six months in Stalag 12A and Stalag 4B before being repatriated. Stalags were German prisoner of war camps for non-commissioned military captives. Dallas was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Prisoner of War Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge and Good Conduct Medal. “

“Be the best U.S. citizen you can be,” he often says. “Love your country and always vote, is the message that I would like to leave with the younger generation.”

The Heroes Homecoming Field Guide notes that World War II was the most devastating war in history. Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division were among the first to engage the enemy in the battle of Normandy having been dropped behind enemy lines. They fought for 33 straight days and lost more than 5,000 men. Today there are fewer than 800,000 surviving World War II veterans in the world with more than 430 of them dying every day. After the war, the 82nd, America’s Guard of Honor, was permanently stationed at Fort Bragg, and the post became known as the home of the airborne. 

The Greatest Generation lived by the credo of human decency honoring courage, duty, sacrifice, personal responsibility, humility, bravery and camaraderie. They paid it forward for generations to come.

 

       Fayetteville Police will soon open a second substation on the city’s west side. The department is leasing a building from Weaver Commercial Properties on Sycamore Dairy Road for $91,200 per year. Police spokesman, Lt. Todd Joyce, says it will house the FPD’s Central District Offices, which currently are at police headquarters, downtown.  One hundred twenty-five personnel, including the district’s command staff and officers, plus the patrol support division and two crime prevention specialists will be stationed at the office which is being up-fitted. The move will free up space at headquarters, allowing for expansion of the forensics lab and the department’s administrative bureau. Asked about a possible future substation on the city’s north side, Joyce said “I could not speculate on a facility for north Fayetteville, as it will continue to grow without doubt.”  

The city’s other substation is on Raeford Road near Skibo Road.

 

 

 

 

Cumberland County School Bus Safety   

Traditional schools start the new year on Aug. 29 in Cumberland County. Motorists are reminded that speeding in a school zone will cost more than $400 in fines and court costs. Pass a stopped school bus and you’ll pay a $500 fine and you’ll get five points on your driver’s license. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Drinking                              

As students across North Carolina prepare to embark on another school year, academic lessons might not be all they are exposed to.  Some young people might find themselves in circumstances where they will have to make decisions about underage alcohol consumption or drinking and driving. North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement and their law enforcement partners hope to promote sound student decision-making by reminding everyone there is zero tolerance for underage alcohol use. “When it comes to trying alcohol, we want to remind them that underage drinking can lead to disastrous consequences,” says ALE Branch Head Mark Senter.  In North Carolina, it is illegal for any person under 21 to purchase, attempt to purchase, possess or consume alcoholic beverages. It is also illegal for parents or older friends to provide alcohol or to host underage drinking parties. ALE is planning many programs, partnerships and campaigns to familiarize North Carolina students with a zero tolerance message during this school year. ALE also plans to increase its enforcement focus on ABC licensed outlets near colleges and universities across the state.  

 

 

Longtime Commissioner Honored           

Cumberland County Commissioner Kenneth Edge has been inducted into the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Hall of Fame. Edge was honored during the association’s annual conference earlier this month. “This is a tremendous honor and one I share with my wife and family, who have supported me throughout the years,” Edge said. He has been a member of the Board of Commissioners since 2000 and is retiring at the end of the year. Edge is a retired school principal and former member of the Cumberland County Board of Education. “I want to thank the citizens of Cumberland County who have given me the opportunity to serve,” added Edge. The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to county government. Commissioner Edge has been active nationally and served on the National Association of Counties’ Health and Human Services Steering Committee and is a current member of its Finance Committee.  

 

 

 

Fayetteville GOP Headquarters Opens

Volunteers are manning the new Cumberland County Republican Headquarters office on Rowan Street a couple of hours a day three days a week. The spacious, recently renovated facility “will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 6 p.m.,” said GOP Chairwoman Susan Mills. On opening day, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) addressed three dozen party faithful in attendance, among them Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson. Hudson urged folks to help get out the vote in November. “It’s going to be a close election,” he said. “The other side is energized.”  Hudson used a Donald Trump term of political endearment a couple of times, saying “the electoral college is rigged on behalf of the two-party system.” He spoke of 92 anti-poverty programs that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) identified as duplicitous earlier this year. “Our anti-poverty system is rigged,” Hudson stated. He brought on loud sighs when he noted President Obama had transferred 15 more Guantanamo Bay inmates, failing to mention that large scale detainee transfers were common under President George W. Bush, but that they slowed under Obama.  

I believe America is facing the most important presidential election in my lifetime, or even longer. America needs and is crying out for meaningful change. Unless something far beyond what anybody can imagine happens, voters will choose between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. What follows is an approach for making that choice.

This approach is prompted by a book I referenced in another column. It is A Sense of Urgencyby John P. Kotter. Kotter writes that he is often asked, “What is the single biggest error people make when they try to change?” Kotter concluded, “…they did not create a high enough sense of urgency among enough people to set the stage for making a challenging leap into some new direction.” 

I believe what Kotter says provides an effective approach for choosing between Clinton and Trump. That is, which one is acting with the greater sense of urgency?

A sense of urgency leads decision-makers to gather relevant information and then, with capable individuals, discuss and choose courses of action in light of need and free from pursuing personal or political gain. With this view of how urgency impacts addressing issues, consider one in the 2016 presidential race with focus on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The issue is illegal immigration. 

From Clinton’s website, key points of her plan for addressing illegal immigration can be summarized. Some of these were also presented in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. She will, within the first 100 days, introduce comprehensive immigration reform, which will provide a pathway to full and equal citizenship for people already in the country illegally. This action will supposedly “treat every person with dignity, fix the family visa backlog, uphold the rule of law, protect our borders and national security, and bring millions of hardworking people into the formal economy.” Clinton also commits to fight for implementation of “Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents,” or DAPA. This is a Department of Homeland Security program to provide undocumented immigrant parents of U.S. citizen children temporary protection against involuntary removal from the country. Judge Andrew Hanan, of the federal district court in Brownsville, Texas, halted the program in response to a challenge by 26 states. The Supreme Court voted 4-4 on the matter, which allowed the Hanan ruling to stand. 

Furthermore, Clinton will “end family detention for parents and children who arrive at our border in desperate situations and close private immigrant detention centers.” I read this to mean parents and children who enter the country illegally will not be held for vetting. They will be sent on to a relative or other person to await going through the legal process required to stay in America. She also intends to allow families, no matter their immigration status, to “buy into the Affordable Care Act exchanges. Families who want to purchase health insurance should be able to do so.”

Using his website as reference, move to Donald Trump’s view on illegal immigration. His website position comments open with some relevant statements: 

(1) “When politicians talk about ‘immigration reform’ they mean: amnesty, cheap labor and open borders; (2) Real immigration reform puts the needs of working people first — not wealthy globetrotting donors; (3) We are the only country in the world whose immigration system puts the needs of other nations ahead of our own; (4) A nation without borders is not a nation; (5) A nation without laws is not a nation. Laws passed in accordance with our Constitutional system of government must be enforced; (6) A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation. Any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans.” 

After these opening statements on Trump’s website, as he did in his nomination acceptance speech, he goes into the negative impact of illegal immigration. This section runs from the resulting crime to heightened unemployment among legal residents and the financial cost of supporting illegal immigrants. Costs include healthcare, housing, education, welfare, etc. He supports his contentions with facts. For example, a link is provided to a letter dated Oct. 27, 2014, written to President Obama by Peter Kirsanow, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The letter is available on www.breitbart.com/ in an article titled “Civil Rights Advocate Tells Obama: Amnesty Harms Black Workers.” At one point, Kirsanow writes:

 “In 2008, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held a briefing regarding the impact of illegal immigration on the wages and employment opportunities of African-Americans. The testimony at the briefing indicated that illegal immigration disproportionately impacts the wages and employment opportunities of African-American men.”

“The briefing witnesses, well-regarded scholars from leading universities and independent groups, were ideologically diverse. All the witnesses acknowledged that illegal immigration has a negative impact on black employment, both in terms of employment opportunities and wages. The witnesses differed on the extent of that impact, but every witness agreed that illegal immigration has a discernible negative effect on black employment. For example, Professor Gordon Hanson’s research showed that “Immigration . . . accounts for about 40 percent of the 18 percentage point decline [from 1960-2000] in black employment rates.”’

Against this backdrop of what we face regarding illegal immigration, Trump puts forth actions for addressing the problem. He proposes 17 actions. Here are some of them: 

1. Build a wall along the southern border and have Mexico pay for it. That promise is reiterated, accompanied by actions that will be employed to ensure Mexico pays. One of several possible actions is “the United States will … impound all remittance payments derived from illegal wages.”  That is, funds being sent to persons in Mexico by illegal immigrants in America would be impounded. 

2. Triple the number of ICE officers. Trump’s website quotes the President of the ICE Officers’ Council as explaining in Congressional testimony: “Only approximately 5,000 officers and agents within ICE perform the lion’s share of ICE’s immigration mission … Compare that to the Los Angeles Police Department at approximately 10,000 officers. Approximately 5,000 officers in ICE cover 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam, and are attempting to enforce immigration law against 11 million illegal aliens already in the interior of the United States.”  Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforces both immigration and customs laws, which involves going after illegal immigrants in U.S. territory, employers who hire illegal immigrants, and those trying to smuggle goods or contraband into the country.

3. Enforce nationwide E-Verify. E-Verify is a free online program that electronically verifies the employment eligibility of newly hired employees. 

4. Mandatory return of all criminal aliens. “All criminal aliens must be returned to their home countries, a process which can be aided by canceling any visas to foreign countries which will not accept their own criminals, and making it a separate and additional crime to commit an offense while here illegally.”

5. Detention — not catch-and-release. “Illegal aliens apprehended crossing the border must be detained until they are sent home, no more catch-and-release.” 

6. End birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship is the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born in the United States. This provision is a tremendous draw for illegal immigration, since even children of illegal immigrants are covered by this provision.

I contend what is presented above allows for definitively determining who, between Clinton and Trump, will treat illegal immigration with the greater sense of urgency. Clinton puts forth actions that focus on illegal immigrants to the detriment of American citizens, even black Americans who support her in great numbers. Her proposed actions, such as comprehensive immigration reform, have been considered for years by Congress with no success. Providing health insurance for illegals under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is unfair to American taxpayers and the program’s future is in doubt given dramatic premium increases, low participation rates by young people, withdrawals of insurance companies, failing exchanges, and so forth. The picture here is one of saying what might appeal to immigrant voters, but is unlikely to happen and is only intended to win an election. This kind of conduct by Clinton is not limited to illegal immigration. It shows in every issue and facet of her public service. This indicates a general lack of urgency regarding important issues.

On the other hand, Trump passionately focuses on Americans, examines issues and proposes solutions that reflect thought, positive change,  and boldness. He follows the tenet that actions are measured by outcomes and, therefore, should be driven by desired outcomes. All of this is a formula that generates a sense of urgency. Donald Trump is employing the formula and I sense urgency. 

John Kotter is right … without a sense of urgency, productive change does not happen to the extent needed. Consider this truth when choosing Clinton or Trump.

Between now and the end of October, I will attend five weddings. Each one involves someone near and dear to me or to one of the Precious Jewels, and I am looking forward to them all. But for women more than men, I think, weddings bring with them the eternal question, “What will I wear?”

Of the five weddings, one is in Duke Chapel, and I think I have figured out that one. A very nice dress but nothing too flashy seems in order. No strapless, no sequins and not too short, but those are not issues for most women my age anyway. Another is in a fine hotel in the mountains, and the groom’s mother has given me good advice on that one, and since she is a major player in the wedding weekend, I will take her counsel. Two others are at different North Carolina beaches, one in a chapel and one at a club, and despite settings far more casual than Duke Chapel, I suspect both will be traditional — nice dress, not too short, not strapless and no glitz.

The fifth wedding has me stumped.

It will be in the pasture of a hog farm in Durham County. You read correctly — an honest-to-gosh, working hog farm that raises heritage pigs that have walked around all their lives, and that, as the farmer told me, “have only one bad day ever,” But what on earth to wear?

Being a good Southern girl, a nice dress seems in order yet again, but footwear is a real puzzle. I rarely wear heels and certainly not high ones, but tromping around in a pasture seems to demand flats of some description. I suspect the pasture will have been swept clear of “pig patties,” but you just never know when one might have been overlooked. One of the Precious Jewels suggested the white rubber fishing boots I keep at the beach, pictured here. They are perfect when I know things are going to be really wet — or worse, but high style, they are not.  

I have been channeling my mother and grandmother for their thoughts about this unusual situation, but so far they have not sent me any signals about appropriate footwear.

• • •

On a more serious note, the Brookings Institution, one of Washington’s oldest think tanks, reports that while our American job market is much, much stronger than it was during the grim days of the Great Recession, the recovery has not included everyone. About 7 million men in their prime working years between 25 and 54 are neither working nor looking for work. Shockingly, that is about 12 percent of all men in that age group, and another 2 million men in that category are looking for work but have not found it.  

This is not new news. Jason Furman, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, says the share of men in this age group working or looking for a job has been declining for 50 years.  Most of them are low-income individuals who dropped out of high school or did not go to college. Many depend on their wives’ income and a lesser percentage on government benefits. Says Furman, “They’re not spending any more time on child care, not spending any more time on chores. They are spending a lot more time watching TV than men who are in the labor force.”  

He says many of them have realized that employers are not hiring unskilled workers with little education, so they have quit looking, leading to a range of “bad outcomes,” including depression, substance abuse and suicide.

Furman argues that government policy can make a difference by encouraging education and improving access through job programs and access to childcare, but those are tough arguments in our currently overheated political atmosphere.

• • •

And speaking of politics, can you ever remember a more toxic election cycle than 2016? Ugly words like “crook,” “crazy” and “rigged” pollute our election process daily and almost surely guarantee that many Americans will stay home on Nov. 8 with pillows over their ears. And to think we have not even started debate season yet.

How much longer will this last?

A quick search of how many days left instantly brings up a website that ticks off the days, hours, and seconds until Election Day.

As of publication of this issue of Up and Coming Weekly, we have 75 excruciating days to go.

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.