According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “two effective health practices to address obesity are eating a healthy-reduced diet and exercising regularly. The establishment of and maintenance of exercise/physical fitness at a gym is a proven modality for treating the diseases of obesity and overweight.”

Anytime Fitness Strickland Bridge in Fayetteville is an available option. There is also the option of an Anytime Fitness App.

“The Forbes survey results are fitness, losing weight, and improving diet are the top New Year’s resolutions. The paradox is that 22 percent of the respondents fail to keep these gym-related resolutions after two or three months,” said Connor Pitre.

Sayvon Sampson, trainer, Anytime Fitness Strickland Bridge, addresses the question, “what makes it so hard to stick with New Year’s resolutions that are gym-related?”

“There are quite a few reasons that fitness-related New Year’s resolutions usually always fail. They fall under one of these categories: money, misinformation, and lack of direction. Starting with money, a lot of people are under the assumption that all they need to get in shape is to start coming to the gym.

"There are so many material things that can be purchased to drastically improve your gym experience and the likelihood of sticking with your goal. So, they grab their 5-year-old running shoes, throw those on while having eaten one time that day, and scoop down C4 before going to the gym. The person makes a commitment to work out 7 days a week. These actions are not conducive for sustaining the gym-related New Year’s resolution,” said Sampson.

The five-year-old running shoes have outlived their effectiveness. It is recommended that exercise shoes be replaced at least yearly. When the shoes are too broken in, there is a loss of support to feet, ankles, and knees for various impact-related activities.

Over the next few weeks, it can become painful and too painful to walk. Constant pain from minimal stimulus is not easy to “tough it out.” Purchase a good pair of running shoes at minimum.

The average meal consists of 300 to 700 calories. A person can burn 1200 to 1800 calories for daily maintenance. When a person adds an hour work-out after leaving the job, that is an additional 400 to 1300 calories they can burn. The person coming to the gym after work in many cases ate a meal in the early afternoon.

The misconception is eating less is effective for getting in shape resulting in weight loss. During the early days of the fitness journey, the body needs to recover from the exercise. If the body cannot recover from the exercise, there are physical reactions. Everything is going to hurt; you are going to get weaker and in some extreme cases experience rhabdomyolysis.

Simply, you are over-training and under-recovering. It can take weeks, months, for the body to recover well from a 7-day in a row training. The body recovery requires supportive energy and protein foods.

C-4 pre- workout supplements contain beta-alanine, creatine nitrate, arginine, and caffeine. It is a source of energy, enhances performance and enhances focus. It is advisable to check with a physician or pharmacist for interaction with prescribed medications before ingesting pre-workout supplements. C-4 has a side effect of anxiety, an itch or a tingle, diarrhea, headache, and stimulated blood pressure.

Lack of direction is a significant factor contributing to not keeping gym-related resolutions.

“What do the goals of getting in shape or losing weight actually mean in practice? How does a person know if the practices are achieving the objectives? If the person sees the loss of a few pounds on the scale, is that good?” said Sampson. “The person can be losing fat or muscle. Losing muscle is not a good thing. Losing weight and keeping in shape are not the same practices. Training, eating, supplements need to coalesce with each other. The bodybuilder, advanced gym goer, and marathon runner have different protocols. The new gym-goer also has a specific protocol.

"New gym goer needs to do more foundational exercises or compound movements to bring up their guaranteed imbalance. The recovery time for the body after exercising is different for the bodybuilder, marathon runner, advanced gym goer, and the new gym-goer.”

The Anytime Fitness Strickland Bridge training program focuses on high intensity training and meal plans that complement the person’s goals.

“We have software that calculates how many calories our clients are burning with us, so we can be accurate as possible. Body composition scanner to measure muscle gained and fat lost. We have nutrition consultations to teach clients how to measure and track their macros to ensure we are meeting the necessary deficit/surplus,” shared Sampson.

Power up at Anytime Fitness Strickland Bridge 951 Strickland Bridge Road, Fayetteville.

The gym provides amenities such as Aerobics, Zumba, Personal Training, Day Training experience, Base Burn workout, Free weights, My Zone Belts, Group Training Cardio, Free Fitness Consultation, 24/7 Access, 24/7 Security, 30-Day-Training Experience, Cycling, Coaching Service, Virtual Coaching and World-Wide Access.

For more information, contact Anytime Fitness Strickland Bridge by phone at 910-425-2542.

Growing up in the ’90s and being a fan of poetry meant staying up late to watch shows like Def Poetry Jam and spending endless hours roaming the library's stacks to find the poet that spoke to the soul.

With the environment of the poetry scene changing along with the evolution of technology and digital spaces, the face-to-face poetry scene has slowed. Dre Sansbury is looking to change that with Pull Up Poet. The event is hosted by Fayetteville State University and the FSU Department of Performing and Fine Arts, with the support of The Arts Council of Fayetteville and Cumberland County on Jan. 27th at 7 p.m. at Butler Theater on 1200 Murchison Rd. Tickets are $10 for the general public and free for FSU students with a student ID. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/30441983/pull-up-poet-fayetteville-butler-theatrefayetteville-state-university

Six legendary poets will hit the stage for a captivating and interactive night of spoken word poetry and some surprises that you’ll have to be there for. Featured poets are Suave the Poet, Nick Courmon, Sh8kes, Poetic Zae, Megan Rickman, and Tam’ia King.

Sansbury promises the event will move the soul through the words about the human experience. Each performer has taken great care to create a journey for the audience, unlike anything they have experienced thus far in poetry.

One thing that won’t be a surprise is the event’s live taping to be featured on Amazon Prime Video. Even with the event set for release on the mega platform, Sansbury has secured the freedom to keep everything from production to sponsors local.

“I’m being allowed to use my own team. I’m being allowed to produce it…Everything is self-made in terms of everything being authentic and everything being Fayetteville. I’m allowed to use Fayetteville-based everything. All the poets are from North Carolina, but not from Fayetteville,” Sansbury said of his dedication to keeping this event fueled by local experience and creativity.

This event is not the first event for Sansbury. As an active veteran member in the poetry community, Sansbury has made a living from his words, literally. He currently hosts shows up and down the East Coast, mainly in Philadelphia and Atlanta. He also teaches poetry to middle and high school students through his collective Lost Voices. Not to leave the little ones out, he just added a poet who is creating a curriculum for teaching poetry to elementary school students.

Schools interested in bringing the Poetry Education program to their school can contact Sansbury directly via email, andresansburyjr@gmail.com.

For those looking to become a sponsor, there are options for businesses of all sizes. Smaller sponsorship packages range from $100 to $500 with some sponsorship perks like business logo placement on flyers, tickets to the event, and t-shirts.

For businesses looking to invest more, sponsorship packages range from $750 to $1,500 with sponsorship perks including business logo placement on banners, front-row tickets to the show, performer meet and greet, and logo featured in the Amazon Prime Video. Details about sponsorship packages can be found online.

To stay up-to-date on the latest poetry events happening around the city, join the Facebook group Poetry in Fayetteville at https://www.facebook.com/groups/480905015309199.

The Fayetteville Running Club, together with The Child Advocacy Center and community partners, is organizing the annual "Be Their Voice 5k" event at Methodist University. The event, scheduled for Jan. 27th at 8 a.m., aims to raise awareness and combat the harrowing issue of human trafficking, especially during National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Partnering with W.O.R.T.H. Court, Fayetteville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Methodist University, and the Child Advocacy Center, the 5k run/walk is a family-friendly event that underscores the significance of combating human trafficking. The event is a pivotal initiative to engage the community in the fight against this pressing issue.

Pre-race packet pickup is scheduled for Jan. 26th at The Coffee Scene Prince Charles in downtown Fayetteville from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. On race day, the schedule unfolds as follows:

• 8 a.m.: Race day registration and packet pickup opens/food trucks open
• 8:45 a.m.: Packet pickup closes
• 9 a.m.: 5k Starts
• 10:30 a.m.: Race course closes
• 11 a.m.: Food trucks close

Participants can register for the 5k for $30, with a price increase to $35 after Jan. 25th. Each registrant receives a commemorative t-shirt to mark the occasion. Further race details and registration information can be found by calling the Child Advocacy Center at 910-486-9700 or by visiting cacfaync.org.

The Child Advocacy Center, a cornerstone in the fight against child trafficking, offers comprehensive services to children and families in need. It serves as a platform where children can feel safe and heard and share their experiences in a secure environment. Additionally, the center is critical in nurturing the Multi-Disciplinary Team process by facilitating ongoing professional education and collaboration among various agencies involved in child welfare and protection.

Mr. Shawn Wussow, a representative from the Fayetteville Running Club, emphasized the significance of community engagement in combating human trafficking.

"Events like the Be Their Voice 5k serve as a platform to rally our community in the fight against human trafficking. It's about raising awareness, fostering unity, and channeling our collective efforts to address this pressing issue,” he stated.

The Be Their Voice 5k event stands as a beacon of hope and solidarity in the fight against human trafficking, showcasing the power of community engagement and advocacy. As the event approaches, the Fayetteville community stands united in pursuing justice and protection for the vulnerable.

“I am fascinated by how magic pulls people in,” said Thomas Caruso.
Magic.

This is exactly what Caruso is hoping to provide audiences with the upcoming production of Cinderella at Cape Fear Regional Theatre.

Caruso, who is directing the production, has seen his fair share of magic. He has directed performances for David Blaine and even Dynamo in London.

Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s production of Cinderella, which debuts on Jan. 25th, will use physicality and acrobats as well as all the other production techniques to bring the audiences into a classic story and simulate magical events like the transformation of mice into horses or fighting a giant in the woods.

“I don’t want to spoil it for anyone,” Caruso said. “I would love for it to be like coming outside a child’s imagination.”

Cinderella will feature Cumberland County native, Mary Mattison, as Cinderella. This is Mattison’s first round back at Cape Fear Regional Theatre since she was a child living in the area. Mattison said she was excited when being cast not just as an ode to her “Disney princess era,” but because she spent a lot of time at CFRT growing up.

“It’s where I discovered my passion and my purpose in life,” she said. “It’s a huge honor to be back.”

This version of Cinderella will be a little different from the Disney cartoon or Brandy’s version from the late 1990s. The story will follow Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella with a cast of 12 children, who will rotate in groups of six between performances, and more than 15 musical numbers. And of course, two princes.

“Even if you think you know the story of Cinderella you’ll be surprised by this one,” said Gabe Belyeu, who plays Prince Sebastian or the villain in the upcoming production. “It's not your traditional Cinderella.”
Belyeu, who is coming back to Cape Fear Regional Theatre for the second time — the first being playing Lord Farquad in Shrek — said he played in a national tour of Cinderella years ago but prefers the version he’s getting to be a part of now.

For Belyeu, this performance explores a lot of themes and challenging ideas. The characters will go through a lot of development right in front of the audience’s eyes.

“We are really leaning into the strength of Cinderella,” said Mattison.

“ … What intrigues me the most is [my character] is more than a high ideal of what male energy is … he doesn’t know the extent of his power is and the extent of what his power can do,” said Sheridan Anetron Marina, who plays Prince Topher in production.

Cinderella will run from Jan. 25th to Feb. 18th and host CFRT’s usual military and teacher appreciation nights. Tickets will range from $19 to $37. The folks at Cape Fear Regional Theatre will also host a Sensory Sunday on Feb. 11th at 2 p.m.

“We work with the Friendship House. We do classes with them over the year. The friends who have been doing our classes will be in the show,” said Ashley Owen, Marketing Director for Cape Fear Regional Theatre.

While often Cinderella is seen as a children’s story, all the actors agreed that this version will have plenty of story and jokes for both children and adults.

“Everyone will get to enjoy it,” said Caruso. “If you loved Oklahoma or The Sound of Music … this will be right up your alley.”

Families looking for some kid-friendly fun in the new year should look no further than Fayetteville’s Historic and Natural Resources District.

This group of Fayetteville Parks and Recreation locations offers a huge mix of fun destinations and programming for the whole family.

The Fayetteville History Museum, at 325 Franklin St., is the hub for history in downtown Fayetteville. From the history enthusiast to families looking for fun, there is something for everyone. Staff operate the museum, museum annex, the Dr. E.E. Smith House and the Massey Hill Mill House. The museum is an educational resource for the Fayetteville-Cumberland County area community.

This winter the Fayetteville History Museum Scavenger Hunt, created in collaboration with the city’s park rangers is titled “Where do they go in the ice and snow?” Clues will be placed around the museum and an answer sheet can be collected from the museum front desk.

Starting Jan. 6th and continuing throughout the month, hunt through the main museum galleries for clues about animals and their winter habitats. This is a self-guided, family-friendly activity and is perfect for children who are eager to learn.

Prizes will be awarded for completed hunts while supplies last. Visit the museum during opening hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Jan. 6th until Jan. 31st. This event is free and open to all.

The fun does not end in Fayetteville’s Historic and Natural Resources District with the Fayetteville History Museum. Clark Park also has a selection of fun programs planned for January.

Clark Park and its Nature Center are part of the Cape Fear River Trail and Moses Mathis “Bicycle Man” playground/trailhead. The area remains a natural woodland and is dedicated to preserving the environment, educating the public on North Carolina’s plants and wildlife and provides the only camping in the area.

Together, these sites form a complex offering hours of enjoyment and education. The Clark Park Nature Center features displays and live animals.

Visitors can picnic overlooking the woods and the highest waterfall in the coastal plain. For those interested in walking or jogging, the park has its own set of unpaved trails, and serves as a trailhead for the paved CFRT.

The CFRT has dedicated mountain biking trails, accessed near the Rivercliff subdivision at the bottom of Eastwood Avenue. Well-behaved, leashed pets are welcome on trails as long as pet owners clean up after them.
Towards the end of this month, Clark Park is offering three family-friendly programs.

The Bear Facts is a program that focuses on local bear populations. Many people new to the Fayetteville area are surprised to learn that black bears have always lived here. The community is invited to learn about these big, shy, furry neighbors.

Attendees will learn about their lives, their food, their habitat and what to do in case they ever come across a bear in the wild. This event will be held at the Clark Park Nature Center on Jan. 19 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is free. Visitors can also plan to attend a Birds of Prey program where they can learn about the different birds of prey that are found around the Fayetteville area.

This learning program will be presented through stories, games and displays. It is suitable for all ages and will take place on Jan. 25 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is free. Lastly, Clark Park Nature Center is offering a program especially for National Draw a Dinosaur Day.

Attendees will learn about dinosaurs, play with dinosaurs and of course draw a dinosaur! All supplies provided will be courtesy of the park rangers. All that is needed is some creativity. The event is scheduled for Jan. 30 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is free.

Lake Rim Park offers something for everyone, whether you want to take a stroll on the 1-mile border trail through the wetlands to Bones Creek, play a game of soccer with friends or have a family picnic. The facility boasts an assortment of outdoor amenities, including picnic areas, horseshoe pits, walking trails, tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, athletic fields, natural areas and children’s playgrounds
for all to enjoy.

All facilities are open to the public on a first-come, first serve basis unless they are reserved. Like Clark Park, well-behaved, furry family members are welcome to enjoy a walk around the park, but they must be on a leash and under supervision at all times.

For additional information regarding the museum, you can contact local historians at 910-433-1457. For information about the parks and nature programing contact the city park rangers at 910-433-1579. Visitors can also refer to www.fcpr.us for additional Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation information.

The late Davidson economics professor Charles Ratliff was a great teacher who almost led me to a beginning understanding of economics.

Although not accomplishing that objective, he left me with a love of the subject and a long-standing interest in learning more. As a part of this course, Ratliff taught us the history of economic thought.

He used Paul Samuelson’s text, titled simply “Economics,” as our guide. Samuelson, like Ratliff, was a Keynesian, which meant, I think, that when a nation’s economy is struggling, it is a time for the government to pour money into the economy to stimulate activity.

It was, and still is, hard for me to understand how all that works, but I am comforted by the fact that others also have trouble dealing with economic theory.

A few years ago, I tried to get Professor Ratliff to help me understand how these things work. I asked him, “How does the government pouring money into the economy help it grow?”
“Well,” Ratliff said, “that depends on what you mean by money.”

I am still struggling with his response to my query. I thought of it again the other day when I read about the death of another noted Keynesian, Robert M. Solow, the winner in 1987 of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.

According to his obituary by Robert D. Hershey Jr. and Michael M. Weinstein in the Dec. 21, 2023, edition of The New York Times, “He won the Nobel for his theory that advances in technology, rather than increases in capital and labor, have, been the primary drivers of economic growth in the United States…”

Before Solow set out a different approach, it was generally accepted that economic growth was determined by the growth of capital and labor. But according to his obituary, Solow “could not find data to confirm that common-sense presumption.”

What then determine growth? Entrepreneurs? Geography? Legal institutions? Something else?

Solow told the writers who, years in advance, were preparing his obituary, “I discovered to my great surprise that the main source of growth was not capital investment but technological change.”

What kind of technological change would lead to growth? The telephone? The steam engine? The computer?

The technological change that promises to grow the current economy is, of course, Artificial Intelligence or AI.

Already, AI is taking on tasks that would be impossible or prohibitively expensive if using ordinary research tools.

Given an assignment to write a news article that would include a history of government regulation of atomic energy, for instance, AI. could sort the text of every newspaper report ever written on the topic and select the relevant material. Then, it could instantly assemble a news article that would have taken a reporter hundreds of hours, days, or even years, to research and write.

Recognizing the value of AI’s contribution, there is still a problem. Where does A.I. get the newspaper texts and other necessary information to assemble and write its report? Who, if anyone, must it compensate for the use of these materials?

The New York Times took an important step towards finding an answer to this question last week when it sued A.I. entities, including OpenAI and Microsoft, owners of the popular A.I. program ChatGPT.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of seeking a free ride on “The Times’s massive investment in its journalism” and alleges that

OpenAI and Microsoft are “using The Times’s content without payment to create products that substitute for The Times and steal audiences away from it.”

However the lawsuit turns out, AI is here to stay.I wish Professor Solow were here to explain how and how much it could increase the nation’s wealth.

Editor’s Note: D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System’s vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC’s North Carolina Bookwatch.

It’s the most wonderful time of year. Everything seems possible in January.

Hope springs eternal that this year will be better than the last. But will it? Apply what the eternal optimist T.S. Eliot wrote: “Let us go then, you and I/ When the evening is spread out against the sky/ Like a patient etherized upon a table.”

We have all of 2024 spread out and etherized in front of us just like Eliot’s patient. What could go wrong?

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? More importantly, have you kept your resolutions? By the time this column appears in mid-January, most New Year’s resolutions will have gone Choctaw Ridge like Billie Joe

MacAllister and jumped into the muddy waters under the Tallahatchie Bridge.

For a more current analogy, most New Year’s resolutions are thrown away like a flute of Champaign tossed by Carolina Panthers owner Dave Tepper onto the heads of Jaguar fans after yet another miserable Panthers loss. Dave imitated Marie Antoinette, who when told the peasants have no bread, responded, “Let them eat cake.”

Dave, when told the Jaguar fans had no more Bud Light, responded by baptizing them saying: “Let them wear Dom Perignon.”

Speaking of baptisms. How about a trial by fryer? 2024 started with a bang with North Carolina making national news with the eye-catching headline “N.C. Pastor arrested after police say he tried to push wife’s coworker into McDonald’s deep fryer.” That is one great headline and a likely precursor to what to expect from 2024.

Let’s get all CSI and go down into the weeds of this wonderful heartwarming tale. According to news reports, a Pastor in High Point, North Carolina became torqued off when his wife reported that she had been disrespected at her job at McDonald’s.

Let us call him Reverend Deepfry. Mrs. Deepfry was training to be a manager at the fast food emporium. Her coworkers allegedly created a hostile work environment by not respecting her authority.
South Park’s Cartman would be sympathetic to her plight. Cartman frequently had problems with people not respecting his authority when he pretended to be a highway patrolman on his tricycle. Fayetteville just had its very own issue with an alleged hostile workplace that cost taxpayers $200,000. But that is another story.

After Mrs. Deepfry explained her situation to her husband, he did what any good Husband and Lord of the Manor would do. He went to her workplace to correct the disrespectful coworker. Reverend Deepfry is alleged to have grabbed the offending coworker and tried to baptize said coworker’s head into the deep fryer.

This restaurant appliance normally contains only frozen French fries instead of a human head. A good head frying clearly would have taught the coworker the error of his ways.

Fortunately for the would-be French fry head, his coworkers did not agree with Reverend Deepfry’s method of atoning for sins. They pulled Reverend Deepfry off before he could cook the head of their coworker. The police report stated coworker “suffered a large contusion to the forehead and right eye, along with scratches on his neck.”

Reverend Deepfry was arrested for misdemeanor assault. McDonald’s reports that Mrs. Deepfry is not employed by the company. This incident is reminiscent of the Sopranos episode in which Artie Bucco, the owner of the Vesuvio restaurant, gets into a ruckus with a gangster over a pretty waitress.

The gangster ends up shoving Artie’s hand into a pot of boiling tomato sauce. Love and cooking, never the twain shall meet.

What are we to make of the Reverend Deepfry incident Does it have theological implications for the coming year? Will this start a cascade of baptisms by fryer? Brown and serve baptisms? A rush on the sale of Ninja air fryers by fast food restaurants to avoid future such incidents? Will Reverend Deepfry be demoted to Fryer Tuckfry me to the moon?

After such a rousing start, 2024 can only get more delightful.

It is an election year which will bring sweetness, light, reasoned discourse, and extensive polite political discourse between you and your friends, neighbors and relatives.

Look forward to a cascade of unbiased political commercials sure to warm the hearts and minds of Americans.

2024 is going to be our Poltergeist Year. They are here — 12 months, plus a Leap Year Day of fun and frolic. A year built on a graveyard of old grudges, new hatreds, and outright kookiness. Fasten your seat belts, it’s gonna be a bumpy night.

What’s that signpost up ahead? You have just crossed over into the Twilight Zone of Years. We’re all gonna need a bigger boat. As Karen Carpenter once sang: “We’ve only just begun." Like Sgt. Phil Esterhaus said in the morning briefings on Hillstreet Blues: “Let’s be careful out there.”

Moving Fayetteville City Council meetings to 2 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. is seen by many Fayetteville residents as another blatant attempt to mask council members' actions from the general public.

Without a doubt, the news media views this as a poor practice for transparency because it limits public participation.

Can you imagine the average citizen asking their employer if they can have the afternoon off to attend an afternoon council meeting?

Without a functional daily newspaper and with no local TV station, it's difficult enough to keep up and stay informed about local governmental decisions.

Now, Mayor Mitch Colvin and five city council members voted to make it even more difficult for taxpayers to attend council meetings by conducting them during the work day, thus hindering accessibility to local elected officials and openness of the decision-making process.

Kudos to council members Mario Benavente, Brenda McNair, Lynne Greene, and Courtney Banks-McLaughlin for defending their constituent's right to know and participate in local government.

These individuals understand the importance of participating in such meetings and how they foster community engagement by discussing local issues, events, and concerns, allowing residents to voice their opinions to their respective representatives.

Transparency in local government is vital to having an efficient, honest government. In addition to local citizens' engagement, an open, transparent government fosters a platform for residents to discuss local issues and concerns and voice opinions. Afternoon 2 p.m. meetings surely stifle those processes.

It's puzzling why our local government doesn't want to encourage citizen input and hear different viewpoints on issues affecting their quality of life.

The 6 to 4 vote to inhibit transparency by moving the city council's planning sessions to 2 p.m. is just one example of our elected officials weaponizing their authority against the citizens of Fayetteville.

We encourage our Up & Coming Weekly readers to be diligent and stay informed on local issues. Subscribe to CityView Today's daily electronic newsletter.

They are doing an excellent job covering both Fayetteville and Cumberland County regularly scheduled meetings. Tune in to WFNC's Talk Radio Show with Bill Murphy every weekday morning on 640 AM on the radio dial.

Murphy has interesting guests every week discussing current and topical local issues.

Of course, please continue to read our community newspaper. Up & Coming Weekly has never been shy about analyzing local issues or voicing an editorial opinion. Honesty is always the best policy!

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Prepare to be captivated by an extraordinary musical event presented by the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. Titled "A String Serenade: A Collaboration with Brendan Slocumb," this show promises to be a masterpiece that you won't want to miss.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The performance takes place at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.

The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will be teaming up with the incredibly talented violinist, Brendan Slocumb, for a truly mesmerizing collaboration. Together, they will showcase the remarkable skills of 28 of their string musicians, creating an enchanting experience filled with breathtaking melodies.

The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to partnering with talented musicians from the local community, and Brendan Slocumb is a prime example.

Slocumb, originally from Fayetteville, started playing the violin at the young age of nine. He pursued a music degree at the University of North Carolina and has since been involved in numerous musical projects.

In addition to performing with the orchestra, Brendan also devotes his time to teaching music to students of various ages, from kindergarten to high school.

The upcoming performance will showcase pieces by celebrated BIPOC composers, including Florence Prince, Jessie Montgomery, and Daniel Bernard Roumain. Anna Myers, the Symphony's Executive Director, discussed the importance of selecting these composers for the concert.

“The term BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, Person of Color. We think that it is important to program music by a wide variety of composers so our audience can be exposed to many talented composers,” said Myers.

She went on to highlight another piece that will be performed at the same event.

“One of the featured pieces in the program is Vivaldi’s 'Concerto for Four Violins.' Featured soloists include Brendan Slocumb, FSO Concertmaster, Fabian Lopez; FSO Associate Concertmaster, Megan Kenny; and Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra Concertmaster, Halle Adams. We are very excited to feature these four fantastic musicians on this program.”

The Friendship Missionary Baptist Church on 400 Campbell Ave., will host the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra for the very first time.

The FSO frequently partners with different venues, such as churches, to hold their music performances.
Located in the heart of Downtown Fayetteville, the church offers a cozy and intimate atmosphere for this upcoming concert.

Brendan Slocumb possesses not just musical abilities, but also writing skills. He has authored books such as "The Violin Conspiracy" and "Symphony of Secrets."

On Jan. 20th, he will be available for a book signing event at City Center Gallery & Books at 112 Hay St. from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., preceding the concert.

Stories about Basketball and North Carolina go together like dogwood trees and spring. This year’s fourth annual MLK Dream Jam is one such unfolding story readers will be remiss to miss attending. The MLK Dream Jam will be held Jan. 13 and 15 at the Terry Sanford High School Gymnasium.

Doors open at 11 a.m. both days and all day tickets are $10. Kids under 5 years old are free.

Starting in 2019, the MLK Dream Jam is a Fayetteville-held basketball tournament between public and private schools throughout the city. With bragging rights, pride and opportunities for exposure on the line, high school students from public schools are matched against fellow athletes from their private school contemporaries in a yearly tournament to display their talent, skill and abilities on the court. Not only is it an opportunity to settle personal beliefs of which team is better, but it also stands as a chance to impress scouts from more prestigious organizations such as those in The National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Karl Molnar, former coach and partial founder of the event, is a key player behind the realization of this idea. From coaching Terry Sanford basketball to setting up job training for students with learning disabilities and special needs at local schools, Molnar has expressed his passion for opening up paths and opportunities for the youth of today and the generations to come. Speaking on the purpose behind the MLK Dream Jam, Molnar stated,

“It’s to get these kids the opportunities they deserve. It allows the entire basketball community to come together as a whole and compete together. One big issue that comes up while coaching is the constant fluctuation of players. Kids change teams and go to others for better opportunities. So with this, those kids still get to play together and compete with one another once a year for those bragging rights. It’s to bring the local basketball community together and shine a spotlight on our local players.”

Originally designed as a fundraiser for Terry Sanford sports, the event has since evolved to become the budding community staple it is today. This year, the leading role has been passed from Molnar to head coach of the Terry Sanford girls’ basketball team, Chris Goodman. Goodman has worked alongside Molnar since the tournament’s inception and has had a hands-on role in the development of the organizational methods, networking, and event direction. Together, with their passion and genuine care for the players, Molnar and Goodman have gone above and beyond in crafting one of the most exciting sports experiences in North Carolina.

“When it started, I’d hope it’d be a community event everyone looks forward to. In 10 years, we’d be packed with coaches, people, and players. We did that the first year!” said Molnar about his vision for the future of the event.

“My favorite memory of the event happens every year, honestly, but it was most impactful the first time. As I was watching the games, realizing that there was only standing room at that moment, that the place was filled to the brim with people. It was surreal," said Molnar.

The MLK Dream Jam’s fourth year positions itself to be one with intense competition. With both private and public schools reaching for glory, the competition between local schools will be fierce.

Normally, private and public school teams do not play each other in the regular season as they are not in the same competitive circuit. However, as any competitor knows, this arbitrary barrier does not stop rivalries, connections, and friendships from being made between players on both sides of the education system.

Many players hop from team to team with the aim of placing themselves in a position to take advantage of the tools and opportunities their new team’s organization might offer to them. This regular migration of players, while posing a challenge to coaching staff and tournament organizers, is one of the exact reasons for the event and part of the thought process that goes behind creating the event’s tournament bracket.

“Molnar had a vision of bringing all the Cumberland County school teams together under one roof, public and private.” Goodman said. “We consider things like each individual player’s history, their connections with other teams and players, and their abilities. Things like ‘Is there a player that used to play at the opposing school?’ ‘Do these players have friends on the other team they normally wouldn’t get to play against?’ We also like to consider the physicality of the teams so as to better pair them with their opponents so that the game is fair, competitive, and fun for everyone to watch,” continued Goodman.

However, an event of this caliber isn’t easy to organize. Goodman talked about the communication with the local coaches and how they are largely focused on the regular season for their teams rather than a local tournament for bragging rights.

As previously mentioned, issues with communication is only one aspect of the difficulties dealt with when developing the tournament’s bracket. The process from start to finish is one of continuous communication with the basketball community, negotiating with event sponsors, reserving the basketball courts for the tournament and personal dedication from the tournament’s organizers and helpers.

All that effort, time, and devotion to the love of the game of basketball pays off, however. Each year, fans, coaches and community members are treated to a high-energy tournament fueled by the drive and determination of those on the court.

Goodman mentioned that we should be keeping an eye out for the number one ranked female high-school basketball player in the country, Sarah Strong. Playing for Grace Christian School in Sanford, Strong has helped lead her team to a dominating 15 – 0 record this season as a forward on the girls’ varsity basketball team.

“I’m looking forward to the competitiveness. This year, I think the private schools are stronger, but the public schools always play with a bit more heart,” said Goodman.

When it comes to supporting the next generation, youth sports, and the local community, the team behind the MLK Dream Jam are helping lead the charge towards more sustainable avenues facilitating success and prosperity for the children and young adults of society in Cumberland County.

The Dream Jam will be held in the Terry Sanford Gym. Parking can be found in the school lot or along Ft. Bragg Rd. Refreshments will be available to purchase from Rocket Fizz.

I often wonder how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would feel about the current state of affairs in 2024.
He embodied a strong determination for equality, justice and truth, and there is still much work to be done.

His legacy is still with us today and that is why The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council Inc. presents the 31st Annual MLK “Embracing the New” Worship Service on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 5 p.m. at Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.

“I am a preacher’s kid, husband, father, follower of Jesus Christ and educator for 17 years,” said
Dr. Lindsay Whitley, associate minister of Revival Temple Church of God in Christ and guest preacher of the MLK worship service. “I am just thrilled about this opportunity to bring a message to our community.”

Whitley hails from Little Washington, North Carolina with deep spiritual roots. At the tender age of 12, he moved to Montgomery County in Troy, North Carolina where his father became a pastor. He graduated from UNC Charlotte and moved back to Montgomery County where he has served in numerous positions in various school systems.

He currently serves as the Associate Superintendent of Communications and Community Engagement for Cumberland County Schools.

Being a preacher’s kid, the church has always been a second home to Whitley and he learned about God at a very early age.

“I knew that there was a God when I was in my mother’s womb,” said Whitley. “My parents taught me about God, how to know Him and how to serve Him for myself.”

November 2011 was when the faith leader accepted his calling to the ministry. Some would say that he was hesitant at first, but he wanted to be sure.

On the cusp of a faithful new endeavor, the anointed missionary forged ahead with the mission of being the hands and feet of Jesus which means to give back and serve our communities. Some examples entail providing food to the hungry, resources for addiction, medical care, spiritual counseling and more.

Great pastors strive for excellence every Sunday morning especially when it comes to preparing a fervent sermon that teaches the whole counsel of God’s word.

“I prepare my sermons by praying and I always think about what God would want me to say,” said Whitley.

“I study, meditate on the word of God and deliver what God would like for me to say to that particular audience.”

The venerated minister has many spiritual role models but his closest spiritual exemplars are his parents, Paul Whitley, Sr. and Joycetine Whitley.

“I saw them when things were going well and saw them during the lowest points of their lives,” said Whitley. “They still lived honorable lives and did everything in life to glorify God.”

He added, “It was about the model and example of not just acting a certain way in front of people, but actually being saved for real and having a relationship with God for real.”

Ministry has its challenges, and for Whitley, those challenges boil down to seeing so many people who are hurting.

“You see people where they are, but you are able to see their potential,” said Whitley. “It is about being able to lead people, empathize with them, pray for them and not carry that load internally.”

When asked what prayer has he been praying the longest, the kingdom shaker stated, “I have been praying for our youth and young people,” said Whitley.

“I see that once they arrive at adulthood they sometimes take a different path than the things that they were taught.”

Whitley added, “They get sidetracked with things in life that are not really productive to their success and my prayer is that they will be saved and get to know Jesus.”

The Christian motivator’s ultimate goal is to be a wonderful husband, father and to make a greater difference in people’s lives. He is grateful for being chosen to deliver a rousing sermon that will stir the audience.

“I am extremely thankful for the opportunity that Pastor Sharon Thompson-Journigan and the FCCMC have given me to speak at the 31st Annual MLK Worship Service,” said Whitley. “It is going to be a night of hope, renewal and coming together to lift up Jesus Christ.”

The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council is a 501(C)3 organization. All donations are tax deductible and can be sent to PO Box 40802, Fayetteville, NC 28304 or CASHAPP $FCCMC28304

Brace yourself for a night of thrills and intense competition as two rival university teams plan for a showdown at Cleland Ice Rink at Fort Liberty.

Comprised of skilled and experienced graduate and undergraduate students, The George Washington University Men’s Ice Hockey team prepares to grace Cleland with their third game of 2024. The GW team was named the 2023 ACCHL Fall Classic winner. The challenger, the High Point University Hockey Panthers, have been training hard to battle against the GW team in the new year. Fueled by years of competition, both teams from the up-and-coming AAU college hockey league are biting at the bit to face off once again in a must-watch event.

Held at 1606 Rock Merritt Ave. at Fort Liberty, Cleland Ice Rink opens their doors to passionate fans of Hockey often, holding frequent events for the Marksmen and plenty of other hockey teams from N.C.

Cleland is also home to the Airborne Ice Skating Team, Cape Fear Youth Hockey, and Camp Patriot, Cleland’s main hockey team outside of youth hockey. As well as starting an adult hockey program in the coming weeks, Cleland offers open hockey times for youth and adults respectively.

Although on the Fort Liberty military installation, Cleland invites civilians and military personnel alike to join in on such an exciting event. Join fans, students, alumni, and hockey enthusiasts on Jan. 26, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. for only $5. Food and drinks are available to be purchased in the front office.

Cleland’s assistant manager Delaney says, “We treat everyone who enters this rink like they are family to us and I think that creates a very welcoming environment not commonly seen at hockey games.”

“I’ve been coming to Cleland practically my whole life. My family has been stationed at Liberty quite a few times and I played hockey and figure skated here until I moved,” she added.

Delaney’s love for Cleland is shared by many visitors, skaters, and families involved in the rink.

She offers great advice for those new to Fort Liberty, “Look at the criteria to get on base and plan ahead. Give yourself a 15-20 minute window to get through the gate and find the rink. If it’s your first time getting on post, don’t forget to get a visitor’s pass at the main gate."

Celebrate the new year with a charged and exciting event that your whole family can enjoy. With both sides bringing a rich history of success, these hockey powerhouses will certainly have fans on the edge of their seats. Both the George Washington University Men’s hockey team and the High Point University Men’s hockey team invite you to watch and enjoy their upcoming clash.

Don’t miss out on this chance to witness an exciting face-off at Fort Liberty’s beloved rink. For ticket purchase and more information visit https://liberty.armymwr.com or contact 910-396-5127.

Emergency responders were dispatched at 1:53 p.m. on Jan 4. to respond to a gas leak near Bragg Boulevard and Bargain Street. The gas led to evacuations and road closures.

The 12-inch gas line, maintained by Piedmont Natural Gas, was hit by a North Carolina Department of Transportation subcontractor.

“A subcontractor working for the general contractor Barnhill struck a natural gas line along Bragg Blvd. while doing work for a contract awarded by the NCDOT last year,” said Andrew Barksdale with the NCDOT.

Roads impacted because of the leak were Bragg Boulevard from Swain Street to Sycamore Dairy Road and Sycamore Dairy Road from Bragg Boulevard to Legend Avenue. Motorists were advised to avoid the area.

As of now, Bragg Boulevard from Swain Street to Sycamore Dairy Road will remain closed possibly until midnight. Sycamore Dairy Road has been reopened.

People from local businesses and residents were evacuated from the area.

Fayetteville Area System of Transit assisted with the evacuation efforts, transporting people to Westover Recreation Center. Cumberland County, American Red Cross and Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation worked together to set up an overnight shelter for those who were impacted by the leak.

“We want to ensure Fayetteville residents have a safe and secure community,” said Fayetteville spokesman Loren Bymer.

“This collaborative effort between the Fayetteville Police and Fire Departments alongside the Red Cross and Cumberland County exemplifies what it means to be a ‘Can Do’ city.”

The evacuation order was lifted at approximately 1:30 p.m. in the area after the Fayetteville Fire Department conducted air monitoring.

Piedmont Natural Gas stopped the leak at 11:52 p.m. on Jan. 5.

In today’s article, I am going to give you all the basics you need to know about purchasing a home. In later articles, I will go into more detail about each factor.

The first question you should ask yourself is should you buy a home? There are several important considerations.

I know interest rates are going up and may be as high as 8% but remember rent is 100% interest. Also consider these factors:

1. You can do anything you want with the property

2. Appreciation benefits, including leverage of cash invested

Owning a home is an investment many people can understand better than buying stocks because they get the tangible daily lifestyle benefit of living in the home. However, the financial benefits are also significant and can be more substantial than stock investing.

As a home appreciates, it accrues faster than a stock might because you get the appreciation on the entire home’s value, not just the gain of your down payment cash invested. And, if you sell the house, you’d be exempt from paying any taxes on that money gained.

3. Tax benefits

The significant savings from tax benefits can often make owning the same as, or cheaper than, renting.

4. Mortgage costs stay the same as rents rise

5. Forced savings

“Over time homeowners build a net worth about 40 times higher than that of a renter.”

Knowing that owning a home is better in the long run than renting still means you have to find the right home! When looking for a home, it is best if you understand the kind of real estate market you are in. The first factor in a market is Supply and Demand. Most real estate markets are influenced primarily by job growth. However, our market is unique. We have relatively very low job growth which should make us a very stagnant market. But Fort Liberty, which at times does grow, always moves soldiers in and out of the market. On average Fort Liberty creates about 5,000 house sales each year. That is 10,000 transaction sides (5k buyer sides and 5k seller sides).

Quick market review of where we are today:

Our Existing market (homes that are not new construction) is still under-supplied up to $500,000. This means more buyers are looking for existing homes than there are homes for sale under $500k.
New Construction 2023 will be the second-highest-selling year in eight years. New Construction is not as under-supplied as existing is, but is approaching a balanced market. That means the right number of new homes is being produced for the right amount of buyers.

The big challenges to New Construction are the cost of land, land, materials and labor

So, if you are going to buy in our market, how are you going to make a safe and wise purchase?

What are the factors that make a home valuable?

For instance, just because existing construction is undersupplied up to $500,000 does not mean I can sell my home at $500,000.

What does the buying market think of my location?

What does the buying market think of my Neighborhood design?

What does the buying market think of my House design and features?

Knowing what makes for a good location, a good neighborhood design and a good house plan will enable you to purchase a home that your family will enjoy. It is a safe and wise purchase that can be sold in the future and build your wealth.

Next time we will discuss what makes a good location, a good neighborhood design and a good house plan.

It has been my habit to go to sleep in one year and wake up in the next, and I did just that as 2023 transitioned into 2024. It feels fresh and clean to find oneself not only in a new day but with an entirely new year stretching out before us. But I have questions, many questions, and more than a little trepidation for 2024.

The elephant smack in the middle of 2024’s living room is the coming election cycle, with offices up for grabs from President of the United States to Cumberland County Register of Deeds. I feel safe saying there are precious few Americans of any political stripe looking forward to the major races.

The Presidential contest is shaping up to be a rematch between two wildly unpopular candidates, one preoccupied with the 91 felony charges facing him, and the other struggling to convince voters he has done a good job. “Mud” is not a strong enough word to describe what awaits us in the Presidential race.

Closer to home, the N.C. Governor’s race also looks like a doozy, likely pitting a former state Senator and two-term Attorney General against our current Lieutenant Governor, who speaks with fire but has not a hint of executive experience. This one, too, is not going to be pretty for all sorts of reasons.

While politics will dominate 2024, our daily lives are impacted by other factors, some of which matter a great deal to some of us and others that affect us not at all.

The North Carolina General Assembly, like most state legislatures, enacted new laws that take effect at the first of the year, and here are several that may be of interest.

More and more of us now drive electric vehicles or aspire to do so, and the cost of doing so is going up. State registration fees for EVs rose from $140 to $180 with the new year and will increase to $215 in July. The higher fees are because EV owners do not pay gasoline taxes to support road maintenance, so the legislature is trying to make up for that.

To no one’s surprise, the General Assembly continued its efforts to restrict voting by enacting additional changes in election laws in 2023. Remember to take your ID to the polls this year, and if you are registering to vote in North Carolina or want to cast an absentee ballot, be sure to check 2024’s stiffer requirements.

And, in its wisdom, the General Assembly also loosened the regulations for teenaged drivers to become licensed. It remains to be seen whether this was a good idea, but various highway safety organizations opposed the changes.

In our own community, a veteran local journalist recently posed this question to me. Now that Congress and the US Department of Defense have rechristened Fort Bragg, originally named in honor of a Confederate general, to Fort Liberty, should Bragg Boulevard and Fort Bragg Road also be renamed?

Could we? Will we? What on earth would we name them?

And finally, preoccupied as we now seem to be with celebrity at all levels, what about Taylor Swift? Will she stay with her current football star boyfriend or will she go her merry way, telling us all about it in song?

Welcome to 2024! Fingers crossed that it will be healthy and happy for all of us, and stay tuned!

The 2024 Polar Plunge for Special Olympics goes beyond the excitement and thrill of freezing water. Individuals, organizations and businesses alike brave ice-cold temperatures with a shared goal: to support Special Olympics Cumberland County athletes with participation and fundraising.

The joint effort from participants to overcome the frigid waters mirrors the challenges often faced by athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Held at the Lake Rim Aquatic Center at 2265 Tar Kiln Dr. on Jan. 20, from noon to 1:00 p.m., the Special Olympics of NC invites plungers, volunteers and sponsors to join them for this thrilling event. The Special Olympics of NC hopes to crush their goal of raising $2,000 with the help of their plungers.

The Special Olympics is a global movement to create a new world of inclusion, empowering youth and adults with disabilities through the joy of sports.

Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, this organization has grown into not only a nationwide but a worldwide organization that has touched the lives of millions. The Special Olympics spans over one hundred ninety countries and supports over 5 million athletes, coaches, and volunteers with thirty-two Olympic-type sports.

The Special Olympics holds campaigns and fundraisers year-round, partnering with Publix for in-store icon fundraising. This movement branches outside of playing sports, working towards inclusion, and respect for those of all abilities. Athletes involved in the program build self-esteem and confidence, create long-lasting friendships, and give them an outlet to express themselves.

According to their official website, they ask that you help, “Advocate for a more inclusive community for people with intellectual disabilities by taking part in one of the many opportunities to make a difference!”
Spread the word through a pledge for inclusion, “I pledge to look for the lonely, the isolated, the left out, the challenged and the bullied. I pledge to overcome the fear of difference and replace it with the power of inclusion.” Their pledge reminds us just how much the Special Olympics cares for each and every life they’ve touched and how they’ll continue to do so for as long as they can.

Not only is this event an incredible opportunity to give back to the community, but it’s also wonderful for plungers’ health. Polar plunges promote circulation and decrease inflammation all while having the potential to improve your immunity and boost your mood.

Studies show that an ice-cold dunk can ward off depression and if utilized consistently can lower blood pressure and heart rate. Others use ice plunges for pain relief and the huge rush of endorphins it provides.

Polar plunges are often organized as fundraisers for various causes, so those who love the thrill of leaping into the cold can do so for charitable causes year-round.

2024’s Polar Plunge isn’t the only way to support the Special Olympics. Along with their Publix campaigns, monthly donation programs, and company partnerships, The North Carolina Special Olympics offers opportunities to donate vehicles, sponsor athletes, and volunteer. There’s no time like the present; join the Polar Plunge event today.

For more information and to register, visit give.specialolympicsnc.com, their Morrisville headquarters, or contact 919-719-7662.