An online thesaurus finds nearly 300 synonyms for “critical mass” and “tipping point.” These include “the last straw, “sea change,” “crossroads,” “watershed,” and “game changer.” Both critical mass and tipping point are technical terms in physics, but both are increasingly used in sociology. Merriam-Webster defines tipping point this way: “the critical point in a situation, process or system, beyond which a significant and often unstoppable effect or change takes place.”

Apparently, watching the excruciating murder of George Floyd on television is just such an American moment, and the United States appears to have reached the tipping point on the Black Lives Matter movement.

Evidence abounds, both data and anecdotal.

Public opinion has trended toward BLM since the shootings of Trayvon Martin (2012) and Michael Brown (2014), but since Memorial Day, support for the movement has increased almost as much as it has over the last two years, according to polling by Civiqs. That is true for all registered voters of whatever political stripe, all ages — including the over-65 crowd, all education levels from noncollege graduates to Americans with advanced degrees and all races. Civiqs is not alone in its findings. Monmouth University polling finds that fully 76% of Americans believe discrimination and racism are a “big problem” in our nation. Other polling finds that most Americans agree that police are more likely to use deadly force against African Americans, according to The New York Times. I recently had an expired license plate on my car and had difficulty resolving it because license plate agencies had closed in response to COVID-19. I knew that I could be cited for noncompliance, but I also understood that my white skin probably insulated me otherwise.

There is more.

Police are increasingly being held accountable. Four officers are charged in George Floyd’s death, six in Atlanta for their handling of protestors, and two in Buffalo for shoving a 75-year-old protestor, who suffered a head injury.

Calls for defunding law enforcement agencies are increasing, with supporters demanding to shift funding to human services such as nursing, counseling and increased education. School systems are also shifting funds away from policing to other services.

Monuments to white supremacists and colonialists are being toppled not only in the United States but around the world. Demands for changing the names of both places and things bearing the names of white supremacists are being heard internationally, including our own Fort Bragg and a middle school in Raleigh named for Josephus Daniels. He helped plan and execute the 1898 coup d’etat in Wilmington, the only one in United States history.

American businesses, including tech companies, big box stores, professional sports organizations, and entertainment giants face public reckonings over both their policies and their actions. In an apparently pro-active move, a popular country music band, Lady Antebellum, announced its new name, Lady A, professing ignorance about the Civil War and slavery connotations of the word “antebellum.”

No one knows whether what is happening now constitutes a true tipping point or another disappointment. Major tipping points have occurred in our nation’s recent history. The United States Supreme Court legalized same sex marriage five years ago this month, after years of rising public support.

Black Lives Matter feels like that to me.

During my COVID-19 extended stay at home, I have tried to walk daily with varying degrees of diligence. Mine is a predominantly but not exclusively white neighborhood, and I have noticed and been heartened by the BLACK LIVES MATTER signs dotting front yards. Most are of the printed variety that someone made an effort to obtain and then place front and center. Last week, though, I saw the one pictured here. It is so lightly done I did not realize what it was at first until I took a good look. It bears the hand-done letters BLM and appears to have been done by a child.

It gives me hope.

Athletes and coaches from the Cumberland County Schools will be allowed to begin off-season workouts effective Monday, July 6.

“We look forward to getting our student-athletes back on campus safely,’’ said county student activities director Vernon Aldridge in a press release last week. “The July 6 date is subject to change if state and local directives deem it necessary.’’

The decision was made following the announcement by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association that it was lifting the statewide hold on summer workout sessions and allowing schools to resume on June 15. However, the NCHSAA said it would be the right of each school system to announce if it would open June 15th date or wait until later.

Aldridge said workouts in the county will be held under guidelines released by the NCHSAA, as well as additional guidance from the Department of Health and
Human Services.

In the weeks prior to July 6, Aldridge said county schools will make sure they have the supplies and equipment required to insure safe practices, along with instruction for athletic staff on following the prescribed procedures.

By returning July 6, Cumberland County will miss the NCHSAA dead period normally held the week of July 4. A second dead period in July, the week of the annual East-West All-Star games, has been waived as the games and North Carolina Coaches Association Clinic this year have been canceled.

Athletes and parents must complete registration forms online using the "Final Forms" link that can be found on each school’s website in order for athletes to participate in summer workouts.

Any student with an athletic physical performed on or after March 1, 2019, will be considered eligible for 2020-21. Students who had a physical earlier than that date will be required to get a new one before attending workouts.

Assuming there are no other changes to the calendar, the July 6 date will give Cumberland County athletes four weeks of summer workouts before the official start of fall practice, which is still scheduled for Aug. 1.

The angel investment network VentureSouth is bringing its 14th branch to Fayetteville to offer resources to local investors.

“Now, more than ever, we need fresh ideas from entrepreneurs,” said Marty Cayton, VentureSouth Fayetteville director. Cayton is a local angel investor and owner of Fayetteville-based TeamLogic IT of Eastern N.C.

“In addition to a full-time team to manage the process, the attractiveness of VentureSouth’s model is that it leverages the collective expertise of 300+ angel investors who screen potential opportunities and conduct professional due diligence,” Cayton said.

With a model that has proven to be effective in various other locations, the team at the company expects the angel investment group will help culture the perfect environment for starting and growing new businesses. VentureSouth has helped numerous companies through its other branches already and plans to make a beneficial impact on Fayetteville. Across the board, the network has over 300 members who have invested $50 million and upward of 70 companies in the Southeast, to include operations reaching throughout the Carolinas.

In fact, the firm’s investments in high-profile companies have been key to securing substantial returns for its investors.

As far as Managing Director Charlie Banks is concerned, now is the perfect time for VentureSouth to come to Fayetteville. He has high hopes for the good that the network will bring to the economy here. “History has proven that many of the country’s most successful companies were born during peculiar economic times,” Banks said. “Thus, given the current environment, there will be significant opportunities for investors to gain exposure to many exciting, high-growth companies. There is an obvious energy here, so Fayetteville is a perfect fit for VentureSouth. We feel as if our professional process and regional deal pipeline for investors will be a welcomed addition to the ecosystem.”

Becoming a member offers several benefits. Members gain access to VentureSouth’s educational curriculum, get connected with experienced investors and get to learn about new technology, business models and other entrepreneurs throughout the region, not to mention being presented with investment opportunities, all by simply paying a membership fee for the year.

Throughout the summer and fall, VentureSouth will have educational and informational sessions for people who want to know more about what the network has to offer. Visit www.venturesouth.vc/venturesouth-fayetteville to learn more about membership and the sessions. For additional information, contact Charlie Banks at 803-414-6702 or charlie@venturesouth.vc or Marty Cayton at 910-237-2640 or marty@venturesouth.vc.

Can you remember life before the Corona Cooties came to town? What is your very first memory? Say it quietly to yourself in case it’s embarrassing. Take a walk down memory lane. We are going to compare what Greek mythology and medical science say about memory. Neurologists say your memories hang out in various socially distanced parts of your brain. The brain is a wad of tissues and electrical charges that weighs about 3 pounds. Some people use their brains more than others. If you are of a certain age, your memory lets you call up the cigarette slogans from a half-century ago — like “Kent with the Micronite filter refines away harsh flavor, refines away harsh taste.”

Fun fact: Kent’s Micronite filter was asbestos.

Your brain has little nerve cells called neurons that keep sending electrical charges to each other. When you experience something, the nerve cells get excited and tell their neighbors about it. These electrical charges end up in various parts of your brain to ultimately form memories. The amygdala of your brain’s temporal lobe is shaped like an almond. It attaches emotions to memories. It is the basis for the candy Almond Joy’s slogan, “Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t.” Next up is the hippocampus. Despite its name, the hippocampus is not where a hippopotamus goes to get a college degree. The hippocampus converts short-term memories into long-term memories. These ship out to the neocortex, where they reside permanently until you need them. Once the neocortex is called upon to produce a memory, it promptly forgets the name of the person you just met.

All that medical stuff is a bit on the dry side. Greek mythology provides the real truth about memory. The goddess of memory is Mnemosyne. Minnie, as her posse calls her, is the reason you can remember where you were on 9-11, the day Elvis died and when UNC last beat Dook. Minnie came from sturdy stock. Her daddy was Uranus, and her mom was Gaea. They were the original heaven and Earth of mythology. Zeus took a liking to Minnie and spent nine nights with her playing house and making whoopee. Minnie got in the family way and gave birth to nonuplets, which is a fancy way of saying she had nine babies at once. These weren’t just nine ordinary babies, no sirree, Bob. These were the nine muses who inspire artists, musicians and various creative types who have found a way to make a living without working. The muses invented music, language, dance, human senses, planets and the Greek alphabet.

Minnie was a first-responder in the Underworld of the dead in Hades. She kept watch over a pool and the River Lethe in the Underworld. When a dead person showed up in the Underworld, Minnie would get them to drink from the River Lethe, which would cause them to forget their past life above ground. The Greeks believed that the dead would end up getting reincarnated. If they had not forgotten their past lives, they might try to get their stuff back from their heirs and all manner of troubles would prevail. Hence, belly up to the River Lethe and have a swig. However, and there is always a however in mythology, there was another river in Hades named after Minnie called the Mnemosyne River. Drinking from it would cause the newly dead to be able to remember all of their past life, but it kept them from being reincarnated and going through all the troubles of life again.

So, who to believe about what memory is? The neurologists or Greek mythologists? It’s all Greek to me. You should make your own decision. The idea of memory has sold more records than you can shake a stick at. Who can forget Bob Hope singing, “Thanks for the memories”? The horror of the musical “Cats” song “Memory” sung by more Miss America contestants than can be heard without nausea: “Midnight not a sound from the pavement/Has the moon lost her memory.” Dean Martin singing “Memories Are Made of This”: “The sweet, sweet memories you gave to me/You can’t beat the memories you gave to me./” Mary Hopkins belting out “Those Were the Days”: “Those were the days my friend/We thought they’d never end/We’d sing and dance forever and a day.” John Lennon’s mournful “In My Life”: “There are places I’ll remember/All my life, though some have changed/Some forever, not for better/Some have gone, and some remain/With lovers and friends I still can recall /Some are dead, and some are living/In my life I’ve loved them all.” The “Whiffenpoof” song has the immortal lyrics: “We will serenade our Louie while life and voice shall last/Then we’ll pass and be forgotten with the rest/We are poor little lambs who have lost our way/Baa, baa, baa.”

The best song ever written about memory comes from Randy Newman, a little ditty called “Potholes.” Randy is pondering his fading memory due to aging and is thankful for it. Not only does he forget the good stuff, but more importantly, he forgets the bad stuff. He wrote: “God bless the potholes/Down on Memory Lane/Everything that happens to me now/Is consigned to oblivion by my brain.”

What was the point of this column?
I forget.

The angel investment network VentureSouth is bringing its 14th branch to Fayetteville to offer resources to local investors.

“Now, more than ever, we need fresh ideas from entrepreneurs,” said Marty Cayton, VentureSouth Fayetteville director. Cayton is a local angel investor and owner of Fayetteville-based TeamLogic IT of Eastern N.C.

“In addition to a full-time team to manage the process, the attractiveness of VentureSouth’s model is that it leverages the collective expertise of 300+ angel investors who screen potential opportunities and conduct professional due diligence,” Cayton said.

With a model that has proven to be effective in various other locations, the team at the company expects the angel investment group will help culture the perfect environment for starting and growing new businesses. VentureSouth has helped numerous companies through its other branches already and plans to make a beneficial impact on Fayetteville. Across the board, the network has over 300 members who have invested $50 million and upward of 70 companies in the Southeast, to include operations reaching throughout the Carolinas.

In fact, the firm’s investments in high-profile companies have been key to securing substantial returns for its investors.

As far as Managing Director Charlie Banks is concerned, now is the perfect time for VentureSouth to come to Fayetteville. He has high hopes for the good that the network will bring to the economy here. “History has proven that many of the country’s most successful companies were born during peculiar economic times,” Banks said. “Thus, given the current environment, there will be significant opportunities for investors to gain exposure to many exciting, high-growth companies. There is an obvious energy here, so Fayetteville is a perfect fit for VentureSouth. We feel as if our professional process and regional deal pipeline for investors will be a welcomed addition to the ecosystem.”

Becoming a member offers several benefits. Members gain access to VentureSouth’s educational curriculum, get connected with experienced investors and get to learn about new technology, business models and other entrepreneurs throughout the region, not to mention being presented with investment opportunities, all by simply paying a membership fee for the year.

Throughout the summer and fall, VentureSouth will have educational and informational sessions for people who want to know more about what the network has to offer. Visit www.venturesouth.vc/venturesouth-fayetteville to learn more about membership and the sessions. For additional information, contact Charlie Banks at 803-414-6702 or charlie@venturesouth.vc or Marty Cayton at 910-237-2640 or marty@venturesouth.vc.

Just as Cumberland County was hoping to celebrate a pos-sible high point in mid-March with two state basketball champions, the high school athletic season across the state of North Carolina came to a crashing half because of restrictions imposed to pre-vent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Not only was the basketball season prevented from ending on the court, spring sports athletes saw their seasons end after just a week, and they were eventually canceled.

But while the year may have ended abruptly for many county athletes, there were some who were able to com-plete their seasons. Here’s
a quick recap of the athletic year by season.

Fall
Football — South View and Terry Sanford finished with 7-1 conference records in the Patriot Athletic Conference with the Tigers winning the
head-to-head matchup on the field 23-17 in a game that went double overtime.

Dorian Clark led the county in rushing with 2,346 yards. The top passer was Dashawn McCullough of E.E. Smith with 2,336 yards.

Volleyball — Gray’s Creek cruised to the Patriot Athletic Conference title with a 25-1 record, led by Kylie Aldridge and Kelsie Rouse with 77 and 70 aces respectively.

Boys soccer — Gray’s Creek edged Terry Sanford for the Patriot Athletic Conference title, finishing one game ahead of the Bulldogs in the league stan-dings. Eric Chavez was the leading scorer for the Bears with 17 goals and 14 assists.

Girls tennis — Cape Fear ended a 17-year losing streak to perennial county tennis power Terry Sanford, beating the Bulldogs 6-3. Terry Sanford wound up as the No. 1 seed in the state playoffs while Cape Fear earned a wildcard berth. Cape Fear reached the third round of the state 3-A playoffs, ended 14-2 after losing to unbeaten New Hanover.

The Colts were led by Brooke Bieniek and Paige Cameron.

Cross country — Octavious Smith of E.E. Smith was the top male runner in the county, winning the Patriot Athletic Conference meet with a time of 16:09.10. Cape Fear, led by Jonathan Piland and Julius Ferguson, was the team winner for the boys.

For the girls, Terry Sanford’s Rainger Pratt won with a time of 20:21.90. The Bulldogs also took the team prize.

Girls golf — Toni Blackwell again led Cape Fear to the Patriot Athletic Conference title. She went on to win the 3-A East Regional tournament and placed third in the NCHSAA tournament. For the regular season, Blackwell averaged 77.9 per round. 

Winter

Basketball — Westover’s boys and E.E. Smith’s girls came within days of playing for state 3-A bas-ketball titles, only to have the restrictions put into place because of COVID-19 see their games first postponed and eventually canceled. The NCHSAA Board of Directors eventually decided to declare all of the teams that had advanced to this year’s state basketball finals cochampions.

The Westover boys were led by D’Marco Dunn, who averaged 20.8 points per game and has recei-ved numerous college scholarship offers.

Miya Giles-Jones was Smith’s leading scorer with 13.4 points per game.

Wrestling — South View edged Cape Fear for the Patriot Athletic Conference regular season honors, but the Colts brought home more state hardware. Dallas Wilson won his third consecutive state individual title for Cape Fear while teammate Nick Minacapelli won his first title after a third-place finish a year ago. Wilson was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the state 3-A tournament.

Bowling — It was a banner year for local bow-ling as the Gray’s Creek boys and Terry Sanford girls captured state championships.

Junior Zoe Cannady helped pace Terry Sanford while on the boys’ side Terry Sanford’s Rolf Wallin won the boys’ state individual title.

The Gray’s Creek boys were led by regular sea-son MVP C.J. Woodle and Gio Garcia.

Swimming — Cape Fear’s boys and Terry Sanford’s girls were the top swim teams in the county. Among the top swimmers were Terry Sanford’s Allison Curl and Pine Forest’s Brandon Chhoeung.

Spring

Baseball — Gray’s Creek was off to a 5-0 start when the season ended. Ben Jones was batting .667.

Softball — Cape Fear was 6-0 and South View 3-0. The top three hitters were Kylie Aldridge of Gray’s Creek at .727, Morgan Nunnery of Cape Fear at .722 and Jaden Pone of Gray’s Creek at .714.

Girls soccer — Terry Sanford was off to a 4-0 start led by eight goals from Maiya Parrous and seven from Corrinne Shovlain.

Track, golf, tennis and lacrosse seasons were practi-cally wiped out by the COVID-19 restrictions.

Major Awards
Here is a list of all Cumberland County Schools athletes that received major individual awards from their conferences during 2019-20: Patriot Athletic Conference

Football 

Athlete of the Year —
Matthew Pemberton, South View
Offensive Player of the Year — Dorian Clark, Terry Sanford
Defensive Player of the Year — Jackson Deaver, Terry Sanford

Volleyball

MVP — Kylie Aldridge, Gray’s Creek

Boys Soccer

Offensive Player of the Year — Carlos Villarreal, Pine Forest

Defensive Player of the Year — Davis Molnar, Terry Sanford

Goal Keeper of the Year — Davin Schmidt, South View

Girls Tennis — Kelcie Farmer, Pine Forest Boys Cross Country — Octavious Smith, E.E. Smith
Girls Cross Country — Rainger Pratt, Terry Sanford

Girls Golf — Toni Blackwell, Cape Fear
Boys Basketball — D’Marco Dunn, Westover Girls Basketball — Faith Francis, Westover Wrestling — Dallas Wilson, Cape Fear
Boys Bowling — C.J. Woodle, Gray’s Creek Girls Bowling — Donna Kerechanin, South View Girls Swimming— Allison Curl, Terry Sanford Boys Swimming — Aiden Stockham and Brandon Chheoung, Pine Forest

Cheerleading — Avery Schenk, Terry Sanford Sandhills Athletic Conference

Swimming — Anna Miller, Jack Britt

From top to bottom: Matthew Pemberton, Kylie Aldridge, Miya Giles-Jones, Dallas Wilson, D'Marco Dunn, Toni Blackwell

Photo credit for Giles-Jones: Matthew Plyler/MaxPreps

Self-swab testing is now available to individuals meeting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, in addition to age guidelines. CVS Pharmacy is offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing at three locations in Cumberland County. The pharmacy locations are at 3362 Bragg Blvd.; 100 Law Rd.; and 7469 Rockfish Rd. Patients are required to stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with test kits and given instructions. A CVS team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly. Tests will be sent to an independent lab for processing, and the results will be available in approximately three days. Testing will not take place inside any retail locations.

“Increasing testing capacity for COVID-19 is critical in slowing the spread of the virus and we are seeing businesses around North Carolina, like CVS, step up to help increase testing,” said Cumberland County Public Health Director Dr. Jennifer Green. Individuals interested in self-testing must register in advance at https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing.

Police apprehension procedure

The killing of George Floyd in Minnesota may become the catalyst for positive change in America’s criminal justice system, some officials believe. Disproportionate deaths of black men by police underlies race relations across the country. Demonstrations a week ago in Fayetteville and elsewhere devolved into violent protests out of anger and rage. A Minneapolis police officer pinned an African American criminal suspect, George Floyd, to the pavement with his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd died. It is not a common procedure. The Fayetteville Police Department does not authorize placing a knee on a subject’s neck for any reason, according to department spokesman
Sgt. Jeremy Glass.

“Officers are trained to avoid the neck/throat, as well as knees to the back,” Glass told Up & Coming Weekly. “The goal is to return a resistant, violent subject to an upright position as soon as possible, because there is always a concern of positional asphyxiation for individuals that are left face down, especially with their hands behind their back.”

Former 3rd Special Forces Group commander’s promotion scrubbed

The promotion of a Special Forces colonel who approved the 2017 mission in Niger in which four U.S. soldiers died has been canceled, according to news reports. Col. Bradley D. Moses was in command of Fort Bragg’s 3rd Special Forces Group in October, 2017, when troops were ambushed while on an operation in West Africa. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy notified the Senate Armed Services Committee that Moses’ nomination for brigadier general has been withdrawn, The New York Times first reported. Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, Sgt. La David T. Johnson and Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah W. Johnson died in the ambush. The firefight was the subject of a lengthy military investigation, which found that the small unit was ill-equipped when it came under the surprise attack from a much larger force of Islamic militants. Until now, Moses is the only person in the Special Operations chain of command involved in the ambush that went unpunished. Moses was nominated earlier this year to become a one-star general, but in March his name was temporarily removed at the request of some lawmakers, The Times reported. That removal became permanent following the Army’s action May 29, the newspaper reported.

Cape Fear River trail expansion

Work is underway on the lower portion of Fayetteville’s Cape Fear River Trail. The construction project is scheduled to take a year. Barricades will be placed near mile marker five. People will not be able to access the barricaded area because construction crews need access to the site. The project will take the trail beneath a railroad bridge and will connect existing sections of the trail. When it’s completed, pedestrians and bikers will be able to travel nearly
7 miles of path one way. The estimated cost of this project is $2.4 million in federal, state and local funds. The river trail is a 10-foot wide paved path for walkers and bicyclists. It winds through wooded areas with spectacular views of the river. In addition to wooden bridges, including one covered bridge, there is over 1,000 feet of boardwalk through the marsh and wetlands. Interpretive signs explain the wildlife and plant life. There are more than 700 species of plants and trees, and 150 species of birds.

New school board member

The Cumberland County Board of Education has selected Deanna Jones as the new District 2 member. The board voted unanimously during a special virtual meeting to fill the vacancy left by Porcha McMillan who died earlier this year.

“We congratulate Ms. Jones for becoming the newest member of this board,” said Chairwoman Alicia Chisolm. Jones is a U.S. Army veteran who retired after 27 years of service. She currently serves as president of the Cumberland County District PTA and vice president of the Seventy-First High School PTA.

“I am deeply honored to be chosen to fill the District 2 seat on the school board, and I look forward to working alongside my fellow school board members,” said Jones. “My number one goal is to strive to make sure all children in Cumberland County have equal educational opportunities.”

Dr. DeSandra Washington of FTCC named a William C. Friday Fellow

Dr. DeSandra Washington, associate vice president for academic support in the Academic and Student Services Division at Fayetteville Technical Community College, has been selected for the 2020-2022 class of the William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations.

The William C. Friday Fellowship is a competitive statewide program of intensive leadership training that seeks to transform communities by improving human relations. Fewer than 30 people from across North Carolina are named to each two-year class.

Washington has been with FTCC since 1998. A native of Fayetteville and a graduate of E.E. Smith High School, she holds a master’s degree from N.C. Central University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Fayetteville State University.

For more information about the Friday Fellowship program, visit fridayfellowship.org.

Picture five: Deanna Jones

Picture six: Dr. DeSandra Washington

Graduates: This edition of Up & Coming Weekly is for you. We want to say congratulations to each one of you and thank Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelley, his administrators and staff, the Cumberland County Board of Education and countless teachers and high school principals who pushed the limits of their imagination and creativity to make sure that graduating seniors were academically prepared to graduate and free to pursue whatever future path they choose. The recent COVID-19 pandemic drastically disrupted their academic acumen. What local education will look like in the future is unknown. One thing you can be sure of is that we have the right people at the helm to steer it in the right direction.

Like I said, this edition of U&CW community newspaper is dedicated to all Cumberland County High School 2020 graduates. It was made possible on short notice with the cooperation of Connelly, the coordination efforts of Associate Superintendent of Communications Lindsay Whitley and the diligent and timely response of all 17 CCS high school principals, who provided the information to create this 2020 graduation commemorative edition. We thank them immensely, as we do our business and community sponsors who have made it possible to provide a copy to each graduate.

Every Cumberland County high school is showcased with the name of each graduate, along with a personal, heartfelt message from their principal. This is a significant event and accomplishment for our young people and future leaders. Up & Coming Weekly, Fayetteville’s community newspaper, is proud to be a part of their once-in-a-lifetime celebration. We are so proud of these young adults and wish them the very best and bright future.
Thank you for reading U&CW.

Barring any last-minute changes caused by the situation with COVID-19, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has set a tentative date of June 15 for hopefully allowing its member schools to resume some kind of workouts in preparation for what it hopes will be a fall sports season.

But the look of those workouts and the look of the fall sports season are pictures that will both be dramatically altered and possibly out of focus based on the various plans that have been put forward for how teams can proceed.
On a video conference call with reporters statewide last month, NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker announced the official extension of the current summer dead period to June 15, hoping that by then, the Phase Two plan of reopening the state of North Carolina would allow enough flexibility for teams to conduct some kind of practices.

“We will be very deliberate in our task, which is one reason we have not rushed,’’ Tucker said.

The main reason for taking it slow, Tucker said, was to carefully develop plans to make workouts safe as possible and allow coaches and athletic directors time to develop their own local plans of how to secure things like hand sanitizer and set up hand-washing stations.

“It will not be possible to prevent every student-athlete from contracting COVID-19,’’ Tucker said. “It’s our goal to do everything in our power to protect the health and safety of our student-athletes, our coaches and the communities represented by our schools.’’

For some sports, like football and wrestling, summer workouts will likely not allow any physical contact, making them more sessions devoted to conditioning than actual practice sessions.

Tucker said the current NCHSAA plan is not to hold any team back from practice once June 15 arrives, but to allow all of them some form of workouts within the guidelines set down by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The National Federation of State High School Associations has also issued a lengthy set of guidelines, but Tucker said the DHHS guidelines would take precedence.

The big question yet to be answered is will there be a fall sports season, especially football, which generates much of the revenue that is the life blood for the entire athletic program at many schools.

The other question yet to be answered is how many fans, if any, would be allowed to attend football games or other sporting events. That is a question Tucker is not ready to answer.

“To not have any fans in the stands would be rough,’’ she said. “We are not at the point yet where we are pulling up the tent on football this fall. We are hopeful we can have some fans.’’

Once the fall arrives, Tucker said the NCHSAA will look at any option possible to putting teams on the field, especially football. That could mean everything from a later than normal start to cutting the season short.

NCHSAA bylaws do not prohibit moving a sport to another season, but Tucker said that’s something that the NCHSAA would prefer not to do. “Moving sports season is a last resort,’’ she said. “It’s too early to talk about that. It’s very clear whatever we do will not be outside the parameters of the guidelines from the governor and DHHS.’’

For the moment, Tucker said the most important thing is that all agencies involved in deciding when and how high school sports will resume be consistent with what is put in place.

“It is important we are all singing from the same song sheet,’’ she said.

There is no better time to invest in yourself and start working toward the career you have always wanted. Earning a degree in hospitality management can support your desire to travel, will allow you to explore your entrepreneurial spirit and may open the door to opportunities that you never envisioned.

When I was asked in December to write about the hospitality management program and industry, I anticipated sharing the industry’s newest initiatives. At that time, I expected to be revealing new travel and tourism trends and data, social media and virtual reality marketing strategies and the disposable income tendencies that were driving growth and expansion within hospitality businesses. However, the industry landscape changed significantly with the challenges that have been experienced because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

So, why is earning a degree in hospitality management more valuable than ever? The reality is that the hospitality industry will probably be forever changed, but with change comes opportunity. The most important and common attribute for success in the hospitality sector is impactful leadership. In what has always been an exciting and ever-changing industry, the most successful leaders ensure that they are prepared to quickly respond to changes that are often beyond control. Consider this example: A wedding was scheduled at your venue, and the bride and groom sent invitations with the incorrect time; guests begin arriving early. Another example: Due to supply chain issues, your published Valentine’s Day dinner menu items are not available. Consider these two examples and how you would respond in these situations.

Having the knowledge and ability to quickly navigate through challenges and go beyond normal operating procedures to continue enhancing guest experiences is the key. Identifying ways to modify your organization’s day-to-day functionality, communicating and changing the expectations of your team, training staff and successfully implementing new procedures are crucial to remaining relevant and profitable. As a leader, you must constantly evaluate your business, invest in your team and be able to define and uphold your competitive advantage.

FTCC's hospitality management degree will help you become an effective, customer-oriented, data-driven, decision-making manager, helping you excel as you progress in your career. Choose a career in hotel and lodging, food and beverage, restaurant, travel and tourism, spas or recreational segments. With coursework focusing on guest services, leadership, management principles, restaurant and lodging operations, marketing, sanitation, ethical decision-making, cost controls/loss prevention, law, and human resources, you will receive the knowledge and education to be well prepared for the workforce.

Certificates in event planning, hotel and lodging management, and restaurant management are also available at FTCC and are offered 100% online. All courses are taught by faculty personnel who have experience working in the industry, bringing the ability to share their real-world knowledge and perspective to the classroom.

If you enjoy working with diverse individuals in a fast-paced environment that can take you practically anywhere, hospitality management may be for you. For more information, please visit faytechcc.edu and enter “hospitality management” in the search tool. You can also contact me at goldk@faytechcc.edu or 910-678-8507. Registration for fall semester classes has begun; classes begin Aug. 17. Take the first step to an exciting new career today by signing up for fall classes at FTCC.

For the third year in a row and the fourth time since 2009, Cumberland County has brought home the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Exemplary School Award, a measure of the quality of what the NCHSAA calls the total program at the winning school.

The win by Gray’s Creek adds them to a list that includes the last two winners, Terry Sanford and Cape Fear, along with Jack Britt, which captured the award in 2009.

A common thread at all of the schools is something that was started years ago by former Cumberland County Schools student activities director Fred McDaniel and continues today with one of his successors, Vernon Aldridge. That’s a push for all county schools to get their athletic directors and coaches certified by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

“I think it helps with the quality of coaching that our young people are going to receive,’’ Aldridge said. “I think the taking of National Federation courses is creating a better coach, which hopefully will create a better experience for our student athletes in Cumberland County.’’

Aldridge said the award does more than measure what a school does on the athletic field. It considers multiple elements, including academic performance.

“It’s exciting to have three schools in three years win this award,’’ Aldridge said. “What I hope it shows is we are providing a quality product, athletically as well as academically, for the students in Cumberland County.’’

Gray’s Creek athletic director Troy Lindsey, who like Aldridge is currently a member of the NCHSAA Board of Directors, feels the award for his school is the byproduct of having an outstanding staff, including both head and assistant coaches.
“Everyone of my head and assistant coaches gets it,’’ Lindsey said. “They get the whole purpose of what interscholastic athletics is about. It’s an extension of the classroom.’’

Lindsey feels Cumberland County has been a consistent winner of the Exemplary School Award because of outstanding leadership over the years at the county level, coupled with the fact the entire school system has embraced the importance of having certified coaches and athletic directors.

“I’ve been an athletic director for 15 years, and for 15 years it’s been the same message,’’ Lindsey said. “You’ve got to do it right and you’ve got to get the certification to stay up to date on things.
“I think we have embraced that as a system before other people have.’’

At this moment two of the deadliest words that can be uttered or typed are "I heard..."

Eighty-two years ago, Orson Welles did a radio broadcast, a dramatization of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds," that had thousands convinced Martians had landed in New Jersey and the world was ending.

People took up arms and needlessly threatened each other and some almost committed suicide rather than be incinerated by a Martian ray gun.

And this was many years before social media, which has turned anyone with a smartphone and working fingers into a person with their own internet megaphone.

If you hear something or see something suspicious, check it out with the authorities.

If you must share with friends, do it by private message before stirring a wider panic. Resist the urge to go back in time to 1938 and tell folks the Martians have landed. Be cautious. Be vigilant. But most importantly, be responsible.

Reflecting on the events and conversations of the past few weeks, I have to admit I am unable to make sense of most of it. And, I realize what I have to do is look beyond what I can see, and listen beyond what I can hear. I have to look and listen for God.

As Jesus reminded us to not be be anxious over what we see and hear, what we have or lack, what we know and don't know, he said this, as recorded in Matthew 6:33:

“...seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

You catch that? As we seek the Lord first, his wisdom and understanding pour over us with real freedom to follow his plan and purpose for our lives. In1 Corinthians 1:25, it says this:

"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

That's what we need. The wisdom of God. The strength of God. The freedom that is greater than anything in our Constitution and beyond the liberty afforded us by any amendment.

When we seek and enter the presence of God, we'll find the peace we've been seeking all along. And as we acknowledge his presence we'll see more clearly that he is what we really need.

I see our national condition as the result of a systematic removal of absolute truth from the laws by which we govern and a shifting moral base. You and I need to cry out to God. We need to ask God to step in. We need to start or rebuild the relationship and acknowledge he is our Father, our Abba Father, our Daddy.

Gone is the time for demanding our rights as citizens of this nation more loudly than we proclaim and present Jesus to a world that needs him.

Gone is the time to just say we love Jesus without loving others.

Now is the time we need to come together, lock arms and pull together for what the Gospel really is: the true story of God's love and collective plan for us without regard for the color of our skin, the country we were born in or what denomination we prefer when we go to church.

America needs Jesus.

China needs Jesus.

Russia, Mexico and Sudan need Jesus.

The world needs to know the truth about God and find the peace only he can give in the midst of this and any storm. He is truth. He is justice. And he is waiting.

Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand all.

“Go see Rep. Jack Hunt first thing. He is married to one of my cousins. He will take care of you.”

That was my first instruction from UNC President Dick Spangler when he tapped me to represent the university system in dealing with the state’s General Assembly.

That might have been the best advice President Spangler ever gave me. Hunt, who died at 97 on May 27, chaired the powerful House Rules Committee and was a close friend of the legendary Speaker Liston Ramsey and most of the other insider legislators.

Hunt tried to keep me out of trouble and when I messed up, he helped rescue me.

He spent a lifetime helping people. In addition to his state government and Army service, he was for many years a dentist, farmer, and business owner in Cleveland County. He and his wife Ruby had five remarkable daughters, all active in community and public service. One of them, Judy Hunt, served in the state House of Representatives alongside her dad. He was a mentor to one of his dental patients, Walter Dalton, who served as a state senator and lieutenant governor, and is now president of Isothermal Community College.

Perhaps the best thing Hunt did for me was to introduce me to Ruby.

It happened one day when I tried to enlist Hunt in my effort to find good local eateries to write about in this column.

One day I asked him, “Where is the best place to get country cooking around here?”

He paused, squinted, smiled a little bit and finally said, “Well, the truth is there is nothing better, I think, than my wife Ruby’s cooking.”

“We have folks over from time to time. Maybe you’d like to join us sometime.”

Jack and Ruby regularly invited their government friends for informal suppers of country ham, baked chicken, cornbread, biscuits with sourwood honey and molasses, and vegetables from her garden, including corn frozen minutes after it had been picked the previous summer. There were always desserts of homemade cakes and pies. Of course, there was also the opportunity to make friends with governors, Supreme Court justices, and legislative leaders.
But there is more to it

than that. It’s more than just the joy of getting together and making other people happy.

Jack Hunt was one of the “peacemakers” in the legislature. When there was a tough, mean problem that divided people, Jack Hunt often got the call to try to bring them together. Getting around factions, petty jealousies, and partisanship, he tried to find out what it would take to resolve the disagreement.

“What’s keeping us from working this out?” That was the question people counted on Jack Hunt to ask, then listen, and move everyone towards the answer.

He thought the people’s representatives made better decisions when they were not angry at each other. When everything else failed to bring people together, “Ruby’s Cooking” worked magic.

Once, when President Spangler and Governor Jim Hunt were at loggerheads about the governor’s budget proposals for the university, they could hardly speak to each other until Jack invited them to breakfast with Ruby. Neither the governor nor the university president could say no to Ruby and Jack. After they sat down to Ruby’s cooking and warm spirit, they worked out a compromise.

It was hard to be angry with anyone when Ruby Hunt was serving her home cooked meals and the breakfast of ham biscuits with sourwood honey and molasses helped Jack bring his two friends together.
We miss Ruby’s cooking for sure.

Even more, we miss Jack’s gentle, positive, and respecting peacemaking that made all of us better people.

Dear graduates of 2020,

First of all, big congratulations to each of you!

You have worked hard, pushed yourselves, recovered when you fell, balanced various aspects of your lives, persevered and achieved with the support of those who love you. You have every reason to be proud of yourselves and to look forward to whatever comes next. You may not have had a traditional graduation ceremony. Yours may have been in your backyard with your family, it may have been virtual, or it may have been no ceremony at all, but do not be discouraged. It is your work that is important and has real meaning, not donning a cap and gown crossing a stage.

That is the good news. The more challenging news is that you are entering your next stage of life at a critical time, whether your path is continuing education or becoming a productive member of our workforce. Our nation faces both a vicious virus with no end in sight and deep divisions in our political, economic and social fabrics.

Your parents’ generation — and some of even older generations — are part of the solutions to the United States’ profound struggles, but you will be the leaders. I urge you to embrace the role. Use your knowledge and your life experience to help your community, be it your school, your church, your workplace and certainly among your family and friends. Set an example not only for productivity but for caring and fairness. Be willing to make things better for others and for yourself. Share your talents for the public good.

Mothers have lots of advice, of course, so here are some basics from this mom. First impressions do count, so try to look nice. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Good manners will carry you far and to places money cannot take you. Eat breakfast. Never underestimate your enemies. Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

We all have difficult moments in our lives, times when we are sad or fearful. When those times have come to me, several thoughts have sustained me and helped me move forward. One is that late in life, most people regret not what they did, even though they acknowledge decisions and behaviors that were wrong and hurt others. Instead, they regret the things they did not do — opportunities untaken because they were afraid, forgiveness not given, relationships not nurtured, personal potentials unexplored. Even though you are young and just starting out in the adult world, remember the wisdom of those who have been down the road you are just starting. Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt put it this way. “You gain strength and courage by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

And finally, learn to know, trust and depend on yourself and to enjoy your own company. As much as you may love your parents, siblings and friends, the reality is that many of them will not always be with you. A hard truth of life is that the only person who will take every step of life with you is you. Nourish your strengths and enjoy them. Be aware of your weaknesses. Know that you can trust yourself to make the right decisions.

So, I challenge you to go forward — to make the world a better place for your having been here. It is my deep and fundamental belief that it is better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all.
I wish you all good things.

Cordially,
Margaret

The stereotypical image of a librarian is someone who has a stern visage, repeatedly asks people to stay quiet while studying and chastising library patrons for failing to return books on time.

Pamela Sands is anything but the image of the stereotype, both in how she does her job and in the title itself, which has morphed from simple librarian to media coordinator. Whatever the title, Sands is obviously good at what she does.

For the second time in six years, Sands, who works at New Century International Middle School near Hope Mills, has been named by the Cumberland County Schools as its media coordinator of the year. She now competes for statewide recognition, an honor she previously won in 2014-15.

A native of Pennsylvania, Sands relocated to Cumberland County in 1998 to take a teaching job here. She taught at the high school and elementary school level in the county before becoming the media coordinator at New Century when it opened.

She said the job of media coordinator had always been her dream, even though landing it required her to return to school to get a masters degree in library science.

While some still refer to Sands’ job as librarian or in some cases media specialist, she said the position has changed a great deal from the stereotypical image of what a librarian does.

“It is a more diverse role, really the best of both worlds,’’ she said. In her job, she not only gets to teach children but also interacts with the staff members at her school, helping them in their teaching jobs.
She feels her top responsibility is to instill and inspire her students with a love of reading. But the advance of technology has expanded her role.

“It is also on our shoulders to teach them to be good digital citizens as we’ve moved into the world of being online,’’ she said. “There are a lot of things we teach the students about evaluating information, how to use the information you
find online.’’

Her work with her fellow teachers involves collaborating and sharing resources with them. She is involved in helping her cohorts with professional development, something
she enjoys.

When it comes to the task of encouraging students to read, Sands said she strives to be creative. “We do things out of the box,’’ she said.

She does what she calls book tastings, where she gets students to sample different books in hopes of finding something that inspires them. She also has her students do what she calls book snaps, where they create a snapshot of the book by interacting with the text and putting their personal feelings on what they are reading.

Every year, Sands tries to bring in an author, usually from North Carolina, to meet with her students and discuss the book or books they’ve written. “That sparks a personal connection with the kids,’’ she said. “I always see the kids reignited with their love for books, especially with a book written by a person they’ve gotten to meet.

“I try to keep current with what the kids are interested and involved in,’’ she said. “I’m also a big believer in sharing with staff. As I find cool tools they could use in the classroom or see things that go along with their curriculum I share it with them.’’

Unfortunately, with the growth of the internet, there are some in the business of cutting costs who argue brick-and-mortar libraries filled with books and magazines are things of the past and that we should turn to strictly digital sources of information as a way of saving money.

That kind of thinking saddens Sands, who argues that the printed word is still a critical piece of educating today’s students.

“Children aren’t reading online as much as we think they are,’’ she said. As proof, she notes the circulation of digital ebooks is far outstripped by how often students check out printed works.

“Kids still prefer the printed book,’’ she said. “Making sure we provide these resources is essential.

“The act of reading allows us to have shared experiences. The characters in the books we read, the information we find in books and magazines, helps us find a connection to the world.’’

Sands said that’s especially important now when many people are cut off from the world because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “For our own emotional health, these connections are vital,’’ she said. “I can’t imagine a world without libraries. Who’s going to teach them other than the librarian?’’

During the coronavirus pandemic, our health concerns — for ourselves and our loved ones — have been at the top of our minds. But financial worries have been there, too, both for people whose employment has been affected and for investors anxious about the volatile financial markets. And one aspect of every individual’s total financial picture has become quite clear — the importance of an emergency fund.

in normal times, it’s a good idea for you to keep three to six months’ worth of living expenses in a liquid, low-risk account. Having an emergency fund available can help you cope with those large, unexpected costs, such as a major car repair or a costly medical bill.

Furthermore, if you have an adequate emergency fund, you won’t have to dip into your long-term investments to pay for short-term needs. These investment vehicles, such as your IRA and 401(k), are designed for your retirement, so the more you can leave them intact, the more assets you’re likely to have when you retire. And because they are intended for your retirement, they typically come with disincentives, including taxes and penalties, if you do tap into them early. (However, as part of the economic stimulus legislation known as the CARES Act, individuals can now take up to $100,000 from their 401(k) plans and IRAs without paying the 10% penalty that typically applies to investors younger than 59½. If you take this type of withdrawal, you have up to three years to pay the taxes and, if you want, replace the funds, beyond the usual caps on annual contributions.

Of course, life is expensive, so it’s not always easy to put away money in a fund that you aren’t going to use for your normal cash flow. That’s why it’s so important to establish a budget and stick to it. When developing such a budget, you may find ways to cut down on your spending, freeing up money that could be used to build your emergency fund.

There are different ways to establish a budget, but they all typically involve identifying your income and expenses and separating your needs and wants. You can find various online budgeting tools to help you get started, but, ultimately, it’s up to you to make your budget work. Nonetheless, you may be pleasantly surprised at how painless it is to follow a budget. For example, if you’ve budgeted a certain amount for food each month, you’ll need to avoid going to the grocery store several times a week, just to pick up “a few things” — because it doesn’t really take that many visits for those few things to add up to hundreds of dollars. You’ll be much better off limiting your trips to the grocery, making a list of the items you’ll need and adhering to these lists. After doing this for a few months, see how much you’ve saved — it may be much more than you’d expect. Besides using these savings to strengthen your emergency fund, you could also deploy them toward longer-term investments designed to help you reach other objectives, such as retirement.

Saving money is always a good idea, and when you use your savings to build an emergency fund, you can help yourself prepare for the unexpected and make progress toward your long-term goals.

You will know someone or will have seen someone that is being exhibited at Gallery 208 in the new exhibit titled “Where the Winds Never Stops: The Hildreth Project.” How is that possible when you have probably never been to Hildreth, Nebraska? The photographer, Shane Booth, in a series of photographs, has captured the essence of part of an iconic Americana. I could go on and on about his extensive professional resume. Still, to understand how a photograph moves from a good photograph to a great photograph, I would like to share insight into his 16-year personal back story.

The portrait photographs in “Where the Winds Never Stops: The Hildreth Project” are of rural white America (it’s Nebraska!), but you can be of any ethnicity and see someone you think you may have met or have seen before … that is the genius of this body of work and has been the artist’s oeuvre for the past 20 years – to capture the essence of something beyond an individual’s identity, instead, the spirit of the many in a single portrait.
In comparison, Cindy Sherman, a historically significant contemporary photographer, has created thousands of photographs of herself, dressed in disguise, to portray an iconic American female “type” that most people, in America, would recognize — a movie star, a homemaker, a sun-burned beachgoer. Booth has done the opposite of Sherman. He has photographed a real individual who evokes the essence of a familiar type.
A powerful incentive to see the exhibit, visitors to Gallery 208 will immediately experience a sense of peacefulness and quietude as you scan the exhibit. Yet, upon closer inspection, some of the out-of-focus elements in the photograph are eerily disconcerting. The experience of calm is not by accident. It is the result of his professional history but also little-known facts about his past.

In 2002, while a graduate student at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Booth found the 1867 camera at an antique store during a visit home to Nebraska. In 2004, he graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with an MFA in photography. He began commuting, for a short time, from Savannah, Georgia, to teach “one” art survey class at Fayetteville Community College. Booth eventually moved to Fayetteville, worked several jobs in restaurants and a frame shop to survive. In 2005, he was hired to teach as an adjunct art instructor at Fayetteville State University. He became a full-time art faculty at FSU in 2007.

In 2013, Booth received a North Carolina Arts Council grant to have the 1867 large format camera restored. He has been using it ever since to create bodies of work. Although the camera equipment Booth uses changed, the idea of portraiture and the essence of what it means to portray an individual is not new.

The photographs in “Where the Winds Never Stops: The Hildreth Project” are the direct result of Booth’s knowledge of the art and craft of photography, his experience as an artist and an 1867-barrel lens camera he has restored. But the heart of Booth’s work as a mature artist lingers as a result of his 2004 MFA thesis exhibit. That year, Booth’s MFA thesis dissertation and exhibit focused on social photography; the title of his exhibition was “Pigeonhole.”

For Booth, coming from Nebraska to Savannah, Georgia, he is the first to admit he was a very naïve young man. “Savannah was not like Nebraska. I always felt oddly different. I was naïve about the racism I experienced for the first time, the stereotyping of people — even crime. For the thesis exhibit “Pigeonhole,” I did a series for portraits — combining my love of vintage things with the idea of how people are stereotyped.”

Unknowingly and indirectly, the heart of Booth’s work in this exhibition, and for most of his work since the 2004 MFA thesis, has always been about the essence of what it means to portray an individual. Even when Booth returns home each summer to photograph the Nebraska landscape, his landscapes are about the idea of portraiture and identity — what it means to grow up in rural Nebraska.
When you visit “Where the Winds Never Stops: The Hildreth Project,” you are seeing the work of an artist whose goal is to photograph every person living in Hildreth. When asked why, Booth said, “For five generations my family has called Hildreth, Nebraska, home. I return to the town every summer looking for familiar faces that make up my memories and the heart of this small farming community. As memories fade, people pass on, and younger generations want to live a more updated life, I feel it is important to document the members who remain in this small village. For me, they represent the identity of a group of people that are slowly being lost, a group that is defined by their strong generational connection to (their) environment.”

The exhibit will be up for three months, and the opening reception, to meet the artist and hear the artist talk about his work, was moved until August. Before August, when you visit Gallery 208, here is insight into how Booth can create the essence of the exhibition you will experience and how he interfaces with the subjects to take their portraits. “I wanted to document the spirit of Hildreth through portraiture,” said Booth. “I place the subject in their environment, which usually consists of their barn or home. … I do not direct the subject or pose them in a particular way. I simply allow them to sit in front of the camera and form a relationship with the lens. Sometimes that relationship is an easy one, and at other times it can be a bit anxious looking. Each image has a 10-second development time due to the 1867-barrel lens I use on my 8x10 studio camera. Because of this long exposure, movement and blurring of the subject or background become part of the photograph. In a land where the wind never stops blowing, it is part of their story.”

Booth’s backstory has been shared, but it’s also important to highlight a few of his many achievements. Some of his most recent exhibitions include: “Open Call,” Southeast Center for Photography, Columbia, South Carolina, in 2017; “Bridges: Sharing our Past to Enrich the Future,” Hildegard Center for the Arts, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2017; “Collective Experiences,” Chiang Mai University Art Museum, Chiang Mail Thailand, 2017; “The Abandoned Landscape,” Southeast Center for Photography, Greenville, South Carolina., 2016; and “Looking Glass: Exploring Self Portraiture,” Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, Indiana, 2015.

Presentations include but are not limited to: “Catherland Project 1,” Willa Cather Foundation, Red Cloud, Nebraska, 2016; Musikhjalpen Oskarshamn, “HIV,” Sweden, Oskarshamn Sweden, 2014 Society of Photographic Education South East, “Vulnerabilities Groom,” Society of Photographic Education, Greenville, North Carolina, 2014.

Some of the grants he received include the following: “Portraiture with 1867 Camera,” sponsored by Minden Opera House, 2108; “Shane Booth and the Personal Photography of a Life with HIV,” sponsored by Department of State, Federal, $7,000.00, 2018; “Artist in Residence,” sponsored by Willa Cather Foundation, 2016; and “Regional Artists Grant,” Sponsored by United Arts Council (North Carolina Arts Council), 2013.
There will be plenty of social distancing for visitors to “Where the Winds Never Stops: The Hildreth Project at Gallery 208 until August 2020. There will be an opening reception in August. Gallery 208 is located at 208 Rowan St. The gallery hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday. For information call 910- 484-6200.

This time of year, high school football coaches are usually getting ready for a long summer of conditioning workouts with their teams in preparation for the start of official practice in North Carolina on August 1.

But the COVID-19 pandemic and lingering uncertainty over what kind of, if any, football season we’ll have this fall has the Cumberland County Schools senior high school football coaches taking a far more cautious look at what a return to the sport could mean.

None are more circumspect in their feelings about this fall than veteran Pine Forest coach Bill Sochovka. Like all of his fellow coaches, his main concern is the health and safety of his players and coaches. He’d like to wait and see what goes on in states that are opening up practice faster than North Carolina.

“A later date would give us a better understanding,’’ he said, adding he’d prefer to have preseason practice no earlier than July 1.

“People forget that high school sports, particularly football, is a natural petri dish for germs,’’ Sochovka said. “Anytime a kid gets a sniffle or a stomach bug, you’re going to have six or seven kids on the team wind up getting it.’’

Sochovka said the sport of football is already under the microscope for how it handles injuries because of the recent concern for the treatment of players who suffer concussions. “We’ve got to think about kids and safety first,’’ he said. “We’ve got to be smart about it.’’

Another concern is just what kind of football we’ll be playing when the sport first resumes. Jake Thomas, coach at Cape Fear, noted that the preliminary practice guidelines set down by the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations turn practice into more of a case of strength and conditioning than actual game practice.

“Screening every athlete and coach every time you meet with them seems not financially feasible,’’ Thomas said. “Schools already have limited budgets, and now football games without fans and a band
will financially destroy high school athletics and many schools.’’

Thomas thinks coaches may need to look for pre-determined risk factors like a respiratory condition and possibly not allow at-risk athletes to come out for the team.

“At some point, we have to go back to living life and stop hiding in fear,’’ he said.

Terry Sanford coach Bruce McClelland said his staff has already worked out a rotation of players to limit numbers in the school’s weight room, along with plans to sanitize all areas used by players and team staff.

“There are so many different professional opinions I have listened to — it’s become confusing,’’ he said. “I am honestly hoping we get some good news in the near future from the medical field that will help make this an easier decision.’’

Seventy-First coach Duran McLaurin would love to be practicing, but he’s cognizant of what that could entail. “I’m very concerned with keeping my players safe more than any reward I can think of right now,’’ he said.

Regardless of what happens, the advice given by new E.E. Smith head coach Andy Karcher is likely the wisest. “The biggest takeaway from this is to be patient, keep everything and everyone as clean as possible and don’t take any unnecessary risks,’’ he said.

Twenty-five percent of the patients of the North Carolina State Veterans Home in Fayetteville have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and officials say two residents have died, as of May 26. Cumberland County’s Department of Public Health has confirmed 36 cases at the nursing home for veterans. It is the largest of four veterans homes in North Carolina, with 142 occupants. The State Department of Military and Veterans Affairs contracts with PruittHealth of Norcross, Georgia, to operate the facility located at 214 Cochran Ave. behind the VA Medical Center. A statement on PruittHealth’s website says the facility is in ‘Alert Code Red’ status, meaning visitors and nonessential workers are prohibited from visiting.

“The company has continued to implement enhanced infection control protocols, including increasing cleaning frequency, postponing communal activities, ceasing visitation,” the company said.U.S. News and World Report has rated 15,000 American nursing homes for short-term and long-term care and noted, “North Carolina State Veterans Home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, has a short-term rehabilitation rating of Below Average and a long-term care rating of Average. It is a large facility with 150 beds and has state ownership. Overall Rating: 2 of 5 (Based on data from August 2019 and earlier.)”

Cumberland County High School graduation changes

Cumberland County Schools has updated the local high school graduation schedule after receiving feedback from graduating seniors, parents and principals. Graduating seniors will now be able to receive their diplomas between June 12 and June 19 at their schools. “I’ve heard a consistent message — students are ready to graduate and move forward with their post-secondary plans,” said CCS Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly Jr. This revised graduation plan, which was approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the Cumberland County Public Health Director, allows graduating seniors to walk across the stage while family members look on. Graduations will be conducted in shifts with small groups of students and their guests arriving at prescheduled times. Graduates may have a maximum of four guests accompany them. Face masks or face coverings must be worn by all attendees, except children under the age of two. High school principals have shared detailed overviews of their graduation plans with families. The school district will capture students’ photos as they walk across the stage and produce a graduation video for each high school, which will include a message from each principal and senior class president, along with a photo of each graduating senior.

Medical center announces fellowship

Cape Fear Valley Health System and Campbell University have received accreditation to launch a fellowship training program in cardiovascular disease at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. This is Cape Fear Valley Health’s s first fellowship program. The three-year cardiology fellowship will begin in July. “This is another proud moment in the health system’s history,” said Michael Nagowski, chief executive officer for the Cape Fear Valley Health system. “Cape Fear Valley Medical Center has been nationally recognized by IBM Watson Health as a Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital for 2018 and by Healthgrades as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care and Coronary Intervention
in 2019.”

Amol Bahekar, M.D., of Fayetteville Heart Center, has been named the fellowship program director. The fellowship program will enroll three physician residents per year, up to nine residents. Residents must complete three-year internal medicine residencies before enrollment. Now in its third-year, Cape Fear Valley Health’s physician residency program has grown to include 134 physician residents training in psychiatry, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery and emergency medicine, as well as a transitional rotating internship. The program’s goal is to address the growing physician shortage in rural North Carolina.

Obtain a library book at the curb

The Cumberland County Public Library is introducing contactless curbside pickup at all eight library branches. Curbside pickup is now available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., by appointment only. You can place orders through the library catalog or by calling 910-483-7727. Each library branch will have curbside orders bagged and ready for pickup at scheduled times.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has required county staff to create innovative ways to continue delivering the exceptional services that Cumberland residents are accustomed to,” said library director Jody
Risacher.

Library patrons will go to the main entrance, show their library card or ID through the glass door and then step back 10 feet. A staff member will open the door and place the curbside order on a table at the entrance. Once the door closes, the customer is free to pick up the order. Staff will follow established procedures for returned items. A 72-hour quarantine of returned books is the safest and most effective way to disinfect them. The use of liquid disinfectants is harmful to the books and is not recommended.

Eagle Feather graduation honors

Cumberland County Schools Office of Indian Education has announced that 68 graduating American Indian seniors will be honored during a unique drive-thru Eagle Feather Ceremony on Wednesday, June 17, from 8 a.m.-noon, or Thursday, June 18, from noon-3 p.m., in the parking lot of the Educational Resource Center, at 396 Elementary Dr. in Fayetteville. Each senior will receive an eagle feather in a keepsake box. According to the Office of Indian Education, the feather symbolizes trust, honor, strength, wisdom, power and freedom and is revered as a sign of high honor. In Native American culture, it is believed that all things possess an inherent virtue, power and wisdom. The feather, for example, is a powerful symbol that signifies honor and a connection between the owner, the creator and the bird from which the feather came. For additional information about the Eagle Feather Ceremony, email Indian Education Coordinator Rodney Jackson at rodneyjackson@ccs.k12.nc.us.

My heart hurt with the sad news the Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Early Childhood Education Center has permanently shuttered its doors. The loss of a 5-star day care center in a young community that needs more, not fewer, of them negatively impacts families, employees and the community at large. FTCC’s Board decided it could no longer underwrite the Center’s financial losses, especially since the pandemic forced the center to shut down more than two months ago. That left a business model with little income and ongoing expenses. Since 1996, the Center provided both high-quality daycare services and a hands-on learning laboratory for students in FTCC’s Early Childhood Education program.

On top of 100,000+ human deaths, COVID-19 is killing U.S. industries that depend on customers who show up faithfully day after day and pay to do so. Daycare is the very definition of such an industry. Working parents depend on daycare, but it is a two-way street. When COVID-19 forced closure of schools and most daycare facilities to slow the spread of the virus, the two-way street shut down. Like the FTCC center, many of those daycare businesses will not return, making high-quality daycare an even more precious commodity.

Underlying the daycare problem in the United States is that we are so two-faced about it. We profess that daycare, especially for preschool children, is essential, and then we walk away.

Daycare is indeed essential to the modern American workplace, but we do not put our money where our mouths are. We tell each other that early childhood education is important on two critical fronts — allowing parents to provide for their families and, with luck, continue upward mobility and preventing educational disparities. High falutin’ talk aside, we put next to no public investment into daycare, relegating the industry to small businesses that are at the head of the failure line when disaster, such as COVID-19, strikes. Most day cares lack financial resources to stay afloat in hard times.

Public schools, where, by far most American children head when they are old enough, are different in one critical way. Public schools, like other essential services such as law enforcement and fire protection, receive public funding. Their teachers, staffs and operations are paid with public dollars.

When disaster strikes, public schools will pick up where they left off when it is safe to do so, while daycare centers can only hang on as best they can for as long as they can. Some economic forecasts project that COVID-19 will cost the United States about half of our daycare capacity. The question then becomes whether daycare be available when parents are ready and can afford to put their precious kiddos back into day care so our American economy can get going again. The New York Times reports about 76% of mothers of children under six work full time, and 96% of their fathers do. Those percentages constitute big numbers, and marshaling the skills of those potential workers is critical to our nation’s economic recovery.

The list of troubled and needy industries suffering from the pandemic is long, and many hands are out for public support. The time has arrived for Americans not only to talk the talk but to figure out how to walk the walk when it comes to day care as support a humming economy.
Either it is essential, or it isn’t.

During the current Corona Cooties crisis, it’s time we all began to think seriously about the kind of world we want to leave behind for Keith Richards. No one, no civilization, lasts forever, with the only exception being Mr. Richards. Able to survive years of curious multiple-substances ingestion, able to fall from a coconut tree on his head without permanent damage, longer-lasting than a Twinkie or a cockroach, the unsinkable Mr. Richards goes on and on into the future. Once America is gone, once we are all gone, what kind of legacy will we bequeath to Mr. Richards? It is a question made even more timely with the two-week interval between America’s coming out party on Memorial Day and the surge of Corona, which is sure to follow.

I got to thinking about Mr. Richards when I realized that this column would disgrace the annals of journalism by appearing the week of June 3, which, coincidentally, is the anniversary of the Rolling Stones’ first American tour in 1964. Climb into Mr. Peabody’s Time Machine to go back to June 5, 1964, in San Bernadino, California, where the group had its first American concert. The Stones’ song setlist began with “Not Fade Away,” included “Route 66,” “Walking the Dog,” and finished up with “I’m Alright.” The Stones were billed by the radio station sponsoring the concert as “the ugliest band in England.” The Stones opening acts on that tour included Bobby Goldsboro, George Jones and Bobby Vee.

The combination of the Rolling Stones and Bobby Goldsboro playing the same gig boggles the mind. Bobby went on in 1968 to write “Honey,” possibly the worst song of all time. Bobby’s song mourns his lost love, a gal named Honey, who cried over movies and wrecked his car. The immortal lyrics include: “See the tree how big it’s grown/ But friend it hasn’t been too long, it wasn’t big/ I laughed at her, and she got mad/ The first day that she planted, it was just a twig … She was always young at heart/ Kinda dumb and kinda smart, and I loved her so/ (Honey then gets called home by the angels) … And now my life’s an empty stage/ Where Honey lived, and Honey played and love grew up/ A small cloud passes overhead/ And cries down on the flower bed that Honey loved/.” Gentle Reader, if you can hum these lyrics from memory and not throw up a little bit in your mouth, you are a better person than I.

The bizarre combination of the Stones and Bobby Goldsboro might only come close to being matched by a Janis Joplin concert in Chapel Hill that I attended in Carmichael Auditorium in February 1969. This concert paired Janis with the opening act of Gene Barber and the Cavaliers. Janis was wild and crazy San Francisco rock; Gene and the Cavaliers were pure beach music. The crowd was not there to hear beach music. Gene was not well received. It reminded me of the scene in the Blues Brother’s movie where the boys are playing “Rawhide” at Bob’s Country Bunker red neck bar behind a chicken wire fence dodging thrown beer bottles. Gene did not get to finish his set. Cooler heads prevailed. He was hustled off the stage before he came to bodily harm from the fans who had not come to shag to beach music.

Speaking of strange stage fellows, another odd coupling of bands that nearly rivals Bobby and the Rolling Stones was when the Jimi Hendrix Experience was the opening act for The Monkees in July 1967. Imagine a time when “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “The Last Train to Clarksville” took precedence over “Purple Haze” and “The Wind Cries Mary.” You cannot make this stuff up.

Odd combinations are not limited to the world of Rock & Roll. In an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry David has a sandwich named after him at his favorite delicatessen. The Larry David sandwich is a temptingly hideous combination of whitefish salad, smoked black codfish, onions, cream cheese and capers. Larry is greatly offended by the contents of the sandwich and tries to switch sandwich names with Ted Danson. If this plot sounds too involved or trivial to be concerned about, you are probably right. Not every sandwich can be a gem. Larry’s dismay with his namesake sandwich is what is known as a First World Problem.

But what does all this have to do with Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones’ first American concert? Not much. But lest we forget, 1964 is a long time ago. Fifty-six years to be exact. Keith was alive then. He’s alive now. He will be alive long after we are all gone. So, if you were expecting some sort of coherent point to this column, remember — you can’t always get what you want. Time may not be on our side, but it certainly is for Keith. If life offers you a Larry David sandwich, don’t eat it. Paint it black. It’s an election year, be sure to get your fair share of abuse.

Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday, who could hang a coconut on you? See you in two weeks if the Cooties don’t get us first.

Pictured: Keith Richards
Photo credit: Siebbi / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

Westover High School’s Madison Pompey has been named the Region 4 winner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Willie Bradshaw Memorial Endowed Scholarship.

The scholarship, which is worth $750, is presented to winners from each of the state’s eight geographic regions, with two statewide winners getting an additional scholarship of $1,000.

The winners are chosen from outstanding minority nominees for the award, which is named for Bradshaw, a Durham native who was a star athlete at Hillside High School and a longtime coach and athletic administrator. He is a member of both the North Carolina High School Athletic Association and National High School Halls of Fame.

Pompey competed in both cross country and track and field during all four years she was a student at Westover. She was a team captain her junior and senior years and earned second team all-conference, lettering in both sports.

She also received the Distance Award and the Coach’s Award.
She is active in her church as a member of the youth group and a participant with the church’s liturgical dance team.

Pompey volunteers both at her church and with local civic organizations. She plans to pursue a degree in forensic science.