Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed,call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meetings take place at Town Hall or the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation center.

• Board of Commissioners Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6 p.m., Special Meeting, William “Bill” Luther and Doris Luther Meeting Room. Called to conduct a closed session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (3) to discuss matters relating to attorney-client privilege and to conduct a Closed Session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (6) to discuss personnel matters.

• Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m.

• Mayor’s Youth Leadership Monday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.

• Board of Commissioners Monday, Sept 24, 7 p.m.

Activities

• Hope Mills Citizens Academy is designed to help citizens gain insight intohow local government works and promote open lines of communication. The sessions began Sept. 6. For more information, call Jane Starling at 910-424-4902 or email jstarling@townofhopemills.com.

• Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio’s, second Tuesdays at noon and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For details, call 910-237-1240. 

• Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo Thursday, Sept. 6, at the parking lot between Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5 p.m.

• Registration open for the 4th Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant Applications are now being accepted at Hope Mills Parks & Recreation. Registration Deadline is Friday, Sept. 14. The pageant is for ages are 3-22 years old. Visit www.townofhopemills.com/375/Miss-Hope-Mills-Cotton-Pageant and see applications for rules and important information for contestants. The pageant takes place Oct. 5 for ages 3-9 and Oct. 6 for ages 10-22.

• Ole Mills Days 2018 Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more details and vendor information, contact Parks and Recreation Director Kenny Bullock: 910-426-4107 or kwbullock@townofhopemills.com.

• Pumpkin decorating for seniors Tuesday, Oct. 30, 10 a.m.-noon in the small activity room of Parks and Rec. No fee, but advanced sign-up is required. Only 20 pumpkins available. Prizes will be awarded for the best three pumpkins.

• Ghostly Gala for seniors Wednesday, Oct. 31, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Parks and Rec community room. Advanced sign-up at the reception desk required. Costumes are preferred but not required. There will be a costume contest and pumpkin decorating contest. Potluck social. Bring main dish, side dish or dessert.

Promote yourself:Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

Givens Performing Arts Center will open its 2018-19 season with “The Three Musketeers” Thursday, Sept. 20, and Friday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m. The show is sponsored in part by Wesley Pines Retirement Center of Lumberton and is directed by Jonathan Drahos, director of theater at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. 

“The Three Musketeers” follows D’Artagnan, who travels to Paris in hopes of becoming a musketeer, one of the French king’s elite bodyguards. He discovers the corps have been disbanded by conniving Cardinal Richelieu, who secretly hopes to seize the throne. 

Athos, Porthos and Aramis continue to protect their king and refuse to lay down their weapons. D’Artagnan joins the rogues to expose Richelieu’s plot against the crown. 

The play will feature sword fights, romance, dancing, rolling-in-the-aisles comedy and high adventure. 

“This production has an epic spirit – sword fights, romance, dancing, rolling-in-the-isles comedy and high adventure!” said Drahos. “It’s going to be a fun night in a great space.”

The second performance of GPAC’s season, “Jessica Jane & Niels Duinker’s Magic Show,” is Friday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. The show is sponsored in part by the Pembroke Activity Council, a division of Campus Engagement and Leadership, and is part of UNC Pembroke’s Family Weekend Events. The duo entertains audiences with juggling acts, grand illusions, dangerous escapes and more. 

“We are excited to present a magic show with such high caliber performers as Jessica and Niels,” said James Bass, director of GPAC. “If you like high-energy shows that keep you on the edge of your seat, you’ll love this show.”

Jessica was born into and grew up in the world of magic. Her mother was a magician’s assistant for several illusionists, and her father designed magic tricks. At the age of 12, Jessica was being cut in half as a stage assistant. Her first real job was as a roving magician, and she has performed in Europe and around America. She has appeared on Penn & Teller’s “Fool Us” TV show. She currently lives in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where she regularly performs “Jessica Jane’s Magic, Comedy and Variety Hour.” 

Niels Duinker holds seven Guinness World Records for juggling. He is a three-time winner of the International Magician’s Society Award, a three-time National Juggling Champion in The Netherlands and a Gold Medal Winner of the 2009 Taiwan Circus Festival. He has worked all over Europe and Asia. He was voted Best Corporate Entertainer 2018 by Corporate Vision magazine and has appeared at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos and on several cruise ships. 

GPAC is located at 1 University Dr. on the UNCP campus. Tickets for “The Three Musketeers” cost $21 and $26 for adults and $5 for children and students. 

Tickets for the magic show cost $16 for adults and $5 for children and students. 

For more information, call 910-521-6361. 

Editor’s note: Check the Up & Coming Weekly Facebook page for updates on rain dates due to Hurricane Florence.

History. Prestige. Family.

Those are words heard over and over again when you talk to golfers, sponsors and friends of the Cumberland County Golf Championship.

The long-running staple of the golfing community in Fayetteville and Cumberland County marks its 50th anniversary this weekend, Sept. 14-16, at Gates Four Golf & Country Club with the 54-hole flighted competition for men and the revamped 36-hole edition for women.

Here’s a preview of this year’s tournament, looking at the history and sharing the thoughts of some of the best players and major sponsors as to why this event has been a must on the calendar of the county’s golfers for so many years.

The history

Chip Beck has competed in some of the biggest golf tournaments in the world, including the Masters and the U.S. Open. But some of his fondest memories on the golf course were back in the late 1960s when he took part in the earliest days of the CCGC. 

“It was one of the most fun events I played in all year,’’ Beck said. “It wasn’t very expensive to get in, and it had the biggest trophies I ever saw. I think they were the biggest trophies I ever got.’’

What made it extra special for Beck was the competition, going head-to head with friends like Jim Adams, Ernie Massei, David Canipe, Andrew Stiles and Chris Newman.

“It was like (being) king for a week,’’ he said of winning. “You got to be king amongst your buddies. We had a lot of fun with it.’’

Beck said golf has always held a special place in both the state of North Carolina and in Cumberland County, which are among the reasons he thinks the county championship has survived all these years, even through some lean periods.

“What better way to spend time with your friends,’’ he said. “It’s nice to see how you compete on the city and county level.’’

It was those early experiences in the county championship, Beck said, that helped motivate him in his pursuit of a career on the professional tour. “You have a sense of... that relaxed concentration and joy that comes from playing a high level of golf,’’ he said, “Playing with your friends, playing in your community. I just felt it was the emotion and feeling I’d like to have and that I tried to carry on through all my golf. If you don’t want to be there, it’s not going to happen for you.’’

Robert Wilson, currently the golf pro at Cypress Lakes, remembers a time when the county championship was held on two courses at the same time. There were leaderboards on the course and people were kept updated on how the field was doing.

He praised Up & Coming Weekly publisher Bill Bowman for his recent involvement in the tournament and an effort to restore the event to the glory days of the 1980s.

“The better golfers in each division in Cumberland County mark it on their calendars and wouldn’t miss it,’’ Wilson said. 

The sponsors

Billy Richardson of The Richardson Firm and Mac Healy of Healy Wholesale are both strong supporters of the Cumberland County Golf Championship and cite similar reasons for their commitment.

Richardson said he grew up watching golfers play in the CCGC every year, citing Chip Beck, Chris Newman, Billy West and Mike Williford as people he watched hone their skills in the tournament.

“The quality of golf here (and the rivalries through out the years) for a community of this size is amazing,” he said. “It’s such a good thing for the community. Being a small part of reviving the tournament, and especially of celebrating 50 years of it, is our privilege. As long as Up & Coming Weekly is sponsoring and participating in it, we plan on being a sponsor as long as they ask us to.”

Healy’s business has been in Fayetteville since 1978. He said his family always watched the CCGC with great interest and that he was glad to be approached about being a sponsor because of the tournament’s great tradition. 

“Part of it is giving back to the community,’’ he said. “This is amateur golf as its best. These guys are businessmen or lawyers or sell insurance or whatever the case may be. To all get together in a great fellowship once a year like that, it’s a thing you want to be involved in from a business standpoint. It’s what Fayetteville is all about. The locals have an opportunity to showcase their wares.’’

Healy said there is great golf opportunity available here, with good public and private courses. “The community has always embraced golf,’’ he said. “We don’t have to pay the Pinehurst No. 2 rates to get out and play a round of golf here. That’s what makes it so appealing to everybody.’’

The Everyman concept is a big part of the success of the CCGC, Healy said. “The guy bagging groceries is as likely to win the darn thing as a guy that practices every day and has lessons.”

Wally Hinkamp, who owns Hinkamp Jewelers, has feelings about the tournament that are deeply personal. His brother, the late David Hinkamp, was a former champion of the CCGC, and Wally said it held a special place in his brother’s heart.

“He was a pretty good athlete, but golf was his passion,’’ Wally said. David got his first golf lesson from the late Julius “Jack” Willis back at the old Green Valley Country Club in the early 1970s. “From that day forward, he was in love with the game of golf,’’ Wally said.

David won the tournament in 1986, and Wally said it remained a special memory for David until his untimely passing. “He knew all the guys in the tournament,’’ Wally said. “They were all buddies and played together all the time. It was like getting a big group of friends (together) on a Sunday and playing against each other. That’s the reason it was so special. It was people they personally knew and not just strangers.’’

Wally said he hopes Bowman and the many other sponsors of the CCGC will continue to work to make it the great event it once was. “It’s always been a well-run event, and it’s held a special place in my family’s heart all these years and will continue to,’’ he said.

 In previous incarnations of the CCGC, a separate competition was held for women at a different time and location.Since last year, the women have been competing on the same dates and course as the men. That will continue this year with one major change. The women will play 36 holes versus 54 for the men.

DeeDee Jarman, deputy director of athletics at Methodist University, suggested the change to 36 holes for the women to Bowman in an attempt to increase participation. “The average age of the female golfer these days is 50 and above,’’ Jarman said. “Some women may not be able to withstand the heat and physical demands of playing a three-day tournament.’’

Jarman added that it makes logistical sense for the women to play at the same time and location as the men. “The committee is not doing double work and it’s a big showcase for area golfers,’’ she said. “I think it’s a big draw that both are being held at the same time. This being the 50th year – it’s going to be a great event.’’

She also saw it as an opportunity to continue bringing the women’s tournament back while giving them a chance to share the spotlight with the men.

“I would like to see the females be just as strong,’’ she said, referring to the men marking the 50th anniversary of their tournament. “We want to make sure the women feel involved and connected, not (like) just tagalongs. Let’s get the field as strong as we can and support this tournament.’’

The players

Billy West and Thomas Owen represent both the old and the new in CCGC history. Owen graduated from Terry Sanford in 2007 and put up a fierce battle with West last year before West took the title.

It was a special win for West, who won the tournament 20 years earlier and wasn’t sure if the time had passed for him to have another opportunity at taking the championship.

“This is my home golf tournament,’’ said West, who serves as district attorney for Cumberland County. “I said it when I started playing it when I was 16, almost 30 years ago, and I’m still saying it. I think it’s because of the exposure... and the recognition you get among your family and friends and coworkers. It’s really different than any other tournament you play in.’’

West used to be active in tournaments on the state and national level, but there’s still something about the Cumberland County Golf Championship that sets it apart from everything else. “There just wasn’t the same recognition you get from playing well in the county championship,’’ West said. “That always made it special. My favorite tournament has followed me through my lifetime.’’

A hallmark of the tournament for West is the camaraderie that comes with it. He considers himself one of the older guys in the field now, joining a long list of names like Jon Riddle, Gene Howell, Mike Williford, Gary Robinson and Gary Moore who have been in the field for upwards of 30 years.

But he said it’s not just a tournament for veterans. “The new folks like Thomas Owen have embraced and understand how significant it is to the golfing community,’’ West said. 

West said he’s hitting the ball well and playing decent coming into this year’s event and hopes he’s got a chance at victory. “Anybody will tell you it comes down to getting a few breaks and putting well,’’ he said. “Getting the ball in the hole. That’s the big unknown. You won’t know until you get into the weekend.’’

West said he never tires of that final round on Sunday, being in the hunt for the championship. “There’s nothing quite like it,’’ he said.

Owen said this will only be his fifth time playing in the CCGC, but it already means a lot to him because of the deep tradition in Fayetteville golf going back to legends like Chip Beck and Raymond Floyd.He also has a strong connection to West. “As a kid, I looked up to Billy,’’ Owen said. “He’s become a great friend and kind of a golf mentor to me.’’

Owen feels he’s had better success in match play competition than stroke play, but he’s hoping experience in tournaments like the CCGC will improve his efforts in stroke competition. “I’m glad to see this championship revitalized by Bill Bowman and Up & Coming Weekly,’’ Owen said. “When (hearing) stories about how there used to be hundreds of people in the tournament on different golf courses, you wish you were a part of that.’’

After a good summer of tournament golf, including the Carolinas Amateur and the North Carolina Amateur, Owen feels he’s ready for another try at the CCGC title. “Golf is a fickle game,’’ he said. “For me, a lot of it comes down to driving and putting. You’ve got to put it in the fairway and make some putts.’’

The course and format

Kevin Levertu, general manager at Gates Four Golf & Country Club, said this year’s participants and spectators won’t be seeing any major changes in the tournament. The entry fee for the flighted tournament will be $175 for men and $145 for women. 

The entry fee includes range balls, a commemorative gift, trophies, prizes and an invitation to the pre-tournament pairings party on Thursday in the main ballroom at Gates Four. 

“This is the biggest event of the year,’’ Levertu said. “People pull out of other events to make sure they are geared for this event. People want their name on that trophy. It continues to push forward and thrive with the resurgence of Up & Coming Weekly coming on board to make sure it’s around another 50 years.’’

Despite the blistering heat in recent weeks, Levertu said the course is in great shape for the tournament. “We need to continue irrigating and make sure we keep the greens from drying out,’’ he said.

Spectators are reminded that they will not have access to carts during the tournament, and they are asked while walking the course to adhere to the rules and stay on the cart paths.

For those who don’t want to walk to watch the golfers, Levertu said there are areas around the new pavilion at the clubhouse where they can sit and view action on multiple holes. “That would be a good place to see some good golf,’’ he said.

Giving back

There will be a ceremony recognizing the winners in the pavilion after the tournament. During the ceremony, Bowman will make a donation to the Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation and the Kay Yow Cancer fund. 

Founded in 2011, The Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation is a recognized nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation under the laws of the state of North Carolina and provides free reading and educational resources to Cumberland County and Fort Bragg schools.

In addition, the foundation awards grants to qualified organizations for the purpose of promoting education and improving literacy among America’s youth. 

The Kay Yow Cancer Fund was founded in 2007 from the vision of Kay Yow, former N.C. State University head women’s basketball coach. 

“It was DeeDee Jarman who advocated for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund,” Bowman said. “She thought it would tie in nicely while developing the CCGC Women’s Division.”

Chasity Melvin is a former Lakewood High School and N.C. State basketball star who led the Wolfpack to the North Carolina Athletic Association Women’s Final Four and played 12 seasons in the Women’s National Basketball Association. She was inducted in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. She is currently the coordinator of development for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. 

“The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a homegrown, nonprofit organization here in North Carolina, started by our late, great mentor, hall of fame coach, N.C. State’s Kay Yow, who was extraordinary,” Melvin said. “She had a vision to raise money for all cancer research affecting women. Even though she battled breast cancer most of her coaching career, she didn’t want to just fund one cancer. She wanted to fund all research affecting women with all cancers and serve the under-served. 

“She didn’t care. Small, big, multi-billion-dollar companies, she was all about uniting communities for a common cause. She really felt like whenever someone wanted to participate or sponsor the cancer fund, she was really adamant about getting the community involved, uniting them and spreading awareness.

“I... want to just say a special thank you to Bill Bowman for really taking charge and bringing more awareness back to this golf tournament. Personally, from my own standpoint, working in a nonprofit organization and working at the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, I know how challenging it can be to get people onboard. Once they really learn what the cause is they’re supporting, you can’t help but want to be a part of it. I’m glad he sees the big picture. It’s so much more than golf. It’s so much more than money. For him to get behind the cause that affects many women in North Carolina, especially rural areas outside of Fayetteville, this is really great.’’

Register for the 50th CCGC online at www.cumberlandcountygolfclassic.com.Email klavertu@gatesfour.com or call 940-425-6667 with questions

A decade ago, the United States experienced a financial “correction” that eventually turned into the Great Recession. It affected not only our own economy but rippled across many of the world’s other developed economies. Economists continue to argue about its causes, one of which was surely the unbridled bundling and selling of mortgages destined for default, and its effects, among them getting the millennial generation off to a delayed and perhaps crippled start.

Ten years later, our economy has recovered – some would even say boomed. Psychological scars remain, however personal and private they may be, but publicly, our economy is on a roll.

What we need now is a political correction. 

American politics have always been rough and tumble, not for shrinking violets or the faint of heart. The last decade, though, has brought partisan division unlike any in our history. Talking heads chat endlessly about the very real decline in civility among leaders at all levels of government. What we hear about less often are changes in the unspoken rules of government through which one branch respects and honors the work and responsibilities of other branches.    

Americans have just witnessed the confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brent Kavanaugh, a political spectacle if ever there was one. U.S. senators chewed each other out on live television – perhaps because of live television – and protestors shouted opposition as they were dragged out of the hearing room. Grandstanding was the name of the game.

Compare that to the confirmation hearings of Antonin Scalia, nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and widely regarded as among the most conservative justices ever to sit on our nation’s highest court. He was confirmed by a vote of 98-0, meaning that he was supported by both Republicans and Democrats because the U.S. Senate has historically abided by the Constitutional advise and consent authority given to presidents to appoint Supreme Court justices. Until now.

In their recent book, “How Democracies Die,” Harvard political scientists Steven Levisky and Daniel Ziblatt examine failed democracies in Europe in the 1920s and ’30s and in South America in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. They identify common threads in populist leaders who took their nations away from the balance of powers that mark democracies into autocracies, even dictatorships. In some countries, the shift was obvious, sometimes violent. In others, it was more of a slow, lazy slide that many people did not see until it slapped them in the face.

The authors refer to governmental customs and traditions within and between various branches as “guardrails,” safety features not enshrined in constitutions or in law, but very real and accepted practices that keep democratic governments operating. In the U.S., the authors assert, many factors, including presidential primary system changes in both parties in the 1970s, changing demographics that make some Americans feel like our country is leaving them behind, and highly partisan hardball politics are weakening our guardrails. As for our own state, the authors say North Carolina is now without guardrails at all – a state hijacked by intense partisanship – and much the worse for it.

The pendulum has always swung back and forth in American politics. When it goes too far in one direction – left or right, it reverses itself and heads toward center. It is now time for a political correction, just as it was time for an economic correction a decade ago. 

Many talking heads agree that correction could and should come in less than two months in the November elections. The midterms are an opportunity to say “enough” to intense and corrosive hardball partisan politics, to divisive policies and rhetoric, to incivility, and to begin repairing the guardrails that have been our safety net for more than two centuries. 

Let the healing begin.

Some veteran firefighters are asking why it took so long. The Cumberland County Fire Chiefs Association recently purchased ballistic protective gear for volunteer firemen as part of its active shooter response plan. 

“Unfortunately, we are seeing increasing numbers of active shooter situations across the country,” said County Fire Commissioner Jimmy Keefe. “Our emergency responders are preparing should the unthinkable happen here,” he added. 

All 19 rural county fire departments are being issued the equipment. Firefighters have been receiving specialized training in mass casualty life-saving, which integrates fire department and emergency medical personnel with law enforcement to rapidly extract and care for injured victims.

Stoney Point Fire Chief Freddie Johnson is Fire Chiefs Association president. “Based on research from active assailant incidents, emergency responders needed to change the active shooter response model to save more lives,” Johnson said. “We must be prepared to move in and get the victims out.” Johnson cited the North Carolina Active Assailant and Mass Violence Work Group White Paper released in 2017. 

Until now, fire department protocol in the city and county has been for rescue personnel to lay back while law enforcement officers deal with active shooter situations and clear the scenes. In many mass shootings across the country, heroic personnel have been found dead when they tried to help others and got no help themselves. 

The Fire Chiefs Association spent approximately $90,000 for the equipment. Funding was appropriated by county commissioners from the 1.25-cent fire district tax receipts from Cumberland County’s unincorporated volunteer fire districts. The protective gear includes Kevlar helmets and ballistic chest and side bullet-resistant vests with striker plates capable of stopping high-velocity ammunition. 

Purchasing the equipment became a priority because of increasing hostile fire incidents, according to Johnson. “Cumberland County Fire Service reached another milestone as we begin the process to equip all our volunteer fire departments with protective equipment that will allow our firefighters to enter an active shooter scene or mass-casualty incident in order to extract the injured as part of a rescue task force,” he said.

Rescue teams consist of firemen or EMS personnel who are shielded by police officers in human extraction situations. 

“We recognize a new chapter in public safety and the important role the fire and emergency service personnel have in our community,” Keefe said.

The City of Fayetteville Fire Department was not included in the distribution of the protective gear. Its 17 fire stations are funded directly by city property tax receipts. “We are working to find financial resources to equip our firefighters with the equipment,” said Fire Chief Ben Major. 

Bill Yeager, veteran assistant football coach at Terry Sanford High School, remembers it like it was yesterday.

A local dentist asked if he’d like to play golf on Sunday afternoon.

Yeager explained he couldn’t because he had to review film from the previous Friday’s game and then review film of the next opponent to formulate a game plan.

The dentist looked at 

Yeager and said, “Wow, you guys take this stuff seriously, don’t you?”

For 50 years, since he was a freshman at old Alexander Graham Junior high in downtown Fayetteville, Yeager has taken football seriously.

You can still see him on the practice field at Terry Sanford and on the sidelines on Friday night, coaching, cajoling and cheering on another generation of young men playing the game.

For Yeager, 64, the reasons are simple. “I still love the game and love working with young people, watching them develop and grow as young men,” he said. “I’ve seen so many of them take their places as productive citizens in the Fayetteville area, and (I’ve) become good friends with a lot of them.’’

Alongside him for 42 of those 50 years has been his wife, Chris Yeager, a veteran educator for Cumberland County Schools.

Chris said coaching football is what her husband was born to do. “He gets along with kids and relates to (them),’’ she said.

But it goes beyond that, extending to the relationship with his fellow coaches. Chris called it a fraternity, an in-the-trenches kind of mentality.

“They work all week and then they stand and everybody questions what they are doing on the sidelines,’’ she said. “You put your life in the hands of 16- and 17-year-old children. You make decisions and things happen and they have to support each other.

“Winning is a big deal, but the character of the young men is really what they are focused on.’’

Chris said she has to be committed to her husband and what he does because the demands of the job are extreme. Countless times she’s sat in the stands and heard fans yelling at her husband, questioning every decision he makes. 

“It’s difficult to sit and listen to it when you know how much they put into it and how hard it is to hear that,’’ she said. 

Chris has been behind her husband at the many stops he’s made in those 50 years. His winding route through local football has taken him to head coaching positions twice, at Terry Sanford and Gray’s Creek. He’s made stops as an assistant at Terry Sanford, South View, Pine Forest and UNC-Pembroke, returning to Terry Sanford in 2011, where he’s been ever since.

He’s now serving under Bruce McClelland, who was the quarterback for the Bulldogs in the mid-1980s when Yeager was an assistant coach for first Len Maness and then John Daskal.

McClelland said having a coach with Yeager’s experience and knowledge is invaluable.

“He’s seen it all,’’ McClelland said of the offensive and defensive alignments Yeager has used and coached against in his career. “I demand my staff to hold me accountable. I don’t want yes men.’’

Yeager is anything but that, McClelland said. “When he’s in the room, he’s going to speak up.”

One thing Yeager said hasn’t changed is the goal every week, to figure out a way to effectively move the football.

“It’s just like a chess match almost,’’ he said. “You move your pieces, and hopefully you move them in the right place to be successful.”

For the last several years, his job at practice and on Friday nights has been coaching the Bulldog receivers. That was the position he played at Reid Ross High School under John Daskal, starting at tight end and eventually moving to wide receiver when he completed his college education at Appalachian State.

He revels in seeing his players run routes correctly and work hard to get open. But he’s just as pleased when Terry Sanford runs an option or a sweep and one of his receivers makes a key block to spring a runner.

The one thing he still tries to sell his players on that dates back to his beginnings as a coach is the importance of work ethic, knowing the job you have to do. “Do your part to help the team, whatever that might be,” he said. “Special teams. Offense. Defense. Quarterback. Whatever it is.’’

Trey Edge was the quarterback at Terry Sanford in 1984-85. Yeager was his offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. These days, Edge watches Yeager from his perch in the press box as play-by-play announcer for the DK Sports Network’s weekly broadcasts of Terry Sanford football on WFNC 640 AM.

Edge said the thing that impresses him most about Yeager is he doesn’t have to be out there coaching at this stage in his life, but he does it because he can’t walk away from something he loves this much.

“He had a passion that was at times addicting and at times hilarious,” Edge said. “It’s all about helping 

kids and teaching the game of football to kids.’’

When asked if he’s ready to give it up, Yeager said no. “Really and truly, I’ve never looked at football as a job,” he said. “It’s been something I wanted to do.’’And after 50 years, he’s still doing it.

Photo: Bill Yeager

Just when you think the marketplace can’t get more competitive, some company ups the ante or changes the rules. If you don’t believe me, ask the people at Toys R Us, Blockbuster or Kodak. 

Other than failure, the common denominator amongst these former titans is their complacent acceptance that “good” was good enough. 

What they failed to understand is the innate human condition that I call “The Inflation of Expectations.” No matter what we have, we always want more, better, cheaper and quicker. It’s only natural. 

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, summed it up best when he said, “It’s impossible to imagine (that) a customer comes up and says, ‘Jeff, I love Amazon, I just wish the prices were a little higher, or... I just wish you’d deliver a little more slowly.’” 

If you are not moving forward at a pace that’s faster than your key customers, you’re losing the race – even if you appear to be the leader.

You’re probably thinking, great... I’m barely getting by in this dog-eat-dog marketplace, and this Kent Hill guy wants me to do more, cheaper, better and quicker. He’s nuts! If you are thinking that, you’re right on both counts: As George Bernard Shaw said, “Nothing great was ever accomplished by a reasonable man.”

But what if there were a way to realistically improve your business? What if you had the tools to map and navigate your route from good to great? 

Based on years of trial and plenty of error, FTCC’s Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Small Business has put several proven business tools together in a unique way to help companies grow from good to a sustainable great. It’s called the Profit Exceleration Program.

In the first 10-week segment of the Profit Exceleration Program, participants distill their businesses to the essential elements through an adaptation of the Lean Business Model Canvas. Then they assess and chart their company’s current situation using The GrowthWheel, an innovative approach created by a successful Danish serial entrepreneur who realized that starting, growing or improving any business can be reduced to a set of critical decisions and actions. The 

GrowthWheel helps users prioritize, decide and take action to improve those areas that are essential to the success of their enterprise.

The next step is to begin transferring the GrowthWheel output into LivePlan, an online resource to fine-tune, communicate and administer a plan.  

With this and some viability testing, participants are ready to move to the second 10-week segment of the Profit Exceleration Program: the implementation, funding, analysis and standardization of their progress. The Profit Exceleration Program is effective for existing companies and start-ups.

Each of the two 10-week segments costs $180 and includes The GrowthWheel, LivePlan and QuickBooks Online, one-to-one business coaching plus some proprietary extras.  

The first cohort of ten business owners will begin in mid-September.  For more information, write down a brief description of your business, your goals and the biggest obstacles you see in between. Email this to innovationcenter@faytechcc.edufor more information about the program. There are no shortcuts on the journey from good to great, and there is no guarantee of a safe arrival. But using proven tools and methods can make the trip a lot smoother and more rewarding.

If nothing else, remember that good enough today is not good enough tomorrow.

Melissa Pittman remembers one moment of last year’s North Carolina Fall Festival vividly. 

On the phone with her mom late at night after a long day working at the festival, she watched an emotional Facebook video that centered on a young boy in his wheelchair clapping with the utmost excitement as floats went by during the festival’s popular parade. 

“This is why we do this,” Pittman expressed in that moment.

Returning this year Sept. 11-15, the North Carolina Fall Festival will be packed with a variety of activities and events. The festivities encourage residents of Raeford and out-of-town guests to usher in the fall season Hoke County style. 

With a bingo tournament for seniors to participate in on Senior Day, a trackless train ride that families can hop on for free all day Saturday, and a gospel concert featuring Winslow Ratliff Jr. scheduled for closing night, there is a little something for everyone to enjoy, no matter what age. 

One newer event gives local artists the opportunity to showcase their work throughout the duration of the weeklong festival at the Parker House, which is located on Hoke County’s Museum grounds.

Of the activities and events that take place throughout the week every year, Pittman said the parade on Raeford’s Main Street is the most loved by the community’s families and festival-goers. 

“We have all of our schools participate. All of the businesses in Raeford participate, and the streets are lined on both sides before the parade actually starts,” she said.

This year’s parade is scheduled to take place in downtown Raeford Thursday, Sept. 13, at 5:30 p.m. Like the annual parade, returning festival-goers will have some other favorite events to look forward to, including the Card Tournament, the Stuffin’ and Stompin’ Dinner and the Turkey Bowl. 

Pittman’s desire is that every person who attends or participates in some part of the festival will walk away knowing how loving, welcoming and wonderful Raeford is and what Hoke County as a whole has to offer. Besides the fall season, communal support is the theme Pittman hopes attendees will experience firsthand throughout the week of the festival. 

From the banners and street signs to the food to the vendors’ products, most everything seen at the festival is created locally, right in Hoke County. 

“If it can be done in Hoke County – in Raeford – that’s where we do it, and that’s another way we support our community,” Pittman said. 

Ultimately, without Raeford’s community – its volunteers, its sponsors and the citizens who come back and support the event each year – the North Carolina Fall Festival would not be able to go on, Pittman said. 

“There would be no festival. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a community to host a festival,” she added. 

To learn more about this year’s North Carolina Fall Festival, call 910-904-2424 or visit www.facebook.com/ncfallfestival.

I have finally reached the point that nothing, no matter how senseless, surprises me. Consequently, the content of an article by Juliet Linderman titled “In the city that claims him, Ben Carson falls from grace,” was no exception. Baltimore, Maryland, is the city where Dr. Ben Carson spent years as a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon. Rising to that level of professional achievement was quite an accomplishment. His achievement is even more amazing and instructive because he grew up poverty-stricken in a home headed by his single mother. 

Now, as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Trump administration, Carson is under attack by some citizens of Baltimore. The article referenced above clearly indicates that most, if not all, of the criticism is from black citizens of the city. 

Carson’s support of the Make Affordable Housing Work Act, which requires congressional approval, embodies much of what underlies his fall from grace in Baltimore. The act is summarized as follows in an article by Juliet Linderman and Larry Finn titled “Analysis: HUD plan would raise rents for poor by 20 percent.” It states, “The ‘Make Affordable Housing Work Act,’ announced April 25, would allow housing authorities to impose work requirements, would increase the percentage of income poor tenants are required to pay from 30 percent to 35 percent, and would raise the minimum rent from $50 to $150 per month. The proposal would eliminate deductions, for medical care and child care, and for each child in a home. Currently, a household can deduct from its gross income $480 per child, significantly lowering rent for families.” Beyond Carson’s support of this legislation, his serving in the Trump administration is also a source of opposition. Linderman’s “Fall from grace” article referred to in the first paragraph includes the following: “The Trump virus is weakening Ben Carson’s image,” said Bishop Frank Reid, a former pastor at Baltimore’s Bethel AME Church who met Carson at Yale, where both received their bachelor’s degrees. Carson is still respected, Reid said. “But he is no longer the hero he once was.”

Linderman reports several incidents and comments that reflect the depth of Ben Carson’s rejection by black citizens of Baltimore. Some appear below:

• Alicia Freeman, principal of Archbishop Borders School, moved a portrait of Carson from a very public area of the school to the Ben Carson Reading Room – a far less visible space. Of the principal, Linderman writes: “‘The doctor’s inspirational message now feels hostile,’ she said.”

• Boateng Kubi, a rising second-year student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, is quoted: “‘It feels like he’s neglecting the communities he came from, the people who grew up admiring him, who might not have all the money in the world,’ he said. ‘I no longer speak of wanting to be the next Ben Carson.’”

• “Shaun Verma, a Ben Carson Scholarship recipient from Georgia, says Carson’s use of his story of hard work and determination to justify scaling back the safety net for the same communities that raised and revered him ‘is really disappointing.’

 ”The writer goes on to detail other actions and attitudes among Baltimore’s blacks that show Carson’s fall from grace. It is stated that Carson declined to be interviewed for the story but sent a written statement that is presented in the article as follows: 

“I understand what it means to be poor because I grew up poor,” the statement said. “I was fortunate to have my mother who was my compass – always steering me on course, helping me to see beyond our circumstances. That’s what I hope to do for the millions of low-income families HUD serves.”

As I read and process Carson’s statement, my thought is that here is a black man who found his way through poverty, and any hindrances because of his blackness, to absolute greatness and success. Given this fact, the question to be asked by those in poverty, and those who claim to want to help them, should be: “How did Carson make it and what might we learn from his journey?” 

Instead, the response is to attack and seek to punish him for, in attempting to move people out of poverty, supporting actions and policies that are consistent with what he learned along his journey from poverty to financial independence.

Given that there is so much opposition to the Carson approach, the other reasonable question is what should we expect if we stay on the current course that is so totally supported by those who oppose Carson’s method? Even though the article by Kay S. Hymowitz titled “The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies” is from the summer of 2005, the segment below provides a crystal-clear framework for answering the expectation question:

“Read through the megazillion words on class, income mobility, and poverty in the recent New York Times series ‘Class Matters’ and you still won’t grasp two of the most basic truths on the subject: 1. entrenched, multigenerational poverty is largely black; and 2. it is intricately intertwined with the collapse of the nuclear family in the inner city.

“By now, these facts shouldn’t be hard to grasp. Almost 70 percent of black children are born to single mothers. Those mothers are far more likely than married mothers to be poor, even after a post-welfare-reform decline in child poverty. They are also more likely to pass that poverty on to their children. Sophisticates often try to dodge the implications of this bleak reality by shrugging that single motherhood is an inescapable fact of modern life, affecting everyone from the bobo Murphy Browns to the ghetto ‘baby mamas.’ Not so; it is a largely low-income – and disproportionately black – phenomenon. The vast majority of higher-income women wait to have their children until they are married. The truth is that we are now a two-family nation, separate and unequal – one thriving and intact, and the other struggling, broken, and far too often African-American.”

A graph at https://www.statista.com/statistics/205114/percentage-of-poor-black-families-with-a-female-householder-in-the-us/ shows the following poverty rates for households headed by a single black female: 1991– 51.2 percent; 2000 – 34.3 percent; 2014 – 37.2 percent; 2016 – 31.6 percent. Looking back to 1991, as compared with recent years, there is impressive improvement. However, the more recent picture says we need a far more productive response to poverty than has been the case. 

All Americans, not only those black citizens in Baltimore who oppose Carson, need to thoughtfully assess poverty in America and reasonably come to grips with causes and effective solutions. A step forward in that process would be to hear Carson with an open mind and appreciate him for what the lessons learned along his journey from poverty allow him to bring to the table.

Photo: Dr. Ben Carson

It wasn’t the easiest challenge to accomplish, but a little over a week ago, Jack Britt’s softball team got its biggest recognition for winning the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A softball title as the players and coaches were presented championship rings by the school.

The ceremony took place at halftime of Britt’s second home football game of the season against Terry Sanford.

Jack Britt athletic director Michael Lindsay said the toughest thing about raising the money to give the players rings was the timing of the championship.

“Literally a week after we won the championship, school was out,’’ Lindsay said. “We didn’t have the day-to-day contact with the parents, kids or community. Teachers and staff were gone. We had a tough time reaching out to the community.’’

When the money was raised and the rings were finally secured, the next problem was scheduling the ceremony at a convenient time so all the players could be there. That wasn’t a problem for the underclassmen, but for the seniors who’d left to go to school, there were some issues.

One of the biggest challenges involved Savannah Roddey, who had already traveled to the West Coast where she was in the process of moving to Clackamas Community College in Oregon to play softball.

“Her mother said early on if we gave them plenty of notice when the date was, she would try to get back,’’ Lindsay said. Roddey was able to make it.

In addition to making the ring presentation to the girls, special recognition was given to Jane Britt, the wife of the late Dr. Jack Britt, whom the school is named for. Dr. Britt passed away last December.

Mrs. Britt was presented with a game ball used in the state championship series that was autographed by all the players and coaches. They also gave her one of the state championship individual medals presented to each player by the NCHSAA.

“Since the building opened, she and Dr. Britt have been huge supporters of Jack Britt High School,’’ Lindsay said. “We felt it was most appropriate to honor her.’’

Lindsay said it was also a fitting tribute for the whole team, which really hadn’t gotten to celebrate much in front of their peers because the championship came right at the time school was closing for the year.

“This was an appropriate way to start the school year off and remind everyone what Jack Britt softball did in June,’’ he said.

For her part, Buccaneer softball coach Sebrina Wilson just enjoyed seeing the girls get their rings. “It put the icing on the cake for the season and the accomplishment they achieved,’’ Wilson said.

Wilson also praised principal Scott Pope, Lindsay, the school’s athletic boosters, team parents and the Buccaneer community for coming together to make the whole presentation ceremony special.

She also thanked Debbie Jones of Hope Mills Plaza Florist. When the team arrived at Jack Britt after winning the state title in June, Jones was in the parking lot to hand out flowers to the players. She showed up at the ring ceremony to do it again.

“Everybody was trying to make it extra special,’’ Wilson said. “(The players) were super happy for what they got.’’

Wilson said she’s been asked multiple times if being state champion has sunk in for her. She admitted she’s not sure it ever will.

“As a coach, you work so hard and want your kids to do so well,’’ she said. “I just wanted to sit back and watch their faces when they opened the boxes (and) see the smiles and surprise on their faces. It’s a moment not very many have and that they’ll remember the rest of their lives.’’

Meanwhile, the celebration of the title is about to end as Wilson and the returners from last year’s team start work on the 2019 season.

There will be a team meeting this week, then Wilson will check the eligibility of all her players before starting off-season practice.

“We’re going through fundamental things,’’ she said. “It’s what we did last year. When the season gets here, we focus on the bigger picture.’’

The Buccaneers won’t have any problem setting goals for next year. While they won the state championship, they suffered three losses to Richmond Senior, which wound up as the Sandhills Athletic Conference champion, but was eliminated from the state playoffs by the same South Caldwell team that the Buccaneers beat in three games for the state title.

Wilson is hopeful the fact her team peaked at season’s end may help prevent opposing teams from putting a big target on their back.

“I think there are so many other teams that have so much more hype,’’ she said. “We went under the radar most of the reason. I’d rather relish that role than have the spotlight on us.’’

As for chances of repeating as state champion, Wilson doesn’t want to look that far ahead. “We’ve got to play within ourselves,’’ she said.

A need to increase security at Hope Mills Municipal Park has led the town to add cameras that will aid park staff and law enforcement in keeping an eye on potential lawbreakers.

“In this day and time, we can’t be everywhere,’’ Mayor Jackie Warner said, referring to the Hope Mills police department as well as first responders.

“This helps them investigate things that happen and also gives them a look at maintaining what is going on in our parks.’’

With the continuing increase in the population of Hope Mills, Warner said usage of the Municipal Park area has increased dramatically.

“I don’t know of a day you can go up there when there aren’t people everywhere,’’ she said. “We have more people using the park, not just the walking trails but the ball fields and the picnic areas.’’

Kenny Bullock, who heads up the parks and recreation department for Hope Mills, said the goal is to cut down on vandalism and to improve the overall safety of people who use the parks.

Although it’s more of a preventative measure, Bullock said there have been some real problems, including graffiti on the dugouts at the ball fields and on the bleachers and playground equipment.

There have also been fights and other issues at the outdoor basketball court. In extreme cases, they’ve had a shooting and some drug deals.

Police have increased patrols of the park area, Bullock said, but the cameras will help to bolster security when there’s no physical police presence.

The town has purchased four digital cameras that can be viewed on a monitor while also recording activity and storing the video digitally.

Bullock said the four cameras can be moved around to different locations in the park.

“Some are going to be set up randomly and some where we are having issues,’’ Bullock said. “We should be able to pull up each day’s recordings.’’

Bullock indicated both recreation department staff and law enforcement officials from Hope Mills will be able to access the video and review it.

Representatives of the company installing the camera equipment will come in for a single day of training for those who will be using it, Bullock said.

He’s hopeful the entire system will be up and running by the second week of September.

“Hopefully it will deter some of the activities going on in the park that shouldn’t be going on in the park,’’ Bullock said.

Warner stressed that most of the activity the cameras hope to monitor is the malicious mischief that can go on when no one’s watching.

“We’ve been very fortunate,’’ she said, adding that there have only been a few serious incidents in the park during her term as mayor of Hope Mills.

“Usually, we’ve found it’s not people from Hope Mills,’’ she said. “For the most part, the kind of things we’ve seen are some graffiti or loitering, especially around the basketball courts. The assumption is it might be drug buys, or they might be seeing if they can create some issues.’’

In addition to possibly catching those who are trying to cause problems, Warner hopes the cameras will give those who use the park for legitimate purposes a greater sense of security.

“In the early dawn hours when people are walking or at dusk in the evening, this is another way of making them feel safer,’’ she said. “If something takes place or somebody is out there that shouldn’t be, hopefully they’ll be able to target it.’’

Warner encouraged citizens who see something out of place to do their part and let someone know about it.

“If you see something you don’t think is right, you need to notify the police,’’ she said. “I get phone calls or emails from people when something doesn’t look just right. You can report stuff on our website too.’’

To report suspicious activity via the web, visit www.townofhopemills.com. On the homepage, click the link labeled “Report a concern.”

Warner added citizens can be confident their reports will remain anonymous. “The police have been really good about taking a tip and not alerting anybody where it came from,’’ she said.

Neil Buie, regional supervisor of football officials for the Southeastern Athletic Officials Association, said you can notice something different about Charles Davenport in his striped official’s shirt when he’s running down the field during a play.

“A lot of us run down the field,’’ Buie said of himself and other football officials. “He seems to glide. It’s like he’s on skates.’’

Of course, there’s a reason for that. Davenport was a star player in his high school days at Pine Forest before going on to earn All-ACC honors at North Carolina State and land a spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster for a few seasons.

Now he’s in his third year giving back to the local athletic scene as an umpire on high school football officiating crews Friday nights.

Davenport, who works with an agency that licenses foster parents over a nine-county area, had taken a stab at coaching for a few years after leaving the NFL but decided three years ago to give football officiating a try.

“I want to be close to the game and I want to be able to participate in a positive way,’’ Davenport said. “I do work with young people in my day-to-day business, but it didn’t afford me the opportunity to be around athletics the way I really wanted t o   b e .’’

Oddly enough, Buie sometimes has a difficult time getting ex-athletes like Davenport to become officials, and he thinks there’s a reason for it.

“One of the problems we have in recruiting former players is they’ve been told since their first day on the football field that the guys in the striped shirts were the enemy,’’ Buie said. “When they finish their playing days, they say, ‘Wow, I don’t want to be a part of that. Those are the bad guys.’ Overcoming that perception is part of the problem.’’

Davenport agreed that sentiment held him back initially from getting involved as an official. Now he regrets the delay.

“I really wish I had gotten involved right out of the NFL,’’ he said. “It would have been great.’’

Any lingering problems he had with officials disappeared as soon as he got on the field again, he said. He now realizes the best officials are the ones who enter and leave the field for each game without causing anyone to remember them because they did their job efficiently and with no controversy. 

“I’m starting to see this side of the game better and better each year,’’ he said. “It’s really a great opportunity to get back on the field and be part of the game I do love.’’

Davenport tries to bring a player’s mentality to his role as an official, watch as plays develop and see opportunities for educating the athletes he’s working with while he’s calling the game.

His role in most games he’s called has been as the umpire. In high school football five-man crew mechanics, the umpire works with the referee and is in charge of controlling play along the line of scrimmage.

Davenport said he enjoys the interaction between himself and the offensive and defensive linemen. It’s not uncommon for him to tell a player or players they are using good techniques and to keep doing it. But he’ll also offer gentle critiques, reminding players to keep their hands in and to clean up minor mistakes in their play. “You can talk more to players about the flow of the game so they don’t hurt their own team,’’ he said.

He does this partly to help the players but also to prevent himself and his fellow officials from having to throw penalty flags. “One thing I hate to see is a bunch of flags on the field,’’ he said. “It messes up the flow of play. Clean things up early and let them play.’’

He also encourages coaches to spend more time studying the rules of high school football so they can understand it better both for themselves and their players.

“Coaches who do understand the rules are very successful,’’ Davenport said. “There are a lot of coaches who know the X’s and O’s but don’t understand the rules of the game. A lot of times, that’s where they lose a game every year.’’

Someday, Davenport said, he’d like to be the head of an officiating crew, but for now he’s glad to be on the field involved with football again.

“This is a win-win,’’ he said of the opportunity to be working in high school football and getting paid at the same time. “I just want to get better at what I do. I just like to work with all the different guys and learn their backgrounds.’’

Buie said having someone like Davenport as an official is an asset to the program.

“It’s a learning process, and Charles has done a good job with that learning process,’’ Buie said. “It helps he has knowledge of the game.

“People realize who Charles Davenport was and that he was an athlete.’’

Now he’s making a new mark for himself as an official and giving back to high school sports at the same time.

Dear Editor,

I’m sick and tired of how our government in Washington, D.C., as well as many of our state and local governments spend our tax dollars. I’m so angry I just don’t know where to start, but here I go.

Health care costs over $3 trillion a year here in the United States, and $1 trillion of that is fraud. And you wonder why we pay so much for health care? That in itself would pay our current budget deficit.

According to David Hyman M.D., J.D., and Charles Silver, M.A., J.D., both adjunct scholars at the Cato Institute, one out of every three dollars that passes through the system is lost to fraud, wasted on services that don’t help patients or are otherwise misspent.And to make matters worse, the American Medical Association, one of the biggest unions in the country, and organized by physicians, is setting the prices we pay for every Medicare procedure done in this country. Is that not the fox guarding the hen house? To make matters worse, all the health care insurers base their prices off Medicare billing.

I used to know a local surgeon in town who would intentionally take the hardest cases; using old-school techniques, he would literally do as many procedures as he possibly could – simply to beef up his billing. I remember the anesthesiologist(s) used to hate to work with him because they get compensated not for the length of the procedure but for the procedure itself. He was eventually run out of town, and in my opinion, should have never been able to practice medicine again. This is simply one story of many. It’s time we cleaned up the fraud and waste in our health care system.

Welfare and Medicaid cost taxpayers 50 percent more due to fraud. A few years back, I shared a scenario where an unmarried couple with two children could qualify for $50,000 a year in welfare benefits. Please tell me what incentive this couple has to be gainfully employed. You got it, there is none! The average family of four in the United States earns approximately $52,000 a year. Hell, you can stay at home and earn $50,000. Isn’t it about time we reformed our welfare program to mandate work or a job skill program?

There is an entire subculture in this country doing nothing but gaming the system to get free government handouts. For example, a nurse from a maternity ward once told me she was bringing a newborn to see her mother, sitting across the room was the grandmother who said to the nurse she (the new mother) is the breadwinner of the family. You see she has the baby then gives the baby up to another relative, and that relative receives $500+ a month for taking care of the child. This is not an isolated situation. This nurse tells me she sees this every single day.

I am sick and tired of people who can work just as good as you and I claiming and receiving disability. Now don’t get me wrong, we should take care of someone who is truly disabled. How many times have you gone to the grocery store to see somebody occupy a handicapped parking space, get out of the car, and physically run into the store? Man, that ticks me off!

Through the Karen Chandler Trust, I have worked with cancer patients for the last 20 years. Are some of these patients deserving of long-term disability? Absolutely! For the most part, they need assistance for the period they are being treated for cancer. Chemo takes a tremendous toll on one’s ability to function. To my knowledge, through the SSI program, there are no short-term benefits.

Here again people are simply gaming the system costing taxpayers billions of dollars.

Today, some congressmen are actually considering a guaranteed minimum income for all Americans. Really! Where do you think that money is going to come from?

Then of course we have our favorite whipping boy 

of the year, (immigration). We take in illegal immigrants, and in many cases, we clothe, we feed, we educate and we take care of their health care needs – and we have been doing this for many years because Congress cannot pass immigration reform.

Let’s say someone from off the street came into your home, sat down on your couch, refused to leave and mandated you feed and clothe them. What would you do?

To add some irony to this, let’s look at the great city of Seattle, Washington. It appears they have been inundated with a fast-growing population of homeless folks. In fact, many of the cities all along the West Coast are experiencing this problem. San Francisco, California, may very well be the granddaddy of them all. Did you know because of the cost associated with the homeless the mayor and the city council are considering giving them one-way plane fare to anywhere they want to go. All the cities I refer to, coincidentally, are openly declared as sanctuary cities and are welcoming illegal immigrants with open arms. Furthermore, they are aiding and abetting felons and hindering the pursuit by federal agents. In fact, they want to completely dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

I got up this morning and the first thing I hear is Congresswoman Waters telling the world she was sent by God to get rid of President Trump. The second story that I hear, California is considering making the delivery of a plastic straws by a waiter to a patron as a class B misdemeanor, punishable by six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. In the state of California, that is the same penalty you would receive for assault and battery or a prostitution conviction.

Finally, because of the way he handled a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, with President Putin from Russia, it is declared that Trump is guilty of treason – a felony that carries that the death penalty as his punishment.

Folks, this world has gone mad, and our country is leading the way. Do we need to drain the swamp? You’re damn right we do! And it’s time that we as Americans stood up to take our country back. Someone told me a long time ago to lead, follow or get the hell out of the way. If we don’t lead, we deserve what we get. It’s time we showed some common sense and fairness in how we govern. I’m not saying don’t be compassionate and helpful for those in need; I’m saying have no patience for those perfectly able to be productive citizens who steal from the hard-working tax paying citizens of this country.

Break up the monopoly in health care, and jail all of those fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid. Fix the welfare and disability system so it lends a helping hand to those truly in need and force those gamers to get a damn job. And for crying out loud, do something about immigration.

To all you lowlifes in Washington, i.e., congress, I say it again, lead, follow or get out of the way. Apparently, leading and following are not in your job description. Therefore, get out of the way.

My name is Mike Chandler, and I am mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.

– Mike Chandler

Dear Editor,

I agree 100 percent with Margaret in her op/ed piece, Acosta Accosted, that:

“... We do not have to like the information reported, but it is critical that we love, respect, and support information and opinion in all their diverse forms.”However, she left one thing out; ACCURATELY:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-says-only-the-fake-news-are-the-enemy-of-the-people/. Fake news strikes again!

– Randy Scott

Dear Editor,

I read with disdain the article by Margaret Dickson in the most recent Up & Coming Weekly (June 27).

Her liberal bias is in full bloom to defend the previous POTUS’ First Ladies complaining about the “ILLEGAL” immigrants and their children. These are tough issues indeed but trying to push this agenda on our present POTUS is hogwash! He inherited their mess to start with and they were not strong enough to make those hard decisions.

Donald Trump is trying to straighten out the mess both of these ladies’ husband’s were not able to do and he has had to make some hard choices in doing so. 

(It) seems like every media source has an issue with standing up for our president and takes the popular path, which is to downplay and criticize instead of standing for the American citizen when it comes to the immigrant invasion.

– Tim Cannon

Dear Editor,

After reading your comment referring to the clowns of the NFL, I am a 22 year retired Veteran who happens to be black, I served so that Americans would have the right to legally protest their grievances. Just because you and other Americans think differently does not make it wrong. Let me bring to your attention that you being white, you will never understand, and for the most part the “Star Spangled Banner” was never written for African-Americans in the first place. It was written by a slave owner lawyer who spent his career fighting against the rights of African-Americans; nor was the Declaration of Independence or many of the other Bill of Rights. We just happen to be caught up in the middle of what white America thought and still thinks we should be. Yes, possibly the players could have used another venue to protest – although as usual no one pays any attention.

The mere fact that the players are using a venue that cannot be ignored is, in my opinion, outstanding because in spite of your feelings, the NFL and owners will not miss a nights sleep and any other financial lost (sic) will be made up somewhere else. The NFL will not go under because a few Americans disagree I can assure you. Professional sports have much more impact in this country than to be affected by a few disagreeable Americans.

Furthermore, my belief is that the only reason our president is making such a big deal about NFL players in protest at all is because the NFL refused to allow him to be a NFL team owner.

– Robert Johnson

Hey Bill, 

Loved your article about the NFL bozos and the true American heroes honored at the Purple Heart dinner. Don’t slow down and don’t quiet down brother! Hopefully the silent majority is still the majority! God bless America.

– Andy Anderson

As good as Cape Fear was in volleyball last season, coach Jeff Bruner doesn’t think it’s being too optimistic to say his Colts could be even better in 2018.

After a record-setting 2017 campaign that saw Cape Fear roll to a 26-4 record and advance to the third round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3-A playoffs, the Colts are off to a 5-2 start this season, including 4-0 halfway through the first round of games with league opponents.

What makes Bruner so positive about this season is he’s got five seniors on the court, one of the most experienced teams he’s ever fielded.

“We are molding the girls together and we really like our look,’’ he said. “Our goal has always been to improve each year. Last year, we made the third round (of the state playoffs). This year’s goal was fourth round or more.’’

Anchoring the middle for Pine Forest this season are seniors Lauren Adams and Techiera Matthews.

Adams was the Patriot Athletic Conference Player of the Year last season. She led the public schools in Cumberland County in kills with 363 and was third in aces with 86.

“She does it all for us,’’ Bruner said. “She’s the complete player. Once again, we’re trying to figure ways to use all her talents this year.’’Adams is picking up a new role for the Colts this year, helping out at the setter position. The setter in volleyball is like the quarterback in football or the point guard in basketball. All the offensive plays run through the setter position, so communication and coordination with the rest of the team is critical to success.

“We had a pretty successful year last year, so we have to connect and get everything back rolling on the good path like we have,’’ Adams said. “We all have strong points.” She summarized that she and her teammates are focusing on taking advantage of the team’s various strengths while also working to improve weaknesses.

Another key returner is senior Techiera Matthews. Matthews is the sister of former Cape Fear football standout Chris Matthews. Last season, Matthews was second in the county in kills with 302 and fourth in blocks with 63.

Matthews plays in the middle for Cape Fear and has become one of the team’s most dominant players. “When she’s on, she really has become the person the team is looking to right now to get a kill,’’ Bruner said. “She’s become a student of the game and more of a leader.’’

Matthews said the team is trying to reconstruct itself as it gets used to Adams and Margie Horne at the setter position.

“Losing a setter is big for our team,’’ Matthews said. “We’re trying to find the groove we were in last year and get us back to where we were.’’

Winning the conference again won’t be easy. Although they are unbeaten in league play so far, Cape Fear has four conference opponents, Gray’s Creek, Pine Forest, E.E. Smith and Terry Sanford, just one game behind them in the loss column.

“To get to the next level, we’re going to have to work harder,’’ Matthews said. “With six seniors, we feel we have a strong team, a very developed team. I feel we can go farther with as much leadership as we have.’’

Although Bruner feels good about the way the team has started in conference action, he knows nothing is guaranteed since they’ll face the whole league for a second time through the schedule.

“As long as we’re putting our best foot forward, we’re happy with the result,’’ he said. “I don’t think we’re there yet. We have a lot of room to improve the next go around.

“We’re looking for and striving for a conference championship. Every time we practice, we’re practicing for the fourth-round (playoff ) type teams.”

Bruner thinks what defines a championship team is identifying its weakest link. When you reach a point that a weakest link can’t be defined, that’s when he feels you know a team is championship-ready.

His other goal for this Cape Fear team is not to be predictable. “We don’t want another team to come in and know what Cape Fear is all about,’’ he said. “We want them to come in and be confused, feel like they are getting hit from all directions. When we get to that point, we’ll be happy with whatever result comes.’’

Photos L to R: Techiera Matthews, Coach Jeff Bruner, Lauren Adams

North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement special agents arrested 226 people on alcohol, drug and other charges during an operation Aug. 24 as part of a statewide crackdown. During the operation, ALE special agents in Fayetteville intervened during a disturbance outside a Food Lion on Rosehill Road. 

“Agents were checking ABC-licensed businesses, of which the Food Lion is one,” State Bureau of Investigation representative Patty McQuillan said. They heard a gunshot and responded to the scene. “A man was shot in the stomach area, and an ALE and SBI agent applied pressure to the wound and kept the suspect conscious during the event.” 

Fayetteville police said a man later identified as Marquel White, 26, was walking toward his vehicle in the parking lot with his 2-year-old daughter in his arms when a male subject began following him yelling expletives at him. After White put his daughter in the car, he was attacked by the male subject, who brandished a knife. 

“White fired a handgun at the man, striking him in the abdomen,” said Fayetteville police spokesman Lt. Gary Womble. Police have not released the name of the man with the knife.

More Hurricane Matthew relief

Hurricane Matthew environmental reviews have been approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Cumberland, Edgecombe and Wayne counties. They will provide hurricane repair funds from Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery. 

“Many residents in these three counties have been waiting for this approval so repairs and reimbursements can move forward for them,” said North Carolina Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry.” He added that the pace of HUD-funded repairs will accelerate quickly. Once homeowners formally accept their CDBG-DR awards, home repairs and reimbursements can follow.  

Homeowners who have already completed repairs and are seeking reimbursements will receive their reimbursement checks at closing. 

Congress initially appropriated $235 million in CDBG-DR funds to help residents in North Carolina recover from Hurricane Matthew. HUD has designated 80 percent of that funding to be used in the four counties hit hardest by Matthew: Cumberland, Edgecombe, Robeson and Wayne. Congress has identified an additional $168 million in CBDG-DR funds for North Carolina, and those funds will become available to the state once guidelines for their use appear in the Federal Register.

Soldier killed in out-off-state plane crash

A Fort Bragg soldier was among four victims killed in a small plane crash in Georgia earlier this month. The U.S. Army parachute team, the Golden Knights, said Staff Sgt. Aliaksandr Bahrytsevich, 31, was killed in the crash in Swainsboro. Bahrytsevich was originally from Belarus. He was off duty at the time of the crash. 

“Alex was extremely passionate about the sport of skydiving and always sought opportunities to coach and mentor other members of the team,” the Golden Knights said in a statement. “Alex served the U.S. Army with distinction and pride.” 

The Federal Aviation Administration said a Cessna 182A aircraft crashed just after takeoff from East Georgia Regional Airport. According to reports, a fifth person was badly injured and was in critical condition. 

Arts Council director to retire

Deborah Martin Mintz, executive director of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, says she will retire in early 2019. Mintz has worked with the Arts Council for more than 24 years, serving as executive director for 17 of them. “I am honored to have served this community through the arts and Arts Council for over two decades,” Mintz said. 

A national search is underway to fill Mintz’s position. “Deborah’s many years of progressive leadership, vision, management and operation of the Arts Council has firmly established the organization as a premier nonprofit arts agency in our community and one of the best in the state of North Carolina,” said David Phillips, president of the board of trustees of the Arts Council. 

A Dickens Holiday, 4th Fridays, the International Folk Festival and numerous popular events and programs were started or expanded during her tenure. The organization was founded in 1973 and is located at 301 Hay St. in downtown Fayetteville.

Cumberland County Fair

The Cumberland County Fair is well underway on the grounds of the Crown Complex. Ticket prices are $7. Unlimited carnival ride wristbands are $25. Individual ride tickets and wristbands are sold separately. Admission prices vary from day to day. Children under 2 years old get in free. 

The annual event celebrates the county’s agricultural heritage and combines family fun and entertainment with exciting rides and fair food. The exhibit hall features commercial, educational and informational booths as well as agricultural exhibits. 

Events include an interactive petting farm; Great American Timber Show; World of Wonders Show; Escape Explosion Show; Ring Wars Carolina Wrestling; racing pigs; toddler driving school; family and consumer sciences education; home, craft and agricultural exhibits; and a wide range of performances on the entertainment stage. 

Tickets can be purchased by phone at 1-888-257-6208, on the web at CapeFearTix.com, or in person at the Crown Box Office.

Every year in early autumn, Fayetteville celebrates the birthday of its namesake, the Revolutionary War hero Gilbert du Motier – the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette defied French King Louis XVI’s orders and sailed the Atlantic to assist the American rebels in 1777. Though many cities have been named after him, Fayetteville is the only namesake city the young Frenchman ever visited.

Birthday celebration activities take place all over Fayetteville Sept. 7-8, and one mainstay is the Festival of Yesteryear. Saturday, Sept. 8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., visit Arsenal Park downtown to get a taste of life during the Colonial and Revolutionary eras. Re-enactors in full Colonial attire will be performing daily tasks of the late 18th century, including woodworking, spinning and militia drills. 

This event focuses on history you can experience. “We like to demonstrate Colonial life for people in the community so they can... see what life was like (back then),” said Megan Maxwell, director for the 1897 Poe House at the Museum of the Cape Fear. 

The Festival of Yesteryear showcases several perspectives on the Colonial era, including those of patriots, loyalists, slaves and Native Americans. Both the Highland Regiment militia group, representing the loyalists, and the Wilmington District Minutemen, representing the patriots of Moore’s Creek battlefield, will set up camp and welcome visitors throughout the day. 

In the morning, the Highland Dancers will march alongside the Cross Creek Pipes and Drums at 10:30 a.m. for a performance of traditional Scottish music and dance. “This event is included because Fayetteville was founded by Scottish highlanders and loyalists,” Maxwell said.

Returning this year is the “The Death of Blackbeard” puppet show performed by the living history group Shades of Our Past at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The group will also offer silhouette drawings for a fee. 

Also returning is Life as Art Productions’ April C. Turner as she performs “African Spirituals: Freedom Prayers” at 2 p.m. According to Maxwell, this 40-minute performance has more to it than just a good time. “Turner reveals what life was like for an enslaved person during the early days of Colonial North Carolina through songs and dances,” she said. 

New to the festival this year, a historian will share about Native American hunting practices and perspectives on Colonial life. Musket and cannon firings will take place at 10 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. 

Various other performers, groups and artisans will participate in the event as well, including Camp Flintlock, the North Carolina Highland Regiment, woodworker Thomas Tucker and musical historian Simon Spalding. 

Stop by Apprentice Alley, where children can enjoy crafts and other trades taught by re-enactors. Learn to make Betsy Ross stars, tricorn hats and mob caps, and even try your hand at quilling, a popular paper-cutting craft from colonial days. Take pictures with the pillory, a wooden framework used to punish criminals. Don’t forget to visit the brewmaster for a few tips on ale, the Colonists’ favorite drink!

Free cake and ice cream will be served at 1 p.m. while supplies last.

“I’m excited about a lot this year – we always try to expand the festival with something new,” said Maxwell. 

Admission is free. Arsenal Park is located at 215 Myrover St. Call 910-486-1330 or visit museumofthecapefear.ncdcr.gov/Eventsfor more information.

Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meetings take place at Town Hall or the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation center.

• Board of Commissioners Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6 p.m., Special Meeting, William “Bill” Luther and Doris Luther Meeting Room. Called to conduct a closed session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (3) to discuss matters relating to attorney-client privilege and to conduct a Closed Session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (6) to discuss personnel matters.

• CANCELLED: Board of Commissioners and Festival Committee Monday, Sept. 10. 

•  Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m.

Activities

• Registration underway for the next Hope Mills Citizens Academy, which is designed to help citizens gain insight into how local government works and promote open lines of communication. The next Citizens Academy sessions begin Thursday, Sept. 6. Register online at www.townofhopemills.com. For more information, call Jane Starling at 910-424-4902 or email jstarling@townofhopemills.com.

• Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio’s, second Tuesdays at noon and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For details, call 910-237-1240. 

• Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo Thursday, Sept. 6, at the parking lot between Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5 p.m.

• Registration open for the 4th Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant Applications are now being accepted at Hope Mills Parks & Recreation. Registration Deadline is Friday, Sept. 14. The pageant is for ages are 3 - 22 years old. Visit www.townofhopemills.com/375/Miss-Hope-Mills-Cotton-Pageant and see applications for rules and important information for contestants. The pageant takes place Oct. 5 for ages 3-9 and Oct. 6 for ages 10-22.

He is like the houseguest who stays too long, and then when he’s finally gone, you miss him a little bit.

I am talking about Silent Sam, the Confederate memorial statue whose 100-plus-year presence on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ended recently. 

On the Monday night before the opening day of classes, a large crowd gathered to continue the ongoing protest of the statue’s prominent presence on the campus. Police were there to keep order, and, as they have done for months, protect the statue from damage. But before the evening was over, Silent Sam had been pulled to the ground, and campus officials had removed his remains to an undisclosed location.

For the protestors and many students and faculty, the statue represented the glorification of the slave-based society that Confederate soldiers fought to defend and the white supremacy culture that prevailed when the statue was erected in 1913.

Others throughout the state argued that the memorial to the fallen soldiers was simply that, a respectful tribute and reminder of the glory and the horror of brave people who gave their lives in wartime conflict.

Writing for the Raleigh News & Observer the day after Silent Sam came down, retired editor and Pulitzer Prize winner, Ed Yoder, explained his attachment to the memory of his great-grandfather, who died in battle in 1864, “has little to do with racial pride (or)... accord with the Confederate cause as it would have been understood... For a remote descendant the satisfaction... lies in a sense of rootedness... a continuity with the history of a nation so largely shaped by conflict.”

For Yoder, Silent Sam was “a remembrance of duty and self-sacrifice that I have known as an unoffending visual companion since boyhood. Perhaps that is why its mob destruction is like the severing of a limb. And it hurts.”

On the other hand, an Aug. 23 editorial in the WilmingtonStar News set forth the following: “African-American students at UNC, which refused to admit black undergraduates until a federal court intervened in 1955, should not be greeted at the campus doorsteps by a prominent symbol glorifying the cause of white supremacy. While some people want to brush off the power of the statue’s symbolism, our nation’s ugly history on race doesn’t provide such a luxury.”

The statue has been for many students and faculty a part of a hostile campus atmosphere and something they believed should have been removed long ago. University officials, however, declined to act, asserting that state law prohibited the removal or relocation of the monument.

A few days before Silent Sam came down, Hampton Dellinger, an attorney for the Black Law Students Association, a faculty member, and several other students wrote to UNC officials demanding Silent Sam’s removal, threatening a lawsuit and asserting that the memorial fostered a racially hostile environment, which would be a violation of federal civil rights laws. 

Dellinger contended, “Because of UNC’s overriding obligation to comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, UNC is not only free to remove Silent Sam in order to adhere to federal law, it is legally obligated to do so.”

No doubt Dellinger will use these arguments in the coming debate about whether to reinstall the monument.

I admit that I miss him. He was part of the familiar and comfortable campus landscape. Like Ed Yoder, I do not believe that my affection for and pride in Southern culture is racist.

But the better part of Southern culture is concern for the comfort and well-being of our neighbors. If Silent Sam projected racism to them, it is better that he does not come back.

On Aug. 28, Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner was interviewed by Jeff Goldberg (Goldy), the morning radio host on WFNC 640AM. It was a follow up interview to Hope Mills Commissioners Meg Larson and Mike Mitchell’s discussion with Goldy on Aug. 23 about the status of the Lone Survivor Foundation’s attempt to build a $1.5 million facility in Hope Mills to treat veterans suffering from PSTD and other war related disorders. 

In contrast to Larson and Mitchell’s stammering through their interview, interrupting one another and faltering midsentence, Warner came across as confident, articulate and knowledgeable about the Lone Survivor project. She was remarkably polite and diplomatic. She was the near perfect example of grace under fire. Even when she was prodded to the more salacious side of the issue, Warner maintained confident and credible control of the conversation.

Commissioners Larson and Mitchell have pushed a biased and one-sided version of the LSF situation since mid-July, ignoring public sentiment and insisting that the land this nonprofit organization would like to purchase – or lease – from the town is not for sale, and that it’s needed for a future potential multipurpose reservoir. 

Not true. 

Warner effectively debunked these notions with facts and statistics. She also dismissed allegations of possible collusion and conflicts of interest that arose due to the fact that her son, Teddy Warner, is employed as the director of business development for the Fayetteville. Cumberland Economic Development Corporation. The FCEDC’s mission is to recruit businesses, organizations and institutions that contribute to the economic development of all cities and towns within Cumberland County, including Hope Mills. Warner reminded Goldy that as mayor, she doesn’t even have a vote in the matter and is in no way in a position to profit financially from the LSF partnership.  

And, while some commissioners on the board were offended because they thought they were being kept in the dark about the LSF project, Warner reassured everyone that all proper local government protocols were followed. And, as the mayor of Hope Mills, Warner is the head of the board of commissioners and serves as the leading ambassador for the town. In this position of leadership, she is responsible for looking after the best interests of the town and all its residents. 

Warner pointed out that inquiries of this nature are a typical occurrence.  Hope Mills is frequently approached by individuals, businesses and organizations wanting to partner with the town. All inquiries are properly vetted by the town manager and then channeled to the relevant person or department. Warner noted the necessity of developing strong partnerships with large-scale businesses, organizations and institutions when trying to successfully develop and grow a community. Referencing Hope Mills’ limited financial resources, she made the point that partnerships with organizations like the LSF allow Hope Mills to do considerably more with its assets than the town could afford to do otherwise. In this case, the LSF is offering to develop Hope Mills land for recreational use at the foundation’s own expense, then lease or sell the land back to Hope Mills should the town need it in the future – a $1.5 million win-win-win scenario, you would think. 

While there is no logical downside to this partnership, there could be considerable long-term consequences for the town 

if the board doesn’t yield to public sentiment and reconsider its position on the LSF proposal. Future economic development opportunities for the town would be difficult if not impossible to attract once the business development community learns that Hope Mills is illogically difficult to work with. After all, the LSF is a well-respected and well-funded organization that the FCEDC brought forth in good faith to the town of Hope Mills. It is an amazing opportunity for the town to serve the community, its residents, Fort Bragg and all the military veterans of Cumberland County and the nation.

These are all factors that neither Commissioner Mitchell nor Larson have taken into consideration. It makes you wonder what their real motivation is for their objection to the LSF project. One thing is for sure, it does not concern any of the people mentioned above who stand to benefit from this project.

Check out page 25 of this issue for a play-by-play rebuttal by Elizabeth Blevins of Goldy’s Aug. 23 interview with Commissioners Larson and Mitchell.

Stay tuned, and thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly and HopeMills.net.

Photo: Jackie Warner

Greater Fayetteville is the beneficiary of a Department of Defense realignment of analysts and consultants. This summer, the Pentagon announced that in the future, all strategic analysis will be outsourced to private corporations. Defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.is replacing tens of thousands of strategists across the Department of Defense with a much smaller number of consultants.

Booz Allen Hamilton is an information technology consulting firm headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It announced that it is doubling its Fayetteville workforce of 200 employees already employed at its offices on Morganton Road. The company has been chosen to assist the Pentagon and its subordinate commands in disbanding their strategic plans and policy staffs, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced at a news conference that the company will hire another 208 employees locally. The announcement was made at the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation office. Booz Allen Hamilton plans to expand its local operation over the next five years in exchange for more than $2 million in state and local tax incentives. 

The state’s Economic Investment Committee unanimously approved a job development investment grant for the company minutes before the local announcement was made. Fayetteville City Council and Cumberland County Commissioners awarded tax rebates of up to $89,000 each. 

Cooper said Booz Allen picked Fayetteville because of Cumberland County’s workforce, which is strengthened by veterans and military spouses who live here. The company emphasizes employing military veterans. 

“The majority of these new jobs will be IT focused, and Booz Allen knows we have the IT talent and training resources to deliver so they can continue tackling the complex military, business and government challenges of today and the future,” Cooper added.

Booz Allen Hamilton has 14 offices around the country and a total global workforce of 24,600 employees. 

“The creation of these high-quality jobs confirms our status as a defense and innovation hub and brings important new career opportunities to our community,” said Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin.

Booz Allen Hamilton plans to hire mostly IT specialists, data scientists and engineers – at an average salary of $64,000, according to County Commission Chairman Larry Lancaster. The company also plans to make more than $5 million in capital improvements to its Fayetteville offices in the three-story building at the corner of Morganton and Sycamore Dairy Roads.

Booz Allen Hamilton will roll out its expansion in two phases, with the first involving moving new offices into 6,000 square feet of additional space on the ground floor of the building – space made available by the recent relocation of the Richardson Law Firm. The company’s existing offices take up 11,000 square feet on the second and third floors of the building. When the current lease is up in 2020, the company plans to relocate to accommodate future growth.

Finally, there is a place close to Fayetteville that is built for ATVs and dirt bikes. 

A few weeks ago, my friend Matt put out a call to go to the new Deep Creek ATV Park. 

The morning of the trip, the weatherman said it was going to be a nice, cool day. The plan was simple. We were to meet at Hardee’s on Ramsey Street, eat breakfast and head out. I met my friends Rick and Ryan there, but as usual, Matt was a no show. Yes, I just dimed Matt out in print for not showing for his own event. 

As we pulled into the park, I was impressed with how much land there was. We went into the office and met Susan, who signed us in and gave us maps and information about the park. The park has camping, showers and a concession stand. 

Our friend Bill had trailered his dirt bike there, and we went to join him. The clouds began to turn dark, and rain began to fall. Ryan was new to off-road riding and decided that with his street tires on his dualsport bike, this could be a little more ambitious than his ability, so he decided to head back home. 

After gearing up, we headed out. We quickly came to the tunnel that goes under Slocomb Road. The tunnel had water in it, but the floor of the tunnel was perfect for riding through. As we came out of the tunnel, we hit the trails. The trails were wide and well-marked. Areas were clearly marked with stops and various areas with cool names like Cook Pits, TT’s Sand Bar, Peanuts Peak and 5/30 Pit Stop. 

The rain began to pour, and my helmet began to fog up. The trails began to fill with water as the landscape dropped down to the Cape Fear River. 

Being the only riders dumb enough to be out in that downpour, I think we had the park all to ourselves. I loved having lots of trees around me. We spent a few hours out there, and to be honest, it was considered one of the best riding days we had had in a long time. 

The park is located on Slocomb Road in Linden, just north of the Goodyear plant.

For more information, call Deep Creek ATV Park at 910-929-0658 or visit www.deepcreekatv.com.

If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE!

Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Chapman, 36, was killed soon after military action began in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Chapman died in combat March 4, 2002. Sixteen years later, the Pope Air Field special operations airman received the Congressional Medal of Honor. 

Why did the honor take so long?He was alone atop an Afghan mountain suffering from bullet wounds to his legs and surrounded by hundreds of al-Qaida militants. Chapman used his final moments of life to make sure other American troops had a chance to survive a battle in which they were significantly outnumbered. Chapman – believed dead when his comrades fled the mountaintop amid heavy fire – awoke from unconsciousness and fought off enemy attackers for an hour while a helicopter carrying an assault force of Army Rangers approached.

Chapman, from the protection of a chest-high bunker, did the unthinkable – charged forward, turning his back on an enemy machine gun, and fired on two fighters preparing to launch rocket-propelled grenades at the incoming Chinook, killing them both. He was mortally wounded by the machinegun fire. For that action on the night of March 3 through the morning of March 4, 2002, President Donald Trump presented his family the Medal of Honor encased in a shadowbox earlier this month.

Chapman had been attached as an Air Force combat controller to the Navy’s SEAL Team 6. He and fallen SEAL Petty Officer Neil Roberts had been left behind on the mountain. Early evidence about Chapman’s final hours was that a SEAL NCO incorrectly declared Chapman dead during the attack, The New York Times was the first to report. SEAL team leader, Master Chief Petty Officer Britt Slabinski, had ordered his outgunned and heavily bloodied team to withdraw. 

Slabinski, who received the Medal of Honor for his own actions earlier in that battle, credited Chapman with saving the lives of his teammates and endorsed him for the Medal of Honor. 

Chapman was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, the second highest Air Force award for valor. 

For many years, some Air Force officials believed Chapman deserved the Medal of Honor. But until a lengthy two-and-a-half-year investigation into Chapman’s heroism was completed, that went unproven. 

Chapman was assigned to the U.S. Air Force 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Field. It is an Air Force component of Fort Bragg’s Joint Special Operations Command. Combat Controllers are skilled battlefield airmen who are often assigned individually to special operations teams to provide expert battlefield airstrike control and communications capabilities. 

Evidence compiled in 2016 by a team of 17 Air Force special operators proved Chapman had indeed lived longer than originally reported. He continued to fight and likely intentionally gave his own life to give others a better chance to survive. New technology used in an examination of videos from aircraft flying overhead indicated that Chapman killed the two al-Qaida fighters before “dying in an attempt to protect arriving reinforcements,” The New York Times reported. 

The review also relied heavily on video recorded by a predator drone overhead throughout much of the fight, according to an Air Force special tactics officer who was involved in the investigation. What the team found was “awe inspiring” and left little doubt that Chapman’s actions deserved the military’s highest honor for battlefield valor, the officer said.

Along with Chapman, six other Americans died during what became known as the battle of Roberts Ridge. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made the recommendation to upgrade Chapman’s Air Force Cross earlier this year. 

Photo: John Chapman