Cape Fear Regional Theatre will bring Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize winning play “Disgraced” to the stage March 15- 25. With special events planned to complement the production, CFRT is inviting local audiences to start a conversation on topics usually not discussed in polite company – religion, politics, immigration and racism.

“Any opportunity to discuss these topics in any local community would be a good thing to allow people to review their own viewpoints and challenge them,” said Dr. Andrew Ziegler Jr., professor and chair of the political science department at Methodist University.

Ziegler will serve as the moderator for a pre-show discussion March 18 at CFRT called “No Politics at Dinner: How Do We Discuss Difficult Topics.”

These hot-button topics will be on full display in “Disgraced,” said CFRT Artistic Director Mary Kate Burke. The story deals with how the topic of radical Islam affects public discourse on our differences in race and creed. It examines how we not only have preconceived ideas of other people, but also often struggle with our own self-identity.

“This particular show is taking on some tough issues,” Ziegler said. “But theater allows us to do that.”

In the play, two couples meet for dinner. As they exchange observations about careers, faith and politics, tempers flare and things get tense. Secrets are revealed and lives are upended.

Amir is a Pakistani-American lawyer working for a Jewish firm in New York. He is set for a huge promotion until he agrees to defend an Islamic imam accused of terrorism. Amir’s wife, Emily, is an artist about to book a major gallery showing of her work based on Islamic imagery. The couple hosts Isaac, a Jewish curator, and his wife, Jory, an African- American woman who works at Amir’s firm.

Director Dani Keil said the play presents complicated characters and enough action to pull the audience in before delivering a “gut punch” that will leave them with questions and conflicting feelings.

“I know the audience will like these characters and, at times, not like these characters,” Keil said.

As the story unfolds, our empathy for those characters changes, Burke said.

“There are no heroes and villains, just complicated people,” Burke said. “It’s really the best kind of family drama. The heart of the play is when people judge you based on some perception of who you are.”

“(The play shows) the importance of listening, the importance of being able to say ‘I was wrong,’ the importance of being a part of a community and still being able to challenge its notions,” she said.

Actor Raji Ahsan, who plays Amir, has performed in two productions of the play and said he learns more about himself and the characters each time.

“All the characters have flaws,” Ahsan said. “I believe everybody in this play does something disgraceful.

“This play really challenges stereotypes. The idea of identity is made up of myriad things, not just how you were raised.”

His character Amir is in a battle of identity and reinvention – wanting to fit in and find success, but unable to reconcile his culture with the American dream. He finds that even if you distance yourself from your culture, the outside world may never see past their preconceived notions of you.

The play presents an opportunity to address such notions and start a dialogue, said Burke.

“These characters are debating various issues around their lives and identities and who deserves success and not,” Burke said. “The experience of watching the characters going through it hopefully allows you to consider how you treat other people.”

Ziegler said his previous military service and deployments overseas helped him learn the importance of opening a dialogue to gain awareness of stereotypes in order to bridge divides among people of different backgrounds.

“The notion of acceptance and tolerance – it’s okay for people to hold different viewpoints but not to demonize people who hold different viewpoints than our own,” Ziegler said. “I think most of us do not confront beliefs and ideas that we disagree with. The theater gives incentive for people to go and creates an opportunity to hear and see things they might not face.”

Listening is the first step in recognizing some of these ideas, Ahsan said.

“Humans have a problem listening,” he said. “It’s the downfall of any sort of progress – personal or professional. Things only change when we accept a point of view we never really considered.”

Seth Shelden, who plays museum curator Isaac, said “Disgraced” presents no clear answers or assertions of right or wrong. “I couldn’t tell you what the author’s political affiliations are,” he said. “He’s showing us how hard it is to tell other people what your identity is.

“It’s human nature to define who we are, tell other people who we are, and decide who other people are.”

The problem arises when people attempt to speak for another’s identity, such as Lauren Mae Shafer’s character Emily.

“She is a white woman doing art based on Islamic traditions,” Shafer said.

Burke said “Disgraced” is being produced in an intimate manner, with the audience sitting on three sides of the stage.

“We want people to feel unclear about what their own preconceived notions are,” Burke said. It mimics voyeurism, she said, where the audience members will feel as if they are in Amir’s apartment, watching this story unfold right before their eyes.

This arrangement does limit seating on the already limited-run show, so audience members are encouraged to get their tickets early.

In addition to Ahsan, Shelden and Shafer, the cast includes Alason Little as Jory and Darius Shafa as Abe.

CFRT has a number of special events scheduled to support “Disgraced.”

Preview Night Art Fun

Friday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. at CFRT. Be the first to see “Disgraced” and stay after for hands-on art making with dessert and tea.

Opening Night Celebration

Saturday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. Stay after the show to celebrate with the cast and creative team.

“No Politics at Dinner: How Do We Discuss Difficult Topics”

Sunday, March 18, at 1 p.m. at CFRT

Discussing politics and religion in social settings is often frowned upon, but what are the benefits of talking about these topics? Break the rules of polite conversation as experts and journalists lead a pre-show discussion. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Andrew Ziegler Jr. of Methodist University. Panelists include Dr. Naveed Aziz, Dr. JR Hustwit and Paul Woolverton from The Fayetteville Observer.

Military Appreciation Night

Wednesday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m.

Military members and family receive discounted tickets for the show.

“Disgraced” is a limited-run show March 15-25 with limited seating based on a new stage configuration. The play is rated R due to its language and violence. There are discounts for military, seniors and students. For tickets or more information on special events, contact CFRT at 910-323-4233 or visit www.cfrt.org.

I completely admire King Solomon’s prayer for wisdom. Nowhere is true wisdom more needed than with our city’s insistence that we halt our participation in the opioid litigation and that the local firms hired by the city meet the city’s often-ignored policy of promoting minority-owned businesses.

We should admire and respect our mayor’s resolve in enforcing this policy once and for all. So intent is his commitment to this policy, he convinced the council to rescind a lawfully executed contract the city had done through its attorney after the council had empowered her to act.

The signed contract involved my firm and the Hutchens firm as local counsel – after we were associated by the national firm of McHugh Fuller Law Group and six other national firms that are representing over 200 municipalities in seeking damages from four of the largest opioid distributors in the country. These distributors willfully violated our country’s schedule II law as it relates to controlled substance distribution after their own studies “proved” their premise that opioids are non-addictive when a patient is in pain.

This group has successfully won the first suit in West Virginia, and they are in good standing with the court that presided over that trial and is now in charge of the next round of litigation. In other words, with this firm, we are in the room with the decision-makers and with the court that will decide the merits of the case.

It is essentially a front row seat to the mediation settlement and our trial of this litigation.

The move to rescind this contract to promote Fayetteville’s ignored policy regarding minority-owned businesses, albeit a noble one, is a dangerous move. In doing so, not only are we not in the room, we are not in the suit itself. Given the current posture of the situation, neither the county nor the city has any designs to act promptly even though the judge in the case has issued an edict saying he intends to expedite the signup period and begin settlement negotiations as soon as possible.

My fear is that this delay will cause Fayetteville and Cumberland County to miss out on a potential eight-figure recovery, which we sorely need to augment our depleted budget. There is a Latin phrase used in the law, “Vigilantilous et non dormientibus jura subvenunt.” It means, “The law assists those that are vigilant with their rights and not those who sleep thereupon.”

My fear is well-founded, as this judge has made it clear that the train is about to leave the station. Thus, to delay signing up, we take a substantial risk of being left out of the chance to receive a substantial recovery. As the old saying goes, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

How did we get to this point? In October 2017, I was approached by a group of well-respected North Carolina attorneys who were hired by the six other national firms. Their job was to act as local counsel and to promptly engage as many North Carolina counties and larger municipalities as possible. This was because the court had recently ruled in West Virginia that the four major distributors were, in fact, responsible for the substantial uptick in addiction to opioids. The ruling and verdict opened the door for counties and cities to participate in recovering monies for the strain on services the opioid addiction epidemic has placed upon them.

The litigation is similar to the tobacco litigation of the ’80s and ’90s and is based on sound fact, legal authority and precedent. It was stressed to me that time was a rare commodity and the court was going to allow a relatively short time to sign up those entities that were damaged by this plague.

Toward that end, the group wanted Cumberland County and Fayetteville enrolled and asked if I would set up a meeting with the county officials, including the county manager, the director of the health department and lead counsel. I was glad to do this, and in late October of 2017, one of the lead lawyers in the case met with myself, the director of the health department, the county manager and several other top officials.

By all accounts, all agreed Cumberland County and the city have a substantial need to be involved in the case for many reasons.

1. Cumberland County is in the top 20 in the nation in opioid addictions.

2. The tobacco litigation has created a viable legal theory to craft a very winnable case. In fact, the case has been won in West Virginia.

3. Our county and city resources have been stretched to their maximum in no short measure due to the opioid plague. Consider 85 percent of our incarcerated population is in jail due to addiction.

4. To be reimbursed by those who helped cause this crisis is only fair. They caused the harm. They should help fix it.

Further, the evidence is overwhelming that despite knowing this addictive quality, they perpetuated a fraud on medical personnel and the public that “one cannot become addicted to opioids while in true pain.” Not only is it very possible to become addicted to opioids while in pain, but a person must with each succeeding dose take more of the drug just to reach the same pain reduction threshold. The strain on our hospitals, mental health professionals and law enforcement is extremely burdensome.

We left the meeting fully believing we had everyone’s support and that our county and city were going to rapidly take steps to get in the mix of the many cities and counties that have signed up to be involved in the case. Despite our best efforts to date, we are still on the outside looking in.

My deepest fear is that our effort to honor a very noble and much-needed policy will delay us to the point it costs us a seat at the table on this important litigation.

The solution: I believe we have a two-pronged approach that, if followed, can enforce a well-intended policy and still allow us to be seated at the table. But it requires deliberate and fast action on behalf of the county and the city. First, longterm, our businesses and firms doing business with the city and county should make every effort to reflect our community. We are stronger united. Toward that end, our firm is committed to honoring the mayor’s edict and has a stated goal that our personnel mirror our community. We have lawyers who are Asian-American, Hispanic- American, African-American and both male and female. Our staff has four Hispanic-Americans who are bilingual. I can honestly say I have never enjoyed a group of wonderful colleagues more.

But we are not 51 percent minority-owned. Therefore, do we comply with this policy or not? Frankly, it matters not. We certainly comply with a track record of success, and our dream is that we follow our mayor’s lead and show talented, committed diversity works.

Second, let’s select three firms to serve as local counsel. Let’s honor our previous commitment and add a third majority minority-owned firm to help with the litigation. But let’s do so promptly.

So, let’s open the doors of opportunity and promptly select firms to shepherd our community into this unique and complex litigation. As Mark Twain stated, “It’s never wrong to do the right thing.” But let’s make sure the road less traveled leads to prosperity and not despair. In pursuing equal representation for minorities, let’s not miss out on an equally important opportunity. We have the chance to reimburse our community for the monies expended and the misery caused by the distributors pushing pills onto a public and a medical community who were not quite ready to fully understand the ramifications of such a policy.

If our city and county officials will act deliberately and quickly, we can have both a meaningful policy of diversity in hiring local firms and be involved in the opioid litigation. However, if we delay and debate this issue ad infinitum, we could very well lose a seat at the table. It is time to put aside any disagreements on this issue and act in the best interest of the citizens of this community.

Toward that end, my firm stands ready, willing and able to partner with any other firm that the city chooses to have us partner with. I wish the city and the county the best in their efforts in weighing these two competing policies in hopes they can have both policies succeed at the same time.

Open season may be a good thing for a hunter, but for a bowler it’s about as bad as it can get.

In bowling, going open means not knocking down as many pins as possible in a turn or frame of a game. Pine Forest bowling coach Heidi Henry said her boys team had a lot of open frames during the regular season that caused her squad to struggle.

She repeatedly told her players if they could pull it together, nobody could beat them. They finally proved her right in this year’s state bowling championships at Fayetteville’s B&B Lanes. The Trojans battled back from being third seed to defeat No. 2 Lakewood 292-202 and No. 1 Gray’s Creek 295-241 to take the title.

Henry praised the performance of junior Jacob Ezzelle in the championship match as a key to Pine Forest’s victory.

“He had only one or two open frames during bracket play, which is really critical,” Henry said.

Ezzelle was bowling in the No. 3 position for the Trojans. “If he opened, that’s an open in the middle of the game, which is essentially where it could hurt you the most,’’ Henry said.

Having Ezzelle avoid open frames helped set up the fourth and fifth bowlers in the Pine Forest lineup to perform with more confidence in the closing frames, to score well and have a good game for the team.

Ezzelle has been bowling since he was a freshman, following in the footsteps of his brother who was also a member of the Trojan bowling team.

He called bowling a serious sport that is also relaxing.

While Ezzelle said he always had high hopes for a good season, he didn’t think this year’s Trojan team would make it as far as it did.

“It was little things here and there that hurt us,’’ he said of the team’s regular-season problems. “I wouldn’t say I was disappointed. I felt we could have done better.’’

Ezzelle said the team went back to basics and focused on practice at an individual level to overcome its earlier mistakes.

He thinks prospects for the future of bowling at Pine Forest look good.

“We’re losing one senior and we’ve got some young guys that are going to step up,’’ he said. “I think we’ll be fine.’’

As for Ezzelle, he said he plans to listen to Henry, not be as hard-headed and keep practicing.

Photo: L to R: Jacob Ezzelle, Dominik Lipari, Noah Hash, Justin Turner, Kendell St. Peter, William Bonds, Coach Heidi Henry, Jonathan Henderson, Manager Nakeithia Butcher

When it comes to safety from the danger of fire, the citizens of Hope Mills can breathe a little easier these days.

The town will soon replace a pair of fire trucks that have been in service a total of nearly 50 years. Two state-of-the-art vehicles built from the ground up by the Rosenbauer Group will take their place.

Rosenbauer, which is based in Austria, is one of three manufacturers of fire-fighting vehicles worldwide.

“They’ve been here for about 16 or 17 years,’’ said Hope Mills fire Chief Chuck Hodges of Rosenbauer. “We went with Rosenbauer because we’ve had real good service with the previous trucks we’ve had. I think it will do a good job for the town.’’

The two new trucks are priced at $499,000 each, Hodges said. They were built from the tires up to specific instructions provided by the town. It took about a year to build each one.

Both of these trucks are pumper tankers, Hodges said. “Basically, a tanker is like a mobile hydrant system,’’ Hodges aid. “There are some areas we respond to that don’t have hydrants. That extra water is helpful.’’

Each truck is also equipped with what Hodges called a jet dump operation. That means if they get to a fire scene where even more water is needed than the truck carries, they can offload the water in the truck in what amounts to a portable swimming pool and then go get water from another nearby source like a pond.

“The water in the pool can be drafted while they get more water,’’ he said.

The minimum crew to staff a pumper is three firefighters, Hodges said, but the truck can accommodate a crew of up to six.

Hodges said his firemen are currently preparing to put the new trucks into action as they transfer existing firefighting equipment from the old trucks.

The only new equipment that came with the trucks is the radios.

Items being moved from the old trucks include hoses, nozzles, axes and pike poles, Hodges said.

The oldest of the two trucks being mustered out of service was a 1986 model. The other is a 1998.

While the yardstick for determining when to retire most vehicles is mileage, Hodges said that’s not a good indicator of age on a fire truck.

Hodges said the typical lifespan of a fire truck in a moderately busy fire department is 15 to 20 years.

“When you’re dealing with fire apparatus, it’s not the miles, it’s the pump hours,’’ he said. That means when the truck travels to a fire scene, it may only go a few miles on the odometer. But the real wear and tear on the engine occurs at the scene of a fire when you calculate how long the motor had to run to power the firefighting machinery aboard when the truck doesn’t move an inch.

“You pump six hours, that’s still wear and tear on the engine,’’ Hodges said. “Anything mechanical, over time, just starts to wear out, and it costs money to repair.’’

He thinks the townspeople of Hope Mills should be pleased once the new trucks are fully operational, most likely before the end of February.

“It’s something we shouldn’t have any issues with,’’ Hodges said.

I walked out to the street recently and picked up my copy of The Fayetteville Observer. There was the headline, “2018 Dogwood Festival features rap, rock, country.” I was saddened, but not surprised, to see that rap artists will be featured at this year’s festival. In what follows, I explain the reasons for my sadness … and that sadness runs deep.

With a 13-year-old black girl who I mentor, I am reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by Sean Covey. Early in the book, Covey addresses the importance of paradigms in the life of a person. He writes, “A paradigm is the way you see something; it’s your point of view, frame of reference or belief. Sometimes our paradigms are way off the mark, and, as a result, they create limitations. For instance, you may be convinced that you don’t have what it takes to get into college. But, remember, Ptolemy was just as convinced that the earth was the center of the universe.”

Later in the book Covey says, “Paradigms are like glasses. When you have incomplete paradigms about yourself or life in general, it’s like wearing glasses with the wrong prescription.”

Therein is the reason for my sadness. With absolutely no reservation, I contend that the appearance of rap artists at the Dogwood Festival will likely substantially contribute negatively to the formation of paradigms by black attendees. This might also be the case with some whites, but my focus here is on black attendees. My concern, my sadness, is not only driven by the personal appearance of and lyrics employed by most artists in this genre, but also by how rap came to the Dogwood Festival.

In November 2016, I wrote a column titled, “Dogwood Festival Music Diversity: An opportunity for exercising leadership.” That column is available at www.karlmerritt.com/category/articles/page/3. I relayed how some members of Fayetteville City Council were pressuring the Dogwood Festival executive director and board of directors to diversify the music offerings. I think “pressuring” is a rather mild way of describing what was done. At the bottom line, they called for including music genres that appealed to blacks. Even beyond diversity in music, there was a not-so-subtle call for including blacks on the board of directors.

I saw this as local government making demands on a very successful effort that was started by volunteers, and with very minimally paid staff – it is carried primarily by volunteers. The formula for success, from my vantage point, was one that focused on country music, a family atmosphere, financially supporting worthy causes, helping make Fayetteville attractive for business and promoting economic growth. Then-Mayor-pro-tem Mitch Colvin, now mayor, argued that the city was providing police and other support to the festival. Read my November 2016 column to get what I believe is a thoughtful response to that argument.

have no doubt that what I have summarized here, and presented in detail in 2016, resulted in the Dogwood Festival adding rap to the entertainment lineup. Simply put, in the name of diversity, I believe that they were forced to do it. My observation is that any time there is a call for diversity, charges of racism immediately follow if white Americans do not instantly provide whatever is demanded. Although used routinely and far too often without foundation, the racism charge has great power.

Looking at all of this, I would argue that the message received by black Americans is: Do not invest in organizing, in building anything of worth … just force your way in on what others have built and organized. Even though implementing your desired changes might jeopardize the ongoing success of what is in place, demand the changes anyway – in the name of diversity. You have this right because of past discrimination, slavery, being disadvantaged, constituting a certain percentage of the population and a multitude of other reasons.

Let there be no doubt – the message described in the preceding paragraph contributes to creating paradigms in individuals. The resulting paradigm is the kind that allows one to believe it is acceptable to, in protesting, burn down businesses owned by people who had absolutely nothing to do with whatever started the protest. From the black perspective, this seeming license to force one’s way into what has been built by whites feeds a view of self as victim and whites as the enemy.

All of this is not only destructive to the individual, but also to our nation. I see the pressure process that, I believe, brought rap to the Dogwood Festival as a prime example of contributing to negative paradigms in people, especially black Americans. Seeing this process play out is a saddening experience for me.

Then there is how I believe the personal appearance of, and lyrics presented by, these artists will likely negatively affect paradigm formation among attendees. Consider Coolio, one of the rap artists scheduled to appear. What follows are a few lines from his rap “Is this me?”

Mossberg Smith and Wesson

Forty-five let me tell you how I learned my lesson

House party in the hood at some niggas I don’t know

But I had to go they had a house full of hoes

I stepped into that party with my nigga high off that head

The hoes is looking good so we try to make a friend for night

Let’s get it right let’s get it straight”

Then, the song ends with these lyrics:

“These streets won’t let me go

I can’t escape this life

That they got me trapped inside

This really really really ain’t me

But the streets won’t let me go

I can’t escape this life

That they got me trapped inside.

Granted, these are just snippets of a Coolio rap. However, they provide a sense as to what will likely be presented in what has been a family-oriented event. I do not see any reason to believe lyrics of this type help develop positive paradigms that are critical to successful living. Instead, just the opposite can reasonably be expected. That is sad.

Please visit coolioworld.com/photos and view photos of Coolio. Doing so is essential to understanding and appreciating the case I am making in this paragraph. In my estimation, except for one photo of him in a suit, Coolio presents himself in a fashion that does not inspire selfrespect, self-worth or any of the other attributes conducive to successful and responsible living. Consequently, personal appearance will likely be another negative input to the paradigms of many in the audience.

I have used Coolio in explaining my sadness regarding rap at the Dogwood Festival. However, be assured I have the same concerns in reference to rap artists in general. That is because all of them, that I have seen, pose the same threat to positive paradigms as I have presented here.

In the midst of my sadness, I find hope in knowing that I will do everything in my power to ensure that the kinds of forces described above do not influence the paradigm development of that 13-year-old black girl I mentor. If people across this nation do not take a similar stand, we will continue to see young lives destroyed due to failure-producing paradigms.

Photo: Coolio

 

For the third time in five seasons, the Northwood Temple Academy girls are state basketball champions.

The Eagles brought home this season’s North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A title with a convincing 70-57 win over Neuse Christian in the championship game at Forsyth Country Day.

They ended the season with a 22-5 record.

Head coach Donald Moore credited the team’s conditioning and everyone buying into playing a specific role as keys to the championship.

“It wasn’t just one person,’’ he said. “We have one person leading in scoring (Ciara Moore), one in rebounding (Shenell Davis) and one in blocks (Arielle Wilson). It was a team effort.’’

It all started with a long off-season where Moore focused on strength and conditioning, then continued with a tough non-conference schedule in regular season to prepare the Eagles for the run to the championship.

“We were able to find out what we were weak in and the areas we needed to improve,’’ Moore said of the non-conference schedule.

In the state semifinal round, the Eagles scored a 68-57 win over the Burlington School that wasn’t as easy as the score might indicate.

“We were down most of the game,’’ Moore said. “Arielle and Ciara got in foul trouble.’’ With them sitting on the bench, Kendal Moore stepped up. “Kendal kept us in the game in the first half and Arielle hit some big threes in the second half,’’ Moore said.

The championship game featured the best point production of the season for Northwood as seven players scored. Ciara Moore led with 26 points, Kendal with 19 and Davis 12.

“We were able to use our athleticism and defensively focus on stopping their two big scorers, two Brazilian players with a ton of experience,’’ Moore said.

Ciara Moore said the championship meant a lot after working so hard all season. “Kendal and I grew up together,’’ Moore said of her cousin. “We’ve been playing since we were five years old. It really brings a strong bond of chemistry, and it shows on the court.’’

Kendal Moore said the underclassmen like herself and Ciara wanted a championship ring for the team’s seniors. Already committed to play at North Carolina State University, Moore said having the pressure of her college decision behind her makes it easier to focus on playing for Northwood. “I know where I want to go,’’ she said. “I don’t have to worry about the schools contacting me.’’

Coach Moore only loses two seniors on this year’s team, Wilson and Davis.

His players don’t play a great deal of summer basketball, he said, but he’s confident about next season. “Based on how I saw some of the other players play this year, I’m looking forward to coaching next year,’’ he said. “We’ve got some good pieces coming back.’’

Photos: Front row, L to R: Valerie Veauthier, Morgan Smith, Kendal Moore (daughter), Ciara Moore (niece), Kaitlyn Jumalon, Megan Eaker, Head Coach Donald Moore. Back row, L to R: Shenell Davis, Jasmon Nolin, Ally McMillan, Arielle Wilson

Givens Performing Arts Center presents Broadway’s “Amazing Grace: The Musical” at UNC-Pembroke Tuesday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m.

The musical, written by Christopher Smith and Arthur Giron, is the story of John Newton, the captain of a slave ship who joins the abolition movement. Newton is best known for writing the famous hymn “Amazing Grace,” giving the musical its name. The story includes themes of romance, rebellion and redemption.

Newton, son of a slave trader, comes of age in Britain in the 1700s. He is torn between following in his father’s footsteps and following his heart and the guidance of his childhood sweetheart. It is on the high seas in the company of his slave, Thomas, that Newton faces his reality and wrestles with his conscience.

“Every audience that sees it has the same reaction,” said Carolyn Rossi Copeland, producer of the musical. “They are moved, they understand that change is possible for even the worst of human beings.”

North Carolina is one of 27 states the musical is showing in during its eight-week tour. The national tour is led by Gabriel Barre, the original Broadway director, and Christopher Gattelli, the original Broadway choreographer.

“My husband is from North Carolina, I’ve had three daughters go to school in North Carolina. So, I’m glad we get to come to North Carolina,” said Copeland, adding that the traveling performance does its best to replicate the feeling of seeing the show on Broadway.

“We really worked very hard to duplicate what people would’ve seen on Broadway,” she said. “The first act is one of the most beautiful scenic acts in theater.”

UNC-Pembroke hosts “Amazing Grace: The Musical” Tuesday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the GPAC. Ticket prices range from $21 to $41 for alumni; $16 for children or non- UNCP students; $16 for faculty or staff; and $10 for UNCP students. Visit www.uncp.edu/gpac to purchase tickets.

Meetings

• Hope Mills Board of Commissioners Monday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at Hope Mills Town Hall.

• Public Meeting No. 3 Monday, March 26, 6-8 p.m., at Hope Mills Parks and Rec. The purpose of this meeting is to present transportation planning recommendations and to solicit public questions and feedback. To learn more, visit www.HopeMillsPlan.org.

Activities at Hope Mills Parks and Recreation: 5770 Rockfish Rd.

• St. Patrick’s Day Dance Saturday, March 17, 6-8 p.m. • Game room is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Skate park hours through March 31: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. April 1-Oct. 31: Monday-Saturday: 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sunday: 1-9 p.m.

• Open gym closed until further notice.

Parks and Rec Senior Programs

• Senior programs 55 plus: Various activities for seniors are available Monday through Friday at the recreation center. For specific times and events, go to townofhopemills.com and follow the links to Hope Mills Parks and Recreation.

• St. Paddy’s Bash Friday, March 16, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Community Room. Free. This is a potluck social, so please bring a dish to share. Drinks and entertainment will be provided. Sign up to attend at the front reception desk. Only 100 seats available. Call 910-426-4109 for more information.

• Social Knitting and Crocheting Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon, in the small activity room. Those planning to attend must provide their own supplies and projects.

• Brunch and Bingo originally scheduled this month has been postponed due to a space conflict and will hopefully be moved to March.

Promote yourself

Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

With a core of veteran bowlers returning, Gray’s Creek bowling coach Sam Bullard felt his girls squad had a shot at a good season. It just took them until this year’s state championship competition at Fayetteville’s B&B Lanes to realize it.

The Bears topped Lumberton 295-241 in the finals to claim team honors.

Bullard gave a lot of the credit to seniors Nicolette Kenton, Angel Pope and Jade Wilds.

“They stepped up a whole lot,’’ he said. “They came in big when they needed to come in big.’’

Bullard said most of his veteran players are also league bowlers and get the benefit of year-round competition. “The year before last they came in runner-up in the state,’’ he said. “I knew we would have a pretty good shot at it and just had to have things fall right.’’

It looked like that might not be the case after Gray’s Creek led the conference bowling race much of the regular season. But when the conference tournament was held, a different format was used from previous years, and Gray’s Creek didn’t adjust to it well. “It was just a format thing,’’ Bullard said. “It caught us on a bad day. I think we could have pulled it out, but that wasn’t the way it was.’’

Terry Sanford wound up winning the conference tournament, but the Bears still managed to qualify for a bid into the state tournament.

Bullard said Gray’s Creek had a little bit of luck in the state tournament, with his team mostly having clean frames and picking up spares. “They were making sure they were getting as many pins as they could and getting to that second ball,’’ he said.

Kenton and Pope were particularly impressive for Gray’s Creek in the state tournament.

“I got a few strikes and picked up most of my spares,’’ said Kenton. “That was good.”

A league bowler, Kenton plans to continue competing at the intramural level when she enrolls in college.

Pope has been bowling since the age of five. “The best thing was to keep my composure and bowl well for our team,’’ she said. “I tried to get the best pin count as much as possible.’’

Winning the state title meant everything in the world to her, she said. “I just really wanted to show how good we are, that we could actually win and put our names out there.’’

Pope plans to enroll at Fayetteville State University and become a member of the school’s bowling team. “When it comes to bowling, it’s a fun thing to do,’’ she said.

Photos: L to R: Shantell Jackson, Clarissa Rodriguez, Abagayl Gowen, Jade Wilds, Natalie Freeman, Destiny Delgado, Angel Pope, Nicolette Kenton, Ravyn Rozier Front: Coach Sam Bullard

Hit (N.C. Press Association Awards)

Congratulations to Up & Coming Weekly sports editor Earl Vaughan Jr. (1st Place - Sports Columns) and Up & Coming Weekly graphic designer Elizabeth Long (2nd Place - Best Food Ad, 2nd Place - Best Newspaper Promotion) on their North Carolina Press Association awards.

Miss (Voter confusion)

An official Cumberland County voter card many received in the mail notes citizens are registered to vote in seven different districts: 4th City Council district, 1st County Commission district, 1st School Board district, 43rd State House district, 19th State Senate district, 12th Judicial district and 8th U.S. Congressional district.

Hit (Crosswalks for the blind)

Fayetteville traffic engineers are making some intersections user-friendly for the visually impaired by installing devises that give audible instructions to the blind signaling when it’s safe to cross. Read more about it in the News Digest.

Miss (Sheriff solicitation)

The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association is soliciting for money for its members. Nearly half the group’s expenses go to pay its staff, which is one reason Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison had his name taken off the list. Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright has no problem with the solicitation for money. “These are tough times for North Carolina law enforcement agencies,” said Wright.

Hit (Economic recovery)

Fayetteville and Cumberland County continue to benefit from business investment in the community. Every investment by commercial firms and small businesses reduces property taxes on Cumberland County homeowners who have the greatest tax burden of all metropolitan areas of North Carolina.

Miss (Illegal street barricades)

Two streets that connect Eastern Boulevard with B Street have been closed for about three years. They were barricaded by police as a crime prevention effort. The streets were never officially closed by city council. The city attorney said several months ago she would take the closure of Link and School Streets before city council, but to date, she hasn’t.

Hit (Open government is the law)

N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein says he is an ally of journalists in communities like ours where local government too often conducts the public’s business in private. “The law is clear,” he said, that public bodies must obey the state’s public records and open meetings statutes. Stein spoke at the annual convention of the N.C. Press Association last month.

Kristy Jackson is a Hope Mills store owner, but at heart she’s a dance mom, and that’s usually what comes first when a customer visits Chloe’s Corner Boutique on Trade Street looking for dance wear.

“I love seeing the new little dancers come in and helping them any way I can,’’ Jackson said. “I do make it more personal. I don’t want to sell them something they’re not going to need, because I’m like that. And they come back.’’

Jackson’s concern for doing things right by her customers comes naturally. She got into the business of dance apparel after experiencing firsthand how expensive it could be when she had to help provide for her daughters in their dance careers. The business is named after her youngest daughter, Chloe.

“That was my main reason for opening the business, to help dance moms like me save,’’ she said.

She’s been in business for seven years, but she’s only been in her current location at 5472 Trade St. since last April because she outgrew her previous location on the same street

The original business started with items including costume and fashion jewelry, Tyler Candles, keychains, ID holders and cups.

Jackson still offers those items, but most of her sales now involve dance wear and products from the Simply Southern and Girly Girl clothing lines.

When it comes to dance wear, Jackson said she offers the full gamut of clothing, including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and hip hop. Most of what she offers is for girls and women, but she does have some items for male dancers and can place orders for specific needs.

The Simply Southern attire, especially T-shirts, is popular locally. “It’s the name brand to be honest,’’ she said. “I’ve got a 15-year-old, and that’s what they are wearing. It’s not just the kids, it’s the adults too.’’

Jackson said her store hours vary, based on the season of the year and adjusting to how much foot traffic she gets during the different seasons.

For now, she’s open Tuesday through Friday from 12:30-5:30 p.m. Once Daylight Saving Time begins, Jackson transitions to summer hours and usually stays late a couple of nights a week from 6-6:30 p.m.

“I do post on my door that for dance wear if somebody has to be fitted for shoes, I’ll open by appointment on days I’m closed.’’

She carries a full line of dancing shoes, with the exception of point shoes with the hard box at the toe. “You have to be trained in fitting point shoes,’’ she said.

She also has plain and fancy leotards, dresses, tutus, shorts and skirts.

While she does have a jewelry selection, it’s not as large as it once was. “I just have a few necklace sets and initials,’’ she said. “I’ve got a few initial bracelets, rings and necklaces.’’ The reason for the limited supply of jewelry is when she was at her old location, she found herself having to remove jewelry from display to expand her offering of dance wear.

Now that she’s at her new location with more space, she would like to eventually expand her jewelry offering again. She’s also in the process of adding a dressing room.

To find out more about the business, contact Jackson at 910-423-0050 or visit her Facebook page at Chloe’s Corner Boutique.

Haymount has all the elements of a standalone community. It’s got restaurants, a theater, shopping, a pharmacy, a business district, proximity to higher education at Fayetteville Technical Community College and even its own post office. And personality – so much personality. With homes built between 1817 and 1950, Haymount is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was once a neighbor to Fayetteville. But as Fayetteville grew, things changed.

In 1910, this burg was incorporated into the city of Fayetteville. Many of Fayetteville’s prominent citizens and founders hail from Haymount, including Fayetteville Observer publisher E.J. Hale and U.S. Sen. Robert Strange. This historic district is centrally located close to downtown and local major shopping centers and is a stone’s throw from a first-rate hospital.

Growth is still a theme here. Residents of Haymount benefit from the Museum of the Cape Fear historical complex and will benefit from the changes the North Carolina Civil War and Reconstruction History Center will bring.

As Fayetteville and Cumberland County have grown, in many ways it feels as if Haymount has been swallowed up. Increased traffic runs through its thoroughfares, and busyness encroaches as Haymount is squeezed between downtown and the fast-paced growth that continues closer to the mall.

Can Haymount maintain its magical small-town charm that has endured here for centuries? Will the businesses that have served this community so faithfully continue to thrive?

Haymount is at a crossroads. Literally and figuratively. It would be tragic for this distinctive neighborhood with such personality and the charm of a Norman Rockwell painting to be unceremoniously swallowed up in the name of progress. Yet without thoughtful consideration and planning, Haymount’s future is uncertain. So many of the area’s newcomers have no idea what a gem Haymount is or why it is significant to local history. And that is a shame.

There have been several studies in recent years aimed at determining the best path for Haymount. And because business owners and families that have defined Haymount for generations love this community and don’t want to lose the very things that make it special, it’s been hard to move forward. Eventually, something has to happen, or Haymount will lose the opportunity to chart its own path as Fayetteville continues to prosper and change.

On March 10, Build a Better Haymount explores some of the possibilities for what Haymount could look like. From 1-5 p.m., the district will include tree-lined streets, bike paths, a temporary plaza, food trucks, entertainment, art and more. Angie Hedgepeth and Eric Vitale, along with the city of Fayetteville, have spent the better part of a year planning this event with the hope that they can keep the community engaged in the process of change and keep the conversation about Haymount’s future going.

The event is free and open to the public. If you’ve never walked the idyllic streets of the Haymount district and experienced the charm of this one-of-a-kind area, this is the perfect time.

Many thanks to the city of Fayetteville; Angie Hedgepeth of Longleaf Pine REALTORS, Inc.; Cumberland County transportation planner Eric Vitale; the Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization; and all the Haymount residents and businesses for their efforts to shine a light on this community as it finds its path forward. Visit www.betterblockfaync. com to learn more.

Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

As I write this and as you read it, energy is flowing away from political efforts to address our nation’s gun violence problem. The young people who endured the Parkland shooting are still on television and making online pleas for school safety, but elected officials from our president down to state legislators continue to play for time, hoping public angst will subside. If the past is an indicator of the future, then politicians are probably safe until the next mass shooting.

Some positive signs can be found.

Fear of the National Rifle Association may paralyze politicians, but corporate America, which survives and prospers by understanding what people think and want, is acting. To its enduring credit, Dick’s Sporting Goods will no longer sell military-style assault weapons and will sell firearms only to people 21 and older. Walmart raised its minimum age as well. Ditto for L.L. Bean whose new policy also limits ammo sales to those over 21. Delta Airlines severed its business ties with the NRA, even though the Georgia legislature immediately retaliated by jerking away a $40 million tax break. Said Delta’s CEO, “Our values are not for sale.”

Gun violence and gun accessibility, both longrunning and complex issues in our nation, leave no doubt that the United States is the world outlier when it comes to both. We make up less than 5 percent of the world’s population, but we own 42 percent of the world’s guns. Only Yemen has a higher rate of mass shootings among nations with more than 10 million people, and – not surprisingly, it has the second highest rate of gun ownership, calling into question that old saw that “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.”

Consider this as well. Other nations have mass shootings, but they are random. Ours have become so routine that we openly refer to “school shooters.” Details of all the incidents run together. The New York Times recently reported on a 2016 study that documented 133 mass shootings in the United States during the period of the study. By contrast, during the same period, Finland had two mass shootings and Switzerland had one, killing 18 and 14 people respectively. Our most recent mass shootings in Las Vegas and Lakeland killed 58 and 17 respectively, injuring 851 in Las Vegas and dozens in Florida.

Mass shootings shock us – at least they should shock us – but other deaths by firearms affect Americans as well. In 2013, our nation saw more than 21,000 suicides with guns, more than 11,000 murders with guns and more than 500 accidental discharge deaths.

To most of us, these are just numbers, but to the families and friends of these lost people, the pain of these deaths is deep and ongoing. The cold, hard reality is that we Americans are many times more likely to die by firearm than are residents of almost any other country.

The politics of gun accessibility are brutal and volatile. Many elected officials have taken campaign contributions from the NRA and walk in lockstep with its positions. North Carolina’s own two U.S. Senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, rank fourth and sixth on the NRA’s contribution list, which is totally legal.

Many Americans, including some large American corporations, are rethinking their positions on gun accessibility. As we do so, here are some points to consider.

Every state qualifies who can be licensed to drive a vehicle, most requiring both coursework and actual driving experience. Guns can be sold without either.

Every state requires recordkeeping regarding sales and transfers of motor vehicles. Guns can be sold and transferred without either.

The 19-year-old charged with 17 counts of murder in Florida bought his assault weapon legally. He could not, however, buy a beer legally.

The NRA would argue that neither driving nor owning a vehicle is a constitutionally guaranteed right. Neither is buying a beer.

But consider this.

When the Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment “right to bear arms,” was adopted in 1791, the new United States had just won its independence from England using muskets, muzzle-loaded long guns that appeared in Europe in the 16th century. Not until 1854 was there a reliable “repeating rifle.”

God only knows what our Founding Fathers would make of rapid-fire military assault rifles in the hands of 19-year-olds or of Americans shooting each other in public places or chasing down children in schools.

Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra presents “Americana,” one of the last concerts in its “Gone to Carolina” season, this Saturday, March 10. The Fayetteville Symphony Youth Orchestra will join the FSO onstage for portions of the concert, which will feature a variety of songs that celebrate being American. Morgan Short, a 20-year-old harpist and the winner of FSO’s 2017-18 Harlan Duenow Young Artist Concerto Competition, will also perform solo for a portion of the concert.

“From film scores to folk tunes to Sousa marches to classical works, the variety (in this concert) is quite nice,” said Dr. Larry Wells, FSYO director and conductor. “Most of the pieces featured here are of the shorter variety. It should be a very audience- and child-friendly concert.” Look forward to selections from classic American films like “Forrest Gump” and “Apollo 13” alongside work like Antonín Dvořák’s “New World” and Morton Gould’s “American Salute.”

Wells said the FSYO, which the FSO formed in 2014, is important because it provides an opportunity for budding young musicians to practice with a full orchestra, which is normally not possible in school settings. In addition, he said, the FSYO is open through an audition process not just to 13- to 20-year-old public school students, but also to students who are home-schooled and who live outside of Cumberland County. About 75 students currently participate.

Every year, the FSYO puts on two concerts of its own and joins the FSO onstage for one other concert. Wells said, “The benefit here is that our young musicians get the chance to sit next to professional players in a professional setting. They get to hear exactly what their professional counterparts sound like and... act like. … I always tell my kids, ‘If you don’t know what you’re supposed to sound like, then how will you know when you’re making a good sound?’ This event gives them a chance to define (and) refine what their musical goal is.”

“Americana” will also spotlight Short. Short, who studies harp at University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, won FSO’s 2017-18 Harlan Duenow Young Artist Concerto Competition. The competition, named in honor of FSO’s longest-serving conductor, involves an essay, letter of recommendation and a video recording of the applicant playing a selected piece of music. It is open to young instrumentalists in the state of North Carolina. This year, it was open to woodwind, brass, percussion and harp students ages 12-21.

Short beat statewide competition to take first place, which includes a $1,000 cash prize for continued musical development along with the honor of soloing with the FSO. Jacob Warren, a 20-year-old saxophone player studying at UNC-Greensboro, won second place, and Jonathan McGarry, a 19-year-old French horn player studying at UNCSA (where Short studies), won third. Next year, the competition will be open to string and piano instrumentalists ages 12-21 in North Carolina.

Wells said the competition this year was fantastic. “This year, we chose (Short) because she was the complete package. Not only did she play beautifully, she performed beautifully,” he said. “She is amazing. I hope Fayetteville shows her a good audience!”

Wells and Kastner agreed that the orchestra has flourished under new music director Stefan Sanders’ hand. “If you have not seen him or heard the FSO lately, I urge you to come out and see... what is happening,” Wells said. “We are blessed to have him lead us.”

Sanders said he’s excited about “Americana” because it not only celebrates the nation’s history – it also celebrates its future through meaningful collaboration with the next generation of musicians.

Kastner and Sanders are also busy planning FSO’s next season, which will be announced in April. “I think we’re going to have some real crowd-pleasers next year,” Kastner said. “I will say: There will be ‘Star Wars.’”

“Americana” takes place Saturday, March 10, at 7:30 p.m. in Methodist University’s Huff Concert Hall. Arrive at 6:45 p.m. for a pre-concert talk to learn more about the historical context of the evening’s music. To purchase tickets, which range from $11-$28, visit www.fayettevillesymphony.org.

Photo: Morgan Short

 

Djamila Peterson

Pine Forest • Indoor track/track •

Junior

Peterson has a 3.95 grade point average. She is a member of Key Club, National Honor Society and Skills USA. She also volunteers at the True Vine Ministries Hope Center to help the homeless.

 

 

 

 

Abby Roy

South View • Cross country/ indoor track/track •

Senior

Roy has a 4.28 grade point average. She is a member of the International Baccalaureate Academy and National Honor Society.

In 2012, the North Carolina legislature created new options for the state’s 100 counties in the governance of local social services and public health departments. Counties are required to continue providing public health and social services. But now county commissioners can take one of three reorganization approaches: They can leave things as they are but take control of both groups and become the governing board of both; they can consolidate the health and social services departments and create a human services board of directors; or they can merge the agencies into one and take control themselves.

UNC-Chapel Hill Associate Professor of Public Law and Government Jill Moore detailed the options to county commissioners and the existing boards of directors of both groups.

“I’m here to explain but not advocate for either option,” Moore said. She said that as of Feb. 1, 30 counties had already agreed on the options available to them. All but three of them chose to consolidate the operations into one human services agency to be governed by a single board of directors. “You are doing the right thing by studying this,” Moore told commissioners.

The law does not require any mix of agencies nor does it specify the duties and responsibilities of governing boards. There’s a lot of diversity in structure and governance. Moore told the board of commissioners they could also include youth services and veterans services among others in a consolidated agency. “Consolidation may possibly help us to achieve efficiency,” said county commissioner Jimmy Keefe.

The board adopted improved government efficiency as an objective in its planning retreat in January. “Don’t assume creating a CHSA will save money,” Moore cautioned. She told the board of commissioners that counties that have made changes under the new law have not realized any significant tax savings.

Human services board members apparently had not made any preconceived notions about likely pending changes. “I’m still in the information gathering phase,” said Department of Social Services Chair Betsy Bradshaw.

County Manager Amy Cannon echoed Bradshaw’s sentiment. “It’s too early; we must review all of it,” she said.

The state statute says that if the board of commissioners decides to take over human services operations, they would assume all legal powers, duties and responsibilities of the boards that are abolished. They would also be required to appoint citizen advisory committees.

Moore said county public health and social services department employees must be kept fully informed as consolidation plans are developed. “Advance discussion about implications of changes … and legal questions about transitioning career status employees are lessons learned in counties which have adopted consolidation,” she wrote in her power point presentation. No action timeline has been established by commissioners or management.

Photo: UNC-Chapel Hill Associate Professor of Public Law and Government Jill Moore

Like many Haymount residents and business owners in the iconic historical district, Bobby Ray Wiggs’ roots run deep. He was born and raised in Haymount and has a home there, too. Wiggs owns Haymont Auto Repair and considers many of his customers family. While he cherishes the closeknit feeling in the area and the way neighbors look out for one another, Wiggs is the first to admit it’s not always paradise. A fast-growing community, heavy traffic and other issues often make for dangerous, congested intersections, frustrated residents and stressed-out drivers. What if it didn’t have to be that way? Saturday, March 10, Build a Better Haymount aims to explore the possibilities.

From 1-5 p.m., the 1200 block of Hay Street will be transformed to include narrow traffic lanes, wide sidewalks, bike lanes, plazas, music, art, food and festivities. There will be a temporary plaza where local bands Brother Ellis and J.D. and Bill will play throughout the afternoon. Local food trucks will be in attendance serving up a variety of tasty food options.

The project has been almost a year in the making, bringing together residents, the city and nonprofits to create an afternoon of fun as well as an opportunity to explore options for the district’s future. Angie Hedgepeth is the government affairs director for the Fayetteville Regional Association of Realtors. “The National Association of Realtors has grants for a variety of things, including growth and betterment of communities,” she said. “Last June, the city approached us about a grant.” In researching how the grant would affect Fayetteville, she found that several other North Carolina cities, to include Asheville, Charlotte and Durham, had pursued and received similar grants.

When the city of Fayetteville won the grant, Hedgepeth, along with Cumberland County transportation planner Eric Vitale, community residents, some of the Haymount businesses and others, rolled up their sleeves and set out to create an afternoon to remember.

“We started meeting with the residents last July to talk about ways we can transition the area into what the community envisions,” said Hedgepeth. “They told us what they wanted.”

Although residents gave the input, the event is free to attend and open to the public. “We want to let people know about Haymount,” Wiggs said.

Vitale said, “We will be counting traffic and attendance and doing some surveys to get feedback. We will also have a drone camera flying around videoing the set up as well as the event.”

“It is going to be a lot of fun,” said Hedgepeth. “Several local artists will be there. We are going to have a community mural. There will be vendors and pop-up retailers and a magician. Some of the retailers will have sidewalk sales, too.”

“This is family-friendly and pet-friendly,” said Vitale. “We will have water bowls so people can bring their pets.” A firetruck exhibit is also scheduled for the event.

Wiggs is planning to use the parking lot at Haymont Auto Repair to support the effort. He’s hosting a Kid Zone and will have a port-a-potty on one side of his property. “We are expecting a food truck, too,” he said. “And we will have a separate section with antiques for sale.”

The activities are a big part of the afternoon, but there is more. Narrowing the streets will allow for both functional and aesthetic changes, including turning the thoroughfare into a tree-lined street complete with bike lanes.

“There will be parking at Highland Presbyterian Church,” said Vitale. “We are not going to block any of the neighborhood driveways for this.”

Residential, traffic and business interests don’t always align in this part of town. There are busy intersections and dangerous road crossings. For some drivers unfamiliar with the traffic pattern, the roads can be confusing. As a business owner, Wiggs understands that it can be challenging having homes and businesses and a thoroughfare so close together. “There are things we can do,” Wiggs said. “But, we don’t want to change the things that make Haymount special.”

Though this is mostly an information gathering exercise, many hope it is the start of a conversation that will lead to workable solutions. Things like clearly marked, well-placed crosswalks could go a long way in improving things, Wiggs noted.

“I just want to see the community happy,” said Hedgepeth.

“We want to look at the event and see smiles, happy families and people having fun,” Vitale agreed.

“I am all for anything that can help make it safer and better for everyone,” Wiggs said. “We all want that.”

Though no one is sure how this will impact Haymount in the end, March 10, from 1-5 p.m. the parties involved are excited to have an afternoon to showcase, celebrate and dream big dreams for this community. Vitale encourages anyone who is active on social media to post photos using the hashtags #buildabetterhaymount and #betterblockfaync. Learn more by visiting www.betterblockfaync.com to. To volunteer, call Hedgepeth at 910-323-1421 or Vitale at 910-678-7632.

Officials of the Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center are reconsidering sponsoring a debate on gun violence. “The topic came up during a library management meeting,” said library spokeswoman Kellie Tomita. “We were hoping to have a balanced forum with differing views.”

Library officials were unable to identify appropriate participants and decided initially to change the format to an informational program. Then “it became apparent that, due to the complexity of the subject matter and the rapidity of developments in the news, that the program would need to be reconsidered,” Tomita said.

Stores stop selling military-style weapons

Walmart has joined Dick’s Sporting Goods and Field & Stream in a decision to more strictly regulate the sale of guns and ammunition. “We are raising the age restriction for purchase of firearms and ammunition to 21 years of age,” a Walmart statement said. “We are also removing items from our website resembling assault-style rifles, including nonlethal airsoft guns and toys,” Walmart added.

Walmart stopped selling many long guns in 2015. Dick’s Sporting Goods, the nation’s largest sporting goods retailer, said it also has stopped selling weapons like the one used in the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting. It also raised the age of sale of all firearms to 21 as did its retail affiliate Field & Stream.

Dick’s recently relocated its Fayetteville store to the new Freedom Town Center at Skibo and Cliffdale Roads. The company also opened a Field & Stream adjacent to the Dick’s property. The corporate decisions came amid a broad public push to tighten gun regulations in the wake of the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school Feb. 14 that left 17 people dead. Gun regulation advocates said they hope the decision would prompt other major retailers to follow suit.

Street crosswalks for the visually impaired

Crossing busy streets can be a challenge for people with good vision. For blind people, it is a perilous activity. American cities are generally poorly equipped to deal with blind pedestrians, but technology has made it possible in recent years to remedy that situation. Fayetteville is among the smaller cities that are beginning to equip traffic signals with what are called “chirping birds,” audio versions of green and red lights.

Two street crossings in Fayetteville have been equipped to make life for blind community members safer.

City traffic engineer Lee Jernigan said the expense of upgrading intersections for the visually impaired limits his capacity. Four years ago, the city put in special equipment for the blind at Hay Street and Woodside Avenue in Haymount. Last month, the intersection of Cain Road and Rogers Drive was upgraded. That project cost $40,000.

“We chose that intersection because the city just completed the installation of sidewalks along Cain Road,” Jernigan said. Posts with buttons that have audible beepers are positioned at the “Walk/Don’t Walk” signal poles. When the traffic light changes from green to red, the audible device signals to blind pedestrians that it’s safe to cross. Motorists are alerted to the intersection via marked zebra crosswalks that feature a series of thick white hash mark bands.

Fayetteville welcomes new industry

Cambridge-Lee Industries of Reading, Pennsylvania, has chosen Cumberland County for a facility to manufacture line sets of copper tubing that are assembled into various forms and shipped to customers. The Fayetteville/Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation says the project will result in the creation of 19 full-time jobs. The company said the jobs will be manufacturing positions offering a competitive wage and comprehensive benefits packages. No specifics were provided. The plant will be in the former Cape Fear Distribution Center on Tom Starling Road.

“Fayetteville provides us with an improved reach to our customers as well as an improved ability to streamline and grow our operations,” said Dave Spadafora, vice president of Global Supply Chain for Cambridge-Lee.

“The new jobs and investment this facility will bring are prime examples of how our business climate and aggressive approach to economic development are creating growth,” said County Chairman Larry Lancaster. Cambridge-Lee Industries said it plans to add more full-time and part-time employees in the coming year.

Council approves communication tower

Fayetteville City Council spent 45 minutes debating whether to allow South River Electric Membership Co-op to build a 190-foot radio tower on its property on Ramsey Street in North Fayetteville.

The utility sought a special use permit. After a move by Councilwoman Kathy Jensen to deny the request failed, council voted 8-2 to approve the measure.

Jensen was concerned about the aesthetics of the mast. The company said the tower would be constructed several hundred feet off Ramsey Street at the rear of its 10-acre property. The facility will provide point-to-point microwave radio communications between South River’s local office and its headquarters in Dunn.

Mirror Lake Dam open house

It’s taken a year and a half, but the city of Fayetteville hopes to begin construction of a new Mirror Lake Drive dam this summer. It was washed away by Hurricane Matthew Oct. 8, 2016. The city has determined that rebuilding the dam and repairing Mirror Lake Drive, which runs over the dam, will cost $1.9 million. FEMA approved the funding, according to city spokesman Nathan Walls.

An open house will be held Thursday, March 15, at Van Story Hills Elementary School from 6-8 p.m. Preliminary design plans will be shown to the public for comment. This is the second time the city-owned dam was destroyed by a storm. It was also washed away during Hurricane Fran in September 1996.

Police/citizen workshop set for March

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs and Community Relations Service has developed a new community-based workshop focused on strengthening the partnership between local law enforcement and the community. A Greater Fayetteville United workshop is designed to bring together local law enforcement officers and community members for an open dialogue about community engagement.

The Office of Justice Programs Diagnostic Center will facilitate the 90-minute workshop with members of the Fayetteville Police Department during an in-person, scenario-based session. It will be held Tuesday, March 20, at the Kiwanis Recreation Center at 352 Devers St.

Time-weathered instruments and age-old songs passed down from one generation to the next, century after century, is a powerful representation of heritage. Translating this kind of heritage for a modern, increasingly global audience is no small task. But the Grammynominated group Celtic Woman has been perfecting this art since its debut in 2005. As part of its upcoming 90-city North American tour, Celtic Woman is performing “Homecoming Live” at the Crown Theatre Thursday, March 15.

The all-female Irish musical ensemble consists of four singers – Mairéad Carlin, Susan McFadden, Éabha McMahon and Tara McNeill – as well as Irish dancers, bagpipers and a full band. The group has created 14 albums and 10 television and DVD specials to date. The albums, even with changing vocalists, have made No. 1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart for 12 consecutive years.

McMahon made her debut with Celtic Woman in 2015 for its 11th album, “Destiny.” But her singing career first began when she recorded an album for a children’s book at just nine years old. After that, she began singing in the traditional Irish style of sean-nós, literally meaning “old style.”

Sean-nós is bare-bones singing in the native Gaelic language. More importantly, as per the Irish oral tradition of passing down history through song, sean-nós puts stock in the emotion and story behind the song.

McMahon went on to win professional singing competitions across Ireland before becoming the youngest member of Anuna – Ireland’s National Choir – at just 15 years old. While still attending school, she toured with Anuna all over the world. After studying human rights at university, McMahon was asked to audition for Celtic Woman.

“What I love about being part of the group is that we can be totally ourselves,” McMahon said. “I grew up singing in Irish, and my dream was to sing in the Irish style. It’s very inspiring to be part of a group that promotes the Irish tradition and gives it a voice all over the world.”

The North American tour embraces everything from traditional Irish, classical, musical theatre and folk music. Blending these genres together, McMahon said, makes “a really unique world music sound.”

She even said this year’s set list is her favorite of Celtic Woman’s. In particular, McMahon sings one of her own idols’ most famous songs: Enya’s “May it Be.” Performing the song “Danny Boy” for Celtic Woman has a deeply emotional significance for McMahon, too.

“The month that I joined the group, my grandad sadly passed away,” she said. “It was his favorite song. Every night when we sing it, I think of him and I know he is watching from the best seat in the house.”

There is a reason Celtic Woman is so internationally renowned, and that is its ability to bridge the gap between old and new. Contemporary Irish songs are performed alongside old tunes that might otherwise have been lost or forgotten. As McMahon said, “It really gives Irish music a new lease of life.

“The show really does have something for everyone. There are moments of laughter and toe tapping but also quiet and emotional moments of calm.”

McMahon is releasing her own music later this year.

See “Celtic Woman: Homecoming Live” at the Crown Theatre Thursday, March 15, at 7 p.m. Visit www.crowncomplexnc.com to purchase tickets or to learn more.

Fayetteville Technical Community College is excited to announce the start of the Surgical First Assistant program starting this summer.

Surgical First Assistants, or SFAs, are surgical “physician extenders.” The Surgical First Assistant program of study allows hospital planning administrators an opportunity to offer a staffing model that emphasizes better use of physician extenders – healthcare professionals credentialed to provide services under the direction of the surgeon.

In the operating room, these physician extenders provide advanced support that scrub techs are unqualified to provide, which helps free up the surgeon’s time to focus on tasks more appropriate for the surgeon’s level of medical training. Ultimately, the use of SFAs will facilitate surgeons’ efforts and promote wise use of their time, leading to better quality of care with fewer resources along with better surgeon satisfaction and better care economics for the hospital.

Recent news reports suggest that the demand for SFAs in the U.S. will continue to grow. The program will provide online didactic studies and a workbased learning clinical experience, which will allow candidates to continue their employment status.

Many healthcare representatives realize the need to address a number of factors in order to provide better care and services in response to surgical patients’ needs. Physician extenders like SFAs will be critical in helping healthcare get to that point. The SFA profession will only grow in volume and importance. The use of SFAs will provide the hospital’s operating room leadership an opportunity to take a closer look at staffing models that will not only help meet patient demand but also increase efficiency and revenue opportunity for their organizations.

Federal statistics project SFA jobs to increase 15 percent from 2014-2024 due to the increasing demand for surgical procedures, especially among the elderly population.

If you enjoy helping others, want to have a fulfilling career in a professional healthcare environment and wish to create a positive difference through your career, email herringt@faytechcc.edu or call 910-678-8358 to learn more about the new Surgical First Assistant program of study at FTCC. You can also visit the campus or visit the school’s website at faytechcc.edu for more details. Registration for Summer 2018 classes begins March 28. First Session Summer classes begin May 29. Students can receive enrollment and registration assistance at the Fayetteville campus, Spring Lake campus, and FTCC’s Center at the Fort Bragg Training and Education Center.

New York Times bestselling author John Hart, who grew up in Salisbury, North Carolina, is not afraid to take risks.

In fact, he seems to thrive on these risks. For instance, he gave up his job as a stockbroker about 15 years ago to complete his first literary thriller. That risk-taking paid off when his book, “The King of Lies,” became a Times bestseller in 2006. Three other successes followed: “Down River” (2007), “The Last Child” (2009) and “Iron House” (2011).

Then Hart risked his string of successes by moving with his wife and two young children from Greensboro to Charlottesville, Virginia. Although the move disrupted his writing program temporarily, it finally led to “Redemption Road” (2016), a critical and commercial success. Quickly following is “The Hush,” being released this month, which shows that Hart is fully back on track.

The risk paid off in another important way. In Charlottesville, Hart became friends with fellow writer John Grisham, who helped Hart launch the new book at a big fundraising event in Raleigh on Friday, Feb. 23.

“The Hush” is another big risk for Hart because it breaks two significant traditions or rules of writing that have guided his prior work.

First, until now, there have been no sequels to his books. Each was independent from the others. They held together as a series only in their common geography. All took place in the real Rowan County or a fictional, but very similar, Raven County.

“The Hush,” however, is a real sequel to “The Last Child” (2009), a book Hart declares to be his favorite of all his prior books.

“The Last Child” featured 13-year-old Johnny Merrimon, whose unrelenting search for his missing sister made him an admired but traumatized hero.

The Johnny that readers meet in “The Hush” is 10 years older, still tough and determined, but now living alone and isolated on a 6,000-acre tract of swampland, which he loves and protects from outsiders.

Hart says that “The Hush” stands on its own but that readers of “The Last Child” will have an enhanced experience. Hart still takes the small risk faced by every sequel writer that new readers may miss some important connective links from the earlier book.

The second and greater risk that Hart takes with the new book involves the swampy land where Johnny lives. Johnny owns the 6,000 acres, but cash-wise, he is broke. His title to the land is being challenged by an African-American family who lived on the land for many years and whose claim is based on a deed from 1853.

Johnny turns to his buddy Jack from “The Last Child” to help. Jack is a new lawyer in a large firm that discourages his connection to Johnny, especially when Johnny is suspected in unexplained deaths on his property.

The land has a troubling history and dangerous powers, inexplicable ones that become core features of the book and its ultimate resolution.

In a word, think “supernatural.”

All of Hart’s prior books have followed strict rules used by many mystery and thriller writers. The deaths and crimes in their books, when solved, have natural explanations and do not rely on the intervention of some spiritual or unreal power.

Hart is betting that the richness of his characters, his compelling storytelling and the story’s supernatural landscape will hold his thriller fans despite breaking his old rules. Taking this risk, he hopes, will expand his appeal and share his storytelling talent with an even wider audience.

The complex and rich stories in “The Hush” and the book’s supernatural but satisfying conclusion suggest that he is on the right track.

Dear Editor,

Great article about our local newspaper. I will become a regular Up & Coming Weekly reader to get my news. Now maybe you need to do an expose’ on Cape Fear Valley Hospital and how they are buying up all our doctors offices. Several people that I come across are going to First Health of Moore County to avoid CFV.

Again, great story.

Best regards,

Lynn Sippel

Dear Editor,

Having worked for a year at the Fayetteville Observer, I really enjoyed reading your article on private equity media and its dismantling of small town newspapers. It’s a travesty. Thank you for bringing it to light!! It is a true shame what has happened to our local journalistic institution, the Fayetteville Observer. In the article “Eulogy of the Fourth Estate” (Up & Coming Weekly February 21) Bill Bowman, Robert Kuttner and Hildy Zenger have done a fantastic job bringing to light how private equity media companies erode and undermine communities when they purchase and dismantle local newspapers. Citizens absolutely need these local, and often long-time and family owned, newspapers to ensure journalistic integrity and to serve as a significant tie to the community. I fear, as media and journalism continues to consistently be ostracized, these large conglomerates will only exacerbate the problem. Local newspapers like Up & Coming Weekly are exceptional assets to our community and provide an amazing service to its citizens.

John Kistler

Regarding Colin Kaepernick

Dear Editor, I truly enjoyed watching Colin Kaepernick throw and run with the football in college. Under coach Chris Ault, that Wolfpack no longer needs to include their Reno location in the school’s name.

Game film from then showed Kaep to be a very respectful student of coach (and eventually) A.D. Ault.

Colin does not represent every NFL player any more than my childhood neighbor Wally Hilgenberg years before. Wally’s story is also interesting and there are articles concerning him and his death. Wally might disagree, if he could, with Colin.

As you state (in the Jan. 31 publishers pen), we all have rights to voice our opinion. Our actions can affect the opinions of others, as Colin now should realize.

Randy Steffens

Cumberland County Commissioners have ordered an engineering study to determine the cost of extending city water to the Gray’s Creek area off NC 87, south of Fayetteville. It’s in keeping with the board of commissioners’ stated determination to make public water available in rural areas of the county. The study will be conducted by Moorman, Kizer & Reitzel, Inc., to estimate the cost of running water lines to residential areas near the Bladen County line. Commissioners took the action without comment based on a recommendation from the board’s finance committee.

Fayetteville’s Public Works Commission has agreed to reimburse the county one-half the $129,000 cost of the study. The move was the first official step toward providing public water to the Gray’s Creek area since tests of about 250 private wells showed elevated levels of GenX. The state began investigating GenX in June of last year after researchers discovered the chemical in the Cape Fear River downstream from the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant. GenX is an unregulated chemical product used by Chemours to make Teflon for cookware. Teflon has been manufactured at the former DuPont plant at the Cumberland/ Bladen County line for 40 years.

Before GenX was introduced a few years ago, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C-8, was used to make the nonstick product. PFOA is a synthetic compound that had been used since the 1940s in industrial quantities. When PFOA was determined to be potentially dangerous to public health, DuPont switched to GenX. It is not regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or any North Carolina public health agency.

In October 2013, DuPont announced that it was planning to spin off its performance chemicals business into a new publicly traded company in July 2015. DuPont announced that the new firm would be called The Chemours Company. Chemours’ stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the same date. Chemours assumed various liabilities arising from lawsuits against DuPont. While GenX has been linked to cancer in animal studies, Chemours insists there is no evidence it is dangerous to humans.

Some Cumberland County Commissioners are concerned that not everyone in Gray’s Creek will want to pay their share of the cost of water lines because not all private wells are polluted. Gray’s Creek residents defeated a referendum to extend public water to their community in 2011. But given today’s circumstances and the presence of GenX in well water, plus the county’s determination to make city water available in rural areas, the board of commissioners could create a public water and sewer district and tax residents of the district.