https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/


  • 5If you are reading this column, I suspect you are a longtime reader of many publications and books — someone who reads because an idea piques your interest, to be amused, to be informed, perhaps even to be provoked by a thought or an event.

    You read because doing so enlarges your world and takes you places you will likely never go in reality. You read to learn. I will go further out on this speculative ledge and say you have probably read since you were a child, as have I.

    That is why as a person whose mother routinely caught her reading by flashlight under the bed covers and later a mother who caught her own daughter doing the same, I am horrified, saddened and frightened by a recent National Assessment of Educational Progress report.

    NAEP found that only 14% of U.S. students read for pleasure daily. Let that sink in a moment. It means that 86% — nearly 9 in 10 — of our young people do not find enough pleasure in reading to do so on a regular basis.

    The numbers have plummeted in recent years, down three points from 2020 and a full 13 points since 2012.
    This dismal finding comes on top of an acknowledged crisis in classroom test scores zooming in the wrong direction, likely escalated by COVID and interruptions in classroom instruction.

    There are probably as many reasons for the decline in classroom performance as there are children who do not read for pleasure. American family life is complicated and busy with many and attractive diversions for parents and children. Layer on technology and social media, both seductive and massive time wasters. Common Sense Media reported that most children have a phone by 14-years-old, and last year Stanford

    Medicine reported that age is now 11.

    In addition, both parents and educators fear children are not being introduced to books that interest them, a critical element in the process of both teaching them to read competently and turning them into lifelong and devoted readers.5a

    A smaller factor but a factor nonetheless are parents calling for book bans of publications they dislike, find inappropriate, or offend their political sensibilities. More than 1500 books had been removed from classrooms and school libraries across the nation at the outset of this school year, as reported by PEN America, a free-speech organization.

    As with so much else in life, parents are the first line of defense for their children. We love them more than anyone else, care more about their futures, and want them to lead productive and happy lives. Experts tell us that most children enjoy reading — or being read to — until they are about 9, when technology becomes important to them.

    It seems reasonable and prudent that parents both limit screen time and make reading materials easily available. This can be done either at home or through visits to the local library where children can select books that interest them and perhaps join age-appropriate reading groups.

    To this day, I remember how much I loved the blue-bound biographies of famous people available in the library at the long-gone Haymount Elementary School on Hay Street.

    My own three Precious Jewels, now adults and readers all, are on their own, and I have two more Precious Jewels — my grand babies. I doubt you will be surprised to learn that my reaction to news of the decline in childhood reading was to order three new “Little Mole” books to read to the 3-year-old. He is already interested in the alphabet and numbers and the little one, three months, can listen in from her bassinet. It is never too early to start reading.

  • 4It isn’t very reassuring when the Mayor of Fayetteville, elected city officials, and paid city staff ignore the people’s will. Especially when they are dismissed with an incredibly high level of incompetence, as we witnessed at the District 5 hearing for a Special Use Permit for our Haymount neighborhood.

    These meetings are significant since they can dramatically change the character of a neighborhood. During the past two years, Mayor Mitch Colvin and City Council elected officials have totally and irresponsibly destroyed the trust and confidence of the people who elected them and entrusted them to look after the interest of their constituents.

    Many expect our elected officials to be responsible, competent and laser-focused on making advantageous decisions for their constituents. However, not so much anymore.

    This situation is even more dire now because our community lacks objective and accurate NEWS reporting, making it difficult, if not impossible, to understand important issues, get the facts, or even glean half-truths about essential matters at City Hall.

    Doing a deep dive into these critical issues and providing the facts and information affects every citizen’s livelihood and quality of life. This lack of transparency allows our elected officials and city staff to maneuver, scheme in the shadows and operate with impunity.

    Seeing is believing. On May 22, and again on June 26, the residents of District 5 in Haymount witnessed firsthand one of the most inept and unprofessional fiascos by our city’s elected officials when Mayor Colvin, City Attorney Karen McDonald, and members of the Fayetteville City Council attempted to conduct what was called a quasi-judicial evidentiary hearing for a Special Use Permit (SUP) allowing ShineLight, Inc., an autism services business owned by Fayetteville native Nikki Creesy, to build a multi-family duplex in a single-family residential neighborhood.

    The session was an abysmal example of the embarrassing, inept leadership in place at City Hall, making it abundantly clear that the majority of the council members, including Mayor Colvin, Craig Harmon and the city planning staff, and City Attorney McDonald were grossly unprepared to address the issue, and had no grasp of the governing ordinances in place, nor did they have any clear idea as to what their responsibilities were to residents or the proper way to conduct a quasi-judicial hearing.

    One newly elected Council member, Mario Benavente of District 3, tried to bring logic, a sense of reason, and fairness to the meeting. However, he failed to get attention or support from his peers. This was most disappointing. It was nothing less than horrifying and discouraging to watch as the Mayor, Council, and city staff blundered their way through this primary concern of so many loyal taxpaying residents.

    It became apparent to those who witnessed this fiasco that they had weaponized ignorance and incompetence with the city leadership’s abundant misrepresentations, misinformation, operational confusion and inappropriate motions.

    The meeting was poorly run and negatively charged. At one point, District 2 councilwoman Shakeyla Ingram insulted those who opposed the SUP by stating that those in opposition were prejudice toward people with special needs. How ridiculous it was. Yet, it was not an unexpected gesture from the uninformed councilwoman when confronted with a logical situation for which she had no knowledge or intelligent response.

    Rezonings and SUP actions should always be handled with integrity and intense research. Most importantly, each council member should visit the neighborhood or property in question.

    Making rezoning decisions that benefit only a single business or petitioner without research while turning your back on an entire established neighborhood is inexcusable.

    Following the decision to approve the SUP in favor of ShineLight, Inc. had even Mayor Colvin feeling compelled to admit that the meeting, procedures and the decision to approve the rezoning were made inappropriately and improperly and allowing the vote to go forward was undoubtedly an act of poor judgment and leadership.

    Especially concerning was that the District 5 representative (Johnny Dawkins) recused himself from the final vote — leaving District 5 with absolutely no voice, which many interpreted as being a cowardly thing to do.
    The City Council and elected officials should work for the taxpayers who support the city. Election day is Nov. 7. It is imperative you know the candidates and who you are voting for. Pay attention to how they vote, support issues and react to constituents’ needs. We must not be victimized further by people making inappropriate, misguided and incompetent decisions on our behalf. The hostility and arrogance expressed by several sitting council members toward residents of this community is unacceptable, especially given their incompetence.

    Thank goodness for Up & Coming Weekly newspaper for allowing the people’s voices to be heard. Without a media voice for truth, reason and fairness, we are left vulnerable to acts of impropriety.

    Fayetteville needs a transparent government and competent leadership. After all, WE THE PEOPLE, have control of those we elect. When it’s evident that they are not acting on our behalf or in our best interest, perhaps it’s time to look for those who will. Fayetteville, it is time!

    Editor’s note: Lois Kirby is a former City Council member representing District 5, and former Mayor Pro Tem.

  • 19aMarksmen tab Ryan Cruthers as Director of Hockey Operations, Head Coach

    The Fayetteville Marksmen, proud members of the Southern Professional Hockey League, have signed Ryan Cruthers as the director of hockey operations and seventh head coach in team history.
    Cruthers, 39, from Farmingdale, New York, served last season as the assistant coach for the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede.

    “I’m excited to be a member of this new Marksmen family and take it to new heights,” said Cruthers.

    Cruthers’s coaching experience has included multiple stops at the top levels of American junior hockey. He was the head coach and assistant general manager of the USHL’s Chicago Steel during the 2017-18 season and the following year was tabbed as bench boss for the NAHL’s Corpus Christi Ice Rays.

    Most recently, Cruthers helped engineer a USPHL-Premier expansion franchise with the Columbia Infantry before undertaking the assistant coach’s post in Sioux Falls.

    “We could not be happier for Ryan and his family,” said Stampede general manager Tony Gasparini. “He had an instrumental part toward our success both on and off the ice, in particular, working with two of our defensemen who were picked last week in Nashville at the NHL Draft.”

    From 2015-22, Cruthers was one of the architects of the Charlotte Rush championship teams in the USPHL. The Rush won their first of two USPHL-Elite national championships under Cruthers in 2017, just his second season with the organization. In 2021, both the Charlotte Elite and Premier divisions captured national titles while he served as general manager and Premier head coach.

    For two games during the 2017-18 season he filled-in as the interim head coach for the Marksmen and earned a record of 1-0-1.

    “Ryan is going to put us in a position to have a successful season again this year and is going to drive us in the right direction on and off the ice,” said Marksmen owner and CEO Chuck Norris.

    Prior to his coaching career, Cruthers was a force on the wing with eight seasons of ECHL experience. In 429 ECHL games and 32 AHL games, he logged four separate 20-goal seasons and led the 2009-10 Reading Royals in points (71).

    Consistently touted as a leader, Cruthers was captain of the Royals from 2010-12 and then donned the “C” for the Orlando Solar Bears in 2012-13. He was the captain and first rostered player in Solar Bears history.

    “I think your playing career – as a coach – helps you relate to what the players and team are going through at different times… success is built on relationships, and I’ve already started building these relationships with our players,” said Cruthers.

    A standout at Robert Morris University, Cruthers was a four-year NCAA Division-I letterwinner. He captained the Colonials in his senior season, a year where he was also a preliminary nominee for the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA’s top men’s college hockey player. Prior to starring with R.M.U., Cruthers played his first two college seasons as the United States Military Academy at West Point.

    “I am passionate about the military and what the Marksmen stand for and we’re founded from,” said Cruthers.

    “[Cruthers] is not a coach looking for a chance, he’s proven how valuable he is already at the NCAA Division-I level, the ECHL, and the top two tiers of North American junior hockey. That type of experience is hard to find in the SPHL, but we’ve been able to capture it with him,” said Norris.

    Cruthers will lead the Marksmen during opening weekend on Friday, Oct. 20 at Roanoke and Saturday, Oct. 21 at home vs. Roanoke.

    “Our fans will have a team they can relate to, a daily commitment to excellence both on the ice and in the community,” said Cruthers. “My goal is the entire Fayetteville community can feel the positive direction in which we are heading.”

    19bMarksmen sign two-time SPHL Champion Kyle Sharkey as Assistant Coach

    The Fayetteville Marksmen also announced they have agreed to terms with Kyle Sharkey as assistant coach for the 2023-24 season.

    Sharkey, 30, a native of Moore, Oklahoma, served as an assistant coach with NAHL’s Minot, North Dakota Minotauros last season.

    “I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the Marksmen,” said Sharkey. “My family and I are looking forward to making Fayetteville home and can’t wait to be a part of the community.”
    Sharkey logged 150 SPHL games as a player and notched 130 points (50g, 80a), all with the Huntsville Havoc. In 2018-19, Sharkey finished third in points for the eventual President’s Cup champion Havoc.

    A two-time SPHL champion, Sharkey also contributed for the 2017-18 championship Havoc team, and served as an alternate captain for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on the Pointers 2015-16 NCAA division-III championship squad.

    “[Sharkey] brings a championship pedigree as a player and has valuable experience in the SPHL,” said head coach Ryan Cruthers. “He is eager to grow as a coach and will have an immediate impact on our team.”
    With Sharkey’s experience, the Marksmen round out the 2023-24 coaching staff with a combined eight championships between two coaches.

    I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running,” said Sharkey, “and helping to build a culture we will be proud of for years to come.”

  • 18God is faithful, and the cycle of the seasons signifies that God will preserve and redeem His created order. Genesis 8:22 reads, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (KJV) This verse is part of the covenant or promise God made with Noah after the flood and a reminder of His faithfulness each day and every season in our lives.

    One definition of the word season tells us that it is the period of the year that is distinguished by special climate conditions that come, go and reoccur in a year. In the Gregorian calendar, four seasons are generally recognized in temperate and sub-polar regions. God, not science or scientists, divided the year into the cadence of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

    “To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven,” states Ecclesiastes 3:1. In eloquently penning this verse, King Solomon, the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, expressed his commentary on the ebb and flow of human lives. His words spoke not only to the people of his time but speak relevantly to our lives today. Continuing, he elaborated on the season we all face: There is “a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down, and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh.” (AMP)

    Another meaning of the quoted scripture has to do with the changing seasons of our lives. Each season or stage of life teaches us something new about ourselves, others and life in general. Research tells us that four personal seasons of life exist like the four we have in nature. Orchestrated by God for a purpose, these periods develop our personalities and lay the groundwork for the lives we will lead in the future. Moving through each spiritual season builds our faith and brings us closer to the Lord.

    Spring is the time in your life from birth to mid-twenties, a time of hope, new beginnings and opportunities.

    Summer represents the transition from adolescence to adulthood. A time to celebrate the meaning of life which brings growth. There is a need for protection from the abundance of distractions that plague life during this time.

    Fall is the time of your life when you slow down or retire. More time is available to mentor others in this season.

    Winter can be a season of true wisdom or a time of sadness and despair.

    Some of these seasons of humanity may last for a lifetime or for a short time. Seek the Lord to know the season and the reason for your various relationships; when to start, when to continue, and when to let go.

    We are in the summer, the warmest time of the year, with longer days and more opportunities to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. I enjoy walking early in the morning or riding my bike in my neighborhood for exercise. Seeing and interacting with my neighbors as they walk or ride their bikes is always a pleasure. I love watching outdoor sports, attending barbecues, picnics, having fun at the beach, and sitting on my porch enjoying the helicopters flying over our house. I also enjoy watching the bees go from flower to flower while sitting on my porch.

    I genuinely love the array of beautiful blooming flowers and trees in my yard and the tomatoes and green peppers growing in our raised garden beds. I am not particularly fond of pulling out the weeds in the beds. These weeds compete with plants for water, nutrients, sunshine, and space.

    Spiritual weeds in our lives are similar to those in flower and vegetable gardens. We don’t always recognize them as weeds. They grow so quickly and choke the life out of what we want to flourish.
    Spiritual weeds can flourish by watching too much television, spending too much time on the phone, social media, and news media. Other prominent weeds include pride, envy, greed, lying, yielding to temptations, unforgiveness, and associating with people that are pulling us away from the Lord.

    We strengthen our walk with God by reading and applying the Word to our lives, and praying daily.
    God is not seasonal. Both Malachi 3:6 and Hebrew 13:8 declare that God is always the same and never ever changes. He is always good, always loving, always all-powerful. No matter how this world changes around us, we can trust God who is always consistent.

    Nothing is too large for Him to handle or too minute for Him to notice. He is omniscient. He sees and knows all the details of our lives — our worries, struggles, victories, frustrations and conflicts.

    We can trust Him to lead and guide us to all truth. We may never understand why God allows things to happen in different seasons of our lives. We can know that He is in control, and there is a set season for everything by His purpose for our lives. Your life is important to God.

    “And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9).

    Editor’s note: A version of this article appears in the July issue of Women’s View Magazine.

  • 7aWhat books are you featuring on PBS-NC’s “North Carolina Bookwatch” this season?

    I still get this question even though Bookwatch, the program about North Carolina books and authors that I hosted, ended its 23-year run almost two years ago.

    Here are some of the North Carolina-related books and authors that might have been featured if the program had continued.

    A favorite Bookwatch guest was Lee Smith, one of North Carolina’s favorite authors for almost a half-century. She always gives her readers a look at the interesting lives of compelling and often quirky characters.

    Her latest, “Silver Alert: A Novel” is set in Key West and is full of those quirky characters like those Smith’s fans treasure. Herb is an 83-year-old wealthy and cranky man in Key West. He and a young manicurist take a wild ride around Florida in his treasured Porsche. Herb’s family reports him missing, and the resulting “silver alert” leads to the book’s conclusion.

    With the hurricane season upon us, one book that would surely have been featured is “Fifteen Hurricanes That Changed the Carolinas: Powerful Storms, Climate Change, and What We Do Next,” by hurricane expert Jay Barnes.

    Barnes gives a good background about the dangers hurricanes bring to our state. Then in separate chapters he covers some of the most memorable beginning with The Great Carolina Hurricane of 1752 and more recent ones such as Hugo (1989), Fran (1996), Floyd (1999), Matthew (2016), and Florence (2018).

    In his latest book, “Lessons from North Carolina: Race, Religion, Tribe, and the Future of America,” UNC Law Professor Gene Nichol writes about the struggles of North Carolina’s poor and North Carolina’s exploitation and inattention to them. Taking on the role of an Old Testament prophet he condemns the ways the state’s powerful oppress the powerless.17b

    The late UNC-Wilmington Professor Phillip Gerard wrote a series of articles for Our State magazine about North Carolina in different decades. His articles about the 1950s are the basis of “North Carolina in the 1950s: The Decade in Motion” published by Blair/Carolina Wren Press.

    Gerard covers such topics as beach music, family visits to the local drive-in theater, the beginning of WUNC- TV, how four North Carolina A&T students sat down at Greensboro’s Woolworth’s whites-only lunch counter, noting their quiet courage and informing readers how rich and complicated the fifties were.

    UNC Professor Daniel Wallace’s best-selling novel, “Big Fish,” and other novels have demonstrated that he is one of America’s great storytellers. His latest book, “This Isn’t Going to End Well: The True Story of a Man I Thought I Knew,” shows that he also can use those gifts to create compelling non-fiction.

    His account of his relationship with his brilliant but troubled brother-in-law and great friend is powerful, moving and memorable.

    De’Shawn Charles Winslow’s debut novel, “In West Mills,” introduced readers to the town and its residents in the 1940s. His new book, “Decent People,” begins in March 1976. Both books give readers a painful inside look at Black communities in northeastern North Carolina.

    “Decent People,” opens: “Josephine Wright could have kissed the ground, she was so glad to arrive back at home in West Mills, North Carolina.”

    Jo Wright was born and grew up in West Mills, but had lived in New York for 48 years. Now she was returning to West Mills to enjoy retirement, live in a cottage, and marry Olympus “Lymp” Seymore, “the man she had waited so long to find, someone she had known as a child.”

    But Lymp has become a suspect in a recent murder.

    Jo’s search for the real murderer finally concludes surprisingly, but only after the reader has learned the complex story of life in West Mills.

    We may miss “Bookwatch,” but North Carolina writers have not missed a beat.

    Editor’s note: D.G. Martin, a retired lawyer, served as UNC-System’s vice president for public affairs and hosted PBS-NC’s North Carolina Bookwatch for 23 seasons.

  • 15As computer science instructors, people often ask us if this or that GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is going to take away all the programing jobs. We know that some people are worried, but human programmers are not going away anytime soon. Human creativity is not so easily replaceable.

    GPT models are great at generating text, but they can’t come close to the creativity and problem-solving abilities of humans. Computer programming requires imaginative thinking, finding solutions and translating ideas into code. These are skills the models can’t do alone — but they can make a programmer much more productive.

    Spreadsheets have auto-completion and auto-calculation routines built in, and they’ve replaced hand-calculating long list of numbers — but they can’t replace the person who looks at the spreadsheet and decides what to do with those numbers.

    Weighing Costs and Benefits

    Programming is more than just writing lines of code. It involves making complex decisions. While GPT models can offer suggestions or assist with specific aspects, the buck stops with human programmers and their judgment. A model can suggest solutions, but it’s up to you to select the best solution.

    Adaptability is a Human Trait

    Programming languages change over time. Skilled programmers adapt to these changes, continuously learning and updating their knowledge. The most important thing we try to teach our students is to “learn how to learn” because the hottest thing today won’t be the hottest thing tomorrow.

    GPT models, on the other hand, rely on existing data and patterns. They can’t learn new skills or adapt to changing circumstances. That’s up to us.

    Collaboration Between Humans and Models

    Instead of seeing GPT models as adversaries, we tell our students to look at them as tools. They can offer suggestions, provide code examples, and much more. By working alongside GPT models, programmers can leverage their capabilities while contributing their unique insights and expertise.

    In fact, we’re using these kinds of models to help our novice programmers, not just by letting them ask questions about “How do I write programs?” but also exploring the model to figure out what are the right questions to ask.

    We found that when students knew what kind of web page they wanted to make, for example, they would keep asking the model for help until they came up with a web page that matched what they had imagined. It truly was a group effort between programmer and model.

    The field of computer programming

    GPT models have made remarkable strides in generating text and supporting specific tasks. However, they aren’t positioned to replace human programmers. The field of computer programming thrives on human creativity, problem-solving abilities, critical thinking and adaptability to evolving technologies.

    By recognizing the collaborative potential of GPT models, programmers can harness their strengths and prove that humans have to be the ones doing the thinking. We invite you to learn more about computer programming at FTCC. We’re registering students now for fall semester and would love to serve you. For more information visit https://www.faytechcc.edu/academics/computer-information-technology-programs/

    Editor's note: David Teter and Andrew Norris are Information Technology faculty members at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

  • 14The Summer Concert Series presents Gary Lowder & Smokin’ Hot Friday, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. at Gates Four Golf & Country Club Pavilion.

    “We have had a busy summer and we are continuing until November,” said Gary Lowder, leader of the band Gary Lowder & Smokin’ Hot.

    “We have performed at the Virginia Beach Music Festival, the upcoming North Carolina Oyster Festival, the North Carolina Seafood Festival and anything that has fish or seafood in it, we are there.”

    “Smokin’ Hot has been together about 14 years and we are a full-time eight-piece R & B Soul Party Band,” said Lowder.

    “We play a lot of the music that people grew up with such as KC & The Sunshine Band, Kool & The Gang and our own original music that gets a lot of airplay across the region.”

    He added, “We play a lot of line dance music for our dancing crowd, Shag music for the shaggers and the newer cover music for our young crowd.”
    Lowder has always had a love for music and was exposed to it at an early age.

    “I have been involved in music since I was a teenager and I have played music in and out of the country,” said Lowder. “I grew up in the Carolinas and in 1982 I moved to Minneapolis.”

    His backstory is while living in Minneapolis, he had groups that performed for various festivals and corporate events. The last year that he lived there his bass player and keyboard player were hired by the late singer, musician and producer Prince.

    He decided to move back to the Carolinas and had no intentions of getting back into the music industry, but low and behold, he began working with a few musical groups and decided to put his own group back together.

    His efforts finally formed into the band that it is today, Smokin’ Hot.

    “When I lived in Fayetteville originally I was part of a group called Hot Smokin’ Brass and we were Jackie Wilson’s back-up band for several years until he had a stroke and I kind of borrowed part of the name of that band and created my own band when I moved back to the coast,” said Lowder.

    Their last CD had four number one hits that are played on known countdowns. In 2021, Lowder was awarded Male Vocalist of the Year from The Carolina Beach Music Association.

    When asked what can the audience expect from the band’s performance at the Summer Concert Series, Lowder promises the audience will enjoy themselves because the band knows how to move the crowd.

    “You are going to hear some of your favorite music that you have grown up listening to and we look forward to seeing you at the show.”

    The event is free and open to the public. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Gates open at 5:30 p.m., food and drinks start at 6 p.m.

    For more information on the band visit www.garylowdermusic.com

    For more information about the Gates Four Summer Concert Series or to purchase VIP seating visit https://www.fayettevilledinnertheatre.com/

  • 13Chosen Pen is a publishing company based out of Fayetteville that guides and assists authors on the path to publishing their work and sharing their stories with the world.

    The professional publishing house is spearheaded by author and publisher Dr. Norma McLauchlin, who has been able to take her stories and adventures from life and turn them into opportunities to teach and inspire anybody that crosses her path.

    The publishing house is celebrating their 10 year anniversary this September, with McLauchlin doing a TED Talk to celebrate. She was able to partner with a TEDx platform after joining a couple of authors and publishing groups. McLauchlin was able to connect with other writers from all over the world. McLauchlin has now been able to take Chosen Pen to Africa with the TEDx Talk, and has built libraries, schools and gardens for children in South Africa.

    Up & Coming Weekly had the chance to sit down with McLauchlin to discuss Chosen Pen, her personal story, and how she sees the publishing house growing. McLauchlin is an avid writer but began as an avid reader thanks to her grandmother. Before starting Chosen Pen, she was a writer at Fayetteville State University, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Business.

    “I have these visions of being chosen, chosen to write, chosen to help, chosen to do work, God's work,” she said.

    Though she was already constantly writing, the real inspiration came from teaching and hosting her sister groups, where they would get together and discuss books and personal stories. Through this experience McLauchlin realized people were waiting to hear her stories, but also the stories of the women she was helping and teaching.

    Chosen Pen is now home to six authors who have all published their own works, and have collaborated on anthologies together.

    Opportunities like these have given some writers their first published works, and the chance to make profits off book sales. Their most recent anthology is titled “I’ve got to Write! It’s Like Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” and is a compilation of the authors’ passionate writing styles in one book. The anthology is available for pre-order now.13a

    Chosen Pen is open to help publish books by any author, but one of the biggest reasons Chosen Pen was started, was because there was a lack of publishers willing to publish books for and by Black women.

    McLauchlin says, “I decided to be a publisher because so many Black women want to tell their stories, but there are no publishers for them. There’s no one to help them write or publish their work. So, a part of my company is also me being a co-writer coach as well, to help them write their stories and take them through the entire marketing and publishing process.”

    McLauchlin took an active role in integration back in the 1960s to help blend races in schools as a part of the civil rights movement. It’s easy for some to forget the trauma and trouble that people of color went through to have equal rights and education. For McLauchlin this was challenging as well, and having to navigate through that new education system, while still dealing with racism and women’s rights, stays with her until this day.

    “The social aspect was the hardest part of that process, it’s difficult to make friends and be social during a time like that. I would eat my lunch in the supply closet and didn’t go to any social events until my senior prom,” she said.

    Since she started Chosen Pen, a lot of McLauchlin’s stories and writing deal with love, faith, hope, and most importantly, forgiveness. With forgiveness being such a huge part of McLauchlin’s life story, she began to do forgiveness retreats with women to help deal with past hurts and struggles in a more positive way.

    She also has an assortment of books and journals on the topic of forgiveness. McLauchlin says, “The process of healing and carrying around what other people have said or done to you can be a lot. I later understood that the burden that you were carrying was not for yourself, but for others.”

    When it comes to getting your book published through Chosen Pen, McLauchlin takes you through a step-by-step process of taking your book from edited, all the way to how you should distribute, market and sell them.

    “We encourage our authors to use distribution channels like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but we also encourage them to sell from their own websites or social media platforms to get the most out of their sales.”

    Now that Chosen Pen has established authors and books, McLauchlin plans on taking more of her resources to South Africa, where she can spread more knowledge on forgiveness and love and focus on some of the disparities she sees in those communities.

    “There are a lot of parallels when it comes to hardships in Africa and the United States. The gender gap is huge and there are a lot of absent fathers. We are working on programs to help integrate women into the work force, and programs to ensure fathers stay a part of households and with their families,” she said.

    For anyone interested in getting their stories heard and put out into the world to inspire others, visit Chosenpen.com. There you can book a consultation to get coaching and guidance on your next book venture, and join a writer’s group where you can converse and connect with other writers.

    There are opportunities to publish your next work if you’re already finished with a project and want to see it through. Also, don’t forget to register to join Chosen Pen on Sept. 15 and 16 as they celebrate their 10 Year Anniversary and TEDx Talk. For information visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITsZ4vOT-rg

  • 12A show featuring some of the country’s best comics that also supports a good cause? Sounds like a wonderful and heal*arious thing to watch.

    The Best Medicine Brigade is hosting a national competition to find America’s funniest veterans and military spouses. The show, Operation HEAL*ARIOUS, is making a stop in Fayetteville which is known for having a large population of veterans, active duty servicemembers and military spouses.

    HEAL*ARIOUS is a nonprofit that provides free and therapeutic humor programs to improve psychological performance and mental health. This comedy showcase featuring military spouse and veteran comedians is bringing awareness to the nonprofit.

    The judges of the show include Dewayne White, an Army veteran and a DC-based stand-up comedian who performs all over the country; P.T. Bratton, an Air Force veteran who delivers clean, conscience comedy in a post-pandemic world; and Red Squirrel, an Army spouse and nationally touring comedian with Southern Momma Tour and Glitter & Grit Comedy Tour.

    The Fayetteville show will be hosted by Stan Shelby, a Navy veteran. Shelby cut his teeth in the comedy world as a member of the Atlanta comedy community and can be seen performing across the country.

    The contestants for the local show are Chris Petty, an Army veteran, Robert Taylor, a Marine Corps veteran, Jelvon Young, an Army veteran, Hulin Saunders III, an Army veteran, and Monica Daly, an Army veteran.
    Petty and Young are both local residents of Cumberland County.

    Young told Up & Coming Weekly he is excited to participate in the comedy show.

    “It’s another opportunity to showcase my talent as well as help people escape their troubles momentarily,” Young said. “Hopefully, people will leave feeling a lot better than they came, and people should come to experience the magic of laughter.”

    The show will then be headlined by Ashley Gutermuth, a military spouse who is an online comic and standup comedian. Most of her comedy is focused on military humor. She has developed a major fan base with over 200 thousand followers on Instagram (@ashgutermuth) and 194 thousand followers on TikTok (@AshGutermuth). She has also appeared on “The Tonight Show.”

    A special guest will also make an appearance at the show, Austin von Letkemann, also known as @MandatoryFunDay on social media.
    Letkemann is an Army Intelligence Officer and through his social media accounts, he pokes fun at the various nuances of military life — everything from the Defense Travel System to mandatory ‘fun days’.

    Due to high demand the 8 p.m. show on July 29 is sold out, so producers have added a 4 p.m. show. Both shows will take place at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. Ticket prices start at $20 for general admission.

    More information about tickets and Operation HEAL*ARIOUS is available at www.bestmedicinebrigade.com.

  • 11Municipal elections determine the makeup of local governments. These elected officials make decisions about development, policing, budgets, local taxation, and other issues that affect voters’ daily lives such as trash service.

    FAYETTEVILLE

    Fayetteville’s mayoral incumbent Mitch Colvin is being challenged by Freddie de la Cruz, Charles Evans and Quancidine Hinson-Gribble. Colvin has been Fayetteville’s mayor since November 2017.
    De la Cruz challenged Colvin in 2022 but was defeated.

    Evans ran for the 7th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 but was defeated. He is a former member of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners and served on the Fayetteville City Council representing District 2.

    Hinson-Gribble lost a bid for mayor in 2017.

    The District 1 seat incumbent Kathy Keefe Jensen, will be challenged by Jose Alejandro Rodriguez.

    The District 2 seat, which consists of Downtown Fayetteville, is being challenged. Incumbent Shakeyla Ingram is being challenged by six other people. Gail Morfesis, Larry Marshall, Laura Rodrigues Mussler, Janene (Dublin) Ackles, Malik Eilliam Davis and Anastasia J. Vann have filed.

    The District 3 seat incumbent Mario (Be) Benavente, will be challenged by Michele A. Dillon.

    District 4 Incumbent D.J. Haire is being challenged by Stuart A. Collick.

    District 5 Incumbent Johnny Dawkins is being challenged by three other candidates: Fred G. LaChance III, Justin Herbe and Lynne Bissette Greene.

    District 9 Incumbent Deno Hondros is being challenged by Fredlisha R. Lansana.

    District 6’s Derrick Thompson, District 7’s Brenda McNair, and District 8’s Courtney Banks-McLaughlin are not being challenged.

    HOPE MILLS

    Mayor Jackie Warner is being challenged by former town commissioner Jessie Bellflowers.

    The Board of Commissioners will be a packed race.

    In the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners race, incumbents Bryan A. Marley, Kenjuana McCray, Jerry Legge, Grilley Mitchell and Joanne Scarola have filed. Ronald Starling, Patrick Mitchell, Ronnie Strong, Pat Edwards, Mark Hess, Deanna L. Rosario, H. Elyse Craver and Karen Smith Saracen have also filed.

    SPRING LAKE

    The mayoral seat, currently held by Kia Anthony, is being challenged by Fredricka Sutherland. Sutherland is a previous board member for the town of Spring Lake.

    For the Board of Alderman, incumbents Robyn Chadwick, Sona L. Cooper, Adrian Jones Thompson, Marvin Lackman and Raul Palacios will be facing challengers Daniel B. Gerald, Jackie Lee Jackson, James P. O’Garra and Katrina Bratcher.

    EASTOVER

    Mayor Charles McLaurin will not be facing any challengers in this election.

    For Town Council, incumbent Stan Crumpler, incumbent Cheryl Hudson and Fredrick A. Williams have all filed.

    FALCON

    Wayne G. Lucas will be the only one running for Mayor.

    For Town Commissioner, incumbents John C. Wheeler and R. Dwayne Dunning Sr. and challengers Chris Stone, Sue Brigman, Larry C. Lovick and James Danny Nelson filed for seats on the town board.

    GODWIN

    Willie Burnette will be running for an uncontested reelection for Mayor.

    Board of Commissioners incumbents George Cooper Jr., Ronald McNeill and Scarlet M. Hall will be facing challengers Angela Burnette Lambert and Joseph Smith.

    LINDEN

    Frances B. Collier will be the only one running for reelection of mayor.

    Incumbent board members Barbara C. Denning, Larry Overby, Betsy Small, Ronnie Maness, and Jonathan Collier will be running.

    STEDMAN

    Incumbent Mark Lee will be facing challengers Ralph A. Vogt and Joseph Manuel for town commissioner.

    WADE

    The Mayoral seat is up and will be fought between Johnny Lanthorn and George E. Strater.

    Jennifer Dixon Weaver and Kevin A. Herring are running for reelection of their commissioner seats.

    CUMBERLAND COUNTY

    The Cumberland-Eastover Sanitary District board also has a board member seat open. Dani Osborne, from Eastover, is the only one running for the seat.

    The city of Fayetteville primary is scheduled for Oct. 10. One Stop Voting starts Sept. 21. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Sept. 11.

    The municipal election is Nov. 7. One-Stop Voting starts on Oct. 19. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 9.

  • 10Works Career Center Fayetteville will host a hiring event July 31 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Spring Lake Town Hall, located at 300 Ruth Street in Spring Lake. This event aims to address the long-standing workforce vacancies in the town, with a primary focus on six key positions.

    The Spring Lake community has been experiencing exceptional growth, and in order to meet the demands of the expanding population, several key positions need to be filled. The hiring event will provide an opportunity for qualified individuals to explore career options and connect with potential employers.

    The following positions are the primary focus of this event:

    • Finance Director: A crucial role in managing the town’s financial operations and providing strategic guidance on fiscal matters.
    • Police Officer: A dedicated and skilled individual who will help ensure the safety and security of the Spring Lake community.
    • Firefighter: A heroic and committed professional responsible for protecting lives and property in emergency situations.
    • Accounts Payable Technician: An organized and detail-oriented individual who will contribute to the town’s financial management by accurately processing invoices and payments.
    • Meter Reader Fulltime: A diligent and reliable person responsible for recording utility consumption and maintaining accurate meter readings.
    • Meter Reader Part-time: An opportunity for those seeking part-time employment to contribute to the community by recording utility consumption and maintaining accurate meter readings.

    Job seekers who are interested in any of these positions are encouraged to send their resumes to Event Coordinator Dwight Butler at dwight.butler@commerce.nc.gov.

    Resumes received in advance will be shared with participating employers, giving them an opportunity to review candidates before the event.10a

    “This hiring event is a wonderful opportunity for job seekers to connect with employers in the Spring Lake area,” said Butler. “We are excited to facilitate these valuable connections and help the community grow by filling these long-standing vacancies.”

    The NC Works Career Center Fayetteville team will be on-site during the event to offer guidance, answer questions, and provide assistance with the application process. Job seekers are advised to come prepared with multiple copies of their resumes and dress in professional attire.

    For further information about the hiring event, please contact Butler or visit the NC Works Career Center Fayetteville website at www.ncworks.gov/fayetteville

    NC Works Career Center Fayetteville

    NC Works Career Center is a dedicated resource for job seekers and employers in the Fayetteville area. They provide a range of employment services, including job search assistance, resume writing support and recruitment assistance for businesses.

  • 9The Child Advocacy Center welcomed new Executive Director Jasie Landeros to their nonprofit organization’s team July 1. Landeros is assuming leadership from Roberta Humphries who retired after 14 years at CAC.

    Born and raised in Wade, Landeros is a Cape Fear High School graduate with strong ties to Cumberland County and the military community. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from UNC Wilmington, she taught elementary school for a number of years, even working in gifted education.

    While Landeros’ spouse was stationed in Florida, Landeros ran the Prevention & Outreach Program for the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, where she focused on spreading awareness of child abuse through the education of children and adults. That program spanned across two counties.

    Upon her family’s transition back to Fort Liberty, Landeros returned to teaching for Cumberland County Schools before applying for her new position at the CAC. She credits her excellent leadership and mentorship at ECCAC for her interest in taking this unique career path.

    Landeros is eager to continue the success Humphries began during her tenure. Humphries effectively doubled the size of the CAC’s staff during that time period.

    “Roberta’s done great work paving the way for the CAC,” Landeros shares, “and now she’s passing the torch, which I plan to handle with love and care. Her dedication and devotion to the mission of the CAC has so obviously impacted the legacy she’s leaving behind.”

    Landeros hopes to continue with the organization’s forward-moving progress by connecting with their community partners and agencies to influence the advocacy of child abuse prevention efforts.
    On the heels of facilitating several successful initiatives for Internet Safety Awareness Month in June, the CAC is currently in the throes of planning their annual Pinwheel Masquerade Ball & Auction for October. This organization’s staff of ten heavily depends on their board of directors and volunteers to facilitate this signature fundraiser and other events and initiatives throughout the year.

    “Through our various community-focused efforts, I want to make child abuse a topic we openly talk about to children and adults–not something scary that we shy away from–and ensure everyone knows what the CAC is and what we do,” Landeros emphasizes.

    “Ultimately, my focus is on increasing therapy services for children facing the healing process and on fostering key relationships and connections throughout Cumberland County via our schools, faith-based institutions, and more,” she concludes.

    This mother, military spouse, and self-described “passionate advocate for children” is also issuing an open invitation to the county’s residents to consider donating their time, funds or resources to the CAC’s mission of working with community partners to respond to and prevent child abuse. The public may learn more about that mission and how individuals can get involved here: cacyfaync.org.

    About the Child Advocacy Center

    The CAC is a place of healing and hope. Joining hands with 19 community agencies, CAC provides a safe and child-friendly place to interview, investigate and provide support for abused children. The CAC also provides prevention education for parents and professionals in the community. The CAC looks to a future where all children live in a safe and nurturing environment, free from abuse.
    To learn more, visit www.cacfaync.org.

  • 8The Fayetteville Public Works Commission announced July 21 the hiring of Timothy Bryant as the utility’s next CEO/General Manager. Bryant, who brings over 25 years of utility experience to PWC, will join PWC Aug. 14.

    Since September 2022, Mick Noland has served as Interim CEO/General Manager following the resignation of Elaina Ball in August 2022.

    Bryant comes to PWC from Florida Power and Light Company where he has held numerous leadership roles since 2008. FPL is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc, the largest electric utility in the United States, serving an estimated 12.5 million people in the state of Florida.

    “The Commission conducted an extensive search for an Energy Executive who has extraordinary leadership acumen, unrivaled passion for people and the community, and a strong knowledge of the shifting and evolving regulatory and technical challenges that lie ahead for the utility industry,” said PWC Chair Ronna Garrett. “Tim Bryant meets all those descriptors and brings proven leadership, technical expertise and a connection to North Carolina that makes him a perfect fit for our hometown utility and our community.”

    Bryant most recently served as Director of External Affairs for FPL where he worked as a liaison between FPL and its stakeholders in the development of Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Economic Development, Community Relations, and Environmental across Florida.

    A former power plant manager, Bryant was instrumental in the operations and maintenance of three FPL Energy Centers. He also served as General Manager of Wind Central Maintenance that led the restoration of wind turbine fleets across North America before moving into External Affairs.

    Before NextEra Energy, he worked for Southern Company in Birmingham, Alabama, where he led a multi-discipline engineering team in designing simple-cycle and combined-cycle power generation facilities and environmental control systems.

    A native of Goldsboro, Bryant began his utility career in 1997 with power generation engineering roles with Black & Veatch Corporation.

    “It is my honor and privilege to join PWC,” said Bryant. “My family and I are extremely excited to come back home, to North Carolina and look forward to contributing to the on-going success of PWC and the greater Fayetteville community.”

    “I am truly amazed by PWC’s commitment to our customers and the community. As CEO, I intend to remain focused on delivering value for PWC’s customers and the community as we navigate the changing energy future and continue PWC’s history of delivering excellence in public power and water.”

    Bryant is a Professional Engineer and a graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and earned an MBA from Baker University in Baldwin, Kansas. In addition to his utility career, Bryant is a former commissioned officer in the U.S. Army National Guard where he served over 12 years in Kansas and North Carolina.

    He is an active civic leader, currently serving on numerous boards to include: the American Association of Blacks in Energy Board of Directors, Business for the Arts of Broward Board of Directors, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement of South Florida Board of Directors, Kappa Foundation of Palm Beach County Board of Directors, Max M. Fisher Boys & Girls Club of Riviera Beach, Parks Foundation of Broward County, and Pompano Beach Economic Development Council.

  • 6The Green Eyeshades have recognized the very best journalism in the southeastern United States since the 1950s. Run by Southerners from the Society of Professional Journalists, journalists in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia can enter their work.

    Up & Coming Weekly is pleased to announce first and third-place wins in several categories for our non-daily print reporting.

    Publisher Bill Bowman’s editorial collection won first place for Editorial Writing. His editorials tackled local politics, the chamber of commerce, downtown Fayetteville, the Arts Council, and lack of local news.

    “Honest editorial and opinion writing are crucial aspects of good journalism, and this has always been Up & Coming Weekly's commitment to the Fayetteville community. We are extremely proud of these awards and recognition by peers in our industry,” said Bowman.

    “Bad news comes in three” was one of the publisher pens submitted for the award. The article can be found at https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/views/8999-bad-news-comes-in-three.

    “I believe honest editorial and opinion pieces disclose viewpoints and expose potential biases upfront. This kind of transparency and awareness allows our readers to evaluate information within the context of the perspective, enabling them to make informed judgments, much to the chagrin of several local government officials,” Bowman said.

    Columnist Margaret Dickson received first place for Serious Commentary. Her columns touched on national politics, redistricting and book banning.

    “Ostriches put their heads in the sand out of fear,” was one of the columns submitted for the award. The story can be found online at https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/views/8969-ostriches-put-their-heads-in-the-sand-out-of-fear.

    Dickson’s collection of columns also received first place for Opinion Writing from the Association of Community Publishers.6a

    “Journalists who are honest about their opinions build trust with their audience and are held accountable for the accuracy and fairness of their work. If we wrote it, we own it! This is what we do and it continues to be our newspaper's commitment and contribution to the Fayetteville and Cumberland County community,” Bowman said.

    Staff Writer Kathleen Ramsey took home third place for Feature Writing for her article, “Curate Essentials: An herbal apothecary and boutique in the heart of Haymount Hill.” The story can be found online at https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/entertainment/8882-curate-essentials-an-herbal-apothecary-and-boutique-in-the-heart-of-haymount-hill.

    This article also won third place for Business Writing from the North Carolina Press Association.

    Assistant Editor Hannah Lee took home third place for General News Reporting for her coverage of Fort Bragg. Some of the coverage included the NATO Deployments in 2022, the renaming of Fort Bragg into Fort Liberty, and the Armed Services YMCA food pantry located on post.

    “Deployments underway for thousands of Fort Bragg troops” was one of the articles submitted for the award. It can be found online at https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/local-news-briefs/8380-deployments-underway-for-thousands-of-fort-bragg-troops.

  • 5North Carolina has enjoyed more than a decade of conservative governance. It’s brought our state impressive growth and widespread acclaim. The General Assembly has reformed and reduced state taxes, lightened the regulatory burden, invested in infrastructure, and promoted choice and competition in public services, among other accomplishments.

    This year, lawmakers have an excellent opportunity to build on this record of success by enacting a 2023-25 state budget with a prudent mix of strategic investments and pro-growth tax reforms.

    Unfortunately, the Senate version of the budget contains a non-conservative — indeed, a decidedly anti-conservative — provision to transfer $1.4 billion in taxpayer money to a private entity, NCInnovation. Its stated intention is to bridge the gap between academic research and successful commercialization.

    Most new businesses fail. Indeed, many seemingly innovative ideas never become businesses in the first place. They fail to attract enough human and financial capital to sustain them as they move from the research-and-development phase to the revenue-producing phase. The business executives, consultants and activists who created NCInnovation propose to solve the problem by making grants to university researchers and other interested parties to carry them across this gap, often described as the “valley of death.”

    There may well be university researchers and other North Carolinians with promising ideas who just need some bridge funding to launch trailblazing new businesses. Sounds like a fascinating opportunity for private investors to pursue, with the promise of significant returns as well as the risk of significant losses. It is not, however, the proper role of state government.

    As NCInnovation itself recognizes, “North Carolina is a powerhouse when it comes to research and development funding.” Our colleges and universities attract a great deal of private and federal research funding. State taxpayers add to that with one of the highest levels of university subsidy in the nation.

    While opinions may differ, my view as a conservative is that it is appropriate to use state dollars to subsidize research on state campuses, and to fund extension services to transfer research findings to private individuals and enterprises to implement.

    As for the other cliff of the so-called valley of death, it’s clearly not appropriate to force state taxpayers to become venture capitalists for private startups. Although the initial budget language for the NCInnovation transfer appeared to allow for equity stakes in recipient firms, that idea is no longer on the table as far as I know.

    Rather, the proposal is to transfer $1.4 billion from the state treasury to NCInnovation, a private entity with a board composed primarily of legislative appointees. Notice I didn’t say “appropriate” I said transfer. The $1.4 billion is not technically an expenditure, which means it doesn’t count against the General Assembly’s annual spending cap of inflation plus population growth. For conservatives, that should already be a big red flag.

    Exactly what range of grants NCInnovation might make from the proceeds of its $1.4 billion corpus is not spelled out in any of the documents I’ve seen. Nor would its activities be subject to open meetings and public records laws.

    And why should we expect the board and staff of NCInnovation to make better decisions about which potential ventures to fund than private investors would make with their own money? This is the crux of the matter. The organization has attracted an impressive array of directors and well-wishers, many of whom are accomplished executives. I don’t question their business savvy. I question why they deem it appropriate to risk just not their own money, or their friends’ money, or their clients’ money, but my money — and yours.

    Conservatives believe that government’s role is clearly defined and limited. We pay taxes to fund public services such as law enforcement, courts, education and transportation assets that cannot or should not be funded through receipts or voluntary contributions.

    When the line between the public sector and the private sector gets blurry, we get concerned. When it disappears entirely, we get angry.

  • 4aA dangerous threat hides in the shadows, inflicting devastation upon our communities and claiming the lives of our loved ones — parents, siblings, children, and friends. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 100 times stronger than morphine, has emerged as a deadly force in the ongoing battle against drug abuse and overdose.

    To combat this threat, the urgent need for comprehensive legislation becomes undeniable. Through the enforcement of strict regulations, targeted law enforcement efforts, and the implementation of harm-reduction strategies, legislation can serve as a formidable defense in safeguarding public safety. By enhancing education and awareness, partnering with law enforcement, investing in research, and tightening regulations, we can create a comprehensive strategy to fight against this chemical warfare.

    This is why I am proud to present legislation that tackles the fentanyl crisis head-on. Senate Bill 189 would increase fines for trafficking controlled substances like fentanyl, sending a clear message that illicit trade in the deadly drug will not be tolerated in our state. Furthermore, we are introducing new offenses that specifically target those who distribute certain substances resulting in death, ensuring that individuals responsible for fatal outcomes face more severe penalties.

    Recognizing the importance of encouraging individuals to seek help, we have expanded limited immunity for the possession of small amounts of fentanyl. This provision offers protection from prosecution, empowering individuals to come forward and access the assistance they need without the fear of legal consequences.

    Additionally, this comprehensive legislation establishes a dedicated Task Force to bring together a team of experts that will enhance law enforcement efforts in combating the illegal manufacturing, importation and distribution of fentanyl and heroin. By promoting a coordinated and strategic approach, we aim to effectively confront the crisis at its core.

    We cannot continue to be reactive to the ongoing fentanyl crisis; we must be proactive in adopting sensible measures to stem the alarming influx of these drugs through our southern border. The illicit trafficking and distribution of these substances is a form of chemical warfare, and we must fight to prosecute the individuals who are trafficking and distributing this deadly poison.4

    We must get drugs off the street before they end up in the hands of our children. This legislation takes significant steps forward in our efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis, safeguard our communities, and offer support and solutions to those affected by this devastating epidemic. 

    On average, eight North Carolinians die every day due to fentanyl. The time to act is now, and I strongly urge my colleagues in the N.C. House of Representatives to pass this important legislation and send it to the governor for his signature. We cannot wait another day.

    Editor’s note: Sen. Michael Lazzara is a Republican who represents District 6, Onslow County in the North Carolina Senate.

  • Pub PenBecause Gov. Roy Cooper’s former secretary of health and human services, Mandy Cohen, just got the nod from President Joe Biden to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control, politicians and analysts are again debating how North Carolinians fared during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Defenders of Cooper and Cohen argue that their comparatively stringent regulations saved many lives when compared to states such as Florida where lockdowns were shorter and mandates less severe.

    Detractors argue that North Carolinians suffered greater economic pain, including lost jobs and incomes, than was necessary to combat the virus, and that the state’s decision to keep public schools closed longer than neighboring states was particularly indefensible.

    I opined frequently about these issues during the pandemic, criticizing Cooper’s school closures and violations of the separation of powers. But I also urged everyone to try to keep a cool head, to recognize the unprecedented nature of the crisis and the difficult decisions our governor and other officials were compelled to make.

    That being said, we have more data now than we did in 2020, 2021, or even 2022 to assess the effectiveness of policy responses to the pandemic. The clearest finding, in my view, is that closing public schools for more than a brief period in the spring of 2020 was a wrongheaded and counterproductive policy. Schoolchildren were at extremely low risk and didn’t prove to be major vectors of transmission to vulnerable populations.

    What about lockdowns, business closures, mask mandates, and other nonmedical interventions? Some studies suggest the stringency of such regulations exhibited little correlation with the spread of the virus.

    Others, such as a major paper published in the British journal The Lancet this March, found that while regulatory stringency had some relationship to infection rates, it wasn’t associated with death rates. That latter COVID outcome measure was always the better one. Infection rates have more of a reporting bias.

    Places that test more will detect more infections, all other things being equal, while a death is a death, although some ambiguity about its cause may persist.

    As for comparing the pandemic experience of North Carolinians to, say, Floridians, I’m afraid that far too many politicians and activists continue to hurl accusations based on the wrong statistic.

    They use COVID deaths per capita without adjusting for preexisting risk factors such as age. That’s silly. Many of the same people would (properly) insist on adjusting for student characteristics when assessing school performance, for example.

    When adjusted for age and comorbidities, Florida’s COVID death rate from 2020 to mid-2022 was lower, not higher, than North Carolina’s. The Lancet study ranked Florida as having the 12th lowest rate in the country. North Carolina was 27th. On the other hand, many other states in the Southeast had worse death-rate rankings than we did, including South Carolina (35th), Tennessee (38th), and Georgia (43rd).

    Still, The Lancet authors found “no statistical association between the party affiliation of a state governor and cumulative death rates from COVID-19.”

    To the extent there was a political explanation for differences in mortality, it had less to do with lockdowns and masks than with the uptake of vaccines. Republican-leaning places tended to have lower vaccination rates — and that translated into higher mortality for vulnerable populations.

    Now, here’s what I got wrong in 2020: I thought the economic damage from Cooper’s lockdowns would last longer than it did. While North Carolina did experience a worse-than-average drop in economic activity, we also bounced back faster.

    Big losses in employment, especially in restaurants and other service sectors, were very painful in the short run.

    Then loose eligibility standards for unemployment insurance induced some North Carolinians to stay out of the workforce for a while. When those standards tightened back up, most went back to work. (Many of those who didn’t appear to have severe drug addictions or mental illnesses).

    In most ways, North Carolina’s experience with COVID was close to the national average. Unexciting but true.

  • AUSAThe second annual Association of the U.S. Army Warfighter Summit and Exposition is coming to the Crown Complex July 26 and 27. The two-day, in-person summit teaches leadership and professional development. The theme this year is “America’s Army: Ready for Today, Modernizing for 2030 and Beyond.”

    Retired Brig. Gen. Jack Haley is the Vice President, Membership and Meetings for the AUSA. He says they are excited to be back at Fort Liberty. AUSA had their first warfighter summit last year, and 1,300 people came. This year, he hopes to have more people attend and check out the vendors and panels.

    “It’s a tremendous opportunity for the association to work with the Army Forces Command in this case to really showcase what the Army’s all about, because the Army is not about equipment. The Army is about soldiers. So that’s really what we’re trying to do.”

    The summit will feature presentations by Army senior leaders and commands based at Fort Liberty, as well as experts from industry and academia. Topics will span six warfighting functions and highlight ways Fort Liberty’s operational forces can win throughout the expanded competitive space.

    The keynote speaker on the first day of the summit will be Gen. Gary M. Brito, the Commanding General of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.

    There will be two keynote speakers on the second day of the summit. Command Sgt. Maj. Todd Sims of Forces Command will be speaking in the morning. Gen. James E. Rainey, the Commanding General of the Futures Command will be speaking in the afternoon.

    One fireside chat that Haley thinks will interest people will be the chat between retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Daniel A. Dailey, and current Sgt.Maj. of the Army Michael A. Grinston. Grinston will retire in August, after handing over the position to Command Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Weimer.

    There will be panels dedicated specifically to the needs of the soldiers at Fort Liberty. On the first day, there will be a panel with leaders from the 18th Airborne Corps, including Lt. Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, and Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas J. Holland.

    There will also be panels and chats talking about warfare from the industry perspective. On the first day, there will be a panel about Insights from the Russian-Ukrainian War. Speakers include Joseph Anderson, President and CEO of Rafael Systems Global Sustainment, LLC; David Poland, Client Solutions Executive from AT&T; Lt. Cmdr. Nicole M. Winget, Navy Reserve and Interim Dean of Adult & Online Education and Associate Professor at Campbell University; and Todd M. Burnett, the Executive Advisor of Booz Allen Hamilton.

    In addition, a session dedicated to spouses and families will be held on the second day of the summit. That fireside chat will discuss employment. Holly Dailey, the Director of Family Readiness for AUSA, and Lieutenant General Kevin Vereen, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, will be speaking.

    Haley hopes that soldiers who come to the summit will not only learn about AUSA, but about the resources and programs available for them.

    “It’s a great professional development opportunity for soldiers, for really anybody, but certainly for soldiers to get to hear senior leaders, both officers and sergeant majors. Then they get the opportunity to engage with industry leaders. [Soldiers] don’t really get that much opportunity to walk around in a small area and see all of the different technologies that are being developed that are out there to support them,” Haley said.

    The summit is open to the public. There will be a variety of military vehicles and aircraft on display. Special Forces will have an interactive trailer which allows people to experience aspects of the Special Operations world.

    There is no cost for military and government civilian personnel. To register, go to https://meetings.ausa.org/warfighter/index.cfm.

  • GospelBlessed -N- Blessings Gospel Concert is Friday, July 21 at 7 p.m. at Fayetteville State University’s Seabrook Auditorium.

    Apostle Alber “Trevy” Treadwell, emcee and promoter of the event, said concert attendees will experience “a hand-clapping, toe-tapping, exciting good time in the Lord.”

    Treadwell said the event is two-fold. The first is because it celebrates Treadwell’s several decades of preaching.

    Secondly, it is to be a blessing in the community.

    Treadwell’s ministry, Treadwell Evangelistic Empowerment Ministries Inc. is uniting with Church of the Living God Religious Education Center’s Pastor Dr. Calvin Vanbeverhoudt.

    He and Vanbeverhoudt have known each other for years and this is the first gospel concert event they’ve done together.

    It was a vision Vanbeverhoudt had to bring people together after the pandemic and bring them into an atmosphere of praise and worship.

    Treadwell said this event benefits the community because a good portion of the proceeds that are raised from ticket sales will go back to Fayetteville community nonprofits.

    They chose to have the concert at FSU because it allows them to encourage the community, give back to education and the community as a whole, he said.

    “We believe Jesus plus education equals success,” Treadwell said. “We couldn’t have found a better way to give back to Fayetteville State [than] by hosting an event there. Why not pour back into education by hosting the event?”

    Led by the spirit of the Lord
    Treadwell said that music is soothing and provides encouragement to the soul.

    “Whether you’re a fan of secular or gospel music, some form of music has lifted your spirits or has encouraged a person to go one more mile,” he said.

    “We just want to be obedient to the voice of the Lord and He gets the full glory out of
    the event.”

    The concert will also include music by Minister Jarell Smalls & Company and the Rev. Luther Barnes & The Sunset Jubilaires. Gospel comedian Elder Willie Brown will be in attendance.

    Also scheduled is youth group Today’s Youth Giving God Praise. The group empowers the youth, Treadwell said. He said he witnessed performances they had where there was not a dry eye in the place because of how they minister.

    “We want to take gospel music to heal the hurting hearts that are here in the community and surrounding community,” Treadwell said.

    Treadwell said to make the concert more affordable for attendees, when purchasing tickets, use CHURCHY on Eventbrite to receive $10 off a ticket.

    VIP tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door on the day of the concert. General Admission tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door. There are no cash sales, only debit and credit card only.

    Doors will open at 6 p.m. on July 21 and the concert is set to begin at 7 p.m.

    To purchase tickets visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blessed-n-blessings-gospel-concert-2023-tickets-624124572397.

  • older couple stretch N1803P69006HExisting muscle imbalances can lead to injuries. We often do not know that an injury may be due to muscle imbalances. Three common injuries that occur are in the ankles, hips and spine.

    Lack of dorsiflexion can lead to ankle injuries as well as a lack of flexibility in the ankle.

    The ankle plays an important role in helping the knees to flex with movement that travels up the Kinetic chain.

    Lack of flexibility in the ankles and the ability for forward movement causes them to rotate inward to transfer the weight.

    The rotation causes additional movement of the knees, lower back, and hips.

    Ankle sprains and breaks are also a result of a lack of flexibility and are a leading cause of visits to the emergency room.

    Exercises and activities that require the ankle to bend and be flexible include: running, jumping, squatting and any movement requiring the ankle to move forward.

    A simple test for your ankle flexibility is to stand or sit with your legs in front of you. Pull your toes toward your shin to see your range of motion. Tap your foot from one side to the other, put both feet together, and roll out to the side.

    Lack of flexibility in the hip and leg extension can also cause injuries. Your hips and legs require the ability to extend during movements.

    Movements include many yoga poses such as warrior pose, lunging, walking, and walking up stairs.

    Poor hip flexibility causes the ankle, knee, and lower back to overcompensate putting stress on the joints and muscles.

    A simple test for hip and leg extensions is to lie on your back with your right leg on the mat and your right arm extended in the back of your head. Pull your knee towards your chest.

    Signs of poor flexibility include: the hips shifting when pulling the knee towards the chest, difficulty in reaching the arm back towards the floor, and difficulty in keeping the extended leg close to the floor.

    Repeat the same movement on the opposite leg.

    Many times, over-compensation, will include arching of the back to assist the leg extension to the floor.

    The calves and hip flexors must be flexible enough to allow the leg to travel backward with movement.

    Hip flexor stretches and stretches for the calves are recommended to improve flexibility.

    Seated butterfly stretches (sitting on the floor and bringing your feet together or on a yoga block and lunges with the assistance of a bar or stable surface are good stretches for hip flexors.

    Thoracic spine rotation occurs with the oblique muscles that wrap around the torso from the rib cage to the pelvis.

    Flexibility in these muscles allows the spine to rotate. Some activities that require the spine to rotate include golf, baseball, tennis, basketball, pickleball and kayaking.

    A lack of flexibility can potentially place stress on other areas of your body.

    A thoracic spine is a group of vertebrae that are connected to your rib cage and the entire structure is known as the thorax with the plane of motion referred to as the transverse plane.

    Gentle spine rotations and stretching while seated, standing or lying can improve mobility.

    Going to a fitness center can be a good start for a fitness regimen. Initially working with a personal trainer, group fitness instructor or a corrective exercise specialist can help identify fewer flexible areas.

    The body can quickly adapt to compensate for muscle imbalances, many times including another area of the body to compensate for lack of movement.

    Live, love life and mobility!

  • midsummerYou know it’s summer in Fayetteville when the annual Midsummer Magic event comes back to downtown.

    The two-day event promises a wealth of unique sights and sounds, which is what Betsy McElwee, event coordinator for the Downtown Alliance, is looking forward to the most.

    “One of the main objectives for this event is to get people kind of circulating downtown and learning about new businesses that maybe they didn’t know about,” McElwee said.

    As one of the signature events for the Downtown Alliance, Midsummer Magic is a unique opportunity to bring the people of Fayetteville together for a tour of the businesses downtown has to offer.

    The event takes place at several businesses downtown on July 21 and 22. You just need to pick up a Fairy Journal, which can be found online or at several downtown businesses, and follow the Fairy Door Scavenger Hunt and Quest instructions.

    This journal will also show you where there are special promotions and activities at different businesses. The scavenger hunt will take place between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on
    both days.

    “There are also going to be traveling gnomes throughout the day who will help people answer different questions that are on the quest. So there will be different random kinds of trivia questions. And a gnome may answer that question for you, or they may tell you where you need to go to find the answer. So there is a book of knowledge that will be downtown, where you’ll have to locate the book of knowledge to answer the question,” McElwee said.

    If you complete the Fairy Journal, you can turn it in by July 22 and be eligible for a prize.

    The LlamaCorns will be returning and performers will be scattered throughout the event to delight those on their quest.

    Everyone is also encouraged to dress in their most fantastic fairy, sprite, goblin, dwarf or wizard ensemble for a chance to win this year’s costume contest. Participants only need to tag their picture on their personal social media page with #MidsummerMagicFayNC to enter for a chance to win prizes.

    The costume contest is separated into different categories for Downtown Businesses, kids ages 0 through 4, kids ages 5 through 10, kids ages 12 through 17, adults, groups and pets.

    For adults looking for a different way to explore businesses, the Midsummer Crawl will be coming back on Friday, July 21, from 5 to 9 p.m. The crawl happened once before the pandemic, but McElwee said they are excited to see it return.

    “We’ll be publishing a list of drink specials and activities that’ll be going on during the crawl. And we'll have about 15 or more bars and restaurants, food-based businesses, there’s a few cafes. It won’t only be alcohol. There’ll be some businesses that will have a dessert on the menu. Because not every business that’s doing the crawl has alcohol, but a big portion of them do,” McElwee said.

    Midsummer Magic is free and open to the public, but some activities will have an associated cost.

    For more information regarding Midsummer Magic and to download a Fairy Journal, visit https://www.faydta.com/our-events/downtown-fayetteville-scavenger-hunt/

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