The former Spring Lake Finance Director was arrested, June 10, on charges of Embezzlement, Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft.

The federal indictment alleges that 63-year-old Gay Cameron Tucker embezzled more than $560,000 from the Town of Spring Lake during her tenure as finance director and accounting technician for the town. The indictment further alleges that Tucker carried out the embezzlement through fraudulent checks containing forged signatures of the mayor and town manager.

“City government officials are entrusted to spend taxpayer funds on public needs – not their own,” United States Attorney Michael Easley stated in the press release. “Our prosecutors and law enforcement partners are committed to vigorously investigating all allegations of public corruption.”

This arrest comes after the Office of the State Auditor released its final report into allegations of the misuse of funds in Spring Lake.

According to the indictment, approximately $148,000 in checks were made payable to “Gay C Tucker” or “Gay Tucker,” and roughly $177,000 in checks were made payable to “Heritage Place,” “Heritage House” or “Heritage.”

The audit report states that Heritage House was the nursing care home where Tucker’s husband was living. The report states that these checks were used to pay her husband’s monthly resident bills.
Approximately $240,000 in checks were made payable to “Bragg Mutual Federal Credit Union” or “BMFCU.” These checks were deposited to an account belonging to Tucker.

The indictment states that after receiving the town’s money into her bank account, Tucker used the funds for her interests. Those interests included rent, personal living expenses, cash withdrawals and money transfers to individuals.

Tucker has been released without bail.

She is being charged with one count of embezzlement from a Local Government Receiving Federal Funds, four counts of Bank Fraud, and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft.

The maximum punishment for embezzlement is 10 years in prison. The maximum punishment for Bank Fraud is 30 years in prison. The maximum punishment for Aggravated Identity Theft is not less than, nor more than, two years in prison consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

The Fayetteville Police Department went to Puerto Rico for several days to recruit 25 new officers — costing the city more than $20,000.

The FPD, as well as many police agencies nearby, have several vacancies. This makes the job of current officers more difficult. Several incentives have been added to help attract potential recruits, including higher wages, signing bonuses, education incentives and relocation reimbursements.

The agency is also looking at other police departments to see if experienced officers would like a job with them. One place that is becoming a popular site for police recruitment is Puerto Rico. The FPD isn’t the only police agency to find recruits in Puerto Rico. The North Charleston Police Department in South Carolina has recently sworn in three out of ten incoming officers from the island as part of a partnership with the University of Puerto Rico.

According to Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins, the U.S. island territory’s pension system for its police officers does not compare with the retirement and benefits provided by the FPD. Last year, officers went on strike to demand a better public pension plan. The Puerto Rico Police Officers do not receive Social Security or health insurance upon retirement, obtaining only 30% to 40% of their salary.

Seven people from FPD flew to Puerto Rico on April 3. Those in attendance included Hawkins, Police Major Roberto Bryan Jr., Sgt. Gerald Poland Serrano, Sgt. Kendra Faire, Detective Brandy Bohannon, Detective Stephanie Berrios-Rivera, and Officer Asbel Torres. They left on April 7.

For FPD to travel to Puerto Rico, the tickets cost FPD $4,584.70. This cost did not include the $176.47 for the Main Cabin Extra seating, which is $25.21 for each person flying.
The recruiting event took place at Embassy Suites by Hilton San Juan Hotel & Casino. The FPD spent $5,352 for two conference rooms on April 4, April 5 and April 6. The hotel also charged FPD $4,084.80 for four rooms and $169.52 for parking.

$4,989.63 was spent at Publi-Inversiones Puerto Rico, the owner of the daily newspaper, El Vocero. It is a free Puerto Rican newspaper that is published in San Juan. FPD ran several advertisements from March 16 to April 5 in the El Vocero. The ad on Facebook received 537 reactions, 476 shares and 160 comments.

Other costs include a $258.04 visit to Walmart, an $86.73 visit to a grocery store, $75 to park at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, $130 in baggage receipts, and $620 in passenger receipts.

On April 4, there were three separate time slots for orientation. On April 5, there were two time-slots for the written and physical exams. On April 6, there were the interviews.

Applicants had to be at least 20.5 years of age, have a driver’s license, have an acceptable driving record, have a high school diploma, and be fluent in English. Those that passed the exams will have to travel to North Carolina to take the Police Officer Physical Abilities Test, the Computer Voice Stress Analyzer, the Medical and Psychological Testing and pass an interview with Hawkins.

Sixty people applied during the recruiting event. Hawkins told Up & Coming Weekly that 25 of those applicants passed the entry test. That means that the FPD, and the city, spent $825.07 to recruit one applicant from Puerto Rico.

However, Hawkins told Up & Coming Weekly that the recruiting event was worth it.

“What’s the cost of going without an officer?” she asked. “How much money is spent on overtime when we are short 50 officers?”

Up & Coming Weekly reached out to FPD about the price totals and when the recruits will be expected to start but have not received a reply at the time of publication.

 

Put on your walking shoes. Today we shall enjoy yet another stroll down the pot-holed-pocked Memory Lane.

It’s time to look at our old friend, the year 1972, who just turned 50 in January 2022. A decade here, a decade there, pretty soon, it adds up to some real time. Join Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman in the Way Back Machine to see what was happening just one short half-century ago.

At least one of my readers will be able to recall 1972 from personal experience. If the other reader can stay awake for the rest of the column, some vague memories may be stirred and some historical factoids blurbed.
January 1972 saw the return to civilization for Japanese soldier Sargeant Shoichi Yokoi who had been hiding in the jungles of Guam since the end of World War II. Shoichi was not a quitter. He had been hiding out in a jungle cave for almost 28 years. Two local men bumped into Shoichi, who promptly attacked them, fearing for his life. Shoichi knew the war had ended in 1952, but he did not want to surrender due to his training.

Once back in Japan, he said, “It is with much embarrassment that I return. We Japanese soldiers were told to prefer death to the disgrace of getting captured alive.” You have to admire his perseverance despite its overtones of insanity.

Once back in 1972, he may have wished he had stayed in the jungle.

Like the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining,” many things happened in 1972, and not all of them were good.
The friendly skies were not so friendly in 1972. There were at least 16 airplane hijackings that year. The Vietnam War was winding down but was not over. Palestinian terrorists attacked the Munich Olympics, killing 11 Israeli athletes.

The troubles of 1972 were part of Earth’s Manifest Destiny for craziness. Not to be outdone by 1972, the year of our Lord 2022, brags, “Hey, watch this!”
In March, the U.S. Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment sending it on to the states for ratification, where it died a death of old age.
June 1972 saw the birth of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen franchise in Arabi, Louisiana. This led to a proliferation of Popeye’s restaurants across the breadth and width of the fruited plain. The invention of its new chicken sandwich ultimately led to the Popeye’s Fried Chicken Sandwich Riots in 2019, when the restaurants could not keep up with demand for that culinary delight.

June also brought America’s most famous third-rate burglary. Nixon’s version of the Beagle Boys got caught in the Watergate, breaking into the Democratic National Headquarters to bug the joint. This caper eventually led to Nixon resigning in disgrace. However, that is a story for another time. But Happy 50th Birthday anyway to the Watergate scandal.

July saw the World Chess Championship in Iceland between American Bobby Fischer and defending World Chess Champion Boris Spassky the Russki. It may be hard to believe, but in the summer of 1972, America caught chess fever. People cared about chess. They were excited about chess. That is a sentence I never expected to write. It was the Americans versus the evil Commies. Bobby was a chess genius and nutty as a fruitcake. Boris was the epitome of Commie chess Grandmaster — big-haired, boring and relentless. Bobby complained about everything, driving the tournament officials up the wall and unsettling Boris. Bobby came out the winner 12.5 to 8.5 games. America rejoiced, then promptly forgot about chess when a new diversion appeared in November.

Atari produced Pong, the first commercially successful video game. Pong was extremely simple and highly addicting. The video game progeny of Pong have lived long and prospered. They now live on your smartphone.

In October, an Uruguayan plane carrying a rugby team crashed high in the Andes mountains. The passengers were not rescued for 72 days. Twenty-nine passengers survived the crash, but by the time they were rescued, only 16 were still living. The passengers had to resort to cannibalism to survive. Two passengers climbed a 15,000-foot mountain without equipment and then hiked for 10 days until they found help. It was an amazing story of self-reliance and courage.

On a final celestial note, on 13 December 1972, the Apollo 17 space mission touched down on the moon. Astronaut Eugene Cernan got out and took a stroll. Eugene’s lunar walkabout was the last time any human touched the moon. Fifty years have now passed, with the moon remaining a human-free zone. Time flies when you are Earthbound.

So, what have we learned today? As usual, not very much. But if you think 2022 is the worst of all times, kindly think again — 1972 wasn’t a peach. History moves on. Remember what Led Zeppelin once sang, “Good times, bad times/ You know I’ve had my share.”

It rains on the just and the unjust. Keep washing your hands. Keep moving. It’s the key to life.

A couple of months ago, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted to keep the system’s admissions process “test optional” through the fall of 2024.

University leaders said that to do otherwise in the aftermath of COVID-19 would be unfair to students and harmful to UNC’s constituent campuses.

If you squint really hard, you may detect some validity to this claim. But I recommend going into the next two years with eyes wide open.
Political activists have been trying for decades to get rid of standardized testing as a major factor in college admissions. They will pressure UNC to make what is now a four-year suspension of the test-score requirement into a permanent abolition.

Critics of requiring SAT or ACT scores from prospective students have long made two arguments. First, they argue that standardized tests are biased against non-white and low-income students. Second, they argue that test scores aren’t necessary to make good admissions decisions because grade-point average is the best predictor of college success.

The first argument is incorrect. There are significant gaps in average scores between low-income test-takers and other students, and among various racial and ethnic groups. But these gaps are not by themselves evidence that the tests are biased. By high school, there are very real differences in academic preparation across these categories. For the most part, standardized tests are reporting these differences, not causing them.

That’s what the preponderance of the empirical evidence shows. It’s also a logical conclusion to draw from the fact that students of Asian descent, for example, tend to have significantly higher average test scores than white students do. Are the SAT and ACT culturally biased in favor of Asians, including many who are first- or second-generation Americans? Of course not.

There’s stronger support for the second argument against standardized tests, that GPAs are better at predicting performance in college.
Research findings differ, but generally speaking the correlation between GPAs and college success is a bit stronger than the one between test scores and college success. That may well be because GPAs reflect years of study, writing and test-taking while an ACT or SAT score reflects student performance at a single (often stressful) point in time.

Still, if the goal is accurately to predict how high school students will fare in college, there’s a better option than just relying on GPAs, which may in some cases be skewed by school location or grade inflation.
What’s that option? Combining GPAs and test scores together, as admissions offices have been doing for decades.

Consider the findings of a 2019 study in the American Educational Research Journal. The authors concluded that grades were a good predictor because they signified forms of self-discipline likely to boost student success in both high school and college. “Affirmation of the relevance of teacher-assigned grades, however, is not an indictment of standardized admissions tests,” they stated. “In our investigation, test scores added unique predictive power, over and above grades and demographic characteristics, for college graduation.”

A 2021 study published in the journal Educational Assessment also found that “institutions could better predict undergraduate academic performance when using [GPA] and standardized test scores together than when using [GPA] alone.

As American Enterprise Institute scholar Rick Hess points out, the elimination of test scores from the admissions process is unlikely to result in a laser-like focus on grades, anyway.
What would happen instead is a rise in the importance of other factors — essays, letters of recommendations and lists of extracurricular activities — that can be difficult to compare fairly and that may even work to the advantage of well-off students with comparatively poor study habits.

COVID-19 certainly did disrupt both schooling and test preparation for many young North Carolinians. So I can understand why university leaders proposed the original suspension of test-score requirements in 2020, and why some think the suspension should last until 2024.

But setting the precedent was itself risky. The rigor of the UNC system merits defense.

Fayetteville’s May 2022 City Council primary election was historic in voter turnout compared to the past 20 plus years of city council primaries. Two obvious reasons drove this turnout.

Fayetteville’s primary was paired with Cumberland County and state-wide primary elections, and for the first time in recent memory, eight of the 10 city council seats actually had a primary election.

Media personalities and reporters often regurgitate initial voter participation numbers over several weeks after an election without actually analyzing the complexity of the City of Fayetteville electorate.

Being polite, most media personalities and reporters don’t know the nuances of Fayetteville’s ever-changing voter rolls. Specifically, active voters within Fayetteville corporate limits. Not their fault, as most media personalities and reporters don’t have time to interpret Fayetteville registered voter data before they report voter participation data.

Fayetteville’s City Council electorate is unique for a couple of reasons.

I provide a different approach within this opinion piece, identifying which Fayetteville voters actually showed up and pulled a ballot for the City of Fayetteville primary election.

Thanks to publicly available state online voter records and our Cumberland County Board of Elections Office, I have a by-name list of everyone that voted and active voters choosing not to vote during Fayetteville’s May 2022 primary. Two things to remember.

1. Council Districts 1, 3 and 8 include portions of Fort Bragg (Manchester voter precinct). Over the past ten years, less than 100 people on Fort Bragg have voted in Fayetteville City Council elections across the three districts. They usually show up for the presidential elections. Not Fayetteville City Council elections.

2. “Active Voters & Inactive Voters” are contained within Cumberland County’s voter database, just like the State of North Carolina voter database. Inactive voters across Cumberland County skew actual voter participation numbers and lower the perceived voter participation rate. Very few inactive voters are ever reactivated for municipal-level elections like in Fayetteville. Several are reactivated for presidential elections.

I removed all inactive voters and eliminated the Manchester voting precinct from the equation in my analysis. I found there were just under 101,000 “active voters” on the Fayetteville City Council 2022 primary election rolls that resided within the non-Fort Bragg portion of Fayetteville’s corporate limits.

Hopefully, this simple chart explains active voter participation numbers across all nine Fayetteville City Council districts during the May 2022 primary.
In the upcoming July city council general election, all 10 seats are contested, and voters will be able to vote for the mayoral position and their assigned city council district.

Since there is no truly contested mayoral race I predict Fayetteville’s final/general election in July will have much less voter turnout compared to the May 2022 primary election.

Just my personal prediction based on past voter turnout results. We will know in about seven weeks.

 

 

Municipal employees would be paid a minimum of $15 an hour as a result of additions to the proposed 2022-23 budget approved by the Fayetteville City Council on Thursday night.

The eight additions would increase the budget by a total of $899,000.

In its third budget work session, the council spent much of the time discussing specific items that members want to see incorporated into the budget.

The additions would be the only changes to the $248.25 million budget recommended by City Manager Doug Hewett. The property tax rate would remain at 49.95 cents per $100 valuation.

“It will not change,” said Kelly Olivera, the budget and evaluation director for the city.

A public hearing on the budget will be held during the council’s next meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall.

“They’re not extensive by any search of the imagination. They’re reasonable,” Olivera said of the additional expenditures.

Most will be paid for from the fund balance, a kind of savings account.

The items that were added by a consensus vote of the council include:
● $15 an hour pay for all city employees, including seasonal part-time workers. That will add an outlay of $484,000.
● A multipurpose indoor sports facility in partnership with an existing facility.
● Resurfacing the walking trail at Lake Rim Park for $35,000.
● Outdoor basketball courts that have already been funded.
● $100,000 for a “next generation” workforce initiative. The city will pursue partnerships with schools and businesses to provide training and job opportunities for students and others to learn skills for jobs in demand.
● An additional $200,000 for micro-grants for at-risk youth programs, doubling that allocation. The grants would range from $1,000 to $5,000. Community groups will be able to submit ideas to the city for funding. The increase is meant to allow for bigger initiatives.
● $30,000 for neighborhood signage, a project added to a community beautification initiative that had already been allocated $20,000.
● $50,000 for a concierge program intended to add security to the downtown area.

Mayor Mitch Colvin said the concierge program is important for downtown.

“That environment is not good,” Colvin said. “We have a bad environment down there.... It is bad down there after the (baseball) games.”

He said visitors to downtown are being solicited for money by homeless people and others, which puts a blight on the city.

Left off the list of consensus budget items were gunshot detection technology, a $260,000 outlay that will be covered by money from the American Rescue Plan; financing a makerspace and the Sherwood Road recreation center; a beautification plan for the Bonnie Doone neighborhood; and homelessness and affordable-housing programs that also will be funded by the American Rescue Plan.

 

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit on Monday executed a search warrant on Clinton road and seized rifles, money, over 50 pounds of marijuana and various THC products, including edibles.

The search was conducted Monday morning at 9095 Clinton Road, Autryville. Agents seized four rifles, over $28,000, pills, two sets of body armor, hundreds of rounds of assorted ammunition, over 50 pounds of marijuana and 500 various THC products, including edibles, vapes, hash, and wax resin, the Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

Jon Alan Davis, 37, was charged with drug offenses, including two counts of trafficking in marijuana and one count each of possession of marijuana, maintaining a vehicle and dwelling for a controlled substance and possession of a firearm by a felon, the release said.

He was placed under a $14,000 secured bond.

The planning director told the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners on Monday that it may want to consider establishing an overlay zoning district to help guide development in the town.

The discussion came up after the Board of Commissioners approved the consent agenda, which included back-to-back zoning requests related to two tire businesses: Discount Tire and Mavis Tires.

That prompted smiles and laughter from some on the board.

Some board members expressed concerns about the influx of vape shops, gas stations and tire services that recently have popped up in Hope Mills. 

The town can’t legally tell a landowner what kind of business he or she can put on the property if the land is zoned for its use, said Chancer McLaughlin, director of Planning and Economic Development.

McLaughlin told the board that establishing an overlay district may be a solution to help guide growth in the town. He said he had been working on the language for such a district.

Overlay zoning is a regulatory tool that creates a special zoning district over existing zoning. It can include additional or different regulations that apply within the district.

“An overlay is a mechanism in zoning that allows the city to put a boundary on map in a particular area that helps groups like businesses,” McLaughlin said.

An overlay would allow the town to say, “it’s not that you can’t have that vape shop, you just can’t have it right here next to these rows of restaurants,’’ McLaughlin said hypothetically.

“It would help the town be more deliberate in its planning,” he said.

“Without the overlays, the businesses can come in wherever they want,” McLaughlin said.

“This helps with the quality of life in Hope Mills,” he said.

McLaughlin told CityView TODAY that the quality of life in Hope Mills is what helps drive the department’s decision-making.

“I’m always asking myself is this business or subdivision good for Hope Mills? Will it make people want to move here?” he said.

Commissioner Grilley Mitchell and Mayor Jackie Warner agreed with McLaughlin about the overlay zoning and said they were looking forward to what McLaughlin would present to the board.

Mclaughlin said the department was not trying to hinder any proposed business and its right to exist, he was trying to suggest a tool that would help the town be more deliberate in its planning.

A Georgia man was killed Wednesday when the motorcycle he was driving ran off the road and crashed into a tree, according to the Fayetteville Police Department.

The accident was reported about 9 a.m. in the 300 block of Airport Road.

The victim was Roberto Miguel Garcia, 30, said a police news release.

No other vehicles were involved, the release said.

The executive director of the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival faced questions about her organization’s commitment to diversity as she asked the City Council for financial support.

The council voted 8-1 on Monday night to provide $15,000 to support what Executive Director Sarahgrace Snipes called the sustainability of the festival. But council members asked that Snipes report back to them with a plan of action to tackle their concerns about diversity in the festival’s entertainment lineup.

Councilwoman Shakeyla Ingram cast the lone vote opposing the appropriation. Earlier in the meeting, Ingram expressed concern about a lack of diversity, agreeing with Mayor Mitch Colvin and saying, "There are a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle."

Snipes has overseen the Dogwood Festival since being hired in April 2021.

The $15,000 will be used to pay off costs of the spring festival and contribute to financial sustainability “so we do not have to dip into the savings account," she told the council.
Snipes reminded council members that the spring festival and other activities were canceled in 2020 and scaled back in 2021 because of restrictions on crowds gathering during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When I started on April 19, 2021, I’ll be honest; it was my first job,” Snipes said. “I was super-excited, eager to get into the office and start planning events. But along with the job, I saw that there were many challenges that the Dogwood Festival still has to iron out, and one of them was COVID-19 and making sure that we were financially stable.”

On her first day, she said, she found out that the organization had to postpone a mini-festival that was scheduled for the following weekend.

The event was rescheduled to June 2021 and moved to Festival Park. Then the state relaxed its mass-gathering policies, which meant the minifestival could be open to public and not have to charge for tickets.

“It was quite successful,’’ Snipes said. “And might I add, we received funding from the city of Fayetteville, which contributed to its success.”

A couple of Fayetteville After Five concerts also were staged in July and August 2021. Organizers struggled with attendance at those shows, according to Snipes.

“We demonstrated a strong presence in the community while building sustainability for the winter months,” she said. “... There is no sustainable income other than sponsorships, and that depends on when sponsors choose to pay.”

The spring Dogwood Festival returned in April 2022 for its 40th edition.

City Council members Kathy Jensen and D.J. Haire voiced support for the festival.

"Dogwood Festival is our heritage. It's part of what we do," Jensen said.

Councilman Larry Wright asked Snipes if she believes this year’s festival was a success.

"Yes, I believe it was successful," she said, adding that attendance was roughly 215,000 over three days.

But Wright said he is concerned about "the diversity of people" who perform for festivalgoers.

Mayor Colvin asked Snipes what festival organizers are doing to diversify the music lineup. He said he has heard complaints about a lack of diversity of entertainment since he joined the council in 2013.

In 2022, he noted, Friday’s concert featured rock bands, Saturday’s featured country performers and Sunday’s was a band that pays tribute to the artist Prince.

“What are you doing to speak to the diversity of the community with your lineup?” Colvin asked.

Snipes said financing is a factor in that.

“My concern with expanding the nights – I would like to touch on every population in Fayetteville. Get the country night, get the rock night, get the tribute night. … And also add on another night," Snipes said. “I believe we did hip-hop in past years. I think that is an excellent idea, but my concern is that if we do not have the funding to spread into four nights, then we’re not going to be able to expand into four nights.”

Colvin asked why the festival favors rock and country artists.

“My knowledge is that is what Dogwood Festival has always done,” Snipes responded.

“That is what I wanted to draw out,” Colvin said. "You’re here today, so only your 2022 request is being considered, not historical performance. Historically, the community hasn’t really done a good job being inclusive and diverse. So what is your plan to change that? …”

Snipes said, “I personally would like to hear from the community what they would like to see. Because my goal as executive director -- and I’ve stood very firmly since my hire -- is to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment for all community members to enjoy. So I am always open. I cannot change what Dogwood Festival has done historically or my predecessors have done. I am always open to hear.

“And I want to be the change for the organization,” she said.

Snipes said that in the festival’s annual operating budget, the top three expenses are the music acts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

“All the acts are close to $75,000,” she said.

Administrative costs include $108,000 for insurance, payroll, permits and facility maintenance.

Production costs of the spring festival are close to $40,000, she said.

For the fall Dogwood Festival, she said, the cost is about $30,000. The Miss Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, which this year was rescheduled to September, costs an average of $10,000 to put on.

The festival’s summer concert series averages $43,500, Snipes said.

The festival organization received $25,000 from the Tourism Development Authority of Cumberland County, Snipes said. Sponsorship income since April 2021 totals $180,000.

Over the past year, the festival has received grants in collaboration with The Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County, Snipes said.

 

What’s the worst thing you can imagine ever happening?

All you know and hold dear swept away in a flood or reduced to ashes in a fire? The loss of a child or sibling?
Channel that emotion for a moment as you read or hear the news of a catastrophic event in the life of someone in a distant city. Or the next town over. Maybe even someone you know and work with.

We’re not even halfway through the year 2022, and we’ve already seen and heard so many painful stories of death, loss and destruction it’s become difficult to remember them all — the wave never seems to subside.
Even locally, we’ve seen violence erupt as one man has the audacity to use a gun to kill another man in midday traffic at one of the busiest intersections in town.

We struggle uncomfortably with how to provide aid to one nation invaded by another while the next state over is reeling from a series of tornadoes.
Then our attention is drawn to the devasting loss of life in a shooting in a suburban school.

We search for something to pin the blame on; Second Amendment advocates scream, “arm the teachers,” while the teachers say, “more police.” The police point to mental health, while the psychology community is helpless in admitting they can only treat those who come.

All the while, our communities and their governments standoff over whether life begins inside or outside the womb.
We want answers. We want something better for ourselves and those who come after us.

One problem is that, in all the turmoil, we have lost sight of the question: “Who Am I?”
In the first verses of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, God steps out into the vast nothingness that existed. With his big, booming God-voice, he said, “Let there be light!” and there was. Then the earth, water, land, animals of every kind, and finally, his crowning creation: man. Conferring with his ethereal partners, they chose to make man — male and female — in their image. Beings that work together to create, think, reason and love. And somewhere along the way to today, we have all but completely lost sight of that.

We have forgotten who we are. We have forgotten whose we are. We have devised ways to destroy, manipulate, control and even to wear our hatred for others, the God who created us, as if it were a crown of our own glory.

And as we look for answers to the evil and deconstruction of all we know to be good and right, let’s look at who we are. Or at least who we were made to be and how we were designed.
We know the symptoms all too well. Now it’s time to open the manufacturer’s manual, see how we were designed to function, and begin restoring ourselves to our original condition. We were made for more.

When we think of exercising, images of dumbbells or exercise machines may come to mind. This is not the only type of equipment used for muscle toning and fitness training. There are a variety of resistance bands and versa tubing at all levels of strength resistance to obtain benefits.

A prime example of an athlete that uses resistance bands is Tom Brady. It is reported that he gave up weights years ago in favor of resistance bands for training. When he started struggling with injuries, he decided to forgo the traditional training methods and worked with his trainer to develop a resistance band training program. He must have the right approach to training because he continues to dominate on the football field.

Resistance bands conform to your body’s natural movement and allow people of all ages and fitness levels to obtain a full low-impact workout. They enable the user to get a workout without overstraining muscles, irritating joints and are great for helping to keep good form.

The major difference between bands and weights is that they allow you to work at a resistance level that is beneficial to your muscle groups and can target isolated muscles. If you attend my classes, you will often see me carrying bands, balls and gliders. I use them in various ways to help with strength, balance and flexibility.

Let’s look at some of my favorites and what they do. Versa Tubes are a long stretch band with a handle, and they come in a range of colors related to strength. They are a versatile band in a full range of workout options, from bicep curls to squats targeting all muscle groups. You can work muscle groups in various directions, seated in a chair, standing, wrapped around a barre or during floor work.

The intensity is up to the participant by selecting a color or increasing tension by shortening the band. They can also be used with balance exercises and multiplanar movements.
Versa Loops are a band that looks much like a large rubber band. They come in a variety of colors, indicating their strength levels.

The band fits comfortably around the upper and lower legs, mid-thigh or mid-calf. They are used in shorter movements and target the glutes, calves, thighs and core.

A Bender Ball, created by Leslee Bender, is about nine inches in diameter and can support weight up to 300 pounds. The ball aids in a greater range of motion and provides an effective abdominal workout. Placing the ball behind the small of the back helps eliminate excess strain during abdominal work. The ball can be used for balance, strength training exercises, functional workouts and rehabilitation movements.

Gliders are discs that look like a Frisbee and come in materials that can be used on carpet or hardwood. They are used in balance, strength and flexibility training. The disc’s fluid movement assists in a greater range of motion for various lunges. They are an excellent tool in making planks and burpees more challenging and used for increased cardio in high-intensity interval training classes and circuit training.

All the items above are easily used in the home, gym or on vacation, take up minimal space, and are easy to use, with an average cost of about $15 per item. How-to videos can be found on the internet, seated or standing for many levels. Live and love life with a gym in the bag.

Would you be interested in a new privately published memoir by a Bozeman, Montana lawyer, titled “Tilting at Montana’s Windmills for 50 Years”?
No?

But what if he were my law school classmate? Still, no?
But what if I told you my classmate-author had been the lawyer for Charles Kuralt's long-time extramarital lover in her effort, after Kuralt's death, to secure a valuable tract of land in Montana that Kuralt had promised her before he died?

Does that get you interested?
Kuralt was beloved by people all over the country, but especially in his native North Carolina, for his human-interest stories on CBS TV’s “On-the-Road” and “Sunday Morning” programs. His warm, authoritative voice with perfectly pitched rhythms was irresistibly convincing.

Kuralt was married for many years to his second wife, Petie, and they lived together in New York City. Only a few people knew about his dual life and his long-term friendship and financial support for Patricia Shannon.

My Yale Law School classmate, Jim Goetz, is a hero in Montana for his work saving creeks and rivers. In his memoir, Goetz writes that Kuralt, “who fished in Montana, particularly in September, purchased land located on the Big Hole River.”
Kuralt and Shannon had planned for him to convey this property to her in the fall of 1997 when Kuralt would be in Montana to fish. Earlier, however, Kuralt became very ill, suffering from lupus.

To reassure Shannon about his intention to convey the parcel of Montana land on which she was living Kuralt wrote the following:

"June 18, 1997 Dear Pat - Something is terribly wrong with me and they can't figure out what. After cat-scans and a variety of cardiograms, they agree it's not lung cancer or heart trouble or blood clot. So they're putting me in the hospital today to concentrate on infectious diseases. I am getting worse, barely able to get out of bed, but still have high hopes for recovery... if only I can get a diagnosis! Curiouser and curiouser! I'll keep you informed. I'll have the lawyer visit the hospital to be sure you inherit the rest of the place in MT [Montana] cx. if it comes to that. I send love to you … Hope things are better there! Love, C.”

Kuralt died in a New York hospital on July 4, 1997, at age 62.

Goetz agreed to represent Shannon. Although it was clear from the handwritten letter that Kuralt intended to give the land to Shannon, Goetz writes that the sole issue is whether the language or the letter “is sufficient to establish Kuralt’s intent to devise that property to Shannon.” Goetz writes that most of the estate lawyers he talked to thought that the language was “well short” of what is required to constitute a valid will.

The judge in the first hearing agreed, ruling against Goetz and Shannon. But after four appeals to the Montana Supreme Court, “the first in 1999, the fourth in 2003,” they won. Shannon was awarded the property.
Goetz acknowledges, “Although we won, most estate lawyers I’ve talked to think the result was wrong. Nevertheless, the case is discussed routinely in many courses in law schools around the country, probably because of Charles Kuralt’s celebrity status.”

Goetz does not have a high opinion of Kuralt. He writes, “My impression, by the way, is that Kuralt, although a very warm public personality, had a dark, depressive streak. Rumor was around Dillon [Montana] that he and Shannon were heavy drinkers.”

Goetz is a good friend and is entitled to his opinion, but if he ever comes to visit, after I thank him for his fascinating book about lawyering for good causes in Montana, I will remind him that for me and most others in this state, Kuralt will always be one of North Carolina’s great heroes.

Every Saturday from April to December, the grounds of the Fayetteville History Museum transform into a bustling street market full of good food and local crafts for sale.

City Market at the Museum brings together 25 to 30 of the city’s artisans and makers to create a unique shopping experience for those visiting downtown Fayetteville.
Vendors at City Market must sell produce, farm products or food from a certified kitchen. If selling crafts, vendors must have had a hand in making them, maintaining the market’s commitment to selling local products to local consumers.

“I think the City Market is just another important element in the concept of a ‘vibrant downtown,’” said Bruce Daws, museum director. “People have an opportunity to enjoy an outdoor market that offers farm-fresh, local and organic products. It’s also great for people interested in different types of art.”

Originally a farmer’s market operating out of the parking lot at the Cumberland County Courthouse, City Market at the Museum, as it’s known today, has been in operation on the museum grounds for a number of years.

The Fayetteville Area Transportation & Local History Museum, located in a restored railroad depot, tells the story of Fayetteville’s rich history through a series of engaging rotating exhibits. Recipient of the Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit for historic preservation, the museum itself and its annex give visitors to the City Market a little more bang for their buck.

“It’s a nice crossover, with the market located here,” Daws said. “People wander into the museum and get another cultural opportunity. They come to buy tomatoes and leave with a little dose of history. It’s shaded; it’s grassy and nicely landscaped. I think it’s just a total experience.”

City Market at the Museum aspires to be a place where people of the city come together to enjoy the local color of downtown Fayetteville. It’s a place for families to get outside and an opportunity for small businesses to share their offerings with the community.

“It’s’ a very friendly environment,” Daws told Up & Coming Weekly. “People bring their children and dogs, and it’s nice to see regular customers interacting with their favorite vendors and witness the camaraderie between them.”

Downtown Fayetteville strives to bring culture, art and support to local businesses through a wide variety of weekly events. Daws sees the City Market as directly in line with those aims and enjoys offering people a new experience.

“[The market] is just something else in the larger scheme of things. There are lots of restaurants and unique boutiques; this is just another piece of that patchwork quilt that makes the downtown so vibrant and gives it character. For everyone here at the museum, probably the greatest thing to see is people walking around and talking to one another.”

City Market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday.
The Fayetteville Area Transportation and History Museum is located at 325 Franklin St. in Fayetteville.

For information about City Market at the Museum, visit www.facebook.com/Fayettevillehistorymuseum/.

Discipline In Action (DNA) Sports Performance LLC, in partnership with Catch These Hands Massage Co. LLC, invites everyone to come down for a unique Father's Day celebration. The third annual Father's Day Footrace will occur at Mazarick Park on June 18, starting at 10:30 a.m.

Unlike previous years, this year's festivities will include a Debonaire Dad's Walk to honor those fallen. This event will also roll into a Juneteenth celebration.

The Father's Day Footraces began with Calesio Newman, DNA Sports Performance LLC owner, school teacher and retired pro track and field athlete. Newman, embroiled in a contentious custody battle for his daughter, wanted nothing more than to run outside and play with her.

After being granted custody, Newman wanted his first Father's Day with his daughter to be a celebration. The Father's Day Footrace was born from there.

"Our first year, five people showed up," Tiffany Newman, owner of Catch These Hands Massage Co. LLC, said. "We bought about twenty pizzas, had a DJ, and nobody came, but we weren't discouraged. We rode around and gave away pizzas and juice to the homeless. It was bittersweet but an awesome experience."

From those humble beginnings, the Father's Day Footraces has grown into a massive undertaking for the Newmans and a supportive slew of sponsors, community volunteers and dads from all walks of life.

"Every year, it's gotten bigger," Tiffany Newman said. "It more than doubles each time, and I'm expecting over 100 kids this year for the foot race and even more for the Juneteenth celebration. I reserved 666 tickets on our event page to represent the 6 protons, neutrons and electrons that make up melanin," she continued. "This event is for everyone, but we're proud to celebrate Black excellence whenever and however we can."
Kids and their families will be treated to footraces of the old-school variety from 10 to 11 a.m. Newman hopes three-legged foot races, potato-sack races and a little healthy competition will help families enjoy time together outdoors.

E.E. Smith's Magnificent Marching Machine will lead the Debonaire Dad Walk in a traditional funeral procession starting at 11 a.m. The walk is one of solidarity and is intended to commemorate fallen fathers, who, in giving their lives for freedom, are no longer here.

Folks in attendance can look forward to a pizza party at noon, tribal face painting, a bouncy house, DJ Scooby, fun cultural facts, spoken word artists, Father's Day swag bags and more.
The Newmans feel the importance of an event like this cannot be overstated, especially within the African American community.

"The Black community doesn't have enough fathers available," Tiffany Newman said candidly. "We wanted to create an environment where there are enough dads for everybody. We always want to encourage male groups and fraternities in the community to come out and volunteer some of their time to run races with these kids. And what better way to celebrate Black fatherhood than on Juneteenth?"
This is the event's second year incorporating the newly minted federal holiday. A family-reunion-style barbecue is set to kick off around 2 p.m. There will be drinks, food, music and fun — all free of charge.

"This is a party for all of us," Tiffany Newman explained. "I just want to feed my family. You never know who's your family, so we're all family. Enjoy your sister from another mister or your brother from another mother," she joked.

People are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and coolers. There will be pavilions open for games, dominos and dancing.

"This is a family gathering, everything is provided, and people are expected to come and have fun," Newman stressed.
More than anything, the Newmans hope important connections are made during this time of joy and celebration.

"We want to show fathers some love," said Tiffany Newman. "But I want to hear how much the kids had a good time, made new friends or found new role models. I hope everyone understands that this day is about family, the ones we have and the ones we make."

This event is free and open to the public. However, donations toward next year's event are accepted. Mazarick Park is located at 1612 Belvedere Ave. in Fayetteville. Tickets can be found on Eventbrite at debonairedadwalkjuneteenthinthepark2022.eventbrite.com.

Rock’n On The River concert series featuring Fayetteville’s The Fifth and Stone Whiskey will be held Friday, June 17 at 6 p.m. at Campbellton Landing on the Cape Fear River.

“We are known for our high energy live shows, and it is a very crowd interactive rock ‘n’ roll experience,” said Roy Cathey, lead singer of The Fifth. “We like to give the audience the kind of performances of the good old days when the bands were on the stage really entertaining the crowd.”

The Fifth is an 80s rock band that has been in existence for 20 years, and the members are Justin Womble, lead guitar and vocals; Gary Smith, vocals and drums; Jake Tripp, vocals and bass guitar; and Roy Cathey, lead singer.

“We are a pretty good mixture between modern rock and classic rock,” said Cathey. “We have three CDs out, and we were just recently signed to RFK Media, which is a new label headed by Ron Keel.”
He added, “Ron was the front man for an 80s metal band called Keel, and The Fifth is the first band that he decided to sign to his new label.”

“We also have a new video out, and we have just come off of a nine-state tour,” said Cathey. “We have been very busy lately supporting our new EP, which was released a couple of months ago.”
The band’s hits include “Shake Little Sister” and “Lost.”

“We will do a mixture of our music, and we are going to play some favorites for the audience to give them a little taste of yesteryear,” said Cathey. “We are going to throw in some Guns N’ Roses, some old-school Van Halen and make sure that everybody has a little bit of something.”

Some of the greatest songs that are written come from a specific inspiration, and the band’s three CDs have songs that were written about life’s experiences. The song “Shake Little Sister” comes from Cathey spending many years as a DJ in a nightclub. “Lost” is about his experience during a divorce and “Even To This Day” is about dealing with child abuse and was featured on the TV show “Grey’s Anatomy.”

“So we have really tried to touch on many subjects with our music, and it is not only about partying, chicks, sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll because we always try to put a message behind our music as well.”
The band is a national touring act, and they also toured in Japan in 2008. They are looking forward to an upcoming tour that is on the horizon.

“It has been a long time since we played for Fayetteville, and we look forward to everyone getting a shot of The Fifth,” said Cathey. “We are going to give you something for your ears, something for your eyes and everyone will walk away happy.”

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 910- 797-7140.

While the third Sunday in June is typically reserved for celebrating dads, the SouthEast Crab Feast is hosting an event the whole family will enjoy.

On Saturday, June 18, Southeast Crab Feast will bring their wildly popular low country heritage all-you-can-eat blue crab event to the John D. Fuller, Sr. Recreational/Athletic Complex.

The event will start at 1 p.m. and continue until about 6:30 p.m. The day will be split into two sessions, each lasting two and a half hours.

Ticketholders can bring their plates up to a serving station doling out fresh, perfectly seasoned blue crab and then slide over to get a side of fish and chips.

The SouthEast Crab Feast supports fishers and crabbers of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida who harvest and deliver blue crabs and other seafood within 48 hours of the event. Everything is hot and fresh and cooked on site.

In business now for over a decade, Jamell Hamilton, owner of SouthEast Crab Feast, initially just wanted to bring the saltwater memories of his coastal South Carolina childhood to a few friends and family.

“Prior to this business, I was in corporate America,” Hamilton explained. “I would have conversations with people about where I grew up in Hampton, South Carolina, and people were intrigued. They encouraged me to throw a feast in Charlotte. I went home to South Carolina and brought back some fresh seafood to enjoy with friends and family at no charge. I estimated about 23 to 30, and over 100 showed up.”

Later that same summer, Hamilton organized an event selling out around 150 tickets in just two days. That’s when, he said, a light bulb went off. “I wondered if people in other cities would enjoy the same experience. The following year we did three cities, Columbia, Charlotte and Raleigh.”

Since that initial feast in 2010, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based business has grown to include stops in about 32 cities up and down the Southeast. Fayetteville has been a popular stop for about the last five years or so.

Hamilton credits the success of the SouthEast Crab Feast to keeping things simple and delivering a great experience in a family-friendly environment.

“People love it, and they come to have a great time,” Hamilton told Up & Coming Weekly. “We’re well-organized, I have a great staff, and people walk away with a smile on their faces. We cater to all demographics and celebrate a love for crab. We offer something most people can’t get anywhere else.”

Keeping ticket prices low is a commitment Hamilton takes seriously. Opting to play jazz music over a PA system instead of offering live music, for instance, is a choice driven by a desire for this experience to not be out of reach for people and their families.

“If you compare our ticket price to other crab feasts, it’s easily doubled,” he explained. “I wanted to kick the ticket price down so whole families can come out without it being a burden. We make it accessible — if I can walk out and see a table of three generations eating our food, that’s a success.”

SouthEast Crab Feast events help raise funds for cancer research and treatment organizations such as the American Cancer Society and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Adult tickets for ages 12 and up are $38, and kids tickets for ages 5-11 are $15. Tickets can be purchased at https://southeastcrabfeast.com/.
The John D Fuller, Sr. Rec Center is located at 6627 Old Bunce Road in Fayetteville.

June is LGBTQ* Pride month, and this year, PrideFest returns to Fayetteville’s Festival Park on June 25. The all day event will feature music, vendors and a drag show along with other entertainment. There will also be a kids’ area with activities such as face painting and balloon animals.

Fayetteville PRIDE, a local LGBTQ* non profit organization, is hosting the event.
Katrinna Marsden, the president of Fayetteville PRIDE, is looking forward to the return of the event. With the COVID-19 pandemic, PrideFest 2020 was canceled, and 2021’s events were more scattered and smaller in nature in an effort to be safe while celebrating.

This year, however, Marsden expects a full crowd at Festival Park.

“Our first PrideFest in 2018 was at Lafayette Park, and 1500 people showed up. We knew we were outsized from that park from the first year,” she said. “In 2019, we had the festival in Festival Park, and had 5,000 people in attendance.

The event is the largest fundraiser on Fayetteville PRIDE’s calendar. The organization holds monthly support meetings for the community, has created a Youth Empowerment Group, and works with local charities. The vendor fees and sponsorships from PrideFest help fund the organization’s goals throughout the year.

“We aren’t just a festival, we are an organization that is year round and our mission is about embracing diversity and about being a support network,” Marsden said.
Marsden said the festival has hit their capacity for vendors, and that people have come forward to volunteer for the event in numbers they weren’t expecting.

“We were worried we wouldn’t have enough volunteers, but we have had over a hundred, and people have come up to ask day-of if they could volunteer. We’ve just had an outpouring of support for (the festival), and it makes it really worth it,” Marsden said.

PrideFest celebrates LGTBQ* acceptance, and Marsden said that can be a huge thing for an LGBTQ* person who may feel alone. She expressed most LGBTQ* people wonder how they will fit into “normal.” By having Pride events, meeting others in the LGBTQ* community, these people discover there is a whole community with similar experiences.

“It makes you feel like you have a place in the world. We still regularly get people who come up to us as at events, who have found out about us and express to us that they have felt alone. (It’s important) just knowing there are other people out there who support you,” Marsden said.
Marsden said it takes hours and hours to prepare for PrideFest, and sometimes it can seem overwhelming. But for Marsden and her fellow board members, the outpouring of support from the community makes the long days worth it.

“Every year we get to hear stories what it means to people, and I think that is the thing that makes it all worth it to us,” she said. “I can distinctly remember the very first PrideFest in 2018, standing there with the other board members crying because so many people were there and they kept telling us how much it meant.”
Marsden also expressed excitement to see parents supporting their LGBTQ* children at PrideFest.

“I did not come out for a long time. I didn't figure it out for along time. But looking back, I can see it in kindergarten and first grade, sixth grade. I can see all these things, I don’t know why I couldn’t figure it out,” she said.

“And then when you see 12 and 13 year olds at these festivals standing with their parents, wearing rainbow gear, it's really exciting.”

PrideFest will be held June 25 at Festival Park between noon and 6 p.m. The stage will host alternating musical and drag acts, with some Fayetteville favorites making appearances. For more information, or to volunteer or donate, visit www.fayettevillepride.org/.

Volunteers can register at https://forms.gle/SxAki7yahwUKbtHq9. Volunteers can donate as little as two hours of time, and sign up as an individual, as a family or with a friend.

Juneteenth has been a time of celebration since its introduction in 1866. Marking the end of slavery in the United States, Juneteenth is a proud cultural moment for African-Americans and America as a whole.
After 250 years of Black enslavement, 100 years of Jim Crow, a 20 year fight for civil rights, and an epidemic problem of systemic racism on a national scale — Juneteenth being celebrated loud enough for everyone to hear feels a long time in coming.

Officially declared a federal legal holiday in 2021, the city of Fayetteville wasted no time creating an event that shines a bright light on such an important day in American history.

In partnership with Circa 1865 and Cumulus Media, Cool Spring Downtown District will present the inaugural Juneteenth Jubilee and Praise Party, beginning with a festival downtown on Saturday, June 18, and ending with the Juneteenth Jubilee Heritage Brunch on Sunday, June 19.

Plans for the celebration have been in progress since early 2022, and all those involved are excited to bring such an important celebration to the people of Fayetteville.
Up & Coming Weekly spoke with Ashanti Bennet, Director of Special Projects for Cool Spring Downtown District, and Tyrell Walker of Circa 1865, Executive Coordinator of the Juneteenth Freedom Festival. Both expressed their thoughts on what makes this celebration so important.

"This event feels very timely amid some of the social unrest of the last few years," Bennet shared. "I think there's been a yearning to claim some positive victories for the culture. Juneteenth is not just for Black Americans; it's for all Americans. It's the end of a dark time in our history, and it's a time for people to be joyful. We want to celebrate Black culture in a joyful way where everyone feels welcome and included."

Walker sees this event as a powerful source of recognition.

"First and foremost, for us, this is about acknowledgment. A lot of Black history has been overlooked en masse. This acknowledgment from a federal level is about recognizing Black history and what we've gone through as a people — our transition from slavery to freedom is huge."

Circa 1865 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, empowering, entertaining and uplifting the Black community as a whole.
Having hosted Juneteenth celebrations since 2018, Circa 1865 was honored to join Cool Spring Downtown District in curating the celebration.

"They've been part of the planning process all the way through, "Bennet said of Circa 1865's involvement. They've helped every step of the way, and it's been nice to combine our efforts — we're just so excited to be doing this."

Saturday, June 18 will focus on bringing people together through food and music. Festivities kick off at noon, and attendees can look forward to a full stage show featuring appearances by Grammy-award-winning rapper Morray and Grammy-nominated folk and country artist Amythyst Kiah.

Also on-site will be nonprofits to share some history about Juneteenth for those not quite as familiar with the holiday.

"There's an excellent opportunity to learn about this holiday," Bennet explained. "Education and information about its history are so important to see how far we've come, especially in a community as diverse as Fayetteville."
Local musicians, artists, vendors, bounce houses and food trucks will fill downtown, adding to the atmosphere of joy and celebration. Fireworks will officially end the event.

"The need to celebrate feels distinctly American," Bennet said. "It will be nine hours of music, fun and food. This event is great for families and a great way to blend history and entertainment together."
Bennet also sees the Jubilee as an official start to the summer.

"It's an opportunity to see local Black-owned businesses, support community, support our local nonprofits. It's a good reason to be outdoors and wander around to see friends, grab something amazing to eat, grab a cold beer and sit and enjoy the day," she said.

Sunday, June 19 will be a more reserved but no less powerful observation of the holiday with the Juneteenth Jubilee Heritage Brunch at Studio 215 in Fayetteville.
The Juneteenth Jubilee Heritage Brunch will have the honor of hosting Jaki Shelton Green as its keynote speaker. Green, North Carolina's two-time Poet Laureate, is the first Black woman to hold the role — a fact that speaks to the possibility of change and the power of lifting Black voices to tell Black stories.
The brunch is a ticketed event catered by The Friend's Table, a local Black-owned business. Doors will open at 9:45 a.m.; the event will start at 10 a.m. and conclude around 12:30 p.m.

"It's nice to have an event here in Fayetteville that gives you a little intellectual stimulation. People can get dressed up, but it's still accessible to the community," Bennet said.
One ticket option offers a nice boxed lunch for $25; the other offers a full hot brunch, including a cocktail bar, for $50.
Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra's Jazz Trio will provide entertainment. A short award ceremony will likely take place before the event's end.

While the Juneteenth Jubilee and Brunch are massive events for the community, they are but a part of the large-scale Juneteenth celebration taking place all over the city and surrounding areas.
Circa 1865, in response to the holiday becoming federally recognized, has organized a four-day celebration, making it the largest Juneteenth celebration in the country.

"We want to make Juneteenth as big as possible," Walker told Up & Coming Weekly. "We want to blow the roof off. We have celebrations planned for Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Fort. Bragg and Fayetteville."

Celebrating Juneteenth in a city such as Fayetteville, which has a high number of Black business owners, seems particularly significant.

"For me, this is about celebration plain and simple," Walker said. "This is our time to celebrate."

Though Juneteenth holds special significance in the African American community, Bennet and Walker both agree that the city's celebration of the holiday is for everyone.

"In our fight for freedom, many people who didn't necessarily look like us still fought beside us," Walker explained. "I see this as a unifying celebration. It's kind of like a birthday party; anyone can come to celebrate — but you still know who the party is for."

"I want people to be pleasantly surprised at the amount of fun they had," Bennet said, adding to the sentiment of unity. "I'm excited to see some diversity, and I want people to have joy. Joy is at the center of everything we do here. We want to bring people together. There's so much going on in the world; it's important to be gathered in a spirit of joy," she continued. "I think it multiplies."

To find out more about Cool Spring Downtown's Juneteenth Jubilee and Praise Party, visit https://visitdowntownfayetteville.com/juneteenth-jubilee/.
For more information regarding Juneteenth celebrations in Hope Mills, Fort Bragg and Spring Lake, visit https://juneteenthfreedomfestival.com/.

Judy Dewar moves her hands as she speaks. She’s passionate and thorough. Her mind focuses on the details. This is key to what she does now. Today she wears a cotton purple T-shirt adorned with flowers and butterflies. The shirt is from Cape Fear Botanical Garden and speaks to her love of gardening, flowers and horticulture.

“It’s really quite pretty,” she says, looking down at the shirt. “My husband bought it for me.”

Dewar is Chair of the Cumberland County Extension Master Gardeners Volunteer Association. She jokes about the length of the title and that about seven years ago, she raised her hand at the “wrong time” and found herself as chair. For her, this is a joke, of course, as she remarks that gardeners are some of the best people she’s ever associated with.
Dewar has two pairs of glasses — one on her face and the other resting upon her head. She talks for a minute, stops to feel the frame of one of the pairs, and continues speaking.

“I am just going to ramble,” she jokes.
In just a couple of weeks, on the 25th of June, the 2022 Cumberland County Master Gardener Volunteer Association Spring Gardening Symposium will take place. This title is longer than hers.
Dewar is busy making plans and lots of calls. She wants to make this year’s event successful. In the height of COVID-19, the symposium drew fewer crowds than it had in the past but is important for the community, she says.

“We are trying to reach as many people as we can.”

The symposium will have four speakers and will take place starting at 9 a.m.; doors open at 8 a.m. Speakers will include Doug Tallamy, Bryce Lane, Kenny Bailey and Dawn Adkins-Hurley. There will be about 30 minutes between each speaker, and during that time, there will be 12 vendors that will provide information about horticulture or will be selling items. These items will include herbs, gardening materials, and other things related to horticulture. The botanical garden will be open and accessible to all the symposium participants as well. Dewar and others in her group are hoping for about 65-125 attendees at the event.

“We are hoping to God that on the 25th of June we will really and truly be up and coming,” Dewar said. “We just want to have a lot of fun. This event is our fun time.”
The symposium’s purpose is for the association to raise two $1500 horticulture scholarships. The group’s members offer grants to high schools and teachers and sustain local gardens with the funds. Public Works Commission is the main sponsor of the event, which will also include a garden luncheon by Chef Judy — a Food Network winner.
Dewar’s involvement in the group and the symposium started thanks to her husband, Jack, about 19 years ago. He read about the group in the newspaper and told his wife about it. She called the group up to see how to get involved.

“I knew nothing about growing anything. The person on the other end of the line said, ‘Sweetheart, neither do we. Come and join us.’”
The group teaches the master gardeners how to learn acceptable horticulture practices. According to Dewar, the group takes interns, and there’s a three-month class available with a minimal fee about the bible of horticulture. North Carolina State, she says, has put out a book superior to all others.

“I could go on about it — for this old lady in tennis shoes, there is a miracle every time I see something come up in my garden or yours. I like to think I contribute a little bit to that.”
The upcoming symposium is open to the public, and Dewar urges all those interested to register ahead of time for it. There will also be raffles at the event that anyone can participate in.

“It’s geared to everybody who has never grown a weed to those who grow — it’s a whole spectrum. There is no speaker that you won’t get one little nugget of knowledge from.”
For those interested in gardening or who have been considering it, Dewar offers this advice. She stops for a minute before she doles it out.

“I often say to new gardeners — just have faith.”
Dewar smiles and says if it dies three times, she knows to throw it out.

To register for this year’s symposium, go to https://mg_symposium.eventbrite.com/. Tickets are $75 each.

Lights, Camera, Action! It’s fashion with a message. On June 18, Culture Clash will present its fashion show “Unmask the Unseen” at the Destiny Event Center in Fayetteville.

Culture Clash, founded by Shawna Lathan, is dedicated to tackling HIV and AIDS through education, outreach, morals and Christianity.
AIDS and HIV disproportionately affects members of the African American community. According to HIV.gov, about 1.2 million people in the United States are infected with HIV. African Americans account for over 40% of all new cases as of 2018 though only making up 13% of the population.

“Unmask The Unseen” speaks to the secretive and often taboo topic of sex education, sexually transmitted infections and preventative resources within the Black community. “It’s time to talk openly about these things,” Lathan said.

“We not only want to erase the stigma of AIDS/HIV and STIs, but we also want to address the ignorance that facilitates the spread of these deadly diseases.”
The creative approach of a fashion show appeals to Lathan’s sense of style and appreciation of the arts, but she also wishes to bring attention to a conversation too often shrouded in shame.

“Even today, parents don’t know how to talk to their kids about this, and those kids are getting the wrong information from the wrong sources,” Lathan said.
Representatives from the Sampson County HIV-AIDS Task Force will be present to offer education, information and resources. According to the organization’s CFO, Phillip White, this aspect is the true value of the event.

“Many people in the community still see HIV/AIDS as an issue that impacts only one type of person,” White shared. “Due to this ignorance, they put themselves and others at risk. Letting everyone know this is still very much an issue, and sharing this knowledge is huge for the community.”

Radio personality Tammy Renae will act as the evening’s host, and attendees can look forward to a night of carefully crafted elegance. Models wearing beautifully designed clothes will present messages of hope, courage, despair and redemption through choreographed dance.
Clothes by local and more established designers such as Carolina Fashion Award recipient Sheila Holly and DeLima Designz will be for sale.
Several local vendors will be on-site, making “Unmask the Unseen” a one-stop-shop for the latest styles and trends. Guests can also look forward to a silent auction, the musical stylings of DJ PJ and a special surprise guest.

Tickets for the event are $25. The price includes a raffle and a swag bag. VIP tickets start at $50 and include exclusive incentives at the silver and gold levels.

All proceeds will be donated to the Sampson County HIV-AIDS Task Force to help their efforts to engage, educate and empower the community.
Lathan hopes everyone in attendance leaves with a spirit to share what they’ve learned.

“I hope people are empowered and motivated to ‘reach one to teach three,’” she said. “I hope we’ve given them something to think about.”
A VIP reception will begin at 5 p.m. with the fashion show following from 6 to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be sold during the show’s intermission.

The Destiny Event Center is located at 6405 Camden Road.
Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.cultureclashshow.com/.

Participating Blue Star Museums across the country are offering free admission to military personnel and their families through Labor Day.

The Blue Star Museums program is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, working with the Defense Department and museums.
The list of participating museums includes museums from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Museums educate and inspire, cause us to wonder and imagine dream and remember,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Participating museums offer military personnel and their families an opportunity to feel connected to their community and to explore the world through the power of the arts, culture and design, contributing to each person being able to live an artful life.”
The program is open to those currently serving in the military and up to five family members. Those eligible must show their Department of Defense ID card for free entrance to participating museums.

“The Defense Department is grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families and museums across the country who participate in this program,” said Patricia Barron, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Military Community and Family Policy.

“As an Army spouse who raised three very creative children, I know the importance of these enriching experiences to the lives of military families. Improving the quality of life for our nation’s service members and their families through programs like Blue Star Museums ultimately leads to increased readiness among our service members.”

While there aren’t any participating museums in Fayetteville, there are a few located just a short drive away. The Averasboro Battlefield Commission, Inc., in Dunn, is part of the North Carolina Civil War Trails Program. The Fuquay-Varina Museums Complex consists of six museums: Centennial Museum, First Fuquay Post Office, "Squire" Ballentine Schoolhouse, Tobacco Barn, Johnson Playhouse and the Norfolk Southern Caboose #375.

There are also several museums in the program located within a two to three-hour drive from Fayetteville. These include: the Nasher Museum Of Art At Duke University (Durham), the Joel Lane Museum House (Raleigh), the Cape Fear Museum (Wilmington), the North Carolina Museum Of Dolls, Toys, & Miniatures (Spencer), and the North Carolina Museum Of History (Raleigh).

The Bechtler Museum Of Modern Art, the Charlotte Museum Of History, the Mint Museum and the Wing Haven in Charlotte are also participating in the free program.
For a full list of museums that are currently participating in the program, visit www.arts.gov/blue-star-museum-map.

Museums may join the Blue Star Museums program all summer long, so families are encouraged to keep checking the map for museums in their community or on their summer travels.

Editor's note: This column was submitted by former City Councilman Tyrone Williams, who is currently running for the District 2 seat.

As an entrepreneur and private money lender, I routinely receive requests from investors for the purpose of funding real estate transactions, generally secured by a note and mortgage/deed of trust. So when I received a call from previous financial consultant for the city of Fayetteville on behalf of the purchaser of the Prince Charles Hotel, who was in need of $100,000 to close on the property at 250 Hay Street, I was eager to provide my services in an effort to help my city. I funded the loan for $100,000 payable to the purchaser of the Prince Charles Hotel of 450 Hay, LLC, by way of the attorneys at closing. (Refer to Cumberland County Register of Deeds) In addition, in an effort to keep the purchaser of the Prince Charles Hotel in compliance with the city ordinance, my construction company provided mechanical services in excess of $15,000 to be repaid with money, or in-kind services never were paid.

Years after the loan was funded and my construction company completed work on the property, it came to my attention the subject property was penalized due to modification not being done in accordance with Historic Guidelines. The city threatened the purchaser of the Prince Charles Hotel with condemnation and tax liens which put my first lien position in jeopardy. Thankfully, the purchaser of the Prince Charles Hotel eventually repaid the $100,000 loan after I later read in The Fayetteville Observer the city was going to foreclose on the property. I assumed the property would have been transferred by way of tax lien and the other $15,000 debt the purchaser of the Prince Charles Hotel owed me was therefore canceled. I didn’t realize it never went through the tax sale. All of this happened prior to my being elected to City Council.

I ran for City Council and was elected. While in office vote came up for the construction of the Prince Charles Hotel and the Parking Deck. After reading the contract and relying on my experience as an entrepreneur, real estate investor, developer and negotiator, the contract seemed more beneficial for the private developer with little benefit for our city. I voted against it, but it still passed 9 to 1. Looking back, I realized this is where the witch hunt began. Mr. Archie McMillian got it right. I am referring to The Fayetteville Observer article, April 11, 2018, titled Opinions Mixed on Williams. The late Archie McMillian, who was the owner of Mr. Zeke’s Shoe Shine Shop, said, “I think it’s a witch hunt.”

A few months later, I got a call from my attorney at that time, stating the owner of the Prince Charles Hotel never received the 1st lien satisfaction letter that showed the $100,000 loan was paid off. At this point, I refused to sign off on the lien because the purchaser of the Prince Charles Hotel never paid me for services rendered for the other $15,000 debt. Somehow, the title company transferred the Prince Charles Hotel property, and they were able to move forward without the satisfaction letter.

As a council member, I sought advice on how to be transparent in this situation. At that time, I asked the Fayetteville financial manager about this action and was told that I needed to talk with the city attorney. The city financial manager later took early retirement. Now the witch hunt began with me dealing with threats, my home being damaged, and continually being harassed. The situation with the tape recording was a set-up that was altered to make it look like bribery. They forgot to cut out the part where we discussed taking that discussion back to the city attorney. At the next meeting between myself and the city attorney, I was informed that she had hired an attorney based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, to represent the city of Fayetteville.

There was also an Up and Comingpublication, FAYETTEVILLES’S MOST NOT WANTED — Gone And Fayetteville Moves On (cover), dated May 2018. The cover story article was entitled Tyrone Williams: What happens next? By Jeff Thompson

Just how far have we come? In November 2017, the Fayetteville citizens elected me, Tyrone Williams, because I was and I still am the most qualified for the job. I fought for transparency and accountability in government, particularly in this project. As a result, I have suffered ridicule, unfair judgment and lies from government officials who needed to cover up a bad deal. Defamation of one’s character in order to achieve the goals of getting what is desired is everyday politics, but it must stop. As a voter and taxpayer, you deserve honest and integral leadership as your representation. Vote Tyrone Williams, and you will get just that!

We as taxpayers have taxes withdrawn from each payroll check which goes directly to the government prior to being received, and we cannot have our voices or views heard in determining what is best for the city of Fayetteville. This is ridiculous and nonsense as it places us in organized types of bondage. Ask yourself: Just how far have we as Black people come? These actions and behaviors are so unfair and must be stopped. A change is needed desperately, and it has to happen very soon. There is a mentality that people still have of working in the “Big House” during these current times. Citizens have to elect the people to the City Council and other government offices that want to work hard for the taxpayers. District 2 and the entire city of Fayetteville need a change right now!

There is a discussion about $600k being taken from the budget of the city of Fayetteville to be invested into a high-rise apartment deck project located downtown. Full transparency of each and every city project that comes from the taxpayer’s money, grants, and funding must be revealed to the citizens of Fayetteville.

After the Texas school massacre, President Biden asked, “When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?”

The answer, which is already unfolding by inaction, is that we are not.

Americans decided a decade ago after the Sandy Hook killings that we value our guns more than we do our children, including very young ones and other people’s, of course. At the moment, we are full of sadness and outrage and demand that our elected leaders “do something.” They won’t.

Poll after poll confirms that Americans support what are billed as “common sense” gun controls, but we, the people, have yet to make that absolutely clear by voting out legislators who think it is OK for 18-year-olds to buy military assault weapons on their birthdays and head for the local elementary school. We are, of course, the only nation on earth that allows this, and we have the statistics to show for it. The New York Times reports that we endured 101 mass shootings between 1998-2019. Our closest competitor is France with eight.

In addition, the majority of gun deaths last year were suicides, not to mention individual murders by gunshot and accidental shootings. Mass shootings garner headlines, but most gun carnage is routine, if not expected.

The white men who wrote the Second Amendment thought muskets were the latest and greatest. They never conceived of death and destruction wrought by military assault weapons.
What is wrong with us?

The massacre in Texas has ignited a debate. It is shocking to acknowledge we are actually having this debate. Since so many Americans react with “ho-hum” to mass shootings at elementary schools, should we show them what it really looks like? Should media use photographs of 6-year-olds who met their maker courtesy of a military-grade assault weapon that left exit wounds the size of oranges in their little bodies?

Yes, you read that correctly.

Talking heads and ordinary Americans alike are wondering whether showing the actual carnage would shock us into dealing with our assault weapons issue, just as Emmett Till’s mother’s 1955 decision to have an open-casket revealing his murdered body spurred on the civil rights movement in our nation.

Meaghan Looram, editor of photography at The New York Times frames the issue this way. “We are always trying to balance the news value of an image and its service to our readers against whether or not the image is dignified for the victims or considerate toward the families or loved ones of those pictured. We don’t want to withhold images that would help people understand what has happened in scenarios like these, but we also don’t publish images sheerly as provocation.”

Think about it.

Donald Trump’s endorsement is certainly not the kiss of death in Republican circles, but it does not seem to be the breath of life either. Trump-endorsed candidates in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Texas did not traipse easily into their party’s nominations for high office, garnering about a third of Republican primary votes — respectable but not close to landslide territory.

Still, there is a hard core of Trump loyalists who will do almost anything for the man, including ink their own bodies. I know this because I was recently standing in a lunch line behind a tall fellow in a sleeveless T-shirt.
His bare flesh boasted enough tattoos to have financed college tuition. As I surveyed the back of his colorful arm, which was at my eye level, I wondered why on earth anyone would tattoo the number “45” on his bicep when it came to me. This man was paying an inky homage to Donald Trump!

Now, that has got to be true love! Or something …