The citizens of Hope Mills have spoken on which direction they’d like the development of the Heritage Park master plan to take. Now, it’s just a matter of getting the final pieces in place and securing grant money to begin actual work on the project.

Lamarco Morrison, head of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department, said there were no major surprises when citizens responded to a request for input on the master plan at a meeting held in mid-December.

As expected, some people expressed strong opinions on the fate of the Parish House, which has fallen into disrepair since being donated to the town. The Board of Commissioners was expected to continue discussion on the Parish House at its regular meeting last week, which was held prior to the writing of this article. (Editor's note: Since the writing of the article, the board voted to demolish the Parish House.)

All three of the proposed plans for Heritage Park depict the Parish House as still standing.

Morrison said he told the design team to show the Parish House on all the plans but not to include it in anything yet to be developed as action is still needed by the board on what will happen to it.
There were four areas of concern the citizen input focused on. They were park character, amenity needs, program needs and criteria for prioritization.

Historic and cultural preservation were tops in two of the four categories, earning 26% under park character and 24% under criteria for prioritization. Also a high priority was adventure at 25% under the program needs category.
Leading the way under amenity needs were nature trails at 24%.

The only other item that hit the 20% mark was sustainable at 21%  under the park character category.

Items that reached 15% or better were educational under park character at 16%, amphitheater at 15% under amenity needs and concerts at 17% under program needs.

The version of Heritage Park most people preferred keeps the main parking area near the intersection of Lakeview Road and Lakeshore Drive. It also allows for about 15 more parking spaces than either of the other two plans.
Called Concept C, Morrison said it has the least impact on the existing sewer line and takes advantage of the natural layout of the land.

“It preserved the most open space and took into account a lot of the site features we need to be aware of,’’ Morrison said.

Even though Concept C was preferred, Morrison said the town is still taking input from citizens. All three site plans are available on the Parks and Recreation Facebook page.
Anyone who would still like to comment on which plan they prefer is welcome to contact Morrison directly via email at lmorrison@townofhopemills.com.

Morrison said one of the big advantages of using Concept C is it keeps the parking area away from potentially flood-prone portions of the proposed park.

While some of the walking trails in the park would be able to survive occasionally being flooded, Morrison said it’s not good planning to put the parking area in a space that could be subject to frequent flooding.
Morrison said many of the favorable comments were in support of the trail system because it takes advantage of what is called pedestrian circulation.

The preferred plan will also allow the town to use a piece of property it already owns on South Main Street and install an overlook, Morrison said.

“That was a pleasing feature not only for the park, but for the people driving by,’’ he said.

The next big step will be to apply for a Park and Recreation Trust Fund.

"It’s a 50-50 match,’’ Morrison said. “You can get up to $500,000 but we’re probably going to go after $300,000 to do a phase one of Heritage Park.’’

Morrison has worked in other municipalities that received PARTF grants. If there are no further delays in the project, Morrison said Hope Mills could be awarded the grant as soon as August of this year, and work on phase one of Heritage Park could begin as late as the end of this year or sometime early in 2021.

“We are excited and ready to get phase one started, regardless of which way we go,’’ he said.

Now that we’ve closed the book on 2019, it’s officially tax season. As you prepare your tax returns for the April 15 deadline, you might already start looking for opportunities to improve your tax-related financial outcomes in the future. And one important step you can take is to connect your tax professional with your financial advisor. Together, these professionals can help you take advantage of some valuable strategies:

Roth vs. traditional IRA — If you’re eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA, you might find it beneficial to have your financial advisor talk to your tax professional about which is the better choice. Generally, if you think your tax rate will be higher in retirement, you might want to contribute to the Roth IRA, which provides tax-free withdrawals, if you’re older than 59 ½ and have had your account at least five years. But if you think your tax bracket will be lower when you retire, you might be better off with the traditional IRA, which offers upfront tax benefits — specifically, your contributions may reduce your annual taxable income in a given tax year. Your tax advisor may have some thoughts on this issue, as well as how it might fit in with your overall tax picture in retirement.

Taxable vs. non-taxable income — Turning taxable income into non-taxable income can lower your current year’s tax bracket. Depending on your income, you could potentially subtract your traditional IRA contributions, or your SEP-IRA contributions if you’re self-employed, from your taxable income. And even now, it’s not too late to affect the 2019 tax year, if you still haven’t reached the IRA or SEP-IRA contribution limits. Before you file your 2019 tax returns, your tax professional can tell your financial advisor how much you would have to contribute to your traditional IRA, SEP-IRA or similar account to potentially lower your taxable income. If you make the contribution, your financial advisor can illustrate how it would impact your retirement picture and make a recommendation on how to invest the money. You can fund your IRA with virtually any type of investment — stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and so on.

Capital gains taxes on mutual funds — You might think you have total control over taxes related to your mutual funds. After all, you decide how long to hold these funds before selling shares and incurring capital gains taxes. However, mutual fund managers are usually free to buy and sell new investments as they see fit, and some of these sales could generate capital gains taxes for you. If these taxes are relatively large in any one year, your tax professional may notice and could relay this information to your financial advisor. This doesn’t necessarily mean these mutual funds are inappropriate for you; they still may be suitable for your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. But the tax aspect may be of interest to your financial advisor, who might recommend more tax-efficient investment options.

Your investment and tax pictures have many overlaps, and by ensuring your team of advisors is working together, or at least communicating with each other, you can increase the chances of getting your desired results.

Editor's note: The cost of the demolition of the Parish House is less than $7,800, not $1,800. The actual bid was $7,715. The original typos in the article have been corrected below.

The decision to demolish the old Christ Episcopal Church Parish House for less than $7,800 demonstrated the common sense and prudent leadership of the newly elected commissioners of Hope Mills. Commissioners Pat Edwards, Bryan Marley and Kenjuana McCray prevailed as they rebuffed the efforts of Commissioners Jerry Legge and Jessie Bellflowers in their attempt to restore the 110-year-old building for a whopping estimated price tag of over $300,000 of Hope Mills taxpayers’ money. Over the years, even with numerous repairs, additions and building modifications, it was difficult to identify much of anything that could  be documented or classified as significantly historical about the building.

 This being the case, the commissioners demonstrated the kind of logical thinking and visionary decision-making that will move Hope Mills positively into the 21st century. Tough decisions are rarely ever popular, no doubt about it. In this case, three Hope Mills commissioners evaluated the facts, completed their due diligence and made a decision based on what was best for the town and its residents. That’s leadership. And, that’s what they were elected to do.

 They will undoubtedly experience boisterous pushback from distractors in the form of personal attacks, criticism, protests and whiney social media posts. However, with Hope Mills having 16,000+ residents, a dozen or so malcontents demonstrating this kind of behavior is mostly inconsequential. Unfortunately, it has become more and more prevalent with the reckless popularity of social media compounded by the inability of the news media to wean itself away from the temptation of creating “fake news.”

 I have written many articles about my disappointment with today’s media and journalistic community, especially when so many of them disseminate, create and report fake news. Fake news is not only defined as creating and reporting things that are not true. It is misrepresenting or eliminating known facts to add drama to a story, cause or personal agenda. Fake news is also when only one side of the story is told, depriving the public of facts they need to understand an issue or situation at hand.

This was the situation recently when The Fayetteville Observer and WTVD-11 both ignored major facts and circumstances influencing the ultimate decision to demolish the Parish House. They chose the easy route and focused only on the sympathetic protesters and Jessie Bellflowers’ disappointment over the decision to demolish the building. They covered the story without any mention of the actual time and energy that the board invested in doing the appropriate due diligence on the project. The Parish House has no significant historical value. Estimated revitalization cost is $300,000+.  One hundred forty-thousand dollars plus must be paid up front just to stabilize the building before anyone can safely enter to get a detailed estimate on the work needed — an estimate that could very well exceed $300,000.

 Hope Mills is not Williamsburg, Virginia, nor is it Old Salem. Hope Mills has its own wonderfully unique blend of Southern hospitality and personality. Its current leadership is smart, caring and thorough. These leaders see the big picture of Hope Mills’ future — economic development, safe neighborhoods, outstanding schools, clean streets, art, music, theater, festivals and fun, lakeside family activites. What’s not to like here? Three hundred thousand dollars less to demolish the Parish House can go a long way in building and maintaining a historically wonderful Cumberland County community.
 Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Every other year the city of Fayetteville conducts a comprehensive survey to assess resident satisfaction of major city services. Consulting firm ETC Institute administered the most recent survey during the fall of 2019. It was reported to City Council this month. The highest level of gratification was the overall satisfaction of fire department services. Categories that citizens felt need additional emphasis were traffic flow, street maintenance and the overall quality of police protection. However, police performance was second only to fire protection.

The survey found that residents have a positive perception of the city. The overall quality of services provided by the city was significantly higher than findings in the southeastern U.S. and the nation as a whole. Residents ranked Fayetteville as a safe and secure community and a desirable place to live and work. Survey respondents were asked about taxes and their willingness to support additional funding for certain services.

Fire and police services and stormwater infrastructure got the most funding support along with investments in the city’s transportation network and construction of additional sidewalks. Since the last survey, satisfaction ratings have increased or stayed the same in 66 of 101 areas of concern over the last two years. Fayetteville ranks 13% above the U.S. average in the overall quality of city services and 15% above the national average in city employees’ customer service.

Residents who took the biennial survey were asked about their feeling of safety in Fayetteville. Fifty-four percent said they felt safe. Forty-seven percent of the people were neutral in their responses or felt unsafe. Nationally, 66% of the citizenry felt safe in their communities. Police response time got good marks; 58% were satisfied with law enforcement response to emergencies. But 39% of the respondents were happy with neighborhood police patrols.

Overall, the fall 2019 citizen survey reflected improvements in the ways the city of Fayetteville provided services to its residents. There was one area of general dissatisfaction over the last few years — code enforcement. There was a 17% negative differential in the enforcement of codes and city ordinances in Fayetteville when compared with other cities in the mid-Atlantic region. The appearance of houses in neighborhoods was down a tad since 2013. Graffiti removal got a 48% rating six years ago but was 43% in 2019. Removal of abandoned vehicles on private property got a better response from the city in 2013 than last year.

City officials say the purpose of the resident survey was to help the city ensure that its priorities match the needs and wants of residents. This was the fourth survey that ETC Institute has conducted for the city of Fayetteville. During the past year, ETC Institute said 42% of households contacted the city to seek services, ask questions or file complaints. Survey results are available online via the city’s website, https://fayettevillenc.gov/ .

For history buffs, avid learners or anyone up for a challenge, the Civil War & Reconstruction Quiz Bowl, which will take place on Jan. 23 at the Headquarters Library, presents an exciting opportunity for informal and friendly competition as well as an opportunity for an intellectual test.

The quiz bowl was originally part of a larger series of programs called the Arsenal Roundtable. Now, after 19 years, the annual competition still welcomes young and old to enter and test their historical knowledge, with a cap of 15 contestants. “All ages (can compete), which is why we give a prize to the adult and youth winner,” said Leisa Greathouse, the associate curator of education for the Museum of the Cape Fear. The youth category is considered to be 16 and under.

The winners will receive a $50 gift card to Barnes & Noble.

Since learning is fun, the categories are, too. “The name of the categories this year are taken from famous and popular movie quotes,” Greathouse said. “The categories are: ‘I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse,’ ‘…life is like a box of chocolates,’ ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,’ ‘Here’s Johnny,’ ‘You ain’t heard nothing yet,’ ‘Shaken, not stirred,’ ‘Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys,’ ‘I feel the need — the need for speed,’ ‘Houston, we have a problem ’ (and) ‘Bond, James Bond.’”

Some questions are easy; some questions are hard. They cover a broad range of topics, including people, battles and places, weapons and the military, slavery and freedom. Some questions are about events that took place after the war. In total, 200 questions, including some that are reserved for certain circumstances, will be prepared for the competition.

With the recent and constant conversations around the pending transition of the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex into The North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center, one may be tempted to think the quiz bowl is especially relevant right now. However, an understanding of history is always something important for any community.

“Even though it can be a divisive topic, we view it as an opportunity to bring understanding through education. Year after year, generation after generation, we seek to build a community of critical thinkers and history-minded individuals. Knowing at least a certain amount of history is imperative to understanding our society,” Greathouse pointed out.

“History and history museums are always relevant, and we would like to see more people spend more time visiting our facility and attending events like this,” she said.

Participating in the event is a great opportunity learn facts in an interactive way. Greathouse encourages teachers and college faculty to give extra credit to students in attendance.

The Civil War & Reconstruction Quiz Bowl will take place on  Jan. 23, at 7 p.m., in the Pate Room of the Headquarters Library, located at 300 Maiden Lane. Up to 15 participants can compete and are encouraged to sign up ahead of time by emailing leisa.greathouse@ncdcr.gov or by calling 910-500-4243. If space is available, which has been the case in the past, then registrations will be taken at the door.

  The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council presents the 27th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast Monday, Jan. 20, from 8-10 a.m., at the Crown Exposition Center. The theme this year is “Seize the Moment: A New Season.”

 “This is the 27th year of the Ministerial Council sponsoring this event, and it has become somewhat iconic in the city,” said Dr. Maxie Dobson, president of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council. “We have the level of sustained support community-wise that we do, and I think that speaks to our community, (which) appreciates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and what he stood for, which are the principles we espouse.”

 Dobson added that’s why the celebration is so well supported and probably one of the most popular events in terms of attendance in our city on an annual basis, and the event organizers are grateful for the support.

 “We will have a great speaker, Bishop Kenneth Monroe … of Eastern North Carolina District A. M. E. Zion Church body, for the event this year. … And we are looking forward to him speaking under the theme, as there is a lot of excitement of him being a part of the program,” said Dobson.

“It is a time to not only celebrate but to reflect as we look at the theme that the organization has selected. … It somewhat speaks to if, in past times, opportunities have not been given attention, what you would have liked to (do).

 “We can look at where we are now and examine ourselves and ask, ‘what is it can I do to contribute to my community?’ So, it’s in that context that we chose the specific theme for the 2020 breakfast.”

One of the things that is being done this year that is different is the expansion on the theme and engagement of the community beyond the holiday.

 Dobson added that in the council’s communication to its sponsors for the 2020 breakfast included a form that would allow the sponsors to select a project that can be engaged year-round and not make the day of service effort just on the MLK holiday.

 “Some organizations do different things on that day as a show of community support,” said Dobson. “We want to provoke expanding that to select something that can be done beyond that day and not necessarily every week, but something that can encompass the entire year.

 “We are anticipating how that will be received by the community, and we have a board meeting to see what kinds of submissions that we have had so far,” said Dobson.

He continued, “That is an expansion of an element — engaging the community in service throughout the year to be a help and (supporting) what the organizations and individuals choose to do. We are looking forward to seeing how that evolves.”

 The event will feature breakfast, entertainment, a speaker and an 8-year-old youngster who will recite speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “There’s a young man who comes well recommended, and he will recite different speeches by Dr. King,” said Dobson. “This will be a way of allowing the youth to be represented in the program, and we look forward to this highlight.

 “We will have singers, but one of the things we want to do is expedite things so that we can be completed by 10 a.m.,” said Dobson. “We are very committed about doing that, so we may not have as much entertainment as we have had in some of the previous years.”

 Dobson added that, like previous years, there will be music playing while individuals are eating breakfast.

 The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council began in 1957, and the organization is in its 62nd year. “It was birthed during the civil rights era, and it was to give attention to … (the fact) that we had to be a better community,” said Dobson. “They were faced with things like education, housing and the typical things that many communities were challenged with during the 50s and 60s.”

 One of the primary things the Council  highlights is the hard-earned right to vote and to encourage the community and the leaders of the faith community to engage their congregation to exercise their right. As a 501c3 organization, the Council is not allowed and does not become an advocate of any particular candidate, but it is an advocate of encouraging everyone who is eligible to vote to go to the polls and vote.

 “One of the other things we do is to highlight opportunities for nonprofits to seek funds to pursue the community endeavors that they have become organized to do, and there is funding from different sources,” said Dobson. “So we have these kinds of discussions at our monthly breakfast meetings, which are the third Saturday of each month — except for the months of January, June and July.”

 One of the primary outcomes of the Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast is to fund 10 scholarships of $1,000 each to high school students who are going to college. “We take great satisfaction in the legacy that we have there and the number of students that we have been able to help over the years,” said Dobson. “I think that’s one component that the community appreciates very much and that they are contributing to that kind of objective and we look forward to doing that again in 2020.”

 The Martin Luther King Jr. Worship Service is Sunday, Jan. 19, at 5 p.m., at Covenant Love Church. The guest speaker is Apostle Anthony Buie, pastor of St. Joseph Miracle Revival Center in Red Springs, North Carolina.
 Ticket cost for breakfast is $20. The day of the event ticket cost will be $25. Sponsorship levels are available for purchase.
 For more information or to purchase tickets, call Pastor Yvonne Hodges at 910-797-5879 or email Beverly Gibson at secretaryfccmcfaync@gmail.com. Visit the website at www.fayettevillemincouncil.org for more details.

Dates of some tragedies are etched in our memories forever. On Sept. 11, we pause to remember the thousands who perished in 2001 as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Many individuals remember where they were when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 and/or when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down on April 4, 1968.

Unfortunately, in the past 20 years, there are several dates stamped in our memories because of shootings in our nation’s schools, such as the ones at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, on April 20, 1999, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018.

And on December 14, 2012, the nation wept when 26 people, including 20 children, were killed during the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. While this tragedy tore the hearts of people nationwide, it was profoundly personal to me.

I was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and, on that day, was attending a meeting with the Commissioner of Education and the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents. The commissioner was interrupted to take a private call, left immediately, and shortly thereafter the news of a “school shooting” reached the nation.

Suddenly, what previously was important became insignificant as we were all shocked at yet another senseless act of violence. As details of the shooting rampage were released, the incident became more and more horrific. The principal of Sandy Hook Elementary at the time, Dawn Hochsprung, was one of the six adults who perished that day. She was a personal friend of mine.

So, like millions of Americans this past weekend, I was overcome with emotion when Newtown High School won the CIAC Class LL State Football Championship — seven years to the exact day of the Sandy Hook tragedy. Newtown won the state title on the last play of the game as Jack Street — a fourth grader at Sandy Hook in 2012 — threw a touchdown pass just as the fog lifted enough to be able to see downfield.

Once again, high school sports and football in particular, was a unifying activity for a community. Amid the sorrow of the day, this incredible storybook finish by the Newtown High School football team gave everyone in the community — at least for a moment — the strength to continue the healing process.

We have seen time after time when high school sports provided students, parents and those in our communities a means to come together, to band together and to rise above struggles arm in arm. This was but the latest example.
The grieving process will continue for those people who lost loved ones in the Sandy Hook tragedy, but this amazing effort by these high school football players brought smiles and tears of joy to a community that has not had many of those emotions for the past seven years.

Bobby Pattison, the Newtown High School football coach, had the following to say after the state title: “The great thing about football and sports in general, moments like this bring people together,” Pattison said.

“These guys had an outstanding year. To win a state championship, to win on the last play, it’s been a tremendous accomplishment. And these boys deserve it. They’re a great bunch.”

The value of high school football for communities across America? We would suggest what happened in Newtown, Connecticut, last month says it all.

Looking for an event to go to that will be both inspiring and motivating? Look no further than the Givens Performing Arts Center, where  Newy Scruggs, a seven-time Emmy winner, sports personality and UNCP alumnus will host Cynthia Marshall on Jan 22.

 The Dallas Mavericks’ CEO is the first African-American CEO in the NBA. She took over the role in February 2018.

Marshall has been making her mark since day one. She grew up in low-income housing in Richmond, California. She went to college at the University of California, Berkeley, on a full academic scholarship. She also became the university’s first African-American cheerleader.

Marshall came out of retirement to be the CEO of the Mavericks. Before her retirement, she enjoyed a 36-year career at AT&T. She began her career there after graduating from college with a degree in business administration and human resources management. Throughout the years, she worked her way up, and in 2012, Marshall was promoted to the role of senior vice president of human resources/chief diversity officer for the national office.

Abdul Ghaffar is the director of campus engagement and leadership at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Ghaffar said that the main focus of the event would be, “Mr. Scruggs and Ms. Marshall sharing their many experiences in business and television with the audience.”

When it came to having Marshall, specifically, at the Givens Performing Arts Center, Ghaffar said, “The host of the event, Newy Scruggs, a UNCP graduate and sports personality in Dallas. He recommended her. Once I began my research, I discovered that she has several North Carolina ties, including living in the state for several years.

“Our speaker series has a long tradition at UNCP. We have hosted such names as Spike Lee, Maya Angelou, Caitlyn Jenner, Oliver North, James Earl Jones, Henry Winkler, Cornel West, Bill Nye, Olympians Gabby Douglas and Billy Mills and so many more. Many times, we have our speakers visit parts of our community like the Pembroke Boys and Girls Club and the Lumbee Tribe. Most speakers are interviewed on WNCP TV on campus and participate in a reception for the students, faculty, staff and donors.”

When asked about what he and the rest of the students and staff hope to get of the event, Ghaffar said, “We are co-sponsoring this event with the School of Business. Since Ms. Marshall was an executive at AT&T for many years and is the only female CEO in the NBA, meaning she runs a billion-dollar sports franchise, we are hoping our students gain some knowledge about the business world. Also Mr. Scruggs is a seven-time Emmy Award winner and hosts his own radio show and is a TV sports personality, so we hope our students will be motivated by his success as a UNCP Alumni.”

Visit uncp.edu/resources/givens-performing-arts-center for more information or to buy tickets to this event.

Earlier this fall Sue Moody was looking at some pictures taken by children of her friends that were posted on Facebook when she came up with an idea.

While the pictures were good, Moody wondered if the youngsters might be able to benefit from some expertise provided by people trained in the art of photography.

She spoke with Elizabeth Blevins of the Hope Mills Creative Arts Council and worked with her to schedule a series of presentations for budding young photographers. The classes are scheduled to meet from February until May at The Studio on Trade Street at a cost of $10 per student.

There is a limit on class size so anyone interested needs to sign up as soon as possible by calling 910-853-4536 or emailing HopeMillscac@gmail.com.

Moody said response to the initial class sessions will dictate whether plans are made for other events in the future. She said there has been discussion of sessions for adults.

“We know there is a need in our community,’’ Moody said. “Other artists are affiliated with the Creative Arts Council. We just want an inventory to find out what the community wants. We hope people will register soon so we have everything in place and are prepared for them.’’

All classes for the sessions with students ages 12-18 will be from 6-8 p.m. Following are the instructors for the initial series of classes and the dates they will be teaching:

Cherri Stoute, Tuesday, Feb. 11 — Stoute owns The Studio on Trade Street. Stoute is a film school graduate who has worked in a variety of roles. She’ll study cameras and smartphone cameras with the students and discuss editing.

Elizabeth Blevins, Tuesday, March 10 — Blevins is a member of the N.C. Press Association and the U.S. Press Association. She’s been a staff member and contributing writer to four regional publications including Up & Coming Weekly. Her topics will be perspective and photography fads.

Michelle DeHetre, Tuesday, April 21 — For the last five years, DeHetre has worked as the operations manager at The Studio on Trade Street. Based out of Greensboro, DeHetre has a background in portrait photography. Her workshop will cover the topics of composition and improvising backdrops.

Bill McQueen, Tuesday, May 12 — McQueen has called Hope Mills home for 31 years. He is the owner of Response Marketing Group, which offers consulting services to large and small businesses around the country. His topic will be thinking outside the box and putting into practice the instruction students have received during the class.

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville is likely one of the safest institutions in Cumberland County. It has facilities and procedures designed to keep patients, staff and visitors safe at all times. The local hospital is the flagship of a system of area health facilities to include Cape Fear Valley Healthplex, Fayetteville’s most comprehensive fitness and wellness center. A couple of weeks ago, health system facilities were placed on lockdown for a day because of a nonspecific threat made to law enforcement against a Fayetteville-area hospital.

Cape Fear Valley Health System maintains more than 700 continuously monitored security cameras at its campuses. The system also has a comprehensive visitor management system, a security team with 24-hour internal and external patrols, metal detectors and screening at emergency room entrances as well as additional safety mechanisms for use in emergency situations.

Law enforcement officers combed medical center offices after a man called the National Suicide Hotline, threatening to kill himself and first responders employed by the hospital. The lockdown was ordered as police officers descended on the Owen Drive hospital, a sprawling set of inpatient and outpatient facilities. Police used cellphone technology to determine the caller’s location. He originally said he was on Interstate 95 in Fayetteville before then saying he was outside Cape Fear Valley’s Fayetteville campus. The situation prompted authorities to restrict admission to Cape Fear Valley except for the emergency department. Police found no one on medical center property.

The health system also restricted access to Highsmith-Rainey Specialty Hospital, Hoke Hospital and Bladen County Hospital. It was the second incident of concern at the medical center in the last two months.

Cape Fear Valley Health is a 950-bed health system serving a region of more than 800,000 people in southeastern North Carolina. The not-for-profit system is the state’s eighth-largest health system made up of 7,000 team members and 850 physicians, eight hospitals and more than 60 primary care and specialty clinics. Cape Fear Valley Health offers residencies in emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry and general surgery, as well as a transitional year internship in affiliation with the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine at Campbell University.

One of the busiest times of the year is in progress for the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department as parents are signing up youngsters from the town and beyond for the various youth sports teams offered during the spring.
Registration began last week at the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department headquarters on Rockfish Road and will continue for the most part through the month of February.

Maxey Dove of the Parks and Recreation staff encouraged parents to sign up early and avoid the last-minute rush caused by folks who wait until the final days of February to get their children enrolled in the program.
“We get 70% of our registration the last two or three days,’’ Dove said. “Until we close the doors on that last day it’s hard to project how many teams we will have.’’

The sports offered in the spring include baseball, softball, indoor soccer and wrestling.

All registration is required in person at the recreation headquarters. Dove said the town is continuing to work on offering online registration and hopes to be able to offer that by the fall.

Any youngster who has never played in the Hope Mills recreation program before is required to provide a copy of a birth certificate and proof of residence, which can be done with a utility bill.
People outside of Hope Mills can sign their children up to play, but there is a difference in the fee charged. It’s $30 for Hope Mills residents and $40 for non-residents.

Times for registration are 8:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Baseball and softball are the most popular of the two spring sports, Dove said.

Categories for baseball include T-ball for age 5, junior pee wee age 6, coach-pitch ages 7-8, minor baseball ages 9-10, major ages 11-12 and Dixie boys ages 13-14.
Softball is the Darlings at ages 7-8, Angels at ages 9-10, Ponytails ages 11-12 and Belles ages 13-15.

Last season, four Hope Mills teams won state titles and advanced to regional competition in Dixie Youth play. A fifth team supported by the town won the state Lady Legion softball championship, with several of the players on that team former competitors in the Hope Mills youth sports program.

Soccer has an instructional level for ages 5-7 and individual teams for ages 7-12. Wrestling is divided both by weight and age from 6-12.

Dove said if there are specific questions about any sport or registration call during regular business hours at 910-426-4109.

Under pressure from lawmakers, America’s top military officer declined to defend President Donald Trump’s decision to grant clemency to three service members last month but said he does not believe the moves will disrupt good order in the ranks. “I think the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the means by which we maintain good order and discipline are a critical element in order to maintain some level of humanity in combat zones,” said Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley during an appearance before the House Armed Services Committee.

The comments came following questioning from Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a Marine Corps veteran, who said he heard from current service members who were dismayed by the moves. The separate cases have all drawn attacks from Trump’s critics and praise from his supporters. The decisions were reportedly made over the objections of senior military officials who warned that forgiving war crimes could undermine the military justice system.

In November, Trump granted a pardon to Army 1st Lt. Clint Lorance, convicted of second-degree murder in the death of two Afghans. Lorance walked out of military prison the next day. He also preemptively waived charges against Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, who faced trial at Fort Bragg on murder charges for actions in Afghanistan. In the most highly publicized case, Trump granted clemency to Navy Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, who had been acquitted of a string of alleged war crimes but convicted of posing for a picture alongside the corpse of an insurgent.

Trump said their previous military service merited a “second chance.” Congressman Moulton said a Marine sergeant major texted him saying Trump’s actions were “basically setting a precedent that the rule of law in a combat zone doesn’t apply and encourages folks to start burning villages and pillaging like Genghis Khan.”

Defense officials emphasized that the moves were within the White House’s authority. “I understand where the sergeant major is coming from,” Milley said. But, he noted the president of the United States is part of the process, and he has the legal authority to do what he did.

Trump’s timing was part of the issue. Senior military advisers said the commander in chief should not have involved himself until all the cases were adjudicated. Asked about Golsteyn’s status, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told The Washington Post that he was focused on the Gallagher case and would “take this one step at a time.”

Republicans came to the president’s defense. “We need to be very careful in equating bad judgment calls, calls that may get you relieved of command, with a war crime,” Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., and an Army veteran said.

First hailed a hero, then stripped of his medals and charged with murder only to be pardoned by the president, Golsteyn wants the Silver Star he was awarded in 2010 to be upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross, the military’s second-highest honor. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and a former Green Beret. He was cited for bravery while with the 3rd Special Forces Group during the battle of Marjah in 2010, where he repeatedly braved enemy fire, launched a mission to find enemy marksmen, aided a wounded Afghan soldier and coordinated airstrikes.

Pictured: Gen. Mark Milley appeared before the House Armed Services Committee.

When Cape Fear football coach Jake Thomas brought his son to club wrestling practice after New Year’s Eve, he was met by a disappointing sight on the school’s football field.
Someone had used a small area near the baseball-field end as a launching pad for fireworks.

Photos taken by Thomas showed a burned out spot on the turf of the Cape Fear field with the litter from the various types of fireworks used by whoever trespassed illegally on school grounds still there.

Thomas said it certainly could have been a lot worse, and has been when he’s seen people who’ve driven vehicles onto athletic fields and left damaging doughnuts cut into the turf with the wheels of their trucks or cars.
But seeing the Cape Fear field marred by the fireworks was not a pleasing sign for Thomas, who estimates he and members of his coaching staff spend in the vicinity of 200 hours a year doing everything to the field from cutting the grass, tending to the health of the soil and painting it for Thursday and Friday football contests during the season.

“When I was first coming into coaching, you don’t appreciate how much time you spend on field maintenance, painting the field, all those things,’’ Thomas said. “You really don’t get a full understanding until you do it yourself.’’

Thomas said the fans who show up on Friday night only get to see the end result and don’t realize the total amount of work that the football staff puts into making the field not only safe to play on but appealing to the eye.

Beyond the work on the field, there are rules in place about who can and can’t use school practice facilities like the football field. Thomas noted that not even Cape Fear varsity and junior varsity athletes are allowed to be on school property working out without a member of the coaching staff being present with them.

“There are liability issues,’’ Thomas said. Even in the school weight room, athletes can’t lift without having a coach there to oversee what’s taking place.

Vernon Aldridge, student activities director for the Cumberland County Schools, said those who used the Cape Fear football field for shooting fireworks were guilty of trespassing.
“If definitely has to do with safety reasons, but it’s also a liability issue,’’ Aldridge said, “having folks on our grounds if they are injured. The liability falls on us.’’

Aldridge said high schools are not allowed to use fireworks at their games on Friday nights because it’s a fire code issue. While it used to be alright when Aldridge was a coach at South View in the early part of 2000, the fire marshal later ruled that it was not allowed.

During its run to the state football championship in 1991, South View had a fan who brought a musket-like gun to games that was fired following each Tiger touchdown.

Aldridge said that practice is also no longer allowed due to firearms restrictions on campus.

Thomas said he did not make an official police report of the incident at Cape Fear but he has asked members of the Cape Fear community to help identify who was involved, especially if they were students, so proper discipline can be administered as needed.

Aldridge said the county will likely not get involved and will let Cape Fear handle the matter at the school level, including any decision regarding offering a reward for identifying those involved.

Walt Brinker, 1966 West Point graduate, retired US Army infantry lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran, retired civilian project manager, instructor at FTCC, and Eastover resident, has provided well over 2,000 free-of-charge roadside assists as a hobby. With experience from these assists he wrote a book, “Roadside Survival: Low-Tech Solutions to Automobile Breakdowns” for the everyday motorist. He also set up a website, “roadsidesurvival.com”, to help individuals, driver education teachers, and law enforcement. This vignette captures one of his many assists, along with lessons.

The Toyota Highlander was stopped on the Interstate highway shoulder. The right front tire was flat. Its occupants were roasting on the hot summer day. “Joseph” from Cameroon, the driver and father of the family, told me that he couldn’t get to his spare tire because the vehicle’s rear hatchback, which covered access to lower the spare, wouldn’t open. So I jacked up his vehicle, removed the flat tire wheel, wrapped it in an old sheet and put it in my car. Joseph and I took it to a Walmart for repair — all it needed was a valve stem.

While we were there, I pointed out a portable 12-volt jumper battery and compressor, which could come in handy. He was not interested. Tire repaired, we returned to his vehicle, where I remounted the wheel. His 8-year old twin daughters, coached and rehearsed while Joseph and I were gone, performed a really cute, lively thank you dance for me. Very nice!

Before I departed I suggested Joseph visit the nearby Toyota dealer to fix the latch on his rear door; he declined, saying he was in a hurry. His wife remarked acidly, “We might as well not have a spare tire.” I decided to leave before their fight. After taking the next exit and returning toward the Toyota, I noticed that it had not moved. I circled back and again stopped.

Evidently, while Joseph and I were away, the family had used the sound system, running down the vehicle’s battery. So I gave him a jump start. I then gently reminded him about that portable jumper battery we had seen, suggesting he might want to reconsider. He smiled and said, “No,I don’t think so”, before thanking me and driving away.

Driver tips:

1. Don’t drive without a spare tire, especially in hot or cold weather, with one’s family. Not having access to the spare is the same as driving without it.
2. If you know of a problem that restricts performance of basics such as changing a tire, get it fixed before a trip. As the saying goes, “The good Lord helps those who help themselves.”
3. Consider keeping a 12-volt portable jumper battery and a 12-volt air compressor in your vehicle. Note: portable batteries require periodic recharging after each use or monthly, at least, otherwise they will underperform. Total loss of charge will end the battery’s effective life.

Nyielah Nick

Seventy-First • Basketball• Senior

Nick has a grade point average of 3.6. She averages 7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Falcons. She is also active in the school’s JROTC program.

Anija Borja

Seventy-First• Basketball• Senior

Borja has a grade point average of 3.7.

Several years ago, the Public Works Commission set as a strategic goal increasing our local vendor capacity and engaging local vendors on the many opportunities available to them to provide services and goods to PWC. This came after both hearing concerns of local businesses and many incidents where PWC had to re-bid opportunities because of low or no response.

Among our many initiatives was starting an event to invite local businesses to learn about the millions of dollars we spend on goods and services and future plans and capital projects that businesses could position themselves to be a part of.

 PWC held a “Building Business Rally” in 2016 and 2017. Because of its success, in 2018, we coordinated an expanded Regional Building Business Rally, partnering with nearly 30 organizations and agencies on the event with the hopes of increasing local spending and encouraging local economic development. The Rally is a unique opportunity as a “one-stop” shop for local businesses where they connect to organizations that have money to spend and are looking for local businesses to spend it with.

Since May of 2018, the momentum of this effort has continued. Our Building Local Vendor Capacity Committee set our vision to “maximize local purchasing and procurement opportunities from within our region, thereby enhancing the wealth and health of the community” and our mission to use community collaboration to enhance our local supplier base.

 Collaboration and education are key to our success, and with the support of the Cumberland County’s Mayor’s Coalition, January has been proclaimed as Building Local Business month, with the month culminating with the fourth annual Building Business Rally on Thursday, Jan. 30.

Organizations participating in the Rally are Cumberland County and Fayetteville’s largest buyers, representing over $1 billion in opportunities. They include Cape Fear Valley Hospital System; Cumberland County; Cumberland County Schools; the city of Fayetteville, including FAST and Community Development; Fayetteville State University; Fayetteville Technical Community college; the town of Hope Mills; the town of Spring Lake; North Carolina Department of Transportation; Prince Charles Holdings; PWC; and Vector Fleet Maintenance, which manages the city of Fayetteville fleet.

 Some of the opportunities that will be presented at the rally are PWC’s ongoing needs installing water and sewer services, maintaining our current system and annual repairs and maintenance and upgrades of our electric system. Cumberland County Schools estimates spending $10 million a year on instructional custodial supplies, information technology, and construction, while the town of Hope Mills projects it will spend over $34 million on facilities, public works, transportation, public safety and  stormwater and recreation projects.

The Jan. 30 event utilizes the local business resources of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber, the Small Business and Technology Development Center, and Cumberland County N.C. Works to help businesses find opportunities, structure their business for success and find a qualified workforce.

 To register for the event, which will be held at the Ramada Plaza on Owen Drive from 2-6 p.m., visit www.faybids.com. Bookmark that site as it is a one-stop-shop for local contracting opportunities and local classes and workshops that can benefit your business.

Cumberland County had a good showing in the recently-completed Holiday Classic basketball tournament, with county schools taking championships in three of the four brackets.

This was the second year of a major format change in the tournament that was instituted by Cumberland County Schools student activities director Vernon Aldridge.

After years of the county schools facing each other as many as five times in one season, Aldridge instituted the change that divided the 10 county schools into four brackets and brought in outside schools to lower the chance county schools from the same conference would meet each other in the tournament.

“We got a lot of compliments from the outside schools on how the tournament was run,’’ Aldridge said. One email from Eric Davis, coach at Wilmington Laney, called the tournament the best run event of its kind he had seen in his 19 years as a coach.

Here’s a look at the three brackets of the tournament that were won by Cumberland County Schools.

Boys
Len Maness Bracket

Westover’s boys downed Middle Creek, Laney and county rival Cape Fear en route to the championship.

Wolverine head coach George Stackhouse felt his team’s depth allowed Westover to utilize different styles of play and maintain poise in a couple of games when they didn’t get off to a good start.
Ma’Nas Drummond of Westover was named the Most Valuable Player of the Maness bracket, scoring 18 points in the title game to lead Westover to the win.

“We felt confident he was going to be able to contribute a lot this year,’’ Stackhouse said of Drummond. “His teammates and everybody were very happy he was able to get MVP.’’

Stackhouse said he feels his team is in a good place as it heads into conference play immediately after the holiday break. “We’ve still got a few things we need to work out,’’ he said. “I’d like halfcourt execution to be better.
“We’ve got to get everyone playing up to their ability, playing together as a team, see if we can’t keep improving.’’

Ike Walker Sr. Bracket

Terry Sanford downed Corinth Holders, Pine Forest and Southern Lee en route to winning the Walker bracket. Coach Karl Molnar said he’s been impressed with his team’s ability to work hard and move the basketball all season, and that continued during the run through the tournament.

If there was a shortcoming the team showed during the tournament, it was the inability to slow down individual opposing players who were on a shooting hot streak.

“It’s hard to win much of anything without playing some good defense,’’ Molnar said. “We’ve not quite mastered how to shut down that one kid that gets going. But we’ve managed to keep our opponents quiet as a whole and put us in a position to move the ball around and be successful offensively.’’

Molnar’s son, Davis, was chosen as the MVP of the Walker bracket, scoring 25 in the title game with Southern Lee.

Molnar said he and his son have frequent basketball conversations on and off the court. “Davis knows as player-and-coach or father-and-son he can talk to me,’’ Molnar said. “He had a good run of three games, and they came at a good time.’’

Molnar felt it was a good sign for county basketball that three of the four finalists in the boys’ brackets of the Holiday Classic were from Cumberland County.

“It’s looking pretty strong for us,’’ he said of the county teams. Things are looking good for the Bulldogs as well as they’ll enter into January’s conference schedule awaiting the return of football standout Ezemdi Udoh, who missed the Holiday Classic because of his participation in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.

"We can’t wait until we get him on the same sheet of music,’’ Molnar said.

Picture 2: Ma’Nas Drummond of Westover was named the Most Valuable Player of the Maness bracket. Photo Credit: Matt Plyler

Picture 3: Davis Molnar was chosen as the MVP of the Walker bracket, scoring 25 in the title game with Southern Lee. Photo Credit: Matt Plyler

Kasey Ivey of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation had already been talking with Rebecca Skiba of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission about coming to Hope Mills to discuss nature programs the town might be able to offer.

That was before Dec. 3, when a member of the town’s maintenance staff spotted a coyote on the newly-opened Golfview Greenway Walking Trail at the old municipal golf course.

When Ivey posted the news on the Parks and Recreation Facebook page, she was surprised at the response.

“It sparked 56 comments and 187 shares,’’ she said. When Skiba came to Hope Mills for a scheduled visit on Dec. 9 to tour local nature-related sites around the town, Ivey shared with her the news about the coyotes at the golf course. Skiba, who is the outreach education specialist for the southern coastal region of the state, said she would be available to make a presentation on co-existing with coyotes.

So Skiba will return to Hope Mills on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 6 p.m. at the community room at the Hope Mills Recreation Center to talk about coyotes.

There is limited space, so people interested in coming to the presentation need to reach out to Ivey as soon as possible. Her email address is kivey@townofhopemills.com.

Ivey wants to make sure enough people are interested in the meeting to make Skiba’s trip to Hope Mills worth her time, since she travels a great deal and covers such a large area of the state in her job.

Both Ivey and Skiba stressed that the presence of coyotes at the new greenway is not a cause for panic, and people who plan to use it shouldn’t be fearful or jump to any conclusions about the animals.

Skiba has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Georgia and has worked in North Carolina for the past four years.

She said the biggest problem with coyotes is that people don’t know a lot about them and they tend to be afraid of what they don’t know.

Coyotes are present in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties, Skiba said, adding it is difficult to regulate the population. One of the main aims of her presentation will be to educate the public on the difference between a perceived threat a real one.

The primary rule of thumb with coytotes, she said, is live and let live. “We’ve never had a case in North Carolina where a coyote has attacked and harmed a human being,’’ she said.

But that doesn’t mean that every living thing is safe around coyotes. They are omnivores, Skiba said, which means they eat everything from vegetables to bugs to fruit. And, unfortunately, some small animals.

That’s why any greenway walkers with pets, especially small ones, need to either leave them at home or keep them on a leash, as they could be potential prey for the coyotes.

If a human sees a coyote, it’s fairly easy to shoo them off and go about their business. “They don’t stalk you,’’ Skiba said.

It is possible for a coyote to be rabid, but unlikely, Skiba said. Wild animals at the top of the list to develop rabies are raccoons, skunks and foxes, Skiba said. “Coyotes aren’t really high up on the list.’’

In the event anyone encounters an animal exhibiting odd behavior, they should contact local animal control authorities immediately.

Skiba said typical early onset rabies behavior in animals includes being disoriented or appearing in public places while making no attempt to hide or protect themselves. “Not all rabies is the foaming at the mouth phase,’’
she said.

For her presentation in Hope Mills, Skiba said she plans to discuss the history of coyotes in North Carolina, the ecology involved and how they affect other species in the state.

She will also present different options of coyote management, but added that her presentation will not be dealing with any kind of program the town as a whole can put into place, just things to be done on an individual basis.

“This is a general information session to dispel myths and fears that are out there,’’ Skiba said, “also to bring up certain things that people can keep in mind to make sure they are not attracting coyotes if they don’t desire to have them.

“We go about our daily lives and we don’t consider the ways we impact or attract wildlife. I’m just trying to bring those up as well.’’

If anyone has specific questions about coyotes or other wildlife in the Hope Mills area the best way to reach Skiba is via her email at rebecca.skiba@ncwildlife.org.

There is also a Wildlife Helpline at the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission which allows callers to speak to a trained biologist and ask specific questions about wildlife behavior, wildlife-related damage or injury and co-existing with wildlife. The number is 866-318-2401.

Fayetteville Technical Community College plans to offer a new certificate program during Fall 2020 designed for certified ophthalmic assistants and certified ophthalmic technicians to gain the skills needed for the ophthalmic surgical assistant.

The need to develop OSAs is now nationally recognized, and ophthalmologists agree that the range of OSA training could assist the mechanical and technical aspects of ophthalmic surgery.

Based on the fact there are no OSA programs in North Carolina, the employment opportunities for graduates of FTCC’s Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant program will continue to grow. The program will provide current COAs and COTs with another unique career option in the health care industry.

The didactic portion of the program will be taught online, and the laboratory portion will be taught in the evenings. This format will allow interested candidates to continue their employment while completing the requirements for the program.
Fayetteville Technical Community College can help you earn the training that can set you up to get the career you want. In addition to high-quality education available at an affordable cost, students can enjoy leadership opportunities by participation in a number of clubs and organizations, athletics and so much more. Fayetteville Tech offers associate degree programs, certificate programs and diploma programs in the areas of health, business, computer technology, engineering/applied technology and public service. Students who wish to pursue a four-year degree can save money on tuition and other expenses by enrolling at FTCC in arts and humanities or math and science associate degree programs, which transfer to some four-year colleges/universities. Students who have transferred from FTCC to four-year colleges have enjoyed high levels of success in the four-year college environment. 

Make an investment in yourself that pays off. Learn more about exciting possibilities awaiting you at Fayetteville Technical Community College by visiting the website at www.faytechcc.edu. Make the smart choice for your education—Fayetteville Technical Community College! To learn more about the OSA Program, please contact me at 910-678-8358 or via email herringt@faytechcc.edu.