Like millions of other Americans, I wake up every morning wondering what is going to happen today. How horrifying will the COVID-19 resurgence be? How and why has a protective health measure like covering one’s nose and mouth become a political statement? Will protesters be on our streets and will there be violence, damages and injuries?

It is a time unlike any other, at least in my lifetime.

The negatives of our collective situation are apparent to all Americans, and many of us are suffering financially and psychologically, individually and collectively. Each of us and our families approach this difficult time in our own ways, and none of us is certain we are doing it well. Every decision and every action seem — and are — a calculated risk.

It helps to think of silver linings, and there are some.

Since March, millions of us have been forced to slow down. Working remotely or not working at all has given us more time with our families, not all of it fairy tale perfect, of course, but opportunities to get to know each other in new ways. We are not side-by-side with our friends and coworkers, but we do “see” them through 21st century technology.

We are spending more time outdoors, because we have more time and fewer places, like gyms, to go. Walkers and bikers, both serious athletes and casual strollers and pedal pushers, populate our neighborhoods. We are listening to and watching for birds, with apps to identify birds by both sight and sound downloaded by the millions. Live-cam feeds of nesting birds have soared in popularity.

Cats and dogs are flying out shelter doors as Americans adopt them in record numbers.

Experts say we foster and adopt pets to help them, especially those who have been abandoned, but we wind up helping ourselves cope with stress and become more active as we care for our new charges.

We are learning that maybe, just maybe, we really do not need all the possessions and services we thought we did. This American did not have a haircut for more than three months, and while I was not thrilled by my shaggy tresses, I muddled through just like everyone else and was delighted when I finally did get a trim. Ditto for other personal services and impulse purchases not made because we are not out shopping as often as we were preCOVID-19.

And, glory be — Americans are cooking again. With restaurants closed or operating at reduced capacity, we have had to provide for ourselves, and many of us are getting creative. Sourdough starter is having a big moment, producing bread, pancakes, waffles and anything else bakers want to try. Many of us are cooking together, a first in some American households. The Dicksons’ summer obsession turns out to be finding the perfect tomato pie recipe, and we think we have it now.

More cooking means more groceries, some of them selected online and then picked up or delivered. No surprise then that grocery profits have spiked during the pandemic, as have those of other industries that make us more comfortable at home. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that also thriving are meal prep companies and prepared food outlets, cleaning and delivery services, liquor and wine stores, game makers and sellers, fitness equipment companies, landscaping and yard services, garden centers, and — guess who — mask producers.

Americans are also doing each other small kindnesses, and each of us has a story to tell about those. One that resonates with me comes from the Gallery X Art Collective in Murray, Kentucky. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the tattoo parlor is offering to cover up inked symbols of hate or gangs — free of charge. Says tattoo artist Ryun King, “Having anything hate related is completely unacceptable. A lot of people when they were younger just didn’t know any better and were left with mistakes on their bodies. We just want to make sure everybody has a chance to change.” Their phone is ringing regularly.

Such is the phenomenon that is 2020, which still has six months to go.

In a win for Eastern North Carolina jobs, economic development and clean energy, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a longstanding precedent allowing the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to cross beneath the Appalachian Trail — like more than 50 other pipelines already do without disturbing its public use.

While this is an exciting outcome, there is still some work to do in resolving several remaining project permits before construction can resume.

“The Court’s decision is an affirmation for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and communities across our region that are depending on it for jobs, economic growth and clean energy,” said Tammy Thurman, Piedmont spokesperson. “The project will provide a much-needed source of natural gas to North Carolina, bringing with it economic opportunities in an underserved part of our state. Eastern North Carolina’s energy needs and prospects for economic success continue to be very important to us.”
 When in service, here’s what the ACP means for your region and the state:

With access to a plentiful supply of affordable natural gas, the ACP will help to attract, compete for and win new manufacturers and industry in your counties.     
With current infrastructure constrained, the ACP provides a direct new supply of natural gas that will bring enhanced capacity and pressure to eastern North Carolina — something industry and businesses need to operate.

 Construction of the ACP would create more than 17,000 good-paying jobs and $2.7 billion in economic activity along the pipeline’s three-state route.

Job positions start at $20-$25 per hour and include free training, veteran’s programs and other benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans.

The ACP will increase local spending, provide additional tax revenues and offer prospects for a better quality of life in your communities for many years to come.

The ACP will play an important role in the transition away from coal plants to cleaner natural gas and renewables, a critical part of our comprehensive climate and net-zero emissions strategy.

The ACP serves the strategic interests of our armed forces in North Carolina, strengthening resilient energy supplies for military readiness and national security and reducing the cost to maintain our military forces.

The ACP will reduce price volatility for all customers when natural gas demand is high during cold winter months.

The Supreme Court ruling is encouraging, and Piedmont Natural Gas appreciates everyone who has voiced support for the project. Eastern North Carolina’s energy needs continue to be very important to us, and the organization pledges to continue to help the region’s prospects for growth and economic success. To learn more about the project and supporters across the region, visit https://atlanticcoastpipeline.com and https://energysure.com

Twenty-one years ago, Pastor Michael Mathis felt a calling to branch out on his own and establish a ministry that was both aimed at worship and serving his fellow man.
With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for a ministry like the one Mathis operates has become more important, and he’s trying to let people in need from Hope Mills and beyond know what he has available for them.

Mathis is the founder of Mission Field Ministries, which has its physical location at 3429 Black and Decker Rd. on the outskirts of Hope Mills.

He had previously served at Williams Chapel from 1988-99 when he felt a calling to establish his own church.

He started his ministry with regular worship services at the Comfort Inn on Skibo Road in 2000, meeting there for about six years before setting up his own place of worship.
Outreach has always been a part of what Mathis has done as a minister. He’s held regular programs at Haymount Rehabilitation Center on Bragg Boulevard and the prison in Scotland County, until the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions forced him to limit his interaction at both those facilities.

He’s also done outreach to the homeless in the area, making visits to them beneath bridges to provide assistance.

Over the past two years, Mathis has expanded another aspect of his ministry that provides food to those in need. Originally, he was serving about five families on a regular basis. A partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank has increased the reach of the food ministry.

Currently, he’s serving about 25 families regularly, and he’s looking to expand more as the pandemic continues.

“About four months ago, we saw the need to do this monthly,’’ he said of the food distribution. As a result, Mathis has designated the third Saturday of every month as the day he holds food giveaways at his Black and Decker Road location.

After getting the food from Second Harvest or other sources, Mathis has a team that puts it in boxes. The food is provided in an unprepared state and includes both perishable and non-perishable items.

The goal with each food box is to provide the basics for a good meal for the family that is receiving it. Each third Saturday during the hours of noon to 2 p.m., any family in need is invited to drive up to the church, open their trunk and the box of food is placed inside.

No eating of food on the church grounds is permitted.

Mathis said there is no paperwork for people to fill out, no interview process. It is given to anyone who is in need and wants to stop by.

So far, Mathis said they’ve never run out of food during one of these giveaways, but Mathis said it is first come, first served so people are encouraged to arrive as soon as possible on the giveaway day.

“I’m sure the numbers are fixing to increase as more people embrace what we do,’’ he said. For that reason, he welcomes donations from anyone who would like to contribute food to the ministry. “I’m proud of the kind of food items we are issuing,’’ he said. “I want people to know about this.’’

If interested, contact Mathis directly at 910-988-0795.

There’s certainly been plenty of volatility and uncertainty the past few months, but one aspect of your financial picture has probably remained stable: your need for insurance. And since National Insurance Awareness Day is observed on June 28, now is a good time to review your overall insurance coverage to determine if you and your loved ones are well-protected.

You might be surprised at the lack of protection among your fellow citizens. Less than 60% of Americans have life insurance, and just about half of those with insurance are underinsured, according to LIMRA, a research organization.

Of course, you might think the reason so many people don’t have insurance is because they don’t need it. But just about every age group can benefit from life insurance.

If you have a house and a family … Your insurance needs are obvious: If something happened to you, could your mortgage payments still be met? How about your car payments? Doctor’s bills? College for your children? Even if you have a spouse or partner who earns a decent income, your family could still have big trouble paying its bills if you weren’t around.

If you’re young and single with no family responsibilities … If you’re in this group, why would you need life insurance? For one thing, perhaps you owe money together with someone else — you might, for example, be a joint debtor on a mortgage. If you passed away, your codebtor would be responsible for the entire debt. And just because you don’t have family responsibilities now, it doesn’t mean you never will. If you have a family history of serious health issues, which may eventually affect you, you could have trouble getting life insurance later, or at least getting it without paying a lot. Now, when you’re young and healthy, the coverage is available and may be more affordable.

Your children are grown and you’re retired … If you retire with debt or have a spouse dependent on you, keeping your life insurance is a good idea, especially if you haven’t paid off your mortgage. Plus, life insurance can be used in various ways in your estate plans.

Even if you recognize the need for life insurance, though, you may be uncertain about how much you require. Your employer may offer insurance, but it might not be sufficient for your needs. And, perhaps just as important, if you leave your job, voluntarily or not, you’ll likely lose this coverage. If you purchase a private policy, what’s the right amount? You might have heard you need a death benefit that’s worth seven or eight times your annual salary, but that’s just a rough estimate. To determine the appropriate level of coverage, you’ll need to consider a variety of factors: your age, income, marital status, number of children and so on.

Still, even after you’ve got the right amount in place, it doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. You should review your coverage regularly, and especially when you change jobs, get married or remarried, have children or experience any other major life event.

Life insurance should be a key part of your overall financial strategy, along with your retirement accounts and other investments. Make sure you’re properly covered – for today and tomorrow.

Should Gov. Roy Cooper continue his current approach to reopening North Carolina’s shattered economy, speeding up the pace to save more jobs and businesses, or slow it down in response to increases in hospitalized patients with COVID-19?

I bet you have a strong opinion about this question. Most North Carolinians do. I certainly do, and have expressed it repeatedly: I think Cooper’s initial shutdown orders were too sweeping and Draconian and ought to be lifted more quickly.

 There are two assumptions embedded in my answer that deserve further explanation. One is that Cooper’s reaction to the coronavirus crisis has been relatively stringent. The other is that state regulations have a significant effect on economic activity separate from the direct effect of the virus itself. After all, many North Carolinians would have stayed away from workplaces and businesses even if the state hadn’t ordered them to.

Let’s start with stringency. Comparing state COVID-19 responses is no easy task. You can’t just tally up how many states issued stay-at-home orders or closed “nonessential” businesses. Details matter. Some orders lasted only a couple of weeks. Others lasted a couple of months. Some contained lots of exceptions and defined “nonessential” broadly. And in places such as Florida, local responses came earlier and have been more burdensome than the statewide orders.

Taking all that into consideration, the only state in the Southeast that seems to rival North Carolina in the stringency of COVID-19 regulation is Virginia. Its stay-at-home order lasted longer. On the other hand, Virginia has allowed some categories of businesses such as bars and gyms to reopen, albeit under tight restrictions, while Cooper has refused to do so in North Carolina.

Another way of gauging the relative strictness of state regulations is to look at their effect on behavior. To do that, I used a mobility measure from the University of Washington’s COVID model that combines cellphone tracking from Google, Facebook, Safegraph and Descartes Labs. I also focused more specifically on the restaurant sector by using an OpenTable.com tool that compares the average number of seated diners to pre-COVID levels in each state.

The results matched up closely with my assessment of state policies. After the initial wave of COVID regulations, followed by the current wave of phased reopening, mobility in the average Southeastern state is about 20% below pre-COVID levels. The three states where mobility remains significantly more limited are Virginia (still down 34%), Florida (down 31%), and North Carolina (down 27%).

 With regard to restaurant reservations, all Southeastern states show a substantial drop from pre-COVID levels. But there is a wide variance. The situation is noticeably worse for restaurants in Virginia (-82%) and North Carolina (-68%) than in Florida (-49%), South Carolina (-46%), and Alabama (-37%). The other states fall somewhere in-between.

 As you can plainly see, even the states with the lightest regulations have still experienced large declines in mobility and business activity. The same can be said for jobs and incomes. It would be silly to blame Roy Cooper in North Carolina, or any governor in any state, for all of the economic pain experienced since March.

 However, it would also be silly to assert that state policy has played no role. Don’t take my word for it. In a study posted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a team of academic researchers from Indiana, Ohio and Georgia estimated that employment dropped by an average of 1.7 percentage points for every 10 days under a state stay-at-home order. “Our estimates imply that about 40% of the 12 percentage-point decline in employment rates between January and April 2020 was due to a nationwide shock,” they wrote, “while about 60% was driven by state social distancing policies.”

 To show that Roy Cooper’s shutdown orders were relatively onerous and very costly is not necessarily to show they were a bad idea, of course. We’ll keep debating that question for weeks and months to come. But now, at least, the question is more clearly framed.

The town of Hope Mills is looking for a new fire marshal and hopes to have one in place by the end of July.

“Pretty much every municipality has its own fire marshal or they have to contract with the county,’’ said Hope Mills fire chief Chuck Hodges, adding the town has had its own fire marshal since the early 1990s.

Currently, a part-time assistant fire marshal is handling most of those duties, which include inspecting local businesses and buildings for their adherence to fire codes.

But the assistant is only qualified to do what are called level one and two inspections. Hodges said they need someone full-time who has complete training and certification to do higher level inspections, known as level three, for larger businesses like Lowe’s and Walmart.

There are people on the current staff, Hodges said, including himself and the deputy chief, who are certified to do the higher level inspections. “With as much construction and building as there is going on in Hope Mills, we don’t have the time to do it,’’ Hodges said.

That’s why it’s important that the town get a full-time fire marshal on board.

In addition to doing business inspections, Hodges said the new fire marshal will, in many ways, become the most familiar public face of the fire department in the community.

The fire marshal is charged with educating the public on the topic of fire safety.

“If there is a civic group or fire prevention class, they will be the ones who coordinate that,’’ Hodges said of the fire marshal.

He said the fire marshal plays a major role during fire prevention month, which is typically held during October, in conjunction with the anniversary of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire.

“They do public relations functions where it comes to fire and life safety,’’ Hodges said. “Public speaking skills are a plus.’’

When it comes to relating with business owners about fire safety issues, Hodges said the ultimate goal is to make all businesses in the town safe for both patrons and employees.

In a roundabout way, it’s also designed to make it safer for the firefighters should they ever have to respond to a situation at a local business.

“If they are complying with code, it makes it safer for us to respond,’’ he said.

In addition to public relations skills, the fire marshal will also have to have command capability. “If I’m gone or the deputy chief is gone, the fire marshal is the next in charge,’’ Hodges said.

Hodges indicated the new fire marshal will likely come from outside the current staff as no one qualified and currently on board has expressed a serious interest in the position.

“It’s an important job, for everybody,’’ Hodges said. “It reduces the risk and adds to the quality of life for the people who live in the town.

“It’s rare they’re going to go into a business in town that’s not safe.’’

To apply for the fire marshal job, go to www.townofhopemills.com/jobs.aspx.

Last week, I was interviewed by a reporter for The Washington Times who wanted to know if I was for or against the proposed renaming of the Fort Bragg military installation. Without hesitation, I told her I felt changing the name was an ill-conceived idea and another unfortunate knee-jerk reaction to the unsavory political unrest our nation is currently experiencing. I also told the reporter she would be hard-pressed to find five people out of 100 who even knew who Braxton Bragg was, let alone know he was a general in the Confederate Army — and an unpopular general at that.

Fort Bragg has a proud and honorable history. It’s home to the 82nd Airborne Division. The renaming controversy, to many, appears to be another example of political exploitation of the ill-informed. It would undoubtedly deal a death blow to Fayetteville both emotionally and economically, stripping it of it’s one single valuable and marketable asset. Besides, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is not the first military installation named after North Carolina’s native son Braxton Bragg, who was born in Warranton, North Carolina. In Northern California, there is an entire city named after him — Fort Bragg, California. In 1857 the U.S. military established an army post on the Mendocino Indian Reservation, and the young lieutenant in charge of that project, H. C. Gibson, named the post in honor of then-captain Braxton Bragg, whom he admired as his commanding officer in the Mexican-American War. Hence, Fort Bragg, California, est. 1857. The main highway, Route 20, entering this city of 7,500 is named Fort Bragg Road.

Bragg went on to be a general in the Army of the Confederacy from 1861-1865. He died in 1876. Even though Bragg was one of the 750,000 Confederate soldiers who fought in the Civil War, he contributed little to history or the outcome of the war.

Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was created in 1918. Forty-two years after his death. So, why did they name this military installation after Bragg? Who knows. Maybe it was because he was from North Carolina. Or, maybe it was because of Fayetteville’s close proximity to the Battle of Bentonville, which was the last Civil War skirmish Bragg participated in.

With the naming of an Army post 42 years after his death, it’s doubtful it had anything to do with elevating or advocating for antiquated Confederate values.
What’s important today is what this proud military installation means to our soldiers, our community, the nation and the world. Fort Bragg is much more than a name; it’s an institution with a global reach and humanity’s assurance that goodwill always triumphs over evil.

In a former career and for over a quarter of a century, I traveled coast to coast working and meeting tens of thousands of people in hundreds of cities and towns across America. Never, and I mean never, when I introduced myself and told them I’m from Fayetteville, North Carolina, did they not instinctively mention Fort Bragg with an enthusiastic sense of patriotism and pride. They understand that as one of the largest military bases in the country, we house and deploy the most impressive, mightiest and deadliest fighting machine on Earth. Worldwide, people know Fort Bragg. They trust Fort Bragg. They respect Fort Bragg, and our enemies fear Fort Bragg. They know that anywhere in the world, when a nation gets in trouble and dials 911, it is Fort Bragg that picks up the phone. Fort Bragg is an American icon of freedom, pride, patriotism, justice and democracy. Fort Bragg is synonymous with world security and stability.

Changing the name of the most historically significant American military installation in the world just to appease the reactions of political activists looking to make a statement is not worth debasing the spirit of North Carolina, the Fayetteville community or the patriotic pride of the millions of soldiers, veterans and their families that have called Fort Bragg their home. We can only pray that common sense prevails in this matter. After all, that’s a lot of street signs to change and birth certificates to reissue.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

There’s an old cartoon that shows a couple of vultures sitting on a branch, scanning the horizon for carrion to eat and finding nothing.

One vulture turns to the other and says, “To heck with patience, I’m going to kill something.’’

That sentiment isn’t too far off from the frustration high school coaches and athletes around North Carolina and the Cape Fear region are feeling as they wait for the COVID-19 restrictions to be lifted so they can return to practice.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association finally opened the door to the return to off-season workouts recently, using guidelines established both by the National Federation of State High School Associations and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

But many of the state’s larger school systems, including Cumberland County, decided to hold off and delay the start of practice until Monday, July 6.

A conversation I had recently with Bill Sochovka, the dean of Cumberland County’s head football coaches, had me agreeing with the county’s plan to wait.

Sochovka had the same opinion, for a simple but solid reason. He wanted the county to take its time and see what happens at other schools that open up, examine what practices are in place, what works, what doesn’t and how to safely open the doors for the athletes and coaches in the safest manner possible.

Vernon Aldridge, the student activities director for the Cumberland County Schools, is also in the corner for caution, but for some different reasons. Aldridge wants to take time to make sure each of the county schools will have supplies on hand that they wouldn’t normally stock, things like hand sanitizer and other materials to make sure everyone stays as germ-free as possible.

With recent spikes in new cases since some COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, it’s clear everyone needs to take this illness seriously and continue to do everything possible to flatten the curve.

Nobody wants to see a return to practice and games more than I do. But I also don’t want to see an early return lacking proper precautions causing further spread of COVID-19.
Instead of copying the vultures, let’s adopt the philosophy of one of my favorite Clint Eastwood characters, Gunny Highway from the movie "Heartbreak Ridge." As Gunny Highway said, let’s improvise, adapt and overcome, and make practice and play as safe as it can possibly be.

Raleigh political pundit and writer Gary Pearce posed an interesting question last week during this tense and racially charged time in our state and nation.

“What would Terry Sanford do?”

Terry Sanford was a man of great accomplishment. A country boy from down the road in Laurinburg, he was an Eagle Scout who later parachuted into France during World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his efforts. He became an attorney and settled into private practice in Fayetteville, a small city whose size he liked and was not far from his hometown. Sanford had political aspirations, though, and spent a term in the North Carolina Senate before being elected governor in 1960. The Sanford family decamped from their Haymount home for four years in the Governor’s Mansion and later onto the national stage as Sanford became president of Duke University, a United States senator, and a two-time candidate for president of the United States.

Sanford’s is a storied history of service to North Carolinians and Americans in both politics and education, but it is his time as governor that Pearce references. Sanford was elected governor the same day John F. Kennedy was elected president, sharing the same platforms and with the same dreams. Sanford was an outlier in the South, a part of the country still mired in Jim Crow segregation and with strong and openly white supremacist leaders. Sanford defeated just such a candidate in the Democratic primary, a man who vowed to preserve racial segregation. Once in the Governor’s Mansion, Sanford forged ahead of other Southern leaders by supporting increased education funding, promoting higher education, including the establishment of North Carolina’s community college system. He promoted antipoverty programs, including establishment of the privately financed North Carolina Fund, a structure that insulated the fund from the protests of segregationists.

Sanford’s most enduring legacy, though, may be his support of civil rights and improved race relations, earning North Carolina a reputation as a progressive Southern state. By the time Sanford took office, segregation had been largely struck down by various courts but was still ingrained. He came into office concentrating on other issues but realized that racial discrimination underlay all aspects of daily life in North Carolina. He then appointed African Americans to state positions and integrated our state parks. He established what he called the Good Neighbor Council to facilitate communication and nondiscrimination and to prepare young people for the workplace. Sanford arranged for an FBI agent to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina, finding that our state was home to one of the nation’s largest Klan chapters.

While all this sounds pretty tame and anachronistic by today’s standards, it is important to remember that Sanford was virtually alone among Southern governors and other leaders in the stances he took and the efforts he made. Billboards supporting the Klan could be spotted on North Carolina’s roadways as late as 1977, a clear indication that our state was not past its segregationist heritage. Sanford’s legacy is that he spoke up when he saw injustice at a time when few Southern leaders did.

The legendary Kareem Abdul Jabbar, whose only connection to North Carolina, as far as I know, was beating the socks off the UNC-Chapel Hill basketball team in the 1968 NCAA championship game, sums up our situation this way. “Racism is like dust in the air. It is invisible — even if you are choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands.”

That was true in Terry Sanford’s day and it is true in ours.

From his high school days playing football for legendary coach Herman Boone to taking the disaster that was the Westover girls’ basketball team and turning it into a state champion, Gene Arrington enjoyed one of the most amazing athletic careers anyone could dream of.

Column Gist: I do not know what the situation will be in America when this column is published; however, protests, too often accompanied by violence and looting, have been routine over the last two weeks. The horrible killing of George Floyd prompted all of this. A primary component of what is being called for is a discussion of race and racism in America. Watching all that is being done in this time, and what is being said, leads me to ask if there is a real desire to seriously discuss race and racism in this country.

This, from a Wikipedia article titled, “Killing of George Floyd”:

“On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed face down in the street; two other officers further restrained Floyd and another stood by and prevented onlookers from intervening.”

As I start this column on June 8, protests intended to be peaceful have been conducted for several days across America. Many of these protests ended with the looting of businesses, burning of buildings, attacks on police officers and civilians and even killing of innocent people, including police officers.

Let there be no doubt, the killing of George Floyd was a horrendous act that should never be inflicted on any human being. Amid the protests and violence that accompanies many of them, there is a call for discussing and confronting the alleged “rampant racism” in America. It is often referred to as “systemic racism.” The focus of the protests, speeches and other actions has been the contention that police killings of black citizens are out of control. Some people even label the situation as one of “genocide.” A Google search gives this definition of genocide: “… the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.”

Any discussion where there are differing thoughts or positions requires that all parties be able and willing to acknowledge what is factual. Just yesterday, I was in more than a two-hour phone discussion with a black friend that I have known for almost 70 years. We disagree on just about every consideration relating to the condition of black Americans. At one point in the conversation, I quoted some statistics to support a comment I had made. His response was that statistics can be twisted and what I was quoting probably came from some conservative source. I suggested that he check the statistics and source for himself. He had no interest in doing that. If you are not willing to come to grips with facts, are you really serious about discussing race and racism in America? The good news regarding that friend is that we left the conversation still friends. That has become a rare experience over the past several years since I started sharing my conservative views.

Against that backdrop, consider some facts. In 2015, The Washington Post began to log every fatal shooting by an on-duty police officer in the United States. Data for 2019, from The Post, is referenced in an article by Heather Mac Donald titled, “The Myth of Systemic Police Racism.” Portions of that article follow, but I encourage reading the full piece:

“In 2019 police officers fatally shot 1,004 people, most of whom were armed or otherwise dangerous. African-Americans were about a quarter of those killed by cops last year (235), a ratio that has remained stable since 2015. That share of black victims is less than what the black crime rate would predict, since police shootings are a function of how often officers encounter armed and violent suspects. In 2018, the latest year for which such data have been published, African-Americans made up 53% of known homicide offenders in the U.S. and commit about 60% of robberies, though they are 13% of the population.

“The police fatally shot nine unarmed blacks and 19 unarmed whites in 2019, according to a Washington Post database, down from 38 and 32, respectively, in 2015.

“In 2018 there were 7,407 black homicide victims. Assuming a comparable number of victims last year, those nine unarmed black victims of police shootings represent 0.1% of all African-Americans killed in 2019. By contrast, a police officer is 18 ½ times more likely to be killed by a black male than an unarmed black male is to be killed by a police officer.”

The Mac Donald article indicated that police killed nine unarmed blacks in 2019. In his June 3 show, Tucker Carlson on FOX Cable News reported this number as 10. Carlson included the one unarmed black woman who was killed while Mac Donald only included black men. Carlson reviewed what happened in each of the 10 cases. This is what he indicated: in five cases, the officer was clearly attacked by the offender; one involved an accidental shooting while the officer was struggling with the victim; four resulted from pursuit of an offender… two of these officers were charged with homicide. Watching the Carlson piece is absolutely necessary for anyone who wants to fairly answer the question posed by this column. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qwif8PF1EI and start
watching at 6:40.

Examination of the information put forth by Mac Donald and Carlson gives a person reason to ask whether there is really out-of-control killing of black Americans by police officers; is there “black genocide?” The information used by Mac Donald and Carlson was based on data published by The Washington Post. It should be noted that a guest on Laura Ingram’s show, June 4, indicated that The Post changed the number of unarmed blacks killed by police officers in 2019 from 10 to 15. Does that increase of five change the picture?

Beyond the 10 or 15 deaths of unarmed black citizens attributed to police shootings in 2019, consider the 7,407 black homicide victims in 2018 — a number that will likely be similar in 2019. Following from an article by Barry Latzer titled, “The Need to Discuss Black-on-Black Crime”:

“In 2018, where the homicide victim was black, the suspected killer also was 88 percent of the time. And this is not an exceptional situation. From 1976 to 2005, 94 percent of black victims were killed by other African Americans.”

Applying Latzer’s 88% to 2018’s 7,407 black homicides means the suspected killer in 6,518 of those cases was likely black.

Seriously and successfully discussing race and racism requires that all voices be heard without anybody facing intimidation or penalty. An example of how this absolute requirement looks, when violated, shows in action taken by the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, North Carolina State University, University of South Carolina and the Charlotte Knights minor league baseball club. An article at www.wsoctv.com/news titled, “Panthers, Hornets cut ties with CPI Security after CEO’s protest remark” applies. Segments follow:

“Charlotte’s two professional sports franchises, as well as two universities, have canceled partnerships with a North Carolina home security company after the firm’s CEO told an activist, who leads Queen City Unity and called for a boycott of CPI, he should focus on black-on-black crime rather than the George Floyd protests.

“Queen City Unity’s executive director said he sent a letter to city leaders calling for change when it comes to police brutality and community safety.

“In response, he said he received an email from CPI CEO Ken Gill saying in part, ‘A better use of time would be to focus on the black-on-black crime and senseless killing of our young men by other young men.’”

The CPI CEO offered an apology for his comments in a tweet. Considering the facts presented earlier, should CPI be punished for the CEO’s response? Was the CEO at all out of line in his comment? Do the actions of the Panthers and others advance serious discussion of race and racism?

If you see yourself as a person who really wants to discuss race and racism in America, how do you measure up on just these two points: (1) facing facts and (2) hearing opposing voices without seeking to intimidate or punish the sources of those opposing views?

The demographic that has proven to be most undercounted in the United States is children under age 6. We simply forget to count our kids when we complete the census survey. This is problematic as the census is only conducted every 10 years, yet we have babies and need services for those babies (and prenatal services) every year. While we may not be able to predict where children will be born and serviced in advance, we can do a better job by the children already living in our community.

Have you ever planned a party for 10 but have 30 people show up? This is what an undercount in the census looks like. The census, a federally mandated, population count, strives to determine how many people live in the .U.S — regardless of citizenship, race or age. This is an important part of our democratic process because it involves all persons. The census then determines how much funding will be applied to federal programs. These programs include Child and Adult Care Food Program; Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program, or SNAP; and Head Start — just to name a few. Then the programs disperse the monies they are given to and within states based on population.

In a presentation I attended conducted by N.C. Child, it was said that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2018, the child population of North Carolina was 2,442,881. For a demographic or community to be considered “hard to count,” the mail-in response for 2010 had to be less than 73%. That means in North Carolina as a whole, we missed out, for the last 10 years, on a lot of money for the programs for our children. In Cumberland County, we have missed out on valuable resources such as funding to pay teachers for our Head Start programs, funding for meals for our school lunch program, as well as resources for our WIC programs. In a recent presentation I attended given by Cumberland County Schools Assistant Superintendent of Communication Lindsay Whitley, he stated that approximately 78% of Cumberland County students are receiving free/reduced lunch. That program is a part of the census funded Child Food Program.

Please consider doing your part in Cumberland County obtaining a complete count this decennial. To do so, complete your 2020 census. You can complete the survey by completing and returning the mailer that was sent to your home. If you did not receive a mailer, or if you prefer, you can complete the survey online via https://my2020census.gov/ . Or call 1-844-330-2020. If English is not your primary language, the internet and phone options are available in 12 other languages. This process is quick, anonymous and protected by U.S. Constitution. We do not want to make the mistake of another undercount here in Cumberland County. We want our children in Cumberland County to receive the tax monies that should be appropriated to them.

When we think about gratitude or thankfulness, we often table the thought until we get a little closer to that November holiday with the turkey, a four-day weekend and the conversation with our weird uncle. But genuine gratitude is more a way of life than an annual celebration.

I got a little miffed when I turned on the news the other day — which isn’t difficult anymore — because it seemed to be more opinion and editorial than a reporting of the facts. To make matters worse, the angle from which the news show presented each story seemed to be positioned in such a way that it was intentionally trying to rile people up.

I’m grateful to live in an era where communication and information technology have advanced and continue to advance beyond anything I dared to dream as a young child. Still, the more I see irresponsible use of the platforms technology provides, the easier it is to see that we humans suffer from a lack of gratitude and thankfulness in our lives.

Chances are you woke up this morning in a comfortable bed, in a house with a solid foundation and a roof with no leaks. You likely turned on a light, used indoor plumbing, and poured some coffee into a cup, settled into a chair and began to ponder what the day ahead held for you. You might have picked a book or turned on your computer to get your mind in gear before breakfast.

Every one of those things is worth being thankful for. Not everyone in the world has those things. A bed, a home, electricity and plumbing — those are all things most of us take for granted. But to a considerable percentage of the world’s population, they are only dreams.

The past few months have taught us something else about gratitude and privilege, too. We’ve learned the value we place on relationships. We’ve discovered we not only enjoy, but need interaction with other human beings to maintain some sort of mental stability. Our family, coworkers, church and social connections are vitally important to us, and we learned that the loss of freedom (another thing to be thankful for) to exercise those relationships freely was daunting, to say the very least.

What I hope you’ll see if you made it this far, is that there is much to be thankful for in our immediate surroundings. Because when we learn to sense those things and express gratitude for them, it begins to spill over into the rest of our lives. We begin to notice the beauty of the landscape instead of the length of the drive, and we see the diversity of the people in any crowd rather than notice how many people are “not like us.”

There was a time when the position of lake attendant at Hope Mills Lake was seasonal, but with the popularity of the lake since its return, the need for someone to be on duty more frequently has increased.

To apply for the lake attendant position, go to Town Hall on Rockfish Road during normal business hours.

The year 2020 has shown us that information technology jobs will not only sustain during hard times such as these but will remain in high demand. Experiencing a pandemic is something I do not think any of us would have ever thought we would see in our lifetime. Some of us hold positions that are considered essential and are thankfully able to continue to work during the shutdown. Some of us hold positions that allow us to work from home without skipping a beat. Positions in information technology are both essential and flexible enough to allow people to work from home. According to National Public Radio in an article published on May 8, about a third of the American population is now working from home due to COVID-19. Information technology specialists are needed now more than ever before to help make these transitions possible for many industries.

There have been tons of data collected on COVID-19 and its affects across the world. This data can help scientists understand how the virus is spreading, symptoms associated with it and preventive measures to safeguard the population. Data has even helped to predict spikes and drops in the rate of infection. Because of this data, every day we can view up-to-date statistics on the virus. That data and those statistics are what decision-makers use when tough choices must be made. The world needs specialized technicians to manage this data. What we are experiencing has further illustrated the need for information technology specialists in the areas of PC support and services as well as database management.

At Fayetteville Technical Community College, faculty and staff worked hard throughout the pandemic to continue to deliver high-quality educational experiences for our students. This was made possible by the use of technology, which allowed our faculty members to deliver online instruction and our staff to work remotely from home. Staff also worked in computer labs, the Student Learning Center and the Paul H. Thompson Library to maintain support of our students’ needs. We are proud that we have been able to continue working to serve you throughout the pandemic.

FTCC offers programs in information technology that can lead to careers as technology and data specialists. Both careers are proven to have continuous high demand and longevity even in times of turmoil and recession. Please contact me at sobersto@faytechcc.edu or 910-678-7365 for information on earning a degree in PC support and services or database management. For information on all the programs of study available at FTCC,  visit www.faytechcc.edu. Fall classes begin Aug. 17, and registration for fall classes is going on now.  You can begin your journey to a rewarding, in-demand career in information technology at Fayetteville Technical Community College — the smart choice for education.  

Few things are more important in the world we currently live in than being able to articulate individual wants and needs. It’s in times like these that the job of someone like Deana Kahlenberg is so important.

Kahlenberg, who is a speech language pathologist at Gallberry Farm Elementary School in Cumberland County, was recently honored by her peers as the Cumberland County Schools speech language pathologist of the year.

Kahlenberg said she was “blown away” to be recognized after being in the profession for only six years.

She was inspired to pursue her career by an elementary school teacher who created a love of working with children in her. Kahlenberg said there is also a history of stuttering in her family that sparked a personal interest in the profession.

While some speech pathologists work at multiple schools, Kahlenberg does all of her work with students at Gallberry Farm. Her focus is on students in preschool through fifth grade who have communication disorders. These can range from having difficulty making certain sounds to problems understanding or using language.

A graduate of Radford, Kahlenberg was an elementary classroom teacher for seven years before she and her husband Mark, who is also a speech pathologist in Cumberland County, went back to get their masters degrees in communication disorders.

Although this year changed things because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kahlenberg normally works with 50 to 60 students per year in both individual and group sessions, depending on the needs of each child.

Kahlenberg is part of a team approach that includes teachers, teacher assistants, parents and entire families in working with students who need communication help.
“The goal of what we do is to give everybody a voice,’’ she said of the students she works with. “I think it’s more critical than ever,’’ she said. “Making sure everyone has that voice and fair opportunity to get an education is our goal.’’

Because a lot of Kahlenberg’s work involves one-on-one interaction with students, the pandemic complicated things, especially when school was closed.

“We moved to teletherapy,’’ she said. “We rely heavily on caregivers and family members to help go through the therapy process. There is a lot of caregiver training and counseling involved.’’

Dawn Collins, the principal at Gallberry Farm, said Kahlenberg did everything in her power to make sure no students fell through the cracks because of the lack of face-to-face teaching this year once school closed.

“She used all the resources possible,’’ Collins said. “She would meet with students in small groups virtually and one-on-one. She considered it a personal goal to contact the students with the best resources she had.’’

Kahlenberg said her primary hope for any recognition she receives from being honored is to increase interest in the speech pathology profession and hopefully draw others to pursue it as a career.

“We are always needing more speech therapists,’’ she said. “I hope it will bring light to the profession and draw younger people to enter it.’’