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  • 16 Pools The Patriot Athletic Conference will hold its annual postseason swim meet Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 4:30 p.m. at the Fayetteville State University swimming pool in Capel Arena.

    But more than a conference championship, it will also mark the celebration of a milestone in advancing the championship aspirations of Cumberland County’s high school swimmers.

    This year, Cumberland County’s swimmers didn’t have to take a two-week break from practice during the Christmas holidays.

    Fayetteville State traditionally closes its doors during the Christmas break, meaning the pool at Capel Arena isn’t available for practice. But thanks to the city of Fayetteville, the swimmers had an alternative to not practicing this year.

    Amey Shook, swimming coach at Cape Fear High School, said Fayetteville purchased two plastic bubbles to cover the outdoor pools at the Westover and College Lakes recreation centers. Since the pools at both locations are heated, the bubbles allow the swimmers to go inside and practice during the period the FSU pool is closed for the holidays.

    Even when the temperature outside the bubble is freezing, Shook said, the bubble is a workable alternative to not practicing.

    “Most days I can be comfortable coaching in a short-sleeved shirt,’’ Shook said of the atmosphere in the bubble. “When (the temperature) gets way down, I might wear a light jacket.’’

    Shook said both recreation centers have heated indoor dressing rooms where the swimmers can go and change before and after practice.

    “It’s a work in progress,’’ she said of the addition of a practice option for the county’s swimmers. “Each year we are gaining more and more support for the sport of swimming in the county. It’s going to change our results.’’

    Looking ahead toward the conference meet, Shook is expecting a competitive battle for top honors. From a team standpoint, she said Cape Fear, Pine Forest, Gray’s Creek and Terry Sanford have all had outstanding team and individual performances this year.

    Among individual swimmers, Shook said Zizhou Lu of Gray’s Creek has been almost unbeatable this season. Another top swimmer for the boys has been Brandon Chhoeung of Pine Forest.

    Lu is strong in multiple events, but his best include the sprint freestyles. Chhoeung excels in the distance freestyle events.

    For the girls, Shook said top competitors include her daughter, Amelia, and E.E. Smith’s Sarah Morton.

    Amelia Shook is strong in several events, including the backstroke, middle distances and the butterfly. Morton’s best events are the breaststroke and the sprints.

    Coach Shook said the key to success in the conference meet is a good effort from each team and swimming clean races. She said a number of county swimmers have already qualified for competition in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association regionals.

    “I think, countywide, we have some great shots at at least a half-dozen state qualifiers,’’ she said. “On my team, my goal is to double the number of state and regional qualifiers we have.

    “We have a lot of great swimmers in this county. They have worked hard all year. They are ready to swim fast.’’

  • 03 Margaret Americans have absorbed a great deal over the last few years.

    We have learned — and not for the first time — how political divides damage personal relationships with family, friends and colleagues. Many of us can tell tales of our own experiences with toxic politics in the last several years. Some involve painful estrangements of important relationships.

    We have learned anew how deeply painful statues commemorating aspects of our Civil War are to millions of Americans. Earlier this month, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt resigned— some pundits say “bolted”— effective at the end of the school year. She also ordered the last remnant of a Confederate statue removed from campus only to have the UNC system Board of Governors abruptly terminate her, saying without words, “Don’t let the door hit you on the rump on your way out.”

    And, we now understand the long-smoldering and erupting fury of American women over not only discrimination in the workplace but sexual harassment and abuse in both our public and private lives. This fury is captured in the #MeToo movement. It also encompasses the frustration of generations of women who have been bullied by men, demeaned by men, talked over by men, paid less than men for the same work and who have endured catcalls and inappropriate comments by men — the list is as long as the countless numbers of women on the receiving end of such actions.

    The Gillette Company, whose razors are used daily by men all over the world, has launched a new ad campaign addressing what many dub “toxic masculinity” and asking, “Is this the best a man can get?” The ad released last week is just under two minutes long and had 20 million views on YouTube in its first two days. Not surprisingly, some viewers praise the ad while others find it threatening.

    At the very least, Gillette has opened the conversation for the first generation of men to be held accountable for such actions by a large swath of American society, and the company should be saluted for that. Very few Americans would dispute the reality that being born a man in our culture comes with an extra measure of power, what some refer to as “male privilege.” While feminists have tried since the 19th century to move women’s issues up the national agenda, a bright national spotlight swung their way only in the last several years.

    What Gillette’s ad and its supporters are attempting to do is pierce the protective armor of “boys will be boys” — at any age, apparently— and inspire men to hold each other accountable for their treatment of others whether that behavior is bullying, demeaning or outright abuse. The ad challenges men to reflect on their behavior and invites them to be kinder in both personal life and the workplace and to help other men do so.

    Most American men are not violent and do not demean, bully or assault others, and the Gillette ad acknowledges that. It also points out that too many men remain silent when they witness such behavior in other men and challenges them to call out brethren’s negative actions. Some critics say the Gillette spot gives a pass to following the crowd even when men witness bad behavior, and there may be truth in that charge. At the same time, though, Gillette deserves credit for opening the conversation in a frank way, even if it is not perfect.

    As a woman who grew up with one sister and became the mother of two boys, now men, I felt pressure— and still do — to teach my sons to treat all others kindly and with respect in both the workplace and in their personal lives. I know that today’s parents of growing boys feel the same pressure, and with any luck, the Gillette ad will resonate and inform their parenting.

    Gillette’s tag line says it all.

    “Boys watching today will be the men of tomorrow.”

    That can either scare us or give us hope for change.

  • 11 FTCC Although the new athletics program at Fayetteville Technical Community College has existed only three years, it is already causing many changes that are positively affecting the college, both in and out of the classroom. New teams and new facilities are adding new opportunities for the college and the community.

    The FTCC men’s and the women’s basketball teams are in their third year and are having their best seasons to date. At Thanksgiving break, both teams were in first place in the region. Although the teams have not maintained that position, their efforts have positioned them as teams to watch, and they are representing FTCC well. Their levels of play so far have given the three new teams a respected reputation with high expectations within the region.

    Women’s volleyball opened in September with a strong schedule. Team members played all home games inside Horace Sisk Gymnasium at the Fayetteville campus. Though the gym is small, it created a great atmosphere that changed the perception of FTCC athletics on campus. The team performed well with good wins over other schools with longestablished programs. The campus welcomed the home team with a nice crowd in attendance for each match.

    Baseball and softball begin this spring, and their addition brings more changes to the campus. The college has received, through re-gifting from Cumberland County, the J.P. Riddle Stadium. Having this space will highlight the baseball and softball teams and add opportunities for lab space and work-based learning.

    Several FTCC programs will have the opportunity to use real-world applications and classroom learning through this relationship with the county. Students in areas of study such as horticulture, culinary arts, business, civil engineering and others will benefit. It won’t be only the players competing on the field who enjoy many facets of the baseball/stadium experience.

    The acquisition of the stadium has allowed for an additional opportunity for the FTCC softball team. Freedom Christian Academy has been playing baseball at J.P. Riddle Stadium for a few seasons and will continue to practice and play there, along with the FTCC Trojans. As a result, the Trojans will be able to share the softball field at FCA, which is built behind its campus, for games. The field at FCA is new and will be a great location for Trojan women’s softball home games. This is all possible through diligent scheduling of practice time, facilities and games. All FTCC games are on weekends; FCA plays during the week.

    Trojan Athletics has positively affected campus life in only three years and is now reaching out into the community. The new teams have introduced many more studentathletes to FTCC. The Trojan logo can be seen throughout the campus more now than ever. Teams play games at various locations throughout Fayetteville — basketball at Reid Ross Classical School, volleyball at FTCC, softball at FCA and baseball at J.P. Riddle Stadium.

    These teams present great opportunities for local student-athletes to perform. It is a great time to be an FTCC Trojan. Learn more about FTCC athletics at www.faytechcc.edu/athletics.

  • 08 Sweeney Todd  As of this writing, seats for the remaining performances of Sweet Tea Shakespeare’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” are selling fast. So, allow me to get right to the point: Call the box office at 910-420-4383 or visit www.sweetteashakespeare.com for tickets. The show runs through Feb. 3, and you don’t want to miss it.

    Sweet Tea Shakespeare’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd” probably wouldn’t be your first choice for a post-Christmas/pre-Valentine’s outing, but it should be. The talented cast running around the Fayetteville Pie Company is the right mix of fun and madness to balance out the macabre tale.

    The story is about London barber Benjamin Barker, who is wrongly imprisoned by Judge Turpin, who wants Barker’s wife, Lucy. After 15 years, Barker returns, calling himself Sweeney Todd, and begins working as a barber over Mrs. Lovett’s meatpie shop on Fleet Street. Seeking revenge, Todd takes his razor to unsuspecting customers, biding his time until he can get the evil judge in his barber chair.

    You’ll find no sympathy for Judge Turpin in this story. After driving poor Lucy to suicide, the judge takes the barber’s young daughter, Johanna, as his ward. He locks her away, intending to marry her, and thinks she should be grateful for his kindness.

    Todd is a lunatic, for sure, but he has had 15 years in prison to plot his revenge, all the while growing ever more psychotic. Jeremy Fiebig, STS founder and artistic director, plays the title character with an eerie calmness — the kind that makes you a bit uncomfortable in your seat.

    Aiding Todd in his revenge plot is the widow Lovett, played by Marie Lowe. Lovett has fancied the barber since before his imprisonment and sees not only a monetary benefit but also a romantic one to helping Todd dispose of the bodies. It is her idea to bake the victims into her meat pies. The secret ingredient boosts her business and has her dreaming of a retirement by the sea — with Todd.

    Lowe steals the show with her upbeat and energetic delivery in a Cockney accent. She is so delightfully sinister, I found myself rooting for her character. But, in a tale about death, revenge and insanity can there really be a happily ever after? Not in this tale, which also  has a few twists. No spoilers here, but the ending makes plain that one cannot profit from revenge.

    Director Medina Demeter pulls together a fantastic ensemble cast and crew to bring to life the tale with horror, excitement and entertaining music. The cast includes Aaron Alderman, Jennifer Czechowski and Joyce Borum. Heather Eddy plays Johanna and Tyler Graeper is her love-struck beau, Anthony. Allison Podlogar is Tobias Ragg. Gabriel Terry, Jackie Rednour-Hallman and Tohry Petty complete the ensemble.

    The Fayetteville Pie Company in Westwood Shopping Center lends its multilevel restaurant as the stage. It is an intimate experience that allows the creative efforts of STS to shine. The restaurant also provides phenomenal pies to audience members for this production as part of the admission price.

    For more information on the show or tickets, contact the STS box office at 910-420-4383 or visit www.sweetteashakespeare.com.

  • 06 Milley Those who know Army Gen. Mark Milley say the administration’s choice to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a soldier’s soldier. He’s likely better known at Fort Bragg than in Washington, D.C. He is not part of the Pentagon establishment and has spent more time in Afghanistan than inside the Beltway.

    Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. is scheduled to retire next fall. Trump said the transition date was to be determined. “I am thankful to both of these incredible men for their service to our Country!” Trump tweeted. Milley’s nomination will need to be confirmed by the Senate. No date has been set for the confirmation.

    Milley became the 39th Chief of Staff of the Army in August 2015 after serving as commanding general of Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg. He has had numerous command and staff positions in eight divisions and Special Forces units throughout his 35 years of military service. A native of Winchester, Massachusetts, Milley received his commission from Princeton University in 1980.

    He has served in the 82nd Airborne Division and the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg. “I’ve watched him lead soldiers overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as at home... and most recently as the commander of U.S. Forces Command,” said former Army Secretary John McHugh in a statement. “At all times, he has led with distinction in both war and peace.”

    McHugh has known Milley since Milley’s days commanding the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, an Army post in the district McHugh represented as a congressman. McHugh praised Milley as a “remarkable leader.”

    A Hill staffer who met Milley in Afghanistan agreed. “He came across as very well-informed and as someone who’d thought about the situation he was dealing with fairly deeply,” the source said.

    The question now for many is whether a mind that could grasp Afghanistan can effectively manage the unpredictable world of Washington. History records that military leaders with field backgrounds don’t always do well in D.C. Straight shooters haven’t usually served the Army well as chief of staff or as chairman.

    Military regimentation doesn’t translate into politics naturally. Gen. Eric Shinseki’s assessment that 100,000 troops were needed to occupy Iraq brought him grief in the administration of former President George W. Bush.

    Milley’s operational deployments include the Multi-National Force and Observers, or MFO, Sinai, Egypt; Operation Just Cause, Panama; Operation Uphold Democracy, Haiti; Operation Joint Endeavor, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; and three tours during Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan. He also deployed to Somalia and Colombia.

    Milley and his wife have been married for more than 30 years and have two children.

  • 01 cover “Annie,” the family-friendly musical based on the “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip, debuted on Broadway in 1977 and has endeared itself to audiences the world over ever since with such crowdpleasing tunes as “Tomorrow!” and “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” In the play, Orphan Annie sets out to find her parents and meets many interesting characters, including millionaire Daddy Warbucks, along the way. Starting Jan. 31, Cape Fear Regional Theater brings “Annie” to town with a stellar cast, including Robert Newman in the role of Daddy Warbucks.

    Although he also starred in “General Hospital” and “Santa Barbara,” Newman is best known for portraying Joshua Lewis for 28 years on the soap opera “Guiding Light,” a role for which he earned two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

    “Everyone is excited that Josh, Reva’s husband, is coming to town,” said CFRT Artistic Director Mary Kate Burke, referencing Newman’s “Guiding Light” character.

    She added, “Our Ms. Hannigan will be Erin Fish, who just performed the same role on the national tour of ‘Annie.’”

    CFRT’s “Annie” will be directed and choreographed by Robin Levine.

    Backstage, the cast is no less professional. Be it the stark simplicity of “Miss Saigon” or the rollicking onstage bar of “Music City” or a romp through the medieval landscape of “Monty Python,” sets at CFRT productions have always been impressive. Designing the set for “Annie” is Charles Glenn Johnson, who also designed last season’s hit “Crowns,” according to Burke.

    Bringing Johnson’s design to life is the job of Master Carpenter Willie Burgess and Assistant Carpenter Terry Remer, under the direction of Production Coordinator Ken Blinn and Technical Director Adam Lindsay.

    Sarah Harris, who was associate costume designer for last season’s “Sense and Sensibility,” is designing “Annie’s” costumes. Once her drawings are finalized and approved by the director, Harris will consult with Andi Nicks, costume shop manager, to determine what can be pulled from CFRT’s costume inventory to bring Harris’ artistic renderings to life.

    After meeting with the director to discuss the desired mood and ambience of any given show, a professional lighting designer creates a lighting “plot” for each CFRT production and submits a detailed drawing of how the instruments should be hung and focused. “There are usually over 100 instruments that get hung in the air in different configurations for each show,” said Burke. Staff technicians at CFRT then run the lights according to the plot.

    Jillian Zach, a Julliard graduate, is the musical director for “Annie.” Local professionals comprise the band for the show. A piano accompanies the actors during rehearsals, but the entire band — along with all the designers and technicians — assemble for what is known as a sitzprobe, where the actors hear the actual instruments for the first time, and then a wandelprobe, which is a walk-through for blocking with the band.

    Once the sitz and wandel are completed to everyone’s satisfaction, there is a tech rehearsal followed by a final dress rehearsal before opening night takes place.

    “The whole show is mounted in only three weeks,” said Burke. “So, between the first rehearsal and the first preview, there are only 20 rehearsals and a total of 100 hours rehearsed.”

    “Annie” opens Jan. 31 and will run through Feb. 24 with show times at 7:30 p.m. and matinees on most weekends. Tickets cost from $17-$32. Visit www.cfrt.org for information about tickets and performance dates. “Annie” is so family-friendly that CFRT offers a special cast meet-and-greet and a sing-along and dance especially for community children. See the website for details.

    Meet Daddy Warbucks

    Newman is no stranger to North Carolina nor to the character he’ll portray in “Annie.” Some would say he has a heart just as big and just as soft as Daddy Warbucks’.

    In the summer of 2010, Newman played Daddy Warbucks for the North Carolina Theatre’s production of “Annie.” For that production, he partnered with St. Baldrick’s Foundation in its quest to raise money for childhood cancer research and let St. Baldrick’s publicly shave his head. The theater joined in the effort and gave 20 percent of ticket sales to the foundation, too. “We were able to raise a good bit of money for the charity,” Newman said. “After the fact, I was talking to my wife about maybe keeping my head shaved. She was not having it and quickly said, ‘Robert. Grow your hair back.’”

    When Burke reached out to the North Carolina Theatre about Newman, the staff there remembered him fondly. “They were so effusive about him. They said he’s an incredible actor and an even more amazing human,” she said.

    While Newman enjoyed playing Daddy Warbucks before, he said he is looking to bring something fresh to the experience at CFRT. “There is nothing worse than an actor who says, ‘I’ve played this role before. This is how it is supposed to be done,’” he said.

    “The last time I played Daddy Warbucks was nine years ago. I was a different person, it was a different time and place. I am looking forward to exploring this experience and the father-daughter relationship between Annie and Daddy Warbucks. As a character, Daddy Warbucks has everything as far as money goes, but he meets Annie and his world begins to change — and he begins to change,” Newman added.

    One of the things that makes acting so rewarding for Newman, he said, is the human aspect of it. When Newman was in college, he had plans to become a psychology major. In his third year, though, he found acting. “And I discovered the two are very similar,” he said. “They are both a study of the human dynamic.”

    Newman is impressed with the way the play as a whole is coming together. “Robin Levine is directing it, and I am excited about where she is taking this production,” he said.

    While “Annie,” which ran for almost six years on Broadway starting in 1977, is not a new story, it’s one that audiences love. It’s heartwarming. It will make you laugh, and it will make you cry.

    “It is the right time for a play like this,” said Newman. “There is so much divisiveness in the world today, and this is a place where the audience can leave that behind for two hours and come and enjoy a heartwarming story.”

    As for his other North Carolina connection, Newman has participated in several charity golf tournaments around the state. He calls golf his Zen time, when he can leave his worries behind and focus on something he is, in his words, “sometimes good at and other times not.”

    So far, his experience locally has been positive. “Everyone here is so nice. The people here are great. I have only been in town a few days, and I already love it here.”

  • 09 Cool Spring on Ice The 4th Friday of the month is a special day in in downtown Fayetteville. Galleries, bookstores and shops stay open late. Artists showcase their works and musicians entertain guests at the various activities. And it’s free to attend.

    The Cool Spring Downtown District has something extra special in store this month — Cool Spring on Ice. That’s right, Friday through Sunday there will be a temporary ice-skating rink in downtown Fayetteville.

    It’s a project that has been a long time in the making. “Last fall we were trying to come up with something fun and a little different to do downtown,” said Melissa Purvine, Cool Spring Downtown District marketing and communications manager. “Ice skating is something that had been a success in other North Carolina cities, so we decided to give it a try.”

    The response was enthusiastic. Within 24 hours of the Cools Spring Downtown District Facebook post announcing the event, more than 1,500 people replied as interested in or attending Cool Spring on Ice. At one week out from 4th Friday, Purvine said there were about 3,000 people who had responded to the event posting.

    “We are excited to offer this to the community,” Purvine said. “It is something everyone can enjoy — from family outings to a date night or a group of friends. … I can’t wait to see people on the ice having fun.”

    If all goes well, Fayetteville could see more ice-skating opportunities in the future. “This is for a weekend — to test the waters,” said Purvine. “We are in talks about possibly doing it again and maybe doing it for longer stretches of time, like a week or something similar.”

    The temporary rink opens Friday, Jan. 25, at noon and will be open for 4th Friday festivities. It will also be open Saturday, Jan. 26, from 8-10 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. It costs $7 per 45 minutes. Skates are included in the rental price. Tickets are available at https://visitdowntownfayetteville.com.

    There is plenty to enjoy in addition to fun in the rink at 4th Friday.

    The Ellington-White Gallery will showcase “A National Juried Print Exhibition.” The show addresses issues involving social injustice. It will run until Saturday, March 30. It is free and open to the public. Call 910-483-1388 or visit www.ellington-white.com for details.

    Fascinate-U Children’s Museum invites families to join in and prepare for the Chinese New Year. This includes making colorful 3D dragon art. It’s easy and fun for children. The museum is also open for free play from 7-9 p.m. Find out more at www. fascinate-u.com.

    The Arts Council of Fayetteville/ Cumberland County opens its newest exhibition, “Take It For Granted.” The artwork includes works by awardees of the Arts Council’s Regional Artist Project Grants in 2016, 2017, 2018. The projects range from painting to sculpture to photography and quilts. The artists competed throughout an 11-county area for the grants they received. Visit www.theartscouncil.com or call 910-323-1776 for more information.

    Headquarters Library’s exhibit is called “A Select History of Medicine and Dentistry in Cumberland County and North Carolina” and will remain open to the public through Feb. 28. Cal 910-483-7727 ext. 1359 or visit www.cumberland.lib.nc.us/ccplsite for more information.

    4th Friday runs from 6-10 p.m. Call 910-223-1089 for more information.

  • 07 taxes City of Fayetteville officials have come to an agreement with Cumberland County Commissioners on the short-term distribution of local sales tax revenues. A lot of money is at stake —$192,897,697 during fiscal year 2018 alone. City Council and county commissioners and their senior management staffs worked cooperatively to agree on a formula that will be in place for at least the next four years.

    The city preferred a longer-term agreement, but the county pointed to the upcoming 2020 U.S. census, which could change everything by altering population figures that guide the sales tax apportionment. State law gives county governments the responsibility of divvying up sales tax receipts either by population or tax districts. Since 2003, the population formula has been in force locally.

    The so-called “Big Bang” annexation by Fayetteville of 40,000 residents 10 years ago came into play. The county won an agreement in which the city would sacrifice 50 percent of the tax revenues in annexed areas for which the county agreed to continue the population dispersion method.

    A modified payback fund by which the city reimburses the county for annexed areas remains in effect. The revised plan continues the current 50-50 split of sales tax money from the annexations during year one. In the following three years, the municipalities would receive 60 percent of any new revenue. The county would get 40 percent.

    The county had cautioned the city that, if the two entities couldn’t come to terms on the population distribution plan, commissioners would consider switching to the tax district formula. That would have cost the city of Fayetteville an estimated $5 million a year. And, the smaller towns would have suffered as well.

    While county government had the advantage, commissioners had to consider that most voters live inside the municipalities. “I think this is the best deal for the citizens of Fayetteville,” said Mayor Mitch Colvin.

    Councilwoman Kathy Jensen noted that local governments will have to go back to the drawing board in a couple of years to negotiate a new agreement.

    Others pointed out that a significant deployment of Fort Bragg troops, unlikely as that might be, would reduce Fayetteville’s population. Residential areas of the Army post are in the city. The current agreement expires at the end of this fiscal year. But County Manager Amy Cannon gave the city until the end of this month to agree on the revised distribution formula. City Council did so Jan. 14 — by unanimous vote.

  • 05 news digest The city of Fayetteville has honored the late former mayor, Bill Hurley, and the late former mayor pro tem, Harry Shaw.

    City Council proposed to name the plaza at the entrance to the downtown baseball stadium in Hurley’s honor. Hurley led the effort to remove beer halls and strip clubs from what used to be the 500 block of Hay Street. The Council will ask the public to endorse the idea at a future meeting.

    City Council also voted to rename Cross Creek Linear Park trail for Shaw. He founded the nonprofit organization and personally directed development of the park and trail that runs along Cross Creek from Festival Park to Eastern Boulevard.

    Shaw was a member of the Fayetteville Technical Community College Board of Trustees for many years and served on City Council in the late 1960s and early ’70s.

    NCDOT unveils 10-year construction plan

    The North Carolina Department of Transportation has disclosed its 10-year transportation plan draft for 2020-2029. The plan includes 17 new highway projects in DOT Division 6, which encompasses Cumberland, Bladen, Columbus, Harnett and Robeson counties. Two local projects are being accelerated, including the widening of the All American Freeway between Owen Drive and Santa Fe Drive, with construction scheduled for 2025.

    The widening of I-95 to eight lanes between exit 22 in Robeson County and exit 40 in Cumberland County has been moved up to 2026. “I-95 is a vital corridor on the East Coast and heavily congested,” said board of transportation member Grady Hunt.

    New projects also include adding raised medians and other safety improvements along Robeson Street between Blount Street and Raeford Road. Construction is planned for 2029.

    New Robeson County urgent care

     Southeastern Urgent Care of Pembroke is changing its name to more accurately reflect growth in services it offers. The organization is now called the Southeastern Multi-Specialty and Urgent Care, Pembroke. The facility is expanding to the neighboring space in the Southeastern Health complex, which housed the former Trinity Urgent Care.

    Family nurse practitioner Denene Smith has joined Southeastern Health’s expanded clinic. She has more than 25 years of combined nursing and nurse practitioner experience. Also, Southeastern Health plans to relocate Duke Health-affiliated cardiology services, which are provided by Dr. Matt Cummings and nurse practitioner Allison Scott, from Foxglove Place to Southeastern Multi-Specialty and Urgent Care. The complex is at 923 West Third St. in Pembroke.

    School choice seminar

    Is your child a budding artist? Maybe engineering is in her future? Would a year-round school fit your family’s needs? Explore the options for elementary, middle and high school students at the Cumberland County Schools’ Choice Fair, which runs from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., Feb. 2, at E.E. Smith High School, 1800 Seabrook Rd.

    “We are proud to offer a variety of choice programs that include locally developed themes as well as nationally recognized models,” said Assistant Superintendent of Schools Melody Chalmers. “We hope families will find the perfect program that matches their child’s interests.”

    Details about specific programs are available at http://choice.ccs.k12.nc.us.

    Flu vaccine still available

    The Cumberland County Health Department reminds residents that it’s not too late to get an annual flu vaccine. It’s available at the Health Department’s Immunization Clinic, 1235 Ramsey St., Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Extended hours are scheduled every second and fourth Tuesday until 7 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon.

    The Health Department accepts Medicaid, Medicare Part B, United, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Tricare insurance. Out-of-pocket charges are based on the type of flu antigen received.

    It’s free for uninsured children 6 months to 18 years old. “The flu vaccine can reduce the risk of flu illness and time out of work or school due to being sick,” said Krystle Vinson, health department director of nursing.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that flu activity increases in the winter months, peaking during January and February. For more information, call the Cumberland County Health Department at 910-433-3600.

    County Fair wins accolades

    The 2018 Cumberland County Fair received the Innovation Award during the annual convention of the North Carolina Association of Agricultural Fairs Jan. 5 and 6 in Raleigh. The fair takes place annually on the grounds of the Crown Complex. Row crop and agricultural displays in the Charlie Rose Agri- Expo Center impressed the awards committee when members visited the fair.

    Fair Manager Hubert Bullard accepted the award on behalf of the fair staff. He credited Cooperative Extension Director Lisa Childers and staff and the Junior Fair Board for creating and managing the exhibits. “Lisa... committed to creating an even more impressive exhibit in 2019,” Bullard said.

    Dates for this year’s Cumberland County Fair are Aug. 30-Sept. 8.

  • 14 Hope Mills Lake The water level in Hope Mills Lake is not something town officials want to raise and lower with any kind of frequency. As Don Sisko, head of the town’s public works department, explained, it’s good structural practice to leave the lake at as constant a level as possible.

    That’s why he suggested to town manager Melissa Adams that the level be lowered just once in the weeks ahead to deal with two situations at the lake. First, lowering the lake will give owners of property on the lake the annual opportunity to do maintenance to their piers and docks. Second, it will allow the town to install a planned bulkhead on the lake bank.

    The actual date of the lowering of the lake won’t be determined until the town’s Board of Commissioners meets in late January and accepts a bid for work on the bulkhead and then establishes a date when that work will begin.

    The town will then notify lakefront property owners about which dates to expect the lake to be lowered. When it is lowered, the property owners will be able to work on repairs for things that would normally be underwater.

    Lowering the water level in winter also makes the lake healthier. The harsher weather kills exposed aquatic vegetation along the banks, including pond algae. A rapid increase of algae, or an algae bloom, can kill fish and remove oxygen from the water.

    While the town has tentatively planned for the lake level to be lowered for about two weeks, Sisko said that is not an exact time frame. It will likely be longer than that, he said, because of the work required to install the bulkhead.

    “The bulkhead is going to be installed on the opposite side of the boat ramp from the existing pier,’’ Sisko said.

    “Part of its function will be to serve as an erosion control measure. Along with the bulkhead, we’re going to change the slope of that embankment. That will give us the opportunity to put in some backfill and make that a more gentle slope.’’

    Sisko said the bulkhead will be made of specially treated wood, most likely pine.

    The challenge for Sisko and the public works staff while the bulkhead is installed will be monitoring the lake level and making sure it stays low enough for the workers to operate in a dry environment.

    “This is not an exact science,’’ Sisko said. “We’re not going to be able to keep the lake at a specific foot mark for any protracted period of time.’’

    The biggest challenge will be monitoring rainfall after the lake is lowered and dealing with problems that will be caused if the rain is excessive, which could cause the lake to refill and force the opening of the sluice gates to drop the level further.

    Sisko said people along the lake shouldn’t look for laborers to start work on the bulkhead until after bids are presented to the commissioners later this month.

    Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner is hopeful the bulkhead installation process goes without complication so everything will be in place in plenty of time for this year’s annual lake festival in late May.

    She doesn’t expect any problems regarding the homeowners and their repairs of their facilities since the water has been back in the lake for barely a year.

    If anyone has questions about the lake lowering and installation of the bulkhead, they should contact the Hope Mills Public Works office at 910-423-2777.

  • 04 Merritt Outrage seems to be constantly present in today’s American society. No matter how insignificant or lacking in justification, a group of people will be outraged at almost every occurrence. Not only is there outrage at the insignificant and unjustified events; more importantly, outrage is too often misplaced. That is, it is directed at one component of a situation when other, deserving components are met with little or no outrage.

    As I write this on Jan. 10, a glaring case of misplaced outrage is reflected in what is happening regarding President Trump’s call for improved security on our southern border. His insistence on funding for measures to secure that border, including walls in some areas, has resulted in a partial government shutdown. That shutdown is continuing because Democrats will not agree, or even negotiate, to provide funding for walls.

    Trump argues that there is a crisis at the border. What follows are some statements from his Jan. 8 Oval Office speech that define the crisis. Fact-checkers have challenged several of his statements, but I believe these survive the challenges:

    “But all Americans are hurt by uncontrolled, illegal migration. It strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages. Among those hardest hit are African-Americans and Hispanic Americans.”

    “Our southern border is a pipeline for vast quantities of illegal drugs, including meth, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl. Every week, 300 of our citizens are killed by heroin alone, 90 percent of which floods across from our southern border. More Americans will die from drugs this year than were killed in the entire Vietnam War.”

    “In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes and 4,000 violent killings. Over the years, thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country, and thousands more lives will be lost if we don’t act right now.”

    “Last month, 20,000 migrant children were illegally brought into the United States — a dramatic increase. These children are used as human pawns by vicious coyotes and ruthless gangs. One in three women are sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek up through Mexico. Women and children are the biggest victims, by far, of our broken system.”

    “America’s heart broke the day after Christmas when a young police officer in California was savagely murdered in cold blood by an illegal alien, who just came across the border. The life of an American hero was stolen by someone who had no right to be in our country.”

    “Over the last several years, I’ve met with dozens of families whose loved ones were stolen by illegal immigration. I’ve held the hands of the weeping mothers and embraced the grief-stricken fathers. So sad. So terrible. I will never forget the pain in their eyes, the tremble in their voices and the sadness gripping their souls.”

    The president made a solid case. Even beyond what he presented, there are reports of new caravans forming in Honduras. This is beyond the few thousand people already waiting in Tijuana, Mexico, for asylum screening at the U.S. border entry point. One forming caravan is estimated at 15,000.

    The border situation is further complicated by the shift in who is crossing illegally. This from an article by Miriam Jordan titled “Eight-Year-Old Migrant Child from Guatemala Dies in U.S. Custody.”

    “The Border Patrol apprehended 25,172 people in family units in November, compared with 7,016 the same month a year earlier.”

    This dramatic increase in the number of persons illegally crossing in family units complicates processing these immigrants. A court ruling requires that children be held no more than 20 days. The facilities where illegal immigrants are held were built when most illegal immigrants were adult males. Consequently, these facilities are not suitable for holding children. Since a court ruling also prohibits separating children from parents, children are temporarily held in these facilities. There is also insufficient space for housing the numbers of illegal immigrants entering across the southern border. These conditions necessitate “catch and release.” That is, illegal immigrants are released into our country to await a hearing, before an immigration judge, regarding their asylum request. All of this speaks to migrants who are apprehended. Clearly, many more are not apprehended and go on to live in America illegally.

    There is outrage from Democrats and their cohorts because of what they see as inhumane conditions under which children are held. Their outrage was intensified by the deaths of two children who died in the custody of the Border Patrol after being apprehended crossing the border illegally.

    One was a 7-year-old girl and the other was an 8-year-old boy. The girl, with her father, made the 2,000-mile dangerous and demanding trip from Guatemala. The boy made the same trip with his father. Reports indicate both fathers brought their child on the arduous trip because they understood having a child with them would make it more likely that they would gain entry to America.

    What has been described to this point is a crisis. Now consider how the Democrats are responding to this crisis and to what Trump proposes to do.

    First, they call for investigations of the deaths of the two children and how illegal immigrants are being treated. Second, they want extensive medical examinations of children who are apprehended crossing the border illegally.

    Third, Suzanne Gutierrez wrote this in an article titled “Congressman Castro demands top border official resign after migrant girl’s death.” It reads, “Democratic Rep. Joaquín Castro issued a call for the head of Customs and Border Protection to step down for failing to speedily report the death of a 7-year-old girl while in border officials’ custody.”

    Fourth, Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, and Chuck Schumer, senate minority leader, both Democrats, refuse to negotiate with Trump on wall funding.

    Finally, in one meeting with the president, Pelosi and Schumer refused to listen to a presentation by Kirstjen Nielsen, Homeland Security secretary, in which she would detail border conditions. In a second meeting, when Nielsen presented facts, Pelosi said she did not trust the facts.

    The Democratic response to this crisis is wrapped in outrage. As of today, following the president’s Oval Office address, they have labelled his actions and position as a “Manufactured Crisis.” Note that in all of their outrage, none is directed at those fathers who brought children, for the personal benefit of the fathers, on that dangerous journey. Further, Democrats and their cohorts, especially in the liberal media, express no outrage in response to the harm, and negative impact, of illegal immigration on bona fide Americans.

    The president, in that Oval Office address, painted a clear picture of the negative impact of illegal immigration on American citizens. Among what he presented was the case of Cpl. Ronil Singh. He was a police officer in Newman, California, a husband, the father of a 5-month-old son and a legal immigrant. After stopping a suspected drunken driver, Singh was shot and killed. A few days after the shooting, Gustavo Perez Arriaga, an illegal immigrant, was arrested and charged with killing Singh.

    I contend a statement by Pelosi reflects the attitude and priority held by most Democratic members of Congress — and by liberal media. The following is from an article by Kerry Picket titled “Pelosi says stories like Ronil Singh’s are ‘tragic,’ but not enough to call a crisis.”

    The Daily Caller asked Pelosi at her weekly presser if she would still describe the border issue as a ‘manufactured crisis’ to people who have lost relatives to overdoses from the drugs flowing across the border, or to families that have lost loved ones to crimes by illegal immigrants, like Corporal Ronil Singh’s.

    ‘“What I would say to families like that is what I would say to the president regularly,’ Pelosi replied. ‘These are tragic situations. There’s a tragic situation at the border. Two little children died in the custody of Border Patrol, but the plural anecdote is not data.’”

    There is burning outrage in defense of people who break into this country, but pure calm when bona fide Americans are abused, killed, suffer in employment and are made to financially support people who break our laws and force their way into our country.

    This is misplaced outrage, and Americans better respond with appropriately placed outrage that produces responses that are reasoned, legal, civil and effective.

  • 15 Hall of Fame  The Fayetteville Sports Club has announced a class of six Hall of Fame inductees for 2019, including two to its newly created Legends class. The Legends class was created to recognize candidates from years past who may have been overlooked over time.

    The first two members of the Legends group are former Fayetteville High School football star William “Nub” Smith and former Fayetteville businessman and University of Miami, Ohio, Hall of Famer George Vossler.

    The other four Hall of Fame inductees are Pine Forest football star Charles Davenport, former University of North Carolina basketball player Dr. Joe Quigg, veteran athletic administrator Fred McDaniel and South View football standout Marcus Wall.

    This year’s induction banquet for the Hall of Fame will be held Thursday, Feb. 21, at Highland Country Club. Social hour begins at 6p.m., and the banquet is at 6:30 p.m.

    Tickets to the banquet are $50. To order tickets, or for further information, call Ashley Petroski at Noble and Pound Financial, 910- 323-9195. The physical address is 1315 Fort Bragg Rd.

    Here is a brief biography of each inductee.

    Charles Davenport

    Davenport was a multi-talented athlete at Pine Forest who starred for the Trojans in the late 1980s. He played football at North Carolina State University from 1988-91 as both a quarterback and wide receiver. He earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors at wide receiver in his senior year, catching 33 passes for 558 yards and four touchdowns.

    He went on to play three seasons in the National Football League with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

    Once he left pro football, Davenport returned to Fayetteville, where he briefly served as an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Pine Forest. He is currently working as a football official with the Southeastern Athletic Officials Association.

    Fred McDaniel

    McDaniel played college baseball at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke and began his coaching career at Terry Sanford High School in 1974 as head baseball and wrestling coach and assistant football coach.

    In 1988, he moved into administration as athletic director at Westover High school. In 1994 he took over the same position at Cape Fear High School.

    He spent the final 10 years of his career as an administrator as student activities director for Cumberland County Schools.

    He has been a leader in the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association.

    He was elected to the NCADA Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2011 he received a citation award from the National Federal of State High School Associations.

    Dr. Joe Quigg

    Quigg was a member of one of the most famous teams in the history of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels’ 1957 National Collegiate Athletic Association championship squad.

    That year, the Tar Heels finished the season 32-0 and defeated Kansas, led by future National Basketball Association legend Wilt Chamberlain, 54-53 in triple overtime in the championship game.

    In that contest, Quigg made two free throws to clinch the win then batted away a pass to Chamberlain in the final seconds.

    Despite missing his senior year at UNC because of a broken leg, Quigg was drafted by the New York Knicks. He never fully healed and elected to become a dentist, settling in Fayetteville with his wife, Carol Moser Quigg. He ran a successful dental practice here for many years before retiring.

    William “Nub” Smith

    Longtime Fayetteville residents who saw him play still claim Smith was the greatest high school football player in Fayetteville history. City councilman Johnny Dawkins said his grandfather drove to Alabama to bring Smith to Fayetteville in the late 1940s, promising him that the Dawkins family would take care of him and get him into Wake Forest University.

    Smith only played two years at Fayetteville High School, under the legendary coach Bill Dole. Many argue they were two of the greatest years in the school’s football history. The Bulldogs, led by Smith at running back, won state titles in 1947 and 1948. Fayetteville beat Charlotte 39-0 and Burlington 14-13.

    Smith went on to Wake Forest, where he set the school’s single-game rushing record of 246 yards against William & Mary in 1949. It still ranks as the third-best single-game performance in Wake Forest history. Smith went on to play briefly for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League.

    George Vossler

    Vossler, a 1930 graduate of University of Miami, Ohio, was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 1982.

    He was a triple threat fullback for the football team, earning All-Ohio honors. He was also a champion in the shot put.

    He was a three-time conference champion in the shot put, qualifying for the NCAA championships in 1929.

    After coming to Fayetteville, where he became a successful businessman, he became involved in officiating, calling both high school football and basketball games, as well as sports at Fort Bragg.

    Marcus Wall

    Wall is best remembered for his key role in leading South View High School’s Tigers to the school’s first and only state 4-A football championship when they defeated West Charlotte High School 10-7 in the 1991 North Carolina High School Athletic Association finals.

    Wall was the key to the Tiger offense of coach Bobby Poss with 2,501 yards and 27 touchdowns. In the championship game, he rushed 27 times for 178 yards.

    The game was played at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan Stadium, and Wall caught the eye of then-Tar Heel coach Mack Brown, who recruited him. Wall still ranks among Tar Heel football’s best. He’s fourth in kickoff return yardage with 2,120 yards and fifth in punt return yardage average at 27.5.

    In recent years, Wall has returned to Cumberland County, where he serves as an assistant coach on the staff of his alma mater, South View. This past year, he was chosen as an assistant coach on the North Carolina Shrine Bowl staff for the annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas high school football all-star game.

  • 13 Hope Mills flood

    Editor's note: This story was written before the official announcement of temporary hours at the Hope Mills Recreation Center. Please see linked press release for temporary recreation center hours. 

      The nightmare is almost over for Maxey Dove and the staff of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department.

    After being forced out of their headquarters by Hurricane Florence in mid-February, Dove and his weary team are hopeful they’ll be back in place and running the town’s recreation program at full speed by early February.

    As early as the final hours of Hurricane Florence, Dove and the recreation department staff were on the roof of the building using tar to patch numerous leaks. But those leaks proved to be the least of their worries.

    Power went out to the recreation center the day after the storm hit. It wasn’t restored until the following Tuesday.

    By that time, all the leaks and the water that got inside the building had created a gigantic mess.

    Dove said there were no adequate words to describe just how bad it was inside the building by the time power was restored.

    “It stayed wet for four or five days,’’ he said of the building’s interior. “You could see moisture on the walls and floors. We could not get it to dry.’’

    That took a toll on a lot of things in the building. Dove estimated up to 80 percent of the building’s heating and air duct work had to be replaced, along with a large number of ceiling tiles and all of the building’s carpet.

    It wasn’t until power was restored that huge fans could be brought in to circulate air and dry the walls and floors.

    As many as four buckets of tar were used to patch leaks on the flat roof. The recreation staff recovered as many shingles as they could from around the building and put them back on the roof.

    In addition to work from the staff, help with repairs came from a rescue group from Lincoln, Nebraska, and some federal emergency workers who came to Hope Mills.

    Most of the athletic equipment stored in the building survived after being cleaned. A few exceptions were some cloth items, like chest protectors for baseball and softball, along with some mesh and canvas bags. A lot of paper products were soaked and had to be thrown out.

    Getting the building back in shape wasn’t the only problem for the recreation staff. They had to relocate their workspace to the Board of Commissioners meeting room in Town Hall.

    That meant setting up tables with laptop computers. On days when the commissioners met or some other group needed the meeting room, the recreation staff had to tear down their tables and chairs and move to a hallway.

    Now, finally, all the uproar is coming to an end. Dove hoped to move back into the recreation center by Tuesday, Jan. 22. But he doesn’t expect the building will be fully operational on that date. “We’re probably going to have to ease into it,’’ he said.

    The good news for the recreation staff is the gymnasium was spared some of the damage the main building suffered and has been open and in use since the second week of December.

    The doors connecting the gym to the main building are roped off. There are porta-potties outside the gym. People have to access the gym by a side door, but at least it has been available for activities.

    Dove’s main concern now is to get the fitness room ready and the court for a game called Pickle Ball usable again.

    Both Dove and Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner praised the recreation staff for dealing with making repairs to the damaged facilities while still doing their jobs and working out of temporary quarters in Town Hall.

    “They’ve worked like it was a regular work day,’’ Warner said.

    In addition to the regular activities of the recreation department, Warner praised the staff for handling the additional challenge of special events like Ole Mill Days, Breakfast with Santa and the annual Hope Mills Christmas Parade while being out of their natural quarters.

    “They’ve had to deal with adverse situations and they’ve done a great job,’’ she said. “They’ve been most pleasant and agreeable to whatever changes had to be made.’’

  • 02 pub pen Editor’s note: On occasion, Publisher Bill Bowman yields this space to allow others to discuss relevant local topics. This week’s Publisher’s Pen is by HopeMills.net founder Elizabeth Blevins.

    “If you want an amazing downtown, it must start with rock stars leading the way. Board members who understand their commitment.” MainStreetAmerica.org

    Where are the rock stars in Hope Mills? Where’s the dedication and commitment from our elected officials? It’s a year into their administration, and Hope Mills freshman commissioners Jesse Bellflowers, Meg Larson and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell have commandeered the board of commissioners while hijacking its dignity and effectiveness. Progress, or anything akin to it, has practically come to a halt.

    We observe at each Monday night meeting as they flounder, stutter and stammer through the meetings, ill-prepared to the point of indecision. In addition, they ignore existing town policies to further their agendas and those of their friends while condemning one another … for failing to follow policy. All this and we’ve yet to see them effectively serve the citizens of Hope Mills.

    Elected officials are supposed to serve the community. They’re meant to humble themselves and to put the needs and wants of thousands of Hope Mills citizens before their own personal agendas. They should serve with humility, not ego.

    With the exception of Commissioner Pat Edwards, we have seen these Hope Mills Commissioners flit from whim to whim, reacting and rushing through votes without pausing to consider the ramifications, feasibility or consequences of their actions — or the ultimate effect on residents. Example: They agreed to a new walking trail without ever considering the cost of the project or, more importantly, the need. Both of which will ultimately affect the taxpayers.

    Most recently, the commissioners agreed to hire an outside law firm to come in and conduct an independent investigation without ever defining the reasons or purpose for it or establishing a budget or salary cap for the investigator.

    Also, they failed to specify what the investigator was supposed to do with the information he gleans from the investigation. What is that all about? An investigation in search of possible wrongdoing? By whom? Mayor Jackie Warner? Warner has been a dedicated servant to the residents of the Hope Mills community for her entire life. How absurd — not to mention a terrible and irresponsible waste of the town’s financial resources. Especially when there are so many other important needs to be attended to.

    Besides, Hope Mills does not have a recall election option, so what’s the point?

    Here’s the point: Unfortunately, this entire investigation is Larson and Mitchell’s attempt to discredit and embarrass Warner while at the same time trying to cover up and justify their collective poor judgement and decision to reject the $1.5 million retreat the Lone Survivor Foundation wanted to bring to Hope Mills to treat and serve military veterans. With Hope Mills tax money at their disposal, they are proving to be very poor stewards of it.

    Hope Mills is a great town with awesome potential and caring, loving and concerned residents. Hope Mills deserves better leadership than this. Hope Mills deserves leaders with passion, empathy and vision. It deserves dedicated leaders who take the time to study and understand the issues and fully research options and solutions and plan accordingly. Based on what’s good for the town’s residents and businesses, Hope Mills’ elected officials should listen to the people then determine what’s best for the community. We need honest, trustworthy leaders who are proactive, not reactive.

    Hope Mills is full of rock stars, and its residents are the town’s biggest assets with the loudest voices. They should not let their silence be their consent! Hope Mills deserves better from its elected officials and its citizens should demand such. The town has been subjected to less than it deserves for far too long.

    We encourage Hope Mills residents to get involved, pay attention and stay informed. Up & Coming Weekly and HopeMills.net are two valuable Hope Mills media resources you can depend on for honest, trustworthy and accurate information. Both are easily accessible to Hope Mills residents and both are available to all residents with free online subscriptions.

    Let your voices be heard. Remind all the Hope Mills Commissioners that the residents and taxpayers of Hope Mills deserve, no demand, more responsible representation.

    Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly, Hope Mills’ community newspaper.

    I appreciate Publisher Bill Bowman allowing me to use his space for this editorial.

    Photo L to R:  Commissioner Mike Mitchell; Commissioner Jessie Bellflowers; Commissioner Meg Larson

  • 15Demauriea Nickelson

     

    Demauriea Nickelson

    Seventy-First • Senior • Basketball

    Nickelson has a 3.5 grade point average. In addition to playing basketball, he’s a member of the Academically and Intellectually Gifted program and Distributive Education Clubs of America.

    16JahHyrah McCain Seventy First

     JahHyrah McCain

    Seventy-First • Junior • Bowling

    McCain has a 3.6 grade point average. She’s a member of the bowling team and also a dancer.

  • 14PA I’ve been to a few high school basketball games over the years where the person keeping the scorebook at the courtside table wore a striped shirt like the ones the officials wear.

    I think that’s a good idea because the official scorekeeper at a high school game is in many ways as much a part of the officiating crew as the people who run up and down the court blowing their whistles.

    But I’d like to make a case for someone else at that table, and in the press box at high school football games, who might want to put on one of those striped shirts on game night: the publicaddress announcer.

    Before you call me crazy, listen to my case.

    I’ve been to several games where the announcer should have been wearing a completely different type of uniform. He or she would have been more suitably dressed as a cheerleader, because for the better part of the game, that’s mostly what they did on the loudspeakers — root, root for the home team.

    I know a lot of fans are going to disagree with me, but cheering is not the job of the PA announcer. PA announcers, like the officials calling the game, need to be neutral. There’s no reason to be totally vanilla behind the microphone. It’s okay to show some excitement when announcing a great play. But keep it to the basics. Give names and numbers. Statistics. That sort of thing. Don’t show favoritism for one team.

    Oh, and something else PA announcers shouldn’t do — criticize the officials.

    I was at a basketball game some years ago, and the announcer was getting a little too involved, calling play-by-play and making editorial calls on the officiating.

    Finally, after one situation, the announcer complained for all to hear that the officials had missed a “terrible” traveling call.

    The game was stopped, and the head of the officiating crew requested that the announcer be removed immediately and replaced.

    The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has a code of what it calls expectations for announcers that call postseason games. It is good rule of practice for announcers in regularseason games as well. Here are some highlights:

    • The announcer shouldn’t try to be bigger than the event and draw attention to himself or herself.

    • Announcers can have a big influence on the game. Cheerleading or inciting the crowd is out of line.

    • Always promote sportsmanship and treat the opposing team and its fans as welcome guests.

    • Know your job and the rules of the game you’re calling.

    In short, leave the cheering to the cheerleaders, and share information with the fans that may not be readily available to them.

    Treat everybody on both teams with respect and it will be a better experience for all involved.

  • 13UNC story photo When Mack Brown returned to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill as head football coach last month, he had barely three weeks to jump-start the school’s recruiting efforts with North Carolina high schools during the early signing period for prospects.

    Thanks to the support of a couple of Tar Heel backers from Fayetteville, Brown was able to get a couple of major prospects to flip their commitments during his short time on the recruiting trail and dramatically improve the overall quality of his first class of recruits.

    Fayetteville developer Ralph Huff, a UNC graduate and longtime supporter of the Tar Heel athletic program, offered Brown the use of his private plane for a whirlwind swing around the state to visit a variety of recruits one Saturday last month.

    Trey Edge, who played football at both Terry Sanford and for Carolina during Brown’s first term as coach there, has strong ties to the state’s high school football coaching community through his years as the play-by-play announcer for Terry Sanford football.

    He and Huff accompanied Brown and members of the new Tar Heel coaching staff on that journey around the state.

    Edge remembers when Brown struggled through 1-10 seasons before getting his first Tar Heel football program established.

    “The one thing I saw even back then was his ability to sell the university and his ability to sell himself,’’ Edge said.

    Edge called Brown an incredible motivator. “His ability to instill hope and belief was what got this program to a top ten program,’’ Edge said. “He still has to instill hope today, and that’s what people are counting on.’’

    One of the biggest challenges for Brown will be restoring the connection between the Tar Heel football program and the high school coaches around the state. Edge said it was impossible to disguise the fact that the relationship between the North Carolina program and the high school coaches within the state had fallen off sharply in recent years.

    At the age of 67, and having been an analyst for ESPN for the last few years after winning a national championship at Texas, some might argue that Brown won’t be familiar to high school athletes and coaches in North Carolina. Edge disagrees.

    “He’s been on TV,’’ Edge said. “He was just inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.’’

    Edge said the key to recruiting success for North Carolina moving forward will be the relationships Brown and his new coaching staff plan to build with the state’s high schools.

    “They are crisscrossing the state, being visible in every high school,’’ Edge said. “They’ve divided responsibilities among the 10 assistant coaches. Every assistant coach will have a responsibility inside the state of North Carolina.’’

    The day Edge spent with Brown and several of his assistants, he said he was most impressed with the effort and energy they exhibited at the various stops they made.

    It showed in the fact the Tar Heel recruiting class was rated as low as the top 90 in the country when Brown began. Just three weeks later, after flipping stars like wide receiver Emery Simmons of South View from Penn State and quarterback Sam Howell of Sun Valley from Florida State, the Tar Heel class shot up into the 40s nationally.

    “It all begins with those guys willing to reestablish relationships within the state,’’ Edge said. “That’s what I’m most excited about.’’

    Huff graduated from UNC in 1972 and 20 years ago committed to give an annual football scholarship to the Tar Heel athletic program. He’d become frustrated by the fact Fayetteville and Cumberland County produced a number of North Carolina Athletic Association Division I football prospects over the last several years, but none of them wound up playing for the Tar Heels.

    Huff said he wasn’t a close friend of Brown during his first stint as Tar Heel football coach, but he quickly saw Brown’s skills as a recruiter during the trip they took together last month.

    “He is so warm and personable,’’ Huff said. “He was sitting beside me on the airplane, and when he talks to you he leans over, looks you in the eye, puts his hand on your knee and connects with you. That’s the kind of guy he is.’’

    Huff isn’t overly optimistic and isn’t predicting North Carolina recruiting will jump to the kind of levels national champion Clemson has enjoyed. But he’s confident Brown can get the Tar Heels to a level that will rival traditional Atlantic Coast Conference powers like Florida State and Virginia Tech in a short period of time.

    “Given a full year (to recruit), there’s no reason we can’t be No. 2 or No. 3 behind Clemson,’’ Huff said.

    Huff thinks it’s also important for North Carolina to show some tangible results on the field in Brown’s first season.

    This fall’s schedule will include games with South Carolina and Appalachian State in nonconference. Clemson returns to the ACC schedule, along with rivals Duke and Wake Forest, who both won bowl games last season.

    “We have a hard schedule,’’ Huff said. “We are clearly going to have to break even for people to think we’re headed in the right direction. If we can get to 7-5 or 8-4, everybody will be deliriously happy.’’

    Photo:  L-R: UNC-Chapel Hill assistant coach Tim Brewster, head coach Mack Brown, Ralph Huff, assistant coach Dre Bly, assistant coach Robert Gillespie, Trey Edge, and assistant coach Tommy Thigpen.

  • Meetings

    For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Until the Parks and Recreation building has been repaired following damage from Hurricane Florence, some meetings may be moved to Luther Meeting Room at Town Hall at regular dates and times. Those meetings are noted with an asterisk below.

    Appearance Committee Tuesday, Jan. 22, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

    Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, Jan. 24, 7 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

    Parks and Recreation Committee Monday, Jan. 28, 6:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

    Board of Commissioners Monday, Feb. 4, 7 p.m., Luther Board Room, Town Hall

    Historic Preservation Commission Wednesday, Feb. 13, Parks and Recreation Center*

    Board of Commissioners Monday, Feb. 18, Luther Meeting Room, Town Hall*

    Activities

    For more information on these activities, contact Meghan Hawkins at 910-426-4109.

    Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, Jan. 21 — Town offices closed.

    Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio’s, second Tuesdays at noon and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For details, call 910-237-1240.

    Promote yourself

    Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

  • 12flooding1 At the most recent meeting of the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners, town leaders began to take concrete steps toward dealing with a serious issue of flooding along streets near C. Wayne Collier Elementary School.

    A large number of trees that once stood on the property at the elementary school were removed not too long ago.

    A recent rash of hurricanes and increased rain has turned the roads surrounding the school into frequent sites of flooding, posing both a traffic hazard for people driving there and a regular flooding headache for people with homes near the school.

    “One inch of rain will puddle in those ditches,’’ Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner said of the situation. “If they have any amount of rain over a short period of time, there’s flooding.’’

    Warner said the loss of the trees on the property at C. Wayne Collier is the heart of the problem.

    When the trees were in place, the water running off from the property was absorbed by the roots of the trees and the ground.

    Without the trees, the water runs off downhill, toward the ditches and the road in front of the school.

    “We’ve had so much rain, it’s affected us more than it ever has before,’’ Warner said.

    At the last commissioners meeting, town officials were joined by representatives of Cumberland County Schools, including CCS Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly. A representative of the North Carolina Department of Transportation was supposed to be at the meeting but was unable to attend.

    Warner said Hope Mills town manager Melissa Adams is quickly working to convene a committee that will seek both a short-term solution for the flooding issue and a long-term fix as well.

    Members of the committee will include someone from CCS and the DOT, along with town representatives, including Beth Brown, who is in charge of storm water, and Don Sisko, who heads the town’s public works department.

    Warner said having representatives from all three groups will help make it easier to find a solution rapidly.

    There is already a previous plan, drawn up in 2011, that could be modified to provide a solution to the flooding, Warner said. It needs to be explored to see if funding for dealing with the problem can come from DOT, the town of Hope Mills or the school system.

    There will also be a question for funding ongoing expense if a retention pond and filtration system are placed on the school property, Warner said. “We’ll let the committee make some recommendations and bring them back to the board,’’ Warner said.

  • 11Gary Dove2 By the time opening day for spring sports in Hope Mills rolls around on Saturday, April 13, there should be a sign honoring the memory of the late Gary Dove on the main building at the Brower Park athletic complex on Rockfish Road.

    The idea for the sign was first proposed by Jerry Legge of the town’s Board of Commissioners, one of many friends of Dove and himself a longtime proponent of youth athletics in the town.

    “The building at Brower Park is almost new, and we’re going to dedicate it to him,’’ Legge said.

    The multi-purpose structure, the largest of two buildings at the Brower Park athletic complex, is two stories and contains a concession stand plus rooms used for the cheerleading and wrestling programs. At various times of the year, the space is also used as a room for umpires to gather when they’re not on the field working.

    The second floor has space used by the Hope Mills Youth Association.

    Legge said it was only fitting to have a permanent recognition of Dove’s contributions to the town’s youth athletic program.

    “He didn’t meet any strangers,’’ Legge said of Dove. “He coached there for years, and he was president of the youth program for several years. He worked as a field supervisor for the last few years of his life.’’

    Legge said Dove was known by nearly everyone in town and was remembered by many for his smile and generosity.

    “I thought it was appropriate we did something in his honor,’’ Legge said.

    Town manager Melissa Adams said work should be completed shortly, if not by the time this story is published, on a sign that will be placed on the front of the Brower Park building facing Rockfish Road.

    “We’ve been in consultation with the family about designing it and the correct name they wanted,’’ Adams said. Although everyone knew Dove as Gary, his given name is Maxey, a name he shares with his son, who still works for the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department.

    Adams said an unveiling of the sign will be scheduled, again in consultation with the family. Members of the Board of Commissioners will also be invited to attend.

    Adams expects the unveiling of the sign will take place sometime by the end of this month or early February, well before the start of the spring sports season in Hope Mills.

    Maxey Dove said his father’s commitment to youth sports in Hope Mills was something dear to his heart. “He enjoyed the camaraderie with the kids, the teaching experience of seeing kids go from never having caught a ball before to potential all-star years down the road,’’ he said.

    “It wasn’t just the competition part, the wins and losses. It was more about building character, building future leaders.’’

    Adams said it’s important for the young people of the town to see permanent recognition of the kind of dedication that leaders like Gary Dove exhibited.

    “Hopefully that leads them to want to do the same,’’ she said. “Hopefully they can see the dedication and lifelong work that he did selflessly. He didn’t get paid for it. Hopefully, they can see that and they will want to give back as well.’’

    Photo: Gary Dove with his grandson Cameron and dog Maggie.

  • 10QuizBowl Whether it is Academic Decathlon or Battle of the Books or a homeschool spelling bee, the thrill of intellectual challenge and conquest in middle school and high school is sweet. It’s sweet as a grown-up, too. Thursday, Jan. 24, history buffs and trivia fans of all ages will have a chance to test their chops at the Museum of the Cape Fear’s 18th annual Civil War & Reconstruction Quiz Bowl. It will be held in the Pate Room of Headquarters Library and begins at 7 p.m.

    Leisa Greathouse, curator of education for the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, organizes the event and creates the questions each year.

    “There is no age requirement,” she said. “Anyone of any age who would like to participate is welcome to do so.” A maximum of 15 contestants can take part; this is a change from previous years’ cap of 20 contestants.

    The quiz bowl features 150 questions plus a few extra in case any are contested. In another departure from the past format, gameplay will be organized by rounds instead of categories.

    One round consists of each contestant answering one question. Then the next round starts, with those contestants who answered incorrectly in the previous round having a strike.

    “Three strikes and you’re out!” Greathouse said. “At the end of each round, we will look at the scoreboard and get to see just how close the contest might be. We will continue with rounds until a winner emerges, which is the last person without three strikes.”

    Contestants will encounter questions about people, battles and events surrounding the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. There will be questions with images accompanying them, as well as multiple choice and true-or-false questions.

    All ages will compete together in the one event, but winners will be crowned for an adult category (age 17 and up) and a youth category (age 16 and under). Winners will be the last adult standing and the last youth standing. Each winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble.

    This event serves as both a fun community-builder and a way to emphasize the importance of understanding and reflecting on our nation’s history. It’s been well-received and well-loved for many years. “Some of the contestants who began competing at 11 and 12 years old are now competing as adults,” Greathouse said.

    The quiz bowl is especially relevant as the Museum of the Cape Fear continues to transition into the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center, a project with roots that trace back to 2007 but that picked up speed in the past few years.

    The new center, according to nccivilwarcenter.org, aims to be “a teaching museum rather than a collecting museum.” It will be the first state museum in the U.S. to provide an interpretation of the Civil War and its aftermath from the perspective of an entire state — which will include perspectives that represent all walks of life and political and social affiliations.

    Call Greathouse at 910-500-4243 to register in advance. If there is still room the night of the quiz bowl, contestants can sign up at the door.

    The Civil War & Reconstruction Quiz Bowl is free and open to the public. Headquarters Library is located at 300 Maiden Ln. in downtown Fayetteville.

  • 09Magic Prepare to be amazed at “The Heart and Soul of Magic,” hitting the Seabrook Auditorium stage Saturday, Jan. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Fayetteville State University welcomes magicians Randy “Ran’D” Shine, Jamahl Keyes, Kid Ace and Hip Hop Juggler for this event.

    According to Aaron Singleton, personal relations representative for FSU’s Seabrook Performance Series, “We talked to folks at Fort Bragg … we thought (this show) was something that would appeal to families and people of all ages.”

    Steve Mack, a fellow staff member at Seabrook, commented on the acts, saying, “When we put the series together for this year, we looked for a variety of entertainment … we talked about doing something that would appeal to the military, families and students in the area.”

    Magical comedian Randy Shine has been entertaining a variety of audiences for more than 10 years. A highly acclaimed performer, Shine has presented at such prestigious events as the 44th Presidential Inauguration Banquet and Ball for President Barack Obama. Moreover, Shine teaches about magic at universities throughout the country and various U.S. military bases around the world; he also performs in hospitals for children with terminal illnesses.

    Shine has even been a producer for “The Heart and Soul of Magic” tour itself. He will share the stage with Jamahl Keyes, another comedic magician who blends interactive laughs with classic magic. “Keyes is, in his own rite, an ‘ace-magician’ — he does workshops on team-building and becoming a better person,” said Singleton.

    Kid Ace will put a fresh spin on the show by mixing magic with illusion. Besides his performances across the globe, he has entranced audiences on his “North American Tour” and starred on season three of the Netflix sensation “Bill Nye Saves the World.”

    Kid Ace specializes in infusing magic with elements of today’s culture. His understanding of fashion and music influences his performances in a way everyone will love.

    Another culturally savvy magician, Paris, or the “Hip Hop Juggler” as nicknamed by Al Roker, has been performing for more than 10 years. His comedy, stunts and juggling skills have wowed audiences from the White House to “The Today Show.” Paris has taught his fans how to juggle at various conventions, and you can find him showing off his skills in Thalía and Natti Natasha music video “No Me Acuerdo.”

    “You can expect to be amazed, to be dazzled — you can expect to laugh a lot,” Singleton said of the show. “If you don’t want to have fun, you shouldn’t show up.”

    Of the performers, Mack said, “They’re all good at just getting everyone in the audience involved. The fact that we were able to package all four of these artists really made it something unique.”

    “The Heart and Soul of Magic” will take place at Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University, 1200 Murchison Rd. To purchase tickets, visit www.etix.com. For more information, call 910-672-1724 or visit www.facebook.com/jwseabrookauditoriumThis event is open to the public.

  • 08mlk The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council presents its 26th annual “Honoring Dr. MLK’s Legacy” Prayer Breakfast Monday, Jan. 21, from 8 a.m.-10 a. m. at the Crown Expo Center.

    “Our keynote speaker this year is Joseph High, who is a recently retired corporate executive, and this is his third retirement,” said Dr. Maxie Dobson, president of The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council. “I think that everyone will enjoy him. … He is a direct recipient of benefiting from the legacy of Dr. King, and I am grateful that he accepted to be the speaker for the 2019 prayer breakfast.”

    Dobson added that one of the goals for the breakfast this year is an expeditious execution, saying he would like for it to be no longer than two hours. The reason is that, typically, there are 1,500 attendees who have to get through the breakfast line.

    The event also includes a day of service component. “The tradition has been that we encourage all who are attending to find some means of rendering some service in honor of the holiday; (it’s for those who are inspired by) the encouragement by Dr. King’s wife to make it a day ‘on’ rather than a day ‘off,’” said Dobson.

    He continued, “For many individuals, it is an off day from their regular job. But (Dr. King’s wife) said rather than considering it an off day, consider doing some kind of service in your community.”

    The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council’s theme for this year’s event is “Seize the Moment.”

    “The theme is to promote a sense of urgency... to first identify the opportunities that the individual can engage themselves to facilitate and then make it an urgency to do so,” said Dobson. “The Tabernacle of Miracles Church is collecting socks and blankets for the homeless, and it is very satisfying to know that we will be able to contribute those to the homeless shelter.”

    Dobson speculated on what Dr. King would say about the present state of America if he were alive today. “I think Dr. King would... rightly assess that the values … he espoused — particularly to love community — are not being pursued in a large-scale way,” said Dobson.

    “I think that he would encourage us not to allow what he gave his life for to be in vain. (I think he would us encourage us) to remind ourselves that we are one community and to celebrate our differences as opposed to finding an occasion to condemn our differences based upon whatever ideology one may choose.”

    Dobson added, “I believe we can anticipate our best breakfast yet. We look forward to seeing everyone at the event.”

    Tickets cost $20. For more information, visit www.fayettevillemincouncil.org or call 910-624-7785.

     

  • 07Soldiers mock fight Two Marines and a Navy corpsman are under investigation in the death in northern Iraq of a Lockheed Martin contractor from Fayetteville. The New York Times reported that the military contractor was severely injured in a brawl on New Year’s Eve in Erbil, Iraq, and was airlifted to Landstuhl, Germany. The Daily Beast identified the Lockheed contractor as Rick Rodriguez, a former Green Beret with nearly 20 years of service in the Army.

    Rodriguez’s wife and four children, who live in Fayetteville, were flown by the military to Germany and, according to an anonymous U.S. military source, decided to take him off life support Jan. 4. The Daily Beast reported that accounts of his death vary. One version, cited by the military source, stemmed from an altercation in an Erbil gym. Another involved a shooting competition.

    In both scenarios, an atmosphere of bravado and trash-talking involving several people spilled over into a fight that left the contractor beaten and then stomped into unconsciousness. The military source said the incident had numerous witnesses.

    “Lockheed Martin was saddened to learn of the loss of one of our employees, who was fatally injured while supporting Special Operations Forces within the... area of operations in a noncombat related incident,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.

    The New York Times reported that the Marines and sailor under investigation in Rodriguez’s death were assigned to a Marine special operations unit in Iraq. “MARSOC (Marine Forces Operations Command) is providing all requested support to investigators as they look into this incident,” Maj. Nicholas Mannweiler told ABC News.

    The former Green Beret’s death is the latest in a series of serious episodes among special operations forces. The killing follows last year’s death of Green Beret Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar in West Africa. He was assigned to special forces at Fort Bragg. Two Marine Raiders and two Navy SEALs have been charged with murder in that incident. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher was arraigned early this month at Naval Base San Diego in San Diego, California, on numerous charges, including the killing of a wounded ISIS prisoner.

    A Defense Department review of ethics and standards within the special operations community is underway. The commander of U.S. Special Operations Forces issued a call to action because of what he called a “damaged culture of discipline in the ranks. Left unchecked, an eroded values system threatens to erode the trust of our fellow comrades, our senior leaders and ultimately the American people,” Gen. Tony Thomas said in a message to the force.

    The message called for “rapid and focused action to... identify and address the underlying causes. Correcting this trend will take committed leadership at all levels of our command and personal moral courage by all,” Thomas wrote.

    On Jan. 1, Special Operations Command launched a 90-day internal review requiring senior field grade officers to get more involved with their troops, according to Thomas’ message, first reported by Newsweek. The review also includes a look at instruction, culture, command climate surveys and research into behavioral health issues associated with operations.

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