Valentine’s Day 2019 has come and gone, leaving in its wake warm and fuzzy memories and wilting red roses.

But not for everyone.

Older Americans, it seems, are increasingly striking out on their own by choice and by choices made by Mother Nature. According to data released by the Senior List, divorce is rising among Baby Boomers — people born to parents in the post-World War II years 1946-1964. For Boomers, now aged 55-73, the divorce rate has tripled. For those 50 to 65, it has merely doubled over the last few decades.

This is a contributing factor to television and online ads for dating apps targeted to seniors — ads featuring good-looking seniors smiling and chatting as they maneuver online dating and meet other attractive seniors to ride bikes or have cocktails.

The reality, however, is more complicated and less attractive. Most people between 55 and 64 are already married, and the pool of those who are not shrinks daily, as obituaries attest. Throw in various health and financial issues, and senior dating slides down the priority list.

Some states have hotter dating scenes than others, though, and the Senior List has ranked them. The top five states— Maryland, Hawaii, Connecticut, Alaska and Virginia — have relatively low but growing rates of single seniors, in the 12-13 percent range, and That means the dating pools are expanding and that senior singles have disposable incomes to enhance their social lives.

At the other end of the spectrum, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi come in last for senior dating. Their pools of single seniors are declining, though not by much, and none of them have average senior incomes above $50,000. In other words, these states have fewer eligible senior singles.

Where is North Carolina in all this senior dating data?

The Senior List puts the Tar Heel state at No. 43 with about 12 percent of our population in this demographic, which is barely growing and whose average income barely hits $50,000.

It turns out that the most successful place for single seniors to find love is not a state at all. Both women and men 55 and up have the best chance of finding love in Washington, D.C.

Could Congress possibly take credit for this?

For more information, visit www.theseniorlist.com.

The situation may not be so great for Americans on the younger end, either.

In its December 2018 cover story, “The Sex Recession,” The Atlantic reported that for all sorts of reasons, young adults are having less sex. Factors include helicopter parents, living at home into their 30s, fixations on social media, dramatically rising levels of professional and educational achievement of women, and some not generally covered in Up & Coming Weekly. The bottom line is, today’s young folks are starting later, dating less and entering fewer romantic relationships than their parents did.

It is tempting to dismiss these changes as personal situations, but they have significant implications for all of us. America’s declining birthrate is already an issue for colleges and universities, whose pool of traditional applicants is diminishing annually. Will we become a nation of old folks, like Japan and Italy?

Researchers tell us, and we know instinctively, that meaningful relationships of all kinds and at all ages make us happier and help us live longer. Chronic loneliness leads to depression and has been equated to the health risk of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

All of us, no matter our ages and marital status, should make a daily point of putting down our phones, peeling ourselves away from our computers and reaching out to other people. We may help someone else. We may make new friends. We may find a new and more interesting job. 

We may even find the loves of our lives.

Dallas Wilson and Jared Barbour took somewhat different paths to their goals, but in the end, both realized the same dream: capturing North Carolina High School Athletic Association individual state wrestling titles.

The Cape Fear High School pair brought home their championships in the annual NCHSAA state meet at the Greensboro Coliseum, winning in the Feb. 16 finals at the Greensboro Coliseum.

For Wilson, it was his second state title in as many seasons. He won the 138-pound class with a 12-0 major decision over Joshua Felix of North Henderson.

Barbour had a more difficult time in his title match, beating Morgan King, also of North Henderson, 7-4.

Wilson finished the season 50-1, Barbour 50-2.

Heath Wilson, the father of Dallas and the coach of the Cape Fear wrestling team, had two main worries as his son pursued his second state title.

“Don’t let negativity seep in,’’ Coach Wilson said. “There are a lot of avenues that it could — everything from weight cutting to workouts.’’

Coach Wilson said his biggest concerns for his son were the pressure of repeating and the possibility of injury. An ankle injury just before the championship round last season almost derailed Dallas’ title bid.

Dallas said pressure took a toll on his mindset at times during the season, but the day of the finals, he had a couple of hours to gather his thoughts because his championship match was one of the last ones scheduled.

He thanked teammates like Barbour and another state finalist, Triston Chapman, who dueled with him in practice. He said there were also wrestlers from his club team who pushed him and boosted his confidence.

In the title match, he got the first takedown and jumped to an early 3-0 lead. “Once I went up 8-0, I knew I had it in the bag,’’ he said.

Dallas plans to take some time off but said he will definitely be back on the mat by March at the latest. “I’m trying to win a national title,’’ he said. “I’m trying to get up there with the top dogs.’’

After two years of missing out on the championship chase, Barbour made a decision that he was going to push for a state title in his final season at Cape Fear.

“I didn’t want to go into a tournament worried about a kid,’’ he said. “I wanted to walk in knowing I was tough enough and good enough to beat anybody.’’

He took weightlifting classes at Cape Fear and was pushed by Colt football coaches Jacob Thomas and Jordan Vann. He also got instruction in club wrestling from Kyle Narburgh. “He pushed me and taught me what I needed to do to be a state champ,’’ Barbour said.

He honed his mental edge as he pursued the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. “I would come off the mat straight to Boy Scout meetings,’’ he said. The two disciplines weren’t always fun, but he said he realized he had to drive through both.

Although his title match was close, Barbour never felt out of control. “I never felt I was losing,’’ Barbour said. “When he escaped and took me down, I knew what I had to do. I felt pretty confident.’’

Barbour hopes to wrestle in college but he’s made no definite plans. He leaves Cape Fear proud to be part of establishing a new wrestling legacy for the tradition rich Colt program.

“To be in the top three (as a team) the last two years... means a lot,’’ he said. “Bringing in better coaching staff with Garrison Matthews and Kyle Narburgh the last two years, I think we are definitely moving up.’’

In addition to the state titles won by Wilson and Barbour, the following Cumberland County wrestlers placed in the top six in their weight classes in this year’s NCHSAA individual wrestling championships.

4-A

120 - Kevin Wanovich, Jack Britt, 6th

145 - Tremaine Jackson, South View, 6th

160 - Denzel Carrucini, Jack Britt, 6th

195 - Erick Martinez, Jack Britt, 2nd

3-A

126 - Triston Chapman, Cape Fear, 2nd

220- Ray Dixon, Douglas Byrd, 2nd

220 - Nick Minacapelli, Cape Fear, 3rd

Photo: Dallas Wilson and Jared Barbour of Cape Fear High School pose with their championship brackets on the floor of the Greensboro Coliseum.

 Is it the job of government to make you happy? While it may seem like a straightforward question, there are some important subtleties packed into those few words.

On the face of it, “no” feels like the obvious answer. Our country’s Declaration of Independence states that governments are instituted to secure our rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The first section of our own state constitution uses the same language, while adding that North Carolinians are also entitled to protection of their right “to enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor.”

Under our form of government, you are not entitled to be happy. Nor are you entitled to enjoy the rights of someone else’s labor. You are free to yearn, to strive, to pursue. You may reach your goals and feel happy about that. Or, you may not fully reach your goals yet derive satisfaction from the attempt and from what you gain along the way.

Governments are obligated, then, only to protect your right to pursue happiness. Simply being unhappy is not a justification for governments using coercion to transfer the fruits of other people’s labors to you.

On the other hand, the tasks governments are constitutionally authorized to do for us — ensure public safety, administer courts and finance public goods that cannot otherwise be delivered by voluntary means — are obviously related to our happiness. We pay taxes, comply with the law and otherwise give up some of our personal liberty in order to receive valuable public services. If we don’t get them, or their value is far less than the cost, that understandably makes us unhappy. As government failures increase, that unhappiness turns to anger.

Whether in Washington or in Raleigh, policymakers typically judge public policies according to objective criteria such as the pace of economic growth, changes in personal incomes, levels of educational attainment or health outcomes. Increasingly, however, some analysts are using measures of public happiness or satisfaction to evaluate what government does (or fails to do).

The technical name for what they are measuring is “subjective wellbeing.” People differ in their preferences, circumstances and definitions of a life well lived. The best way to gauge how happy or satisfied they feel is to ask them, not to make guesses based on facts external to their personal experience.

When it comes to the optimal size and scope of government, progressives and conservatives clearly disagree. In the North Carolina context, for example, progressives think our state expenditures and taxes are too low to finance necessary public services. Conservatives think North Carolina is closer to getting it right and that making state government bigger than it is now would cost more than the additional services would be worth.

I’m a conservative, and I often cite studies about economic growth to support my case. But is that really the goal? One might argue that instead of measuring North Carolina’s gross domestic product, we ought to be measuring North Carolina’s gross domestic happiness.

A few researchers have done that kind of analysis. For example, a study by Baylor University political scientist Patrick Flavin, just published in the journal Social Science Research, compared levels of state spending to levels of subjective wellbeing. He found no relationship between overall state spending and residents’ self-reported happiness. He found the same thing for major categories of state spending such as education and public assistance.

However, Flavin did find the states that spent more on true public goods — including highways, public safety, libraries and parks — tended to have higher levels of subjective wellbeing. With true public goods, it is either impossible or prohibitively costly to exclude nonpayers from benefiting from them, and consumption by one person doesn’t significantly reduce the ability of another to consume it.

Taken together with other studies showing a link between economic freedom and subjective wellbeing, I read this evidence as generally consistent with a fiscally conservative approach to public policy. Perhaps you disagree. I’m happy to talk more about it.

 The controversy involving election fraud in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District is unusual but not unprecedented. There’s a long tradition of contested elections in the U.S. House of Representatives. A report from the Congressional Research Service documents 107 such episodes between 1933 and 2009. In most cases, the contests were dismissed in favor of the person whose election was challenged.

Much of Cumberland County is in the 9th district. North Carolina’s 9th district story is complicated, but here are the basics.

The 2018 general election in the 9th district was a contest between Democrat Dan McCready and Republican Mark Harris; Harris defeated the incumbent GOP holder of the seat, Robert Pittenger, in the primary. In the general election, Harris appeared to have defeated McCready by 905 votes.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections twice refused to certify the results of the race because of allegations of irregularities involving mailinabsentee ballots.

Some voters claimed that individuals came to their homes and collected their unsealed ballots. Others alleged that they received absentee ballots that they never requested.

And, numerous individuals claimed they were paid by Republican political operative McCrae Dowless to collect absentee ballots from voters.

North Carolina law prescribes that, with limited exceptions, it is illegal to collect and return someone else’s absentee ballot.

Experts say that what happened in the district amounted to election fraud, not voter fraud. This terminology stems from the political definition taken on by the term “voter fraud” in recent years. That term is generally associated with purposeful actions committed by individual voters— such as voting more than once or voting in a jurisdiction where one does not live.

What allegedly happened in the local congressional district, however, is not primarily about voters casting ballots they were ineligible to cast. Rather, it involved people aligned with a political party inhibiting voters’ ability to cast ballots. This is also known as voter suppression.

Investigators are also looking into the results of the Republican primary, in which Harris beat Pittenger by just 828 votes but won 96 percent of the absentee vote in Bladen county, the easternmost county in the district, along the South Carolina border from Charlotte.

Dowless had ties to other Republican candidates in the 2018 election, and Bladen County has seen at least five separate elections investigations since 2010. Article 1, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution makes the House of Representatives the ultimate judge of “elections, returns and qualifications” of its members.

Historically, the House has been deferential to state election proceedings. When a House seat has a certified winner, which the local district does not, there is a substantial burden of proof on the loser to convince the House to reject that decision by a state.

There are two basic ways a challenge can arise in the House. The main approach is for the losing candidate to file a contest under the Federal Contested Elections Act of 1969. Or, the House may refer the question to its Committee on House Administration for an investigation. Either way, the committee has a wide range of remedies available to it, including recommending that the results of the election be rejected and a new election be held.

Comments from prominent House Democrats, including Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, indicate that Democratic leadership has begun considering its options.

Americans have a stake in ensuring that elections are conducted fairly and that the ability to exercise their right to vote isn’t impeded.

The O’Jays come March 15

The O’Jays have been wowing audiences and crooning charttopping hits since the 1960s. Friday, March 15, the legendary group brings its soul-soothing music to the Crown, compliments of the local, music-focused nonprofit Community Concerts.

The fourth show in a five-concert Community Concerts season, the O’Jays performance helps fill out a rock ’n’ roll-themed year.

The O’Jays has earned its place in music history, churning out hits for more than 50 years. Band members Walter Williams and Eddie Levert first met when they were the ages of 6 and 7, respectively. As teenagers in Canton, Ohio, they formed a band originally consisting of Levert, Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey and Bill Isles.

While several members have since changed, Levert and Williams continue to lead the group. “We still appreciate our friendship, dedication to each other and the group and our love for good music,” Williams said. “We probably could have had great solo careers, but I don’t think either one of us could have ever been as big as The O’Jays.”

Williams has battled multiple sclerosis for 30 years and continues to execute his dance moves with perfection when performing onstage with the group. He is also a volunteer National Ambassador for the MS Society and a spokesperson for MS Active Source.

Levert is known for his raspy voice with a range that reaches from alto to second tenor. Levert teamed up with his son Gerald for a duet, “Baby, Hold On To Me,” which hit No. 1 on the R&B charts. Eddie also mentored his sons Gerald and Sean, who also worked in the music industry.

“Backstabbers” is one of the band’s early hits. From there, The O’Jays came up with various pop and R&B singles, including “Love Train,” “Put Your Hands Together,” “For the Love of Money,” “I Love Music,” “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love),” “Livin’ for the Weekend” and “Use Ta Be My Girl.”

The O’Jays were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005 and The Official R&B Music Hall of Fame in 2013. They were honored with BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. Their music continues to entertain across many platforms and is featured in many movies, commercials and TV shows.

The Community Concerts 2018-19 season

Community Concerts Attractions Director Michael Fleishman noted that while last year’s Broadway- esque season featured song, dance and a bit of magic, this year is all about concerts and rock ’n’ roll. And Community Concerts didn’t hold back.

The season opened with former Steely Dan member, Doobie Brother and Grammy Award winner Michael McDonald for “Season of Peace” in November.

Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famers Three Dog Night followed in late February. Between 1969 and 1974, no records or more concert tickets than Three Dog Night. Their songs still fill the airwaves and live on in commercials and television shows, too.

“The Choir of Man” hits the stage Feb. 27, a feisty standout in an impressive lineup of well-established superstars. Part concert, part party, part pub crawl, “The Choir of Man” is not only a worldwide hit, it’s an interactive experience the audience won’t soon forget.

“This is a stand-up-and-cheer show,” Fleishman said. “Don’t let the name fool you.”

Fleishman noted that the set includes a full working bar and a piano. He added that the performers are “on fire,” bringing a level of zeal to the performance that will surely have people singing along and dancing in the aisles.

One of the show’s producers, Nic Doodson, said, “The guys have spent the last couple of years touring the U.K. and Australia, and they are ready to bring this show to American audiences.

“This concert is such a great time for all — whether it’s a ladies’ night, first date, guys’ night out or even a bachelorette party. So, grab your best mates and we’ll see you at the venue … the first pint is on us, (seriously)!”

“The Choir of Man” celebrates the music of rock icons, including Adele, Queen, Paul Simon, Katy Perry, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. The cast features world-class tap dancers, acrobats, singers, instrumentalists and poets.

“America” closes out the Community Concerts season April 4. Formed in London in the 1960s, this classic rock powerhouse’s hits include “A Horse with No Name,” “I Need You,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross the River,” “Tin Man,” “Lonely People” and “Sister Golden Hair.” Their reach spans generations of rock ’n’ roll fans, and their followers still show up in droves to see them perform.

About Community Concerts

Community Concerts holds the title of Fayetteville’s oldest art organization. The sole purpose of this all-volunteer entity is to bring the finest top-notch entertainment to Fayetteville, and it’s been doing just that for more than eight decades.

Like most volunteer-based organizations, there is always room for more help, more ideas and more enthusiasm within the ranks.

“The secret to this organization has been to try to take it up a notch every year, get good groups and treat people well,” said Fleishman. “There are lots of people who like being involved in music things. We are looking for board members that enjoy selling and talking about shows. This is a very handson organization.”

Beyond a dedicated team of volunteers and a commitment to bring the best music available to this community, the organization’s passion has spilled over into other beneficial music-related programs.

In 2008, Community Concerts decided to create a way to celebrate and honor those who have brought musical distinction to the community. As a result, each year, at one of the season’s concerts, new inductees join the distinguished members of the Fayetteville Music Hall of Fame.

In addition to recognizing locals for their musicrelated achievements, Community Concerts helps aspiring musicians chase their dreams by awarding scholarships to local high school graduates. The program started in 2004. To date, nearly 30 students have received scholarships.

There are other ways Community Concerts supports local artists. One example is its local artist showcase program, which puts local performers onstage during regular season shows. Performers who have participated in the local artist showcase include Voices of the Heart, which opened for Gladys Knight; students from Linda Kinlaw’s School of Dance, who performed with Martina McBride; and Trae Edwards, who performed at the Ricky Skaggs Show.

Community Concerts also provides free concert opportunities to select groups. Some of the groups that have already benefitted from this program include the Vision Resource Center, Fayetteville Urban Ministry, The Sunshine Center, members of local fire and police departments, high school theater art classes and members of the military.

For tickets and information, visit community-concerts.com/about-us.

Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meetings take place at Town Hall or the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation center.

• Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

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

• Board of Commissioners Saturday, March 9, 8 a.m., Camp Rockfish Retreat Center (Budget workshop for fiscal year 2019-20)

• Board of Commissioners Monday, March 18, 7 p.m., Luther Board Room, Town Hall

• Lake Advisory Committee, Tuesday, March 19, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

Activities

• Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Senior programs at the Parks and Recreation Center. The Senior programs for people ages 55-plus who are residents of Cumberland County have resumed. The rec center was closed in mid-September after Hurricane Florence. Various activities are now back and are scheduled Monday through Friday throughout the day. For details on times and days, check the schedule at www.townofhopemills.com, call the rec center at 910-426-4109, or email Kasey Ivey at kivey@townofhopemills.com.

Mark Burks

Cape Fear • Track and field/football/ swimming/wrestling • Junior

Mark has a 4.1 grade point average. He is a member of Campus Life, the Creative Writing Club and the History Club. 

Morgan Nunnery

Cape Fear • Softball/golf • Junior

Morgan has a 4.2 grade point average. She is a member of Student Government Association, Future Business Leaders of America and HOSAFuture Health Professionals.

 SEGRA Stadium, the new home of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, will be unveiled to the public Saturday, April 13, at noon. The free event is called “Fayetteville Fans First Look.” Residents will have a chance to see the stadium’s amenities, including bars, several concession areas and a 360-degree concourse. Varied seating arrangements will be available — from the grandstand to a patio with foosball and cornhole. The ballpark will seat 4,700.

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are an advanced single-A farm team of the Houston Astros.

“We invite Fayetteville residents out for this momentous occasion, which is historic for Fayetteville,” said City Manager Douglas Hewett.

Many of the amenities at SEGRA Stadium are patterned after Spirit Communications Park in Columbia, South Carolina. There will be an outfield bar with 30 beers on tap; a centerfield grassy berm seating area, where fans can lounge on blankets or lawn chair; club seats; and luxury suites.

Individual game tickets and various ticket packages will be available. Learn more and purchase game tickets at www.milb.com/fayetteville.

Eradicating criminal records in Cumberland County

One-and-a-half million North Carolina adults have criminal records. Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West said these records can be a deterrent to employment and educational opportunities for former inmates. The county’s expungement clinic has a two-year history of annulling the records of hundreds of individuals, according to West.

Details of this year’s expungement clinic were announced Feb. 20 by West; Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin; State Rep. Elmer Floyd, D-Cumberland; and Cumberland County Commissioner Charles Evans.

Three information sessions will take place for those who believe they may qualify. They are set for March 9 at 11 a.m. at Simon Temple A.M.E. Zion Church, March 19 at 6 p.m. at Kingdom Impact Global Ministries and March 30 at 11 a.m. at Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.

Juvenile offender funding

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety appropriates funding annually to Cumberland County for programs and services to serve juvenile offenders. The county is committed to ensuring that all eligible agencies are aware of the opportunity to apply for funding. Requests for proposals are being sought and are due in mid-April.

Access RFP information on Cumberland County’s website, www.co.cumberland.nc.us. Select the business button at the top of the page to locate the form. Only local public agencies, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporations and local housing authorities are eligible for funding.

Contact Cindy Tucker at ctucker@ co.cumberland.nc.us or call 910-678-7723 for more information.

Official named to fill Fayetteville finance vacancy

Jay Toland has been selected chief financial officer for the city of Fayetteville. Toland has served as interim chief financial officer for eight months.

He will oversee the finance department, which manages $200 million in revenues and expenditures. He is also responsible for oversight of the city’s $145 million investment portfolio.

Before coming to Fayetteville, Toland was chief financial officer for Scotland County Schools in North Carolina. He earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He has also completed other post-graduate work at East Carolina University and is a certified management accountant.

Toland is filling one of four vacancies of senior executives for the city of Fayetteville. “I plan to fill positions for Public Services Director, Assistant City Manager and Fire Chief. All are at different recruitment/selection stages in the order listed,” said City Manager Douglas Hewett.

Alzheimer’s fund raiser scheduled

Fayetteville Alzheimer’s research enthusiasts pulled off an amazing feat last year. In three weeks, they raised the most money in the state during Fayetteville’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s. The team was dubbed Jaywalkers in honor of then-Assistant City Manager Jay Reinstein, who had just been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. The team came together on short notice and raised close to $30,000 for Alzheimer’s research.

The team at PWC pulled their group together in a week and also raised several thousand dollars. Longtime Alzheimer’s awareness activists from McKee Homes also contributed significantly.

This year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s is set for Sept. 7 at Festival Park. The goal is to double last year’s participation and fundraising. The entire community is invited to join the cause. For more information, visit the Alzheimer’s Foundation website at www.alz.org or email amjulian@alz.org.

Local school system honored

Cumberland County’s Board of Education has recognized the school system’s communications and public relations department for receiving nine state awards from the North Carolina School Public Relations Association.

Cumberland County Schools was among 38 school districts in North Carolina to win Blue Ribbon Awards for effective school communications and public relations during NCSPRA’s annual blue-ribbon awards ceremony earlier this month in Greensboro. CCS won awards in the electronic media category, publications category and special events/programs category.

Blue-ribbon awards are the highest honors a school district can receive from the NCSPRA.

“Our awards program is about recognizing the quality work of school public relations professionals and bringing attention to their outstanding efforts to support and promote our schools,” said NCSPRA President Todd Hagans.

 People of Earth, how are you? Yoko Ono once posed that question, but no one answered. Let’s take a shot at the same issue. Earthlings seem to be in the midst of a passel of super moons. Every time you turn around, there is a new super moon. We used to have regular moons. With social media, every time the lights go out, we seem to get a super moon.

In January we had the Super Wolf Blood Moon. In mid-February we had the Super Snow Moon. On March 21, we will get to enjoy the Rosie O’Donnell Super Moon to celebrate Rosie’s 57th birthday. All this reminds me of Andy Williams singing “Moon River.” If one thinks of Andy Williams, who can forget his one-time girlfriend Claudine Longet? In 1976, Claudine shot her thenboyfriend Olympic skier Spider Sabich. However, I digress.

All the super moons put me in mind of the mythological Diana, who was the goddess of the moon and the hunt. Let us pose the musical question: If Diana were around today, what would she think of the multitude of super moons? To answer this question, it is helpful to get forensic background information about Diana. Let us proceed.

Diana was the daughter of Jupiter and his baby mama, Latona. Jupiter was the King of the Gods. Diana’s brother, Apollo, got a concert hall named for him. Diana came from the upper 1 percent of the gods. She had a very low tax rate, in keeping with her high station. Diana was the Ivanka Trump of goddesses.

One thing about Diana — she did not like surprises. Ponder what happened to Actaeon, who was out hunting with his buddies one day on the first day of deer season.

It was noon on a sweltering day. Actaeon and pals had been out hunting with dogs all morning and were pretty tuckered out from their adventures. Acty (as his friends called him) told his buddies to sit in the shade and have some brewskis to recover for more hunting that afternoon.

The boys did not have to be asked twice. Pretty soon, everyone was getting sloshed. Acty was counting carbs, so he passed on drinking. He wandered off into the woods to take a look-see, leaving his buds behind with the Carling Black Labels. Unknown to Acty, he was in the same forest in which Diana had a cave where she would hang with her posse, the nymphs. Diana was in the process of skinny-dipping in the cool pond outside the cave when Acty blundered into the sacred circle. The nymphs shrieked, “Man in the hall!”

They tried to shield Diana’s nekkid body from the prying eyes of Acty by standing in front of Diana. However, nymphs are short, and Diana is tall. The height disparity allowed Acty to get a full gander at Diana in her birthday suit.

Diana was not amused by Acty’s ogling. She tried to reach for her bow and arrow to skewer him, but it was out of reach. Instead, she scooped up a handful of pond water and threw it in Acty’s face. She yelled if you can, that you have seen Diana naked!”

This wasn’t ordinary pond water. It was the Perrier of magic pond water.

When the water hit Acty, he started to grow antlers. His neck got longer. His hands and feet turned into hooves, and his skin became covered with brown fur. As Gomer would say, “Surprise, surprise!” Acty turned into a deer.

He freaked out and started running through the forest trying to cipher what to do next. He ended up by a lake to take a drink. He looked at his reflection and realized he had morphed into a deer. He tried to speak but encountered word retrieval problems, discovering he couldn’t talk. All he could make were deer noises. Things quickly got worse.

Who let the dogs out? About this time, his dogs caught wind of Acty and started chasing him. Acty took off running over hills and dales, not appreciating the irony that he had just been doing the same thing to Bambi’s mother a few hours earlier.

Acty’s alpha dog was Melampus. Melampus was the first canine to catch Acty and put the chomp on him. The other dogs caught up and pulled Acty down to a gruesome but chewy death. Acty’s buddies kept whooping and hollering for Acty to come watch the fun, not realizing that Acty was being turned into dog chow by his very own dogs Oh, the humanity.

Meanwhile, back at the pond, Diana was icily satisfied with Acty’s painful demise. You did not mess with Diana.

As Tony Soprano once said, “Revenge is a dish best served with cold cuts.” If Diana had been a character in the movie “Porky’s,” none of the teenage boys who spied on the girls’ shower room would have made it home for supper. They would have all been turned into venison stew in the school lunch room.

So, what have we learned today? Respect women’s space. In the #MeToo era, there are a lot of Dianas out there who won’t put up with men’s mess. Ending up as deer sausage is not a happy outcome. Ask Harvey Weinstein, Les Moonves, R. Kelly, Steve Wynn or Charlie Rose.

 The Cumberland Oratorio Singers will bring the music of three music masters to life at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 8.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart got an early start in his music career. When he was 3 years old, he used to watch and listen as his father gave keyboard lessons to his older sister. By age 5, Mozart was proficient enough on the keyboard and violin to begin composing the first of his many works. Although he lived for only 35 years, he remains one of the most influential and well-known composers of the classical era.

Franz Schubert also started taking music lessons at home from an early age. Although Schubert’s compositions are prolific and varied, he is known for popularizing lieder, or art songs, in which romantic poetry is set to music.

From a young age, Johannes Brahms received music lessons from his father, who was also a musician. By age 10, the young Brahms was performing piano in public. His teacher complained that he could be a great pianist except that he spent too much time composing.

Brahms became a piano virtuoso and a renowned composer of piano compositions, chamber music and choir compositions for both the male and female voice. Like Schubert, Brahms also composed and popularized many lieder. Although Schubert’s and Brahms’ compositions are heavily influenced by classical tradition, they belong to the romantic era of musical history.

The Cumberland Oratorio Singers will present the works of these three composers in “A Night with the Masters” March 8. “This will be part and parcel of the classical and romantic music that COS customarily performs,” said Jason Britt, the group’s choir director. “We’ve done jazz and Christmas so far this season, and we’ll be doing Broadway later on. But ‘A Night with the Masters’ showcases the type of music we’ve been primarily performing over our 23-year history.”

“The Masters’” program will feature a Mozart mass, “Vesperae de Dominica,” sung entirely in Latin. There will be two selections by Schubert: “An Sylvia” and “Lebenslust.” Brahms will be represented by “Three Leibeslieder Waltzes” and “O Wusst Ich Den Weg Zurluck.” Both the Schubert and Brahms selections will be sung in German.

According to Britt, several of the selections are art music, or lieder. A six-piece orchestra and an organ will accompany the choir. “Snyder Memorial has a fantastic organ so we want to take advantage of that,” said Britt.

Britt has not chosen the soloists for the evening. “They will be picked from the choir via auditions at the end of February,” Britt said. As demonstrated by COS’ earlier performance of “Messiah,” the vocal purity and professionalism of Cumberland County’s classical chorale society assures the audience of stunning performances no matter who is selected.

Other than for season ticketholders, all tickets for “A Night with the Masters” will be available at the door for the March 8 performance. The price of admission is $15 for the general public and $5 for students. Learn more about COS by visiting its website, www.singwithcos.org.

Zaryen McGilvary

Seventy First • Track and field • Junior

McGilvary has a 3.7 grade point average. He’s active in the Seventy-First Junior ROTC and volunteers at local food banks.

Emily Mikkelsen

Seventy First • Soccer • Sophomore

Mikkelsen has a 4.08 grade point average. In addition to soccer, she is active in National Honor Society and Art Honor Society. She also is interested in photography and volunteers at a local horse stable.

  Cape Fear’s Cecilia Chafin and Pine Forest’s C.J. Collins both started the Cumberland County high school bowling season as newcomers to the sport locally. But that didn’t wind up as a liability as both were champions in the season-ending conference bowling tournament earlier this month.

Chafin and Collins both rose from being No. 3 seeds in the step ladder finals to claim the championships.

Chafin defeated top-seeded Jordan Locklear of Overhills 178-154 in the final match to take the girls championship title.

Collins also beat the No. 1 seed, Terry Sanford’s Jack Cooney, by a 205- 183 score in their title match.

While Chafin and Collins may have been new to team bowling at their schools, both entered the season as veterans of the sport.

Collins is a freshman at Pine Forest, but he said he’s been bowling with family and friends for more than 10 years.

Chafin has been bowling for nine years but only recently arrived in the Fayetteville area because of her family’s military connection. High school bowling had never been offered where she lived before. She arrived in town too late to bowl last year, so her senior season at Cape Fear turned out to be her only chance at competing for her new school.

“Bowling is just really fun to me,’’ Chafin said. “The more I bowl, the better I get and the more I want to improve.’’

The typical high school regular-season bowling match is different from bowling as an individual. In high school matches, everyone contributes to a team score, and each bowler on the team only gets to roll two frames.

“When it comes to a school team, it’s a lot more intense,’’ Collins said. “You try harder and want to do the best for your team.’’

In the season-ending conference tournament, the top five bowlers, male and female, qualify to compete in step ladder fashion for the individual title.

En route to her victory, Chafin beat second-seeded Zoe Cannady of Terry Sanford, 173-170, then downed Locklear in the final.

Chafin said she kept her cool in the match with Cannady and felt her confidence growing. “I made sure I was hitting my mark every time,’’ she said.

Collins topped South View’s Hunter Hicks 172-149 before downing Cooney in the title match.

Collins is a two-handed bowler, which he feels gives him more spin on the ball and makes strikes easier when the ball reaches the pocket.

Chafin already plans to enroll at Fayetteville State University next year and become a member of the school’s successful bowling team.

“I’m hoping to learn a lot more about my technique and how I can improve,’’ she said.

Collins plans to continue bowling at Pine Forest. “I just need to do what I did this year, go out and have fun,’’ Collins said.

Here is the Cumberland County All-Conference bowling team.

BOYS

First team

Jack Cooney, Terry Sanford; Hunter Hicks, South View; C.J. Collins, Pine Forest; Jacob Ezzelle, Pine Forest; Noah Hash, Pine Forest; Ammon Janet, Gray’s Creek.

Second team

Tommy Cooney, Terry Sanford; C.J. Woolley, Gray’s Creek; Nick Roberson, South View; Damien Perkins, Gray’s Creek.

GIRLS

First team

Jordan Locklear, Overhills; Zoe Cannady, Terry Sanford; Cecilia Chafin, Cape Fear; Emily Gibson, Pine Forest; Belle Johnson, Pine Forest.

Second team

LeeAnne Robbins, South View; Maya Ervin, Terry Sanford; Abagayl Gowen, Gray’s Creek; Nicole Grossmick, Douglas Byrd; Regan Duncan, Cape Fear.

Photo: Cecilia Chafin

  A change in how the clock is started when returning to play and the option of adding instant replay to state playoff competitions highlight the high school football rules changes for this year announced by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Neil Buie, regional supervisor of football officials for the Cape Fear region, thinks the new rules about what was the 25-second clock that times the period before the next play begins will have the biggest impact on the game this fall.

The purpose of the rule is to establish more consistency in the time period between downs.

“From referee to referee, there is a real difference in when the clock is blown ready for play,’’ Buie said. In the case of a referee who quickly sets the ball ready for play and starts the clock, as many as 15 or 20 more plays can be run per game than in a contest with a referee who is slower to mark the ball ready.

Under the new rule, as soon as the ball is declared dead by an official, the 40-second clock begins ticking. But there are exceptions. It will be set to 25 seconds before the extra point attempt after a touchdown, at the start of a quarter or overtime, after an inadvertent whistle, after a charged time-out or following an official’s timeout or other stoppage of the clock by the referee for any other reason.

Buie thinks some training of clock operators will be needed to deal with the timing changes.

Another minor problem could be resetting the 25-second clock to 40 seconds. Most modern 25-second clocks can be adjusted with little difficulty to display a 40-second countdown. If schools have older clocks, however, they might need to purchase new control panels or have the old one updated.

Another issue officials often encounter at schools is that the 25-second clocks don’t work. Buie wonders if the back judge will have to be responsible for the 40-second clock if it’s not working.

Another potential major change is the addition of instant replay to state playoff games if approved by that state’s athletic association. For North Carolina, this would require action by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

Buie thinks it’s likely that replay could only be implemented at the state championship level when the NCHSAA plays its football title games at various major college stadiums around the state.

He’s doubtful it could be implemented at a high school stadium in a playoff game because there likely would not be enough camera angles to make it worthwhile. He added it would also be difficult to either have someone in the press box looking at a monitor or have someone bring a laptop to the field so one of the officials could view it.

A rule change that is not a big deal to players, coaches and officials but that definitely brought smiles to members of the media involves the numbers on football jerseys. Effective with the 2024 season, the numbers must be a single solid color that contrasts with the body color of the jersey.

In recent years, many schools have started wearing jerseys with numbers the same color as the body of the jersey, with the number faintly outlined by a contrasting color. In other cases, schools wore white jerseys with numbers of a light color, like gold or yellow on white for example, making them difficult to read from a distance.

Trey Edge, who does radio play-by-play for DK Sports, Inc., praised the new rule.

“It is long overdue,’’ he said. “One of the reasons we do high school broadcasts is to publicize what the kids in Cumberland County are doing. It is difficult to do that when you cannot get correct numbers, especially when there is a scrum of a lot of people.’’

Edge said when the numbers almost bleed into the jersey in a fast-moving game, it becomes a challenge to make out something as simple as who is carrying the football. “It should not be that difficult,’’ he said. He called the new rule a big win.

Other changes to high school football rules announced by the NFSHSA include the following:

• Tripping a runner is now officially illegal. A runner was not previously mentioned in the definition of tripping.

• The horse-collar tackling rule, which prohibits grabbing inside the shoulder pads to take down a runner, has been expanded. Grabbing the nameplate area of a runner’s jersey immediately below the rear collar is also illegal.

• A legal scrimmage formation now requires only five offensive players on the line, not seven. Also, there can be no more than four offensive backs. It’s hoped this change will allow the officials to have an easier time watching for legal and illegal offensive formations.

• The penalty for illegally kicking or batting a ball has been reduced from 15 yards to 10 yards.

For a complete list of the football rules changes for 2019, go to www.nfhs.org. Click on the link for activities and sports at the top of the page and then choose football.

A survey conducted by the NFSHSA in 2017-18 showed 11-player football is the most popular sport for boys in the United States. There are 14,079 schools fielding teams with 1,036,842 boys participating nationally.

There are some 30,000 boys taking part in sixman, eight-man and nine-man football. In addition, there are some 2,500 girls playing high school football, which results in a total of 1,068,870 players taking part in the game at the high school level.

Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Town Clerk Jane Starling at 910-426-4113. Most meetings take place at Town Hall or the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation center.

• Parks and Recreation Committee Monday, Feb. 25, 6:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

• Appearance Commission Tuesday, Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center

Activities

• Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Senior programs at the Parks and Recreation Center. The Senior programs for people ages 55-plus who are residents of Cumberland County have resumed. The rec center was closed in mid-September after Hurricane Florence. Various activities are now back and are scheduled Monday through Friday throughout the day. For details on times and days, check the schedule at www.townofhopemills.com, call the rec center at 910-426-4109, or email Kasey Ivey at kivey@townofhopemills.com.

• 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.

   Glenn Garner has an idea for families with homebound senior relatives who are looking for better meal-time options when it’s hard to get out to eat.

Garner, a veteran in the food truck and catering business, is rolling out a new service. It’s aimed especially at seniors and anyone who may be stuck at home and would like good food prepared for them that they can refrigerate and reheat.

His plan, which he says is still in the developing stage, is to deliver diner-quality meals twice a week to people in their homes. Menus will vary for each meal. He’s planning prices of $5.99 for breakfast, $6.99 for lunch and $7.99 for dinner.

Garner stressed his program should not be confused with any government-connected food delivery service. “It’s out of my pocket,’’ he said, referring to how the service is paid for on his end.

While his target audience is home-bound senior citizens, he said anyone is welcome to sign up. "Could be it’s people my age (late 50s) who don’t want to cook,’’ he said. “So I’m delivering twice a week, four-day and three-day packages.’’

Garner said the reason for twice-weekly deliveries is to guarantee freshness and good taste. He’s experimented with a variety of menus and came to the realization that the food he’s serving isn’t as good after a maximum of four days in the refrigerator.

“I’ve been working for the last 10 years to get a menu that will work and taste just as good coming out (to my restaurant) as it will coming out of the microwave at the house,’’ he said. “The four days is a stretch. By that fourth day, you need to have stuff we know is going to hold up.’’

He added that there’s not a safety issue with the food after that long. Rather, he can’t promise four days later that the food will taste as good as the dishes he serves fresh to his restaurant customers. His opinion is based on close to 40 years as an operator of food trucks, catering businesses and restaurants.

All the food will be prepared at Garner’s newest restaurant, The Diner, by Chef Glenn and Company. It is located in the former Becky’s Cafe at 3740 South Main St. in Hope Mills. “We (will) put it in to-go microwaveable containers,’’ Garner said.

Sample options for breakfast include boiled eggs, scrambled eggs or an omelet. Meats for breakfast include bacon, sausage links, sausage patties or corned beef hash. Hash browns or home fries will also be available.

For those who want a simple lunch, he plans to offer a cold sandwich every day with chips and a fruit bowl. He’s got some bad news for hardcore vegetable eaters, though. “We can’t do broccoli or asparagus,” he said. “That’s out of the question.’’

Garner stressed that in the early stages, things are going to be fluid. He said he’ll have to see how it works and how it’s received.

At the time of this writing, he was scheduled to share information about his planned service, along with menus, at a meeting of local health care providers who work primarily with the senior community.

“They know if their customers at home need food service,’’ Garner said. He added that with the exception of government-based programs, there’s not a lot available for the homebound seniors group when it comes to economical food delivery choices.

He said he knows one local family of three who are all disabled and have restaurant food delivered by a company that specializes in that area, charging a delivery fee in addition to the cost of the food. “They were paying from $60 to $70 per meal,’’ he said.

Garner said his initial target delivery area will be Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Raeford and Gray’s Creek, with the possibility of adding Spring Lake at a later date.

In a perfect world, if the idea takes hold, Garner would like to prepare his meals in a facility separate from The Diner and deliver them in his own fleet of trucks.

He stressed he’s not looking for government support. “To have good, quality food, it’s not a hot dog or a peanut butter and banana sandwich,’’ he said. “It’s not what I want to do. That’s where I’m going to draw the line. I don’t want to serve an inferior product to make a dollar.’’

To inquire about signing up for Garner’s delivery service, call 910-705-2664. He can also be reached by email at ggarner2045@aol.com or on his Facebook pages, The Diner by Chef Glenn & Company or A Catered Affair by Chef Glenn & Company.

Photo: Glen Garner

  When Jackie Warner was first elected to be mayor of Hope Mills in 2011, she had heard vaguely about an organization known as the Cumberland County Mayor’s Coalition.

Now serving as vice-chairman of the organization, Warner feels the coalition plays a vital role in allowing the mayors of nine municipalities in Cumberland County to work together for the betterment of their individual communities and the county as a whole.

Warner feels the coalition was especially important in helping the mayors work to resolve differences over the allocation of revenue from county sales tax to the various communities.

The concern over the sales tax issue dates back to the early part of 2000 when annexation became a big issue around the county and there was ongoing debate about how to split up the revenue.

Warner said under its two previous mayors, the city of Fayetteville argued it wanted to get 100 percent of the sales tax revenues from the annexed areas.

The Mayor’s Coalition argued for a more equitable split, basing the allocation on a per capita arrangement so each of the nine communities in the coalition would get a proportional share.

The nine communities in the coalition are Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Linden, Falcon, Wade, Godwin and Stedman.

Warner said her early memories of the Mayor’s Coalition meetings were that they were little more than a feel-good kind of affair, where the mayors gathered quarterly to simply share a meal and talk about what was going on in their communities.

Warner credits former Spring Lake mayor Chris Rey with helping change the direction of the organization. She and Rey came aboard at about the same time, and Rey was elected chairman of the coalition.

“He was the one who got the spirit going,’’ she said. “He wanted to make our coalition a unified team that could get some recognition for all the small towns.’’

Warner said that, for the most part, the mayors have made a good effort to be in attendance at nearly every meeting.

The current chair of the coalition is longtime Falcon Mayor Cliff Turpin. Warner said she worked with Turpin and other mayors, along with representatives of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, to reach a resolution on the sales tax agreement.

Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin played an important role in finalizing the agreement.

Serving as mayor pro tem of Fayetteville before eventually being elected mayor outright, Colvin frequently attended meetings of the coalition over the last several years and developed a good rapport with the other members.

“That’s how we got more familiar with Mitch and could talk with him about it,’’ Warner said of Colvin’s regular appearance at the meetings. “We had some sales tax committee meetings with Glenn Adams and Jeannette Council (of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners).’’

Warner said the mayors also interacted at county-wide ethics training sessions they all attended. “That’s been the good thing, the show of unity,’’ Warner said.

In addition to hearing from each other, Warner said the mayors also got input from people like Robert Van Geons of the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation.

“They talk to the mayors and try to locate properties or things in their area that would be good (to try and) come into Cumberland County,’’ she said.

Warner said meetings have dramatically improved as far as the substance of matters discussed over the last several years.

Each meeting has a printed agenda that may include a variety of presentations about topics of interest to all of the municipalities in the county. “Everything we do is to try to get information for everybody,’’ Warner said. “It’s information for all of us, especially with economic development.’’

The meetings aren’t just limited to the nine mayors, Warner said. They are allowed to bring guests from the town staff.

When a municipality hosts one of the quarterly meetings, that town’s entire group of elected officials, like the Board of Commissioners in the case of Hope Mills, is invited to attend.

Warner said she routinely brings Hope Mills town clerk Jane Starling with her and has also brought town manager Melissa Adams.

In addition to the regular quarterly meetings, the mayors also hold called meetings, as they did last December to deal with the sales tax situation.

One of the biggest benefits of the meetings is sharing news of economic development opportunities that may not work in one area of the county but would be welcomed in others. Warner cited the failed chicken plant of some years back that would have been a wanted addition by some of the county’s rural communities because of the jobs it offered.

“The idea is to try to boost the whole county by representing all of us and not just Fayetteville,’’ she said. “We know we live under Fayetteville’s shadow, but with each of our small towns growing, we want them to start to look at us for opportunities, too.’’

Warner said another benefit of the coalition is the sharing of ideas between the communities — things they’ve tried that worked and things that weren’t as successful.

“Cliff Turpin showed us an issue they had with a drainage ditch,’’ Warner said. “There’s always something that has happened in one of the towns they can share, like special events. Often the mayors can just identify with each other, what’s going ideas and we can share them.’’

The mayors also hear presentations by the state legislators from Cumberland County. “When the legislators come to the mayor’s coalition, they know they are speaking to everybody,’’ Warner said. “It’s a neat feeling that we are strong now because we speak as one.

“It’s no longer a social group. Now it serves a purpose. We get good information, and we come away with something that will help us.’’

Photo: Mayor Jackie Warner

  I don’t think my baby is a baby anymore.

He just had his first birthday. He’s walking, playing, bouncing, taking more risks, eating, holding his cup, pushing our dining room chairs around, waving bye-bye and growling like our dog, all on his own. It seems like just yesterday he was relying on my husband and me for everything, but time just keeps flying by, and he’s becoming more and more independent.

But that’s exactly what’s supposed to be happening, right? Time is supposed to pass. People, no matter how young or old, are supposed to grow. Hopefully, we never stop growing, learning or developing.

Kids are a great reminder of that. They grow so fast, exponentially even, in what seems like such a short amount of time. We’re left reeling from the speed of the swirling hands of life’s timepiece, wondering where the time has gone. I’m only a year into parenthood and I already feel like it keeps slipping away faster than I can document what it brings.

This realization of how little time we have here on earth, and how none of it is actually guaranteed, has been weighing on me. How am I using my time? What am I teaching my son? What am I doing to love my husband and my family better? What useless things have I allowed to take up precious time I could be spending with people I love? What people in my life have I neglected because I’m on my phone? Am I teaching my son by example that health is important? Am I showing him that people are to be valued and respected?

Recently, I received a thought-provoking text that read, “Do you want your children to be like you when they reach the age you are?”

The reality is, there’s a good chance they will be. I’ll be honest with you — there are some things I hope he catches onto in my life, but there’s quite a few more I hope he doesn’t. The whole “Do as I say, not as I do” thing rarely works, and if it does, it is usually not without resentment, bitterness and rebellion. That mentality is just a fancy form of hypocrisy.

Jesus talked about this. In John 13, we find the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Feet were dirty back then— people wore sandals and walked everywhere, and water was a precious commodity. Servants were usually the ones doing the washing, so this was a pretty astonishing act on Jesus’ part. Peter, one of his disciples, even refused at first to let Jesus wash his feet.

But Jesus said, “Do you understand what I have done for you?... You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:12-17).

So, I want to be the person I hope my son becomes. It has to begin today. I must lead by example. I must love by example. I must fill my life things that matter so that my son will one day be able to lead this kind of life — a life of servant leadership, regarding others as more important than ourselves.

Today is gift and it will be over soon. How will you spend your today?

  Back in 1975, my Uncle Cecil taught me how to drive on some little country roads in the hills of Tennessee. In those days, I had three things that I would consider modern machinery. I had an automatic transmission, an electric starter and an AM/FM radio with horrible speakers. We only had about four FM radio stations, so my radio was set to 101.5 WQRT.

While driving with my uncle, I was not allowed to jam out, and I can, to this day, hear him telling me, “Watch the road.”

The roads we practiced on were the roads less traveled. There was an occasional car, but he also taught me to watch out for people on the sides of the road and animals.

Fast forward a few decades, and cars are more complicated than the bridge of the Star Trek Enterprise. There are also distractions brought by cell phones. These thingies distract us from watching the road.

In driving schools, we are taught to drive defensively. That is true until you are no longer watching the road. When you are not paying attention, you become the offending driver. You are a threat to everyone on the road, yourself and your passengers.

Last year, I saw more motorcycle wrecks on the highway than I have ever seen before. We hear about pedestrians, scooters and bicycles being run over by cars. This is tragic for the person who has been hit. It is also hard on the driver. They can face criminal charges, fines, insurance issues or lawsuits — and then there is the knowledge that they accidentally harmed someone.

Here are some things that will help you avoid an accident.

Look for others on the road. You are not the only game in town, and we all share the road. No distractions. Your text message or phone conversation is not as important as your driving safety. If your call or text can’t wait, pull over in a safe spot, finish your business and then pull out into traffic carefully.

Watch your surroundings. Don’t change lanes suddenly without first looking to see what is around and ahead of you. Many motorcycle accidents are caused because of people switching lanes or passing someone and clipping a bike that was in front of the car they passed.

If you come upon a school bus or Fayetteville’s FAST buses or see the mail truck, you know they are going to stop. Give them space.

Stop at yellow. Fayetteville’s traffic lights are quick and in many places take several minutes to cycle through. I often see both cars and motorcycles trying to speed through a yellow light. It is better to be safe and stop than to get hit at the intersection.

Watch for motorcycles in high-traffic areas. The Cross Creek area, Skibo Road, Ramsey Street, Bragg Boulevard, Raeford Road, Owen Drive and Spring Lake are all high-traffic areas.

Don’t overdrive your ability to see and take control of any situation. If you cannot see what is ahead of you, then slow down. This is especially true during periods of darkness and rain.

Trust your instincts. Train yourself to slow down or to stop if you see something without knowing what it is. Your eyes give you a good field of vision. Your peripheral vision may catch something that your mind does not register.

Train your mind to see what you don’t see. In the book “The Survivor’s Club,” author Ben Sherwood discusses “luck.” Ninety percent of the people he studied viewed luck as “the way we think.” He goes on to show that those who use their peripheral vision notice more and therefore seem luckier.

The book further describes what is called “inattentional blindness.” Inattentional blindness is the failure to notice an unexpected stimulus in one’s field of vision when other attention-demanding tasks are being performed. It is categorized as an attentional error and is not associated with any vision deficits.

This typically happens because humans are overloaded with stimuli, and it is impossible to pay attention to all stimuli in one’s environment.

It’s important to develop your field of vision and, as Uncle Cecil said, watch the road.

If there is a topic you would like to discuss, please send your comments and suggestions to motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE!

  Would you like to know why U.S. sanctions against companies owned by Russian billionaire and businessman Oleg Deripaska are being lifted?

You are the reason.

Me, too.

And so is everybody else who lives and votes in North Carolina.

Last April, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions against Deripaska and three of his companies for interfering in U.S. elections and for “money laundering, extortion and ordering the murder of a businessman.”

Deripaska is a friend and ally of Vladimir Putin and is connected to former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Shortly after Trump’s nomination, Manafort offered to give Deripaska private election briefings.

Last month, the Treasury decided to remove sanctions on the three Deripaska companies, explaining that corporate arrangements would restrict Deripaska’s control. Congress can reverse the removal of sanctions.

The House, with 136 Republican members joining the Democrats, voted to reverse the Treasury’s action. But in the Senate, the reversal got only 57 votes of 60 needed.

According to Benjamin Parker, writing for The Bulwark, several Republican senators voted to reverse because they did not believe these corporate arrangements would prevent Deripaska from influencing his companies’ actions. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said, “He still would maintain significant control given his ties to Putin.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.: “I think he’s a bad a guy and he’s still in working control.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.: “I still think he retains operational control.”

The New York Times journalist Kenneth P. Vogel wrote that the corporate arrangements to limit Deripaska’s control of the companies “may have been less punitive than advertised. The deal contains provisions that free him from hundreds of millions of dollars in debt while leaving him and his allies with majority ownership of his most important company.”

Coincidentally, while Deripaska was in the news, I was reading another version of how business works in Russia as set forth in Bill Browder’s 2015 book “Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice.”

Browder tells how he made billions of dollars buying undervalued Russian stocks and properties after Communism ended in that country. Then he tells how Putin and his oligarch allies plotted to take it all away from him and his investors.

Browder fought back.

In doing so, he gained the ire of Putin and became, according to Browder’s book, Putin’s No. 1 enemy. Russia declared Browder and his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, to be criminals. Browder fled Russia. Magnitsky stayed and was jailed, tortured and ultimately beaten to death by Russian prison officers. Browder documents the horrors of Russian business and government practices, including corruption, torture and murder. Those facts played a role in Congress’ 2012 decision to impose sanctions on Russian individuals in a law designated as the Magnitsky Act.

Putin retaliated by terminating the program that allowed Americans to adopt Russian orphaned children.

Relief from the Magnitsky sanctions was one of the objectives of the Russians in the now-famous Trump Tower meeting between Paul Manafort and Donald Trump Jr. in July 2016.

Perhaps the conduct of Deripaska was not as bad as those who tortured and killed Magnitsky. But backing away from the sanctioning of his companies sends a wrong signal about the determination of Americans to take strong action when corrupt Russian businesses cheat, steal and murder.

So, why are you, I and other North Carolinians responsible for the lifting of Deripaska sanctions?

The proponents of the sanctions needed only three more votes to win. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders did not vote but would have voted for the sanctions. The two other necessary votes were those of our Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis. If you and I had let them know how strong we were for maintaining the Deripaska sanctions, I think it would have made a difference.

But we just did not get around to making a call to them.

Photo: Oleg Deripaska

  Fayetteville is known to many for its military neighbor, Fort Bragg. But Fayetteville played a large role in early American history, too, as has her namesake, the Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette has been immortalized in both French and American history as a military officer, an aristocrat and a Constitutional advocate. He changed the course of history for our country and our city.

There are many groups and people that celebrate Lafayette’s memory. One of them is French native Julien Icher. His initiative, The Lafayette Trail Project, is a historical trail based on Lafayette’s footsteps during his 1824-25 Farewell Tour.

The trail not only celebrates Lafayette, it educates the public and uplifts communities. Icher’s website, www.thelafayettetrail.com, explains his efforts: “Our goal is to provide localities whose history taps into General Lafayette with new incentives to increase tourism and benefit the development of local economies.”

These efforts, in addition to the trail, include historical research, outreach, articles, lectures and more. The goal is to complete the project as the bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour nears in 2024.

When the towns of Cross Creek and Campbellton united in 1783, they named the city Fayetteville in commemoration of the esteemed war hero. Lafayette visited this city in 1783 during his Farewell Tour of the United States.

Historians agree that without Lafayette’s support, the Americans would have lost the war for independence.

While generations of early Americans may have learned lessons from Lafayette, we can still learn from him today. According to Icher, “When Lafayette visited the country, the country was divided in 1824. In 2019, you also have a very politically divided America. It’s a divide between the left and the right, the elites and the common American. And in 1824, Lafayette and his role give you an idea to bring together Americans and unite them.”

Icher’s robust inspiration, his belief in a common bond between our two nations, is a tribute to France, America, Fayetteville and Lafayette. Icher is proud of the historic relationship between America and France, explaining there exists “historical bands of friendship between the United States and France.”

These historical bands, Icher explained, were molded by a common set of values that the French and American people share. He believes that Lafayette embodied these unique values of freedom, liberty and equality and that memorializing Lafayette is memorializing America’s first ally, the French. According to him, Lafayette was, and still can be, a unifying figure for America.

Icher said, “North Carolina has a lot of rural communities that are very interested (in Lafayette’s story), eastern and northern Carolina, and it’s a true sense of pride that they display.”

Readers can help the movement to memorialize Lafayette by visiting Icher’s website, by calling their local state representatives or by volunteering their time. Find out more at www.thelafayettetrail.com.

  The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, along with Piedmont Gas, presents Boris Kodjoe’s “True to Yourself” Black History Month Talk Series on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at Fayetteville State University’s J. W. Seabrook Auditorium.

“The purpose of this event is to have really deep, candid conversations with industry executives and TV/ film actors to pretty much explore their challenges and difficulties as well as their successes as being an African-American,” said UniQue Webster, development director of the Arts Council. “Last year we had Tichina Arnold and casting director Winsome Sinclair.

“So, basically, this experience is also supported by video, and we hope that Boris will include some of his vignettes and video outtakes … to support the talk.”

Webster added that another part of the talk is audience engagement. With that in mind, there will be a Q&A segment toward the end of the event.

Webster went on to explain the vetting process for choosing a speaker for this event. “We have a Black History Committee chaired by Attorney Cull Jordan III. We came together to explore some options and came up with our top five choices that we chopped down to three,” she said.

Webster added, “We looked at the success of the actor, some of their challenges, and we made sure they had an amazing and compelling story to tell.”

Kodjoe grew up in Germany and excelled in sports. He became one of the best tennis players in Germany. A chronic back injury, however, forced him to explore other options. After earning a degree in marketing from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Kodjoe was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency in New York, where he became one of the most recognized male supermodels.

He took acting classes while modeling, and Hollywood took notice. Kodjoe was featured in “Love and Basketball” and the hit TV series “Soul Food,” for which he won three National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Award nominations. He continued to appear in many movies and drama series as well as a Broadway debut.

In 2010, Kodjoe and his brother, Patrick, launched World of Alfa, a clothing company offering the luxury of high-quality, custom-made shirts and suits at affordable prices.

Boris and his wife, Nicole Ari Parker- Kodjoe, established the Sophie’s Voice Foundation in honor of their daughter, Sophie, who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida at birth. SVF helps families affected by the birth defect and educates all women of childbearing age about the importance of folic acid in protecting unborn children from this 75 percent preventable birth defect.

“We encourage everyone to come out to enjoy an amazing show,” said Webster. “We make it so that you leave with something new about the person. We want you to come with your questions and leave with some motivation and inspiration.”

For more information, call the Arts Council at 910-323-1776.

Photo: Boris Kodjoe

  Saturday, March 9, His Outreach Worldwide sponsors the third annual American Warrior 5K Walk and Run. This event, for which the streets of downtown Fayetteville are transformed into a USA Track and Field certified race route, benefits His Bread of Life, a local Christian nonprofit food bank. The race’s starting point and registration area is at Festival Park.

Lynne O’Quinn, founder and CEO of HOW, said most of the race’s elements from its first two years remain unchanged — with one exciting update. This year, ’80s Unplugged, a local band, will play live music as participants register and warm up in the morning and as they wait for everyone to finish the 5K.

As in years past, free food will be distributed to runners after the race, this year provided by Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs. A variety of entertainment will be available pre- and post-race, including a free bouncy house for children alongside vendors selling wares.

O’Quinn stressed that this is a family-friendly event and people and families of all ages are invited to participate.

At the same time, the American Warrior 5K holds the distinction of being a certified, timed race. “Whatever (runners) win has more value because it’s a USA Track and Field certified race,” O’Quinn said. “We’ve had a lot of people say they enjoy this course, too, because it winds through downtown. It makes it very interesting for runners, and then for the walkers it’s a pretty walk.”

First, second and third place will be awarded to runners in eight age divisions, as well as to the top finishers overall.

Each runner will receive a complementary bag with goodies, including a T-shirt and coupons to enjoy around town, like at Sweet Frog and Pure Barre – Fayetteville. Runners who register before Feb. 27 are guaranteed the correct T-shirt size.

His Bread of Life, the nonprofit benefiting from the race’s proceeds, is headed by director Brian Armstrong. It is one of seven ministries under HOW and is located at 204 S. Reilly Rd., in a home that was donated. It is open Wednesday mornings from 8:30 a.m.-noon.

At this food bank, anyone in need is invited to come in and “shop” (free of charge) for what they need from a variety of shelves, with a cap on how many items can be taken from each shelf. “We have refreshments, we give them bags; they’re able to get what their family really needs at that time,”

O’Quinn said. “It’s like their neighborhood grocery market. … They love coming in, and they talk to each other.” O’Quinn described the population His Bread of Life serves as being like family to her. “We pretty much take these people at their word, and we’ve never felt like we’ve been swindled or scammed,” she said. “All these people are the nicest, sweetest people, and they’re just down on their luck.”

She said the food bank serves people like the homeless (including homeless veterans), people referred through social services, recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, people who lose their jobs due to medical issues and more.

Pre-register online for $25 ($20 if military) at www.runtheeast.com/ races or at the HOW office, 2770 Breezewood Ave. Day-of registration on March 9 opens at 8 a.m. and costs $30. The race begins at 9:30 a.m. Participants are encouraged to wear red, white and blue.

To learn more about HOW and His Bread of Life, visit http://hisoutreachworldwide.org/about or call O’Quinn at 910-476-7975 or Heather Hartley at 910-874-3676.

  Those who are currently working in the realm of economic development in Cumberland County believe in a bright future for our community. Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation said, “One hundred fifty million dollars (in) private sector investments are currently under construction in the city.”

He told City Council’s baseball committee that FCEDC is working on six projects directly related to the stadium now under construction on Hay Street.

Jordan Jones, project manager of Prince Charles Holdings, the firm renovating the former Prince Charles Hotel, has said North Carolina’s banks are now paying attention to downtown Fayetteville. Prince Charles Holdings secured a $9.3 million loan from Carter Bank & Trust, a community bank based in Martinsville, Virginia. North Carolina’s big banks initially ignored the request for loans, Jones said.

“Oh my God, this is going to be great,” said Mayor Pro Tem Ted Mohn as the baseball committee, of which he is a member, got an update on the stadium project Feb. 12.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our kids,” said Committee Chairman Jim Arp, who suggested recreation center and public-school baseball teams should be invited to opening day festivities.

Stadium project manager Roslyn Henderson told the committee that $7.3 million has already been paid out to firms that have been working on the stadium. She gave a detailed update on work that has been accomplished and what lies ahead. Most of the work cannot be seen by the public because it’s going on behind the walls.

Representatives for construction general contractor Barton Malow Company have assured city officials the stadium will be finished on time. The completion date is set for March 29. The ballpark, which will seat nearly 5,000 fans, cost $40 million. It will be managed by the Houston Astros Advanced Single-A minor league Fayetteville Woodpeckers.

After beginning the season on the road, the Woodpeckers will open their new ballpark with an April 18 matchup against the Carolina Mudcats. The newly minted Woodpeckers will arrive at their permanent home downtown after spending the past two seasons at Campbell University’s Jim Perry Stadium.

Fayetteville will be home of the annual Big South Conference baseball tournament for three years, from 2019 through 2021. Fayetteville officials have touted the new ballpark as the anchor of $100 million in downtown redevelopment projects. The stadium will host other community events in the off season.

  Cumberland County’s governing board has asked the community’s legislative delegation to repeal the sunset provision of the local Prepared Food and Beverage Tax. Commissioners made their request Feb. 11 at a joint meeting with local North Carolina Senate and House members. Sen. Ben Clark, D-District 21, had mentioned prior to the meeting that it will soon be time to end the tax or share its proceeds with local municipalities.

The tax, also known as the restaurant tax, was imposed in 1993 to help pay for the Crown Coliseum at the county entertainment complex off East Mountain Drive.

The sunset provision will take effect in 2024 when the debt on the Crown Coliseum is paid off. The law as written requires that the restaurant tax be ended. But commissioners have plans for the revenue estimated at $3.3 million. The $3.3 million is the annual supplement the county makes in Coliseum debt service. Once the debt is retired, the money can be used for other things, unless the legislature enforces the sunset clause.

That raised the question among some, including Clark, as to why there was a sunset provision in the law that created the tax 25 years ago. Rep. Billy Richardson, D-District 44, who served in the state House at the time and was recently re-elected, said citizens would have been even more opposed to the Bubba Dome had that provision not been included. Bubba Dome was a nickname for the coliseum at the time.

The county has been considering building a performing arts center, probably in downtown Fayetteville, using restaurant taxes to help pay for it.

“We’ve been talking about this for at least five years,” said County Commission Vice-Chairman Marshall Faircloth. He added that the tax proceeds are “do or die” when it comes to a performing arts center.

Another proposed change in the law is that the Civic Center Commission be authorized to construct a performing arts center whether or not it is affiliated with the existing civic center commonly known as the Crown Complex.

Commissioners also disclosed a set of other requests it had for the state legislature. One of them is a change in the law governing public health nuisances.

Counties are virtually powerless to deal with anything dangerous or prejudicial to public health or safety without going through a laborious process. The county is asking for the same authority the North Carolina General Assembly has granted cities and towns. The city of Fayetteville, for example, has statutory authority to remove, abate or remedy everything in the city limits and within one mile of the city found to be a health or safety hazard.

Commissioners also favor adding a percentage to the sales tax in support of rural volunteer fire departments; repealing statutory authority given boards of education to sue county governments; and seeking state participation in the Grays Creek public water project in areas affected by possible GenX contamination. The exact amount of the proposed sales tax increase has not been determined.

The 90-minute meeting ended without either governing body taking any action.

 Fayetteville Police have charged a 15-year-old boy with the death of a man at a home on Conestoga Drive off Rim Road in West Fayetteville. The youth is being held at the Cumberland Regional Juvenile Detention Center. His name is being withheld. Police identified the victim of the fatal shooting as Donovan Lamar Moon, 30, of Vagabond Drive in Fayetteville. He was found dead in a car on Feb. 11.

In North Carolina, if a youth is 15 years old or younger and commits a crime, his or her case will be brought to the attention of the Juvenile Justice section of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. The juvenile court must transfer jurisdiction to adult court if the youth is accused of committing a crime that would be a violent felony if they were an adult.

Fort Bragg hero to be memorialized in May

This article may seem familiar. Up & Coming Weekly reported the combat deaths of Army Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class Eric Emond, Capt. Andrew Patrick Ross and Air Force Combat Controller Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin last fall. This week, there is an update.

The Green Berets were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg when they were deployed to Afghanistan last year. It was Emond’s seventh combat deployment. The three special operations troops died Nov. 27, 2018, when an improvised explosive device detonated in Ghanzi, Afghanistan, destroying their vehicle.

Emond, 39, will soon be remembered in his home state of Massachusetts, where he underwent rehabilitation in 2009 for earlier combat injuries. At that time, Emond organized the nonprofit group Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, which helps Gold Star families and veterans.

In 2014, the organization dedicated a memorial in Boston to honor the state’s heroes. The monument is a 50-foot tall, five-sided obelisk representing the branches of the United States armed services etched with the names of the honored service members.

Sgt. 1st Class Emond’s name will be added to the monument this coming May. He is survived by his wife and three young daughters.

Local judge appointed chief justice

Gov. Roy Cooper’s, D-NC, decision to elevate a former Fayetteville judge to chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court has resulted in unusual criticism from another member of the high court.

Republican Associate Justice Paul Newby, who has been on the court since 2005, claimed tradition put him in line for the top post. Newby, who intends to run for chief justice next year, said Cooper “decided to place raw partisan politics over a nonpartisan judiciary.”

Like Cooper, Beasley is a registered Democrat. Supreme Court races were nonpartisan elections until a law proposed by the Republican-controlled legislature was approved in 2016.

Beasley will be the first African-American woman to hold the job. Another Fayetteville jurist, Patricia Timmons-Goodson, in 2006 became the first African-American woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

Beasley will succeed Chief Justice Mark Martin, who is resigning the end of this month. “Justice Beasley is the right person at the right time,” Cooper said at news conference.

The governor cited Beasley’s varied legal experience. She served in the Cumberland County public defender’s office in the mid-1990s and became a District Court judge in 1999. Beasley was elected to the state Court of Appeals in 2008 and was appointed to the Supreme Court by then-Gov. Beverly Purdue, a Democrat. Beasley was elected to an eight-year term in 2014.

Cumberland County job fair

The 20th annual Department of Social Services March to Work Job Fair will be held Wednesday, March 20, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center at 1960 Coliseum Dr. Businesses with current or upcoming job openings are invited to register to participate at no charge. Each employer will be provided a booth at the fair that includes a table and chairs.

“The job fair attracts thousands of job seekers with a wide range of skill levels — from those that are professional or highly technical, to those who are semi- to unskilled,” said job fair coordinator Toni Wright-Harris. “This is a great opportunity for businesses to find qualified employees.”

Business representatives will be able to talk about their company and the employment opportunities that they have available with potential employees.

Employers who are interested in participating in the job fair can register by contacting Wright- Harris at 910-677-2344 or Robert Relyea at 910-677-2222.

Fort Bragg MWR is hiring

A job fair is also being held at Fort Bragg. The Fort Bragg Family & MWR hiring event is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s being staged at the Tolson Youth Activities Center on Normandy Drive at Reilly Street. A listing of open positions is available at Bragg.armymwr.com. Qualified applicants will be interviewed on the spot. Officials said it is advisable to apply in advance a USAJOBS.gov