Following are the Cumberland County players selected to this year’s All- Sandhills Athletic Conference football team chosen by the league’s head coaches:

Defensive player of the year: 

Erick Martinez, Jack Britt

Offensive line

Jack Britt - Justin Milliman

Seventy-First - Benjamin Willis, Jai Harper, Alex Williams

Wide receivers

Seventy-First - Camari Williams

Running backs

Seventy-First - Sincere Bates

Quarterbacks

Seventy-First - Kyler Davis

Defensive linemen

Seventy-First - Thomas Washington

Linebackers

Jack Britt - Mike Matthews, Nico Perofeta

Seventy-First - Devante Wedlock

Defensive backs

Seventy-First - Jah-kahri McLain

Photo: Erick Martinez

 Cape Fear High School’s wrestling team rolled Merry Christmas and Happy New Year into one over the holiday break with some outstanding performances in a couple of tournaments.

Cape Fear’s Dallas Wilson was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the WRAL tournament en route to winning the 138-pound weight class. But the best was yet to come for the Colts in Charlotte’s Holy Angels tournament at Bojangles Arena.

Wilson and 170-pound Jared Barbour were both individual champions and helped lead Cape Fear to the team title in the event that draws some 80 high school teams from both North and South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia.

The success at WRAL and Holy Angels vaulted Cape Fear from unranked to No. 1 in the East and No. 2 in the state among 3-A schools in the NCMat.com statewide rankings that were updated Wednesday, Jan. 2.

Cape Fear coach Heath Wilson said the performance of his wrestlers in the consolation rounds proved crucial in winning the team championship at Holy Angels. Cape Fear finished with 165.5 points to beat St. Stephens High School of Hickory with 149. St. Stephens is the No. 1 team in 3-A in the NCMat.com state rankings.

Barbour’s win at 170 was especially crucial for the Colts. In the WRAL tournament, he lost a tough battle to Cael Willis of Wilmington Laney, the No. 1 ranked 4-A wrestler in his class in the state according to NCMat.com.

Barbour, who is No. 1 in 3-A, rebounded and got the win in the Holy Angels tournament.

Cape Fear returns from the holidays for a big Patriot Athletic Conference match at South View on Wednesday, Jan. 9, then goes to one of the state’s biggest regular season tournaments, the Sarah Wilkes Invitational at Eden Morehead High School, Jan. 11-12.

That same weekend, Jack Britt holds Cumberland County’s biggest regular season tournament, the annual Boneyard Bash.

***********************

December high school basketball is most often a blur and quickly forgettable when January rolls around. The boys are especially in flux because many teams are awaiting the arrival of players from football who got a late start because of the state playoffs.

The blur continues into the early days of January. Now that the date for the semester break has changed, when Cumberland County returns to school Monday, Jan. 7, the students who have been academically reinstated for the second semester and the ones who lost eligibility because of inadequate academic performance in the fall will be known. Then, coaches can move forward with complete rosters for the rest of the season. 

Looking back briefly at the Southeastern Athletic Officials Association Holiday Classic results, here’s who appear to be the top teams coming out of December.

Seventy-First’s boys and Westover’s boys, finalists in the Ike Walker Sr. bracket of the Holiday Classic, look to be serious contenders in their respective leagues. Seventy-First won 57-54.

For the girls, E.E. Smith is clearly the team to beat but finds itself playing in a strong Patriot Athletic Conference. Smith is 13-1, 6-0, but only beat Terry Sanford 57-54 in the Gene Arrington bracket finals. Terry Sanford is 9-1, 5-0, and has yet to play Smith in a league game.

Record-wise, Jack Britt’s girls are the best of the county teams in the Sandhills Athletic Conference. Britt finished third in the Arrington bracket, losing 60-33 to E.E. Smith in the semifinals.

Britt is 7-3 overall and 2-0 in the league.

Photo: Dallas Wilson

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.

• Special Meeting, Board of Commissioners Monday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m., Town Hall, Luther Meeting Room

• Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Jan. 15, 6 p.m., Parks and Recreation Center*

• 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*

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.

 The busy season has arrived for the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department as registration is underway for the youth spring sports season.

The registration process began Jan. 2 and will continue through Feb. 23 for baseball and softball. Wrestling registration wraps up Feb. 2 because that season begins competition earlier, said Maxey Dove of the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Department.

“This is probably our biggest season,’’ Dove said of the spring sports program. Athletes are being registered in youth baseball for ages 5-14, youth softball for ages 7-15, indoor soccer for ages 6-12 and youth wrestling for ages 6-12.

The outdoor sports will compete on a total of 13 fields; six at Municipal Park, two at Brower Park, two at Hope Mills Middle School, two at Baldwin Elementary School and one at South View Middle School.

Indoor soccer, which has rapidly grown into a popular sport for the town, is held at the gym at the Hope Mills Recreation Center, with Hope Mills Middle School used for overflow practices.

Dove said it’s important for parents to try and register their children as quickly as possible.

“We’ve got to hurry up and wait for the last day of registration,’’ Dove said. “Seventy percent of our registration is on the last two or three days. There’s really not much planning and plotting and team forming you can do until you actually close the door on the last day of registration. That’s when the hurry up and wait comes in.’’

Another reason it’s important to register early is every child who registers prior to the close of registration is assured a place on one of the town’s teams. Anyone who registers after the registration closes is placed on a waiting list and isn’t guaranteed of being able to play.

The registration fee is $30 per child this year, Dove said. Parents must register in person and should bring along a birth certificate and proof of residency to verify they are within the boundaries for Hope Mills set by Dixie Youth Baseball, the governing body for most of the town’s spring sports, except wrestling. Dove said the town is working on having an online registration process available in the near future, but not this year.

Once registration is finalized, teams are determined, coaches are chosen and the draft is scheduled so practice can begin as soon as possible.

All coaches with the parks and recreation department are volunteers who go through background checks run by the department’s human resources division, Dove said.

There will be one problem with registration this year. Damage to the Hope Mills Recreation Center caused by Hurricane Florence has not been repaired, so the recreation department staff is still in temporary quarters at Town Hall.

Dove said it’s hoped the recreation center will re-open by mid-January. Until it does, parents will have to come to Town Hall to register. “(For) the last six weeks of registration, we’ll hopefully be back in our new building,’’ Dove said.

There is also one big change in registration for Hope Mills this year. Dixie Youth Baseball altered its rules since last season and will now permit anyone in Cumberland County to play Dixie Youth Baseball in Hope Mills. “This opens up our boundaries so we can take in additional kids, which will help build our programs,’’ Dove said.

Anyone with any questions about the youth spring sports program can call the recreation department at 910-426-4109.

  Joe Riddle has no problem with Hope Mills trying to make itself the best possible community it can be for its citizens.

 But the longtime Fayetteville developer is concerned the town may be going too far as it tries to develop a sign ordinance for the city.

Last month, the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners voted to table a decision on a new sign ordinance and scheduled a special meeting to hear public input on the sign question on Monday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m.

Riddle, who spoke at the previous meeting, plans to share his concerns about the sign ordinance at the upcoming meeting.

“If we continue to grow our codes to parallel these wealthier places, we’re going to run ourselves out of business,’’ said Riddle. “Everybody wants to be like Pinehurst or Cary. The problem is, everybody’s not a millionaire retired from the North with a lot of disposable income who plays golf, bridge and croquet every day.

“Everybody is not an engineer with a Ph.D. who works at a Triangle park for a pharmaceutical company or other good company where the husband and wife are making $150,000 each a year.’’

New sign rules like Hope Mills is considering mean signs have to be replaced. Those replacements tend to be costly, and that’s why Riddle thinks the rules could negatively impact businesses in Hope Mills.

What has Riddle concerned is talk that Hope Mills may be considering the elimination of pylon signs. A pylon sign is a freestanding sign that sits apart from a building and has its own support structure that can include a base made of something permanent like brick or concrete.

Fayetteville has a sign ordinance that Riddle describes as strict but reasonably fair as it strikes a balance between presenting a good appearance while also allowing a business owner to adequately advertise his or her business.

If pylon signs are banned, Riddle said, the only option left for businesses would be monument signs. These include ground signs that are attached to a permanent foundation or base and are two-sided.

Riddle said monument signs are fine for a single-tenant business, like a fast food restaurant. But for something like a strip mall or a shopping center, a pylon sign is preferred so all of the businesses can be displayed.

That was the situation Riddle faced at the Colt Crossing shopping complex on old Highway 24 near Cape Fear High School.

When the new Highway 24 bypass was created, traffic no longer passed in front of the shopping center but behind it. Riddle got permission from Cumberland County to build a large pylon sign on the new bypass that promotes all the businesses in the shopping center, including some he’s not affiliated with. Riddle said the sign cost between $60,000 to $65,000.

The possible banning of pylon signs isn’t Riddle’s only concern in Hope Mills. He said there’s also been discussion of limiting signs promoting real estate to 2 feet by 4 feet.

He noted that on a typical real estate sign, information includes the acreage available, the owner’s name and a phone number.

Squeezing all that information on a 2-by-4 sign that people could read without having to pull off the road and come to a complete stop is difficult.

“I don’t think anyone has looked at the size of the signs,’’ he said.

Riddle thinks the people in Hope Mills need to realize their leaders are considering sign restrictions that would be the strictest of any town Riddle has worked with. That’s quite a statement considering he’s got projects as far flung as Raleigh, Rockingham, Lillington, Raeford, Spout Springs, Cameron and Southport.

“They are definitely going to an extreme,’’ Riddle said. “It sounds like a train is going that I won’t be able to slow up.’’

Riddle is afraid if Hope Mills continues on this track and opts to create other restrictions that will inhibit the growth of business in the town, it could drive some things away from Hope Mills.

“I’ve got a grocer that wants to go to Hope Mills,’’ Riddle said. “I’ve got a Dunkin’ Donuts. I’ve got another full-service restaurant. They are all going to probably get hit with the new ordinance.

“What else is Hope Mills planning to do? If they want to be Pinehurst or Cary, they could get real strict. Everybody isn’t going to want to go to Hope Mills if they get real strict. They’ll just bypass (the town).’’

Riddle said he’s not arguing against Hope Mills developing some kind of stricter sign ordinance, but he thinks whatever is done needs to be within reason.

“They’re going from one extreme to the other,’’ he said.

Photo: Joe Riddle

  If you’re reading this, congratulations— you made it! We’re a week into a brand-new year, complete with thoughts of its challenges, of what victories lie ahead and of the memories gone by. Over the past year, many of us celebrated the joy and excitement of new life, some experienced the sadness of loss, and, if we’re at all alike, we’ve done our best to be a friend offering encouragement in the wake of both the best and worst of times.

If nothing else, 2018 gave me opportunity once again to acknowledge the fact we’re all just passing through. We get, we give, we have and we hold, but in the end we arrive at the same humbling conclusion — everything on this earth is temporary. While we build mighty castles to wall us in or monuments to all we consider great, the only true legacy we leave will be found in how we loved.

Over time I’ve learned to loosen my grip on the things I think I control lest they begin to control me in return. And I am reminded there is a time and season for everything and a marvelous creator who steadies and stills us though it all.

I don’t want to beat a depressingly melancholy drum too long, so let’s peer down the road from these first few days of 2019 with the knowledge that we have choices. We can each choose to see a winding road strewn with rocks, slopes and unknown peril around each bend. Or, we can look a little further to the beauty of the horizon with the realization the road itself is a journey worth taking. Each step brings us closer to something new and often leads us away from things familiar.

In either case, we take those steps both challenged and comforted by an immensely wise creator who seems to say, “Be prepared to let go of anything I take from you, but never let go of my hand!”

You may have entered 2019 without making a resolution or a promise, but there is plenty of positive change anyone can work on this year. Start by simply being grateful. Take stock in all you’ve already been given. More than food, a decent car, a home or stuff to fill it, count the blessings of family, friends and life itself.

At WCLN, our daily charge is to help bring relationships to life and deliver music filled with the good news that God loves every person in the world. We believe the two greatest things we could inspire anyone to do is to love God back and to love others more than themselves. That’s what makes Christian 105.7 different, and it will work for you, too.

Enjoy your family and friends today. Give extra hugs and words of love just because you can. Make the world a happier place by doing some extra act of kindness. Smile a little bit longer. Most importantly, be grateful for the life you’ve been given.

 What really happened to Virginia Dare, the first child of English parents born in the New World? This is the same Virginia Dare whom I suggested recently belonged on “The World Almanac’s” list of famous North Carolinians.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Sir Walter Raleigh’s organization and establishment of the colony on Roanoke Island as described by Andrew Lawler in his book “The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke.” He called the expensive and intricate preparations for the colony “the Elizabethan equivalent of the Apollo program.”

In July of 1587, the colonists arrived on Roanoke Island led by its governor, John White, whose granddaughter, Virginia Dare, was born Aug. 18. A few days later, White sailed to England for much-needed supplies. When he finally returned in August 1590, the colony had disappeared, leaving only a carving of “Croatoan” on a tree as a possible clue.

There are a lot of answers to the question of what happened to Virginia Dare, her family and their fellow colonists. Most are legends. Some say Virginia Dare grew up into a lovely young woman and was transformed into a white doe, an animal that still haunts coastal North Carolina. Another story says she and other colonists made their way to Robeson County where some locals will show you her burial site near Red Springs.

Less imaginative authors suggest that the colonists, including Virginia Dare, died from hunger, disease or a massacre by Native Americans. Others suggest that the colonists joined nearby Native Americans and were absorbed by them.

In “The Secret Token,” Lawler gives a history of the developing interest in Virginia Dare and the Lost Colony. After her baptism certificate in 1587, there was no public mention of her until 1834. In that year, Harvard-trained historian George Bancroft published his influential “A History of the United States.” Lawler writes, “It is difficult to overstate his impact on the way we see Raleigh’s colony today.”

For Bancroft, the colony was “the germinating seed” for our country and its institutions, “just as important as its revolutionary coming of age.”

Lawler writes that for Bancroft, “Roanoke was, in essence, the nation’s humble Bethlehem, and Virginia Dare was its infant savior destined for sacrifice.”

Bancroft’s version sparked an explosion of writing and activity around Virginia Dare. In the 1890s, some white supremacy organizations adopted her. Lawler writes, “Roanoke Island emerged as a pilgrimage site for Anglo-Americans seeking to reaffirm their racial dominance at the annual celebration of Virginia Dare’s birth.”

According to Lawler, Marjorie Hudson — Chatham County author of “Searching for Virginia Dare” — takes a different and less exclusive path. She writes that Virginia Dare “is the archetypal mother, a source, like a great river of strength and blood for descendants of a convergence of two great peoples.”

Lawler chronicles efforts to learn where the colonists, if they survived, went. To Croatoan, now a part of Hatteras Island? To Site X, a place marked under a patch in a map drawn by John White, located where the Roanoke River flows into the Albemarle Sound? Or to the Chesapeake Bay near where the Jamestown Colony settled and where Powhatan, the local Indian king, massacred them?

Or near Edenton, where in 1937, a California man said he found a large stone? It was inscribed with a message from Virginia Dare’s mother, Eleanor, to her father, John White, reporting the death of her husband, her daughter Virginia, and other colonists. Lawler’s account of this probable fake “Dare Stone” is almost as interesting as the story of the colonists told by Harnett County native and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Green’s outdoor drama, “The Lost Colony.”

 Individuals with disabilities have long struggled with and continue to struggle with a lack of appropriate assistance. Many who cope with physical or mental impairments have not always received appropriate assistance because of their limitations. As a consequence, career and educational options can seem dim for these individuals.

In the past, society offered little to no support related to jobs and educational opportunities for individuals with disabilities. This was primarily because of a lack of acceptance for those individuals coupled with problems in providing adequate accommodations for individuals who needed them.

Currently, our society agrees that it’s important to treat all people fairly. Acceptance is growing nationally for those who have disabilities. Many areas of government are inspiring and encouraging people to live rewarding lifestyles regardless of their situations or limitations. Federal and state laws are helping everyone reach for academic accomplishment and achievement.

Contemporary standards and regulations associated with the Americans with Disability Act protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination at federally funded colleges. Fayetteville Technical Community College collaborates with this initiative by providing students with quality, non-discriminatory education. FTCC’s Disability Support Services Office works hard to assure students that FTCC is working on their behalf.

Students who have documented psychological and medical disabilities often obtain services through FTCC’s Disability Support Services Office. FTCC provides these services, known as academic accommodations, to students at any time as needed during each semester. Accommodations depend on the student’s diagnosis.

A few examples of common accommodations students might receive include extended time on assessments, a separate setting for assessments, use of assistive technology, preferential classroom seating, extended time transitioning between classes and more.

Accommodations related to a student’s disability are determined according to the proper diagnostician and Office of the Civil Rights recommendations. Approvals for services are accessible through a straightforward application process for academic assistance.

FTCC ensures that faculty and staff employees throughout the college understand the importance of implementing ADA standards and regulations. FTCC also promotes assured methods of maintaining ADA compliance. FTCC also provides professional development opportunities and training for school personnel to verify policies and procedures are efficient and effective.

FTCC provides equal learning opportunities to all regardless of a student’s physical or mental impairment. An office representative from the Disability Support Services Office will be happy to assist current and future FTCC students with their inquiries about eligibility for receiving accommodations.

Students can sign up now for spring classes, which begin Jan. 14. For additional information, please email grooverc@faytechcc.edu or call 910-678-8479.

 The Givens Performing Arts Center presents “So Good for the Soul: A Tribute to Motown Music” Saturday, Jan. 12, at 8 p.m. in Pembroke.

“We are excited to start the new year with this nostalgic concert,” said Chad Locklear, marketing director of GPAC. “It will feature a cast of about eight veteran entertainers and their bands.”

Locklear said some of the entertainers are former members of The Marvelettes, and some are past Broadway performers who have had leading roles in shows like “Dreamgirls,” “Porgy & Bess” and “Show Boat.”

The show’s director, musical director, choreographer and costume designer have jointly won more than 25 of America’s most prestigious theater awards. Cumulatively, the cast members have performed on recordings with more than 30 million record sales and have more than 40 years of experience.

“It is a very talented cast of performers, and it is a tribute to Motown music (with) a lot of the songs everyone will be familiar with because folks have grown up with them,” said Locklear. “They are iconic songs by performers that everyone will be familiar with like Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Temptations, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and many more.”

Locklear added that the show pays tribute to a lot of Motown performers and their songs throughout the 1960s and ’70s.

“We try to do concerts that are nostalgic and will appeal to our older generation, alumni and a wider audience,” said Locklear. “This is one of those familyfriendly shows that any age group can appreciate.”

Adding an extra bit of flavor to this show, there will be a themed meal before the performance. Tickets for the dinner will be sold separately.

“There is going to be a soul food meal prepared by our chef on campus and it will be held in the Chancellor’s dining room,” said Locklear. “The dinner will begin around 6 p.m. We’ve got a grant from the Robeson County Arts Council, The North Carolina Arts Council and McDonald’s Rust Enterprises, and we are grateful that they are sponsoring us. We look forward to everyone coming out to enjoy the show.”

Ticket cost is $21-$36. For more information, visit www.uncp.edu or call 910-521-6361.

 Come join the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra for a magical evening of “Magical Mozart” at St. John’s Episcopal Church in downtown Fayetteville. The concert, set for Thursday, Jan. 17, is the first concert for FSO in the new year. St. John’s Episcopal Church provides an intimate venue for listening to a sampling of works by the famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Mozart, a child prodigy who began composing music at the tender age of 5, authored more than 600 symphonies, concertos, operas and chamber music pieces designed for smaller venues, such as a palace chamber, before his death at age 35. Each selection at St. John’s will be discussed prior to the musicians playing it, so guests will know what makes each piece special.

Many people are not aware of the reach of Mozart’s influence but have most likely observed his effects on modern culture. At some point, almost everyone has watched the Looney Tunes cartoon-opera “The Barber of Seville” where “The Marriage of Figaro” is the hilarious ending to the cat-and-mouse game frequently played by Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. Even the band Queen gave an open nod to Mozart in their classic mock opera “Bohemian Rhapsody.” And, of course, the 1984 movie “Amadeus” featured a fictional portrayal of Mozart’s life.

The song “Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco is a historical pop song dedicated to the composer. Mozart’s works are also used in commercials, movies and TV shows today.

According to FSO President Chris Kastner, the beauty of “Magical Mozart” is that it is set in a historical church with excellent sound quality in the heart of Fayetteville. “There is nothing better on a cold winter’s night than being enveloped with the sound of the music,” she said.

St. John’s seats about 300 people, and the acoustics are perfect for chamber music concerts.

FSO prepared a program to highlight Mozart’s three most popular operas, “The Magic Flute,” “The Marriage of Figaro” and “Don Giovanni,” as well as “Serenade No. 12 in C Minor,” to be played by eight wind instruments in this instrumental-only performance.

“This program is great for high school students or others that may want to perform,” stated Kastner, “and small chamber concerts allow for novices to hear individual instruments where they typically cannot in a large orchestra setting.”

Kastner also noted, “The intimacy of the setting allows attendees to appreciate how hard the musicians work during a performance.” Whether you are a seasoned classical music aficionado or a novice looking to expand your horizons, the FSO concert at St. John’s is a fantastic setting for listening to music by one of the world’s greatest composers.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the door the evening of the performance on Jan. 17. Find out more at https://squareup.com/store/fayettevillesymphony-orchestra/item/magical-mozart-tickets.

St. John’s is located at 302 Green St. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Readers of Up & Coming Weekly have likely encountered Pitt Dickey’s funny and sometimes outlandish biweekly opinion column. He has a knack for combining Greek mythology, random factoids, quotes from old T.V. commercials, politics and social commentary in a way that leaves readers chuckling and, on occasion, slightly bewildered.

Dickey is more than just a funny writer, though. He’s an attorney who specializes in advocating for people in need of Social Security disability benefits. He became a partner with Smith, Dickey & Dempster P.A. in 1978 and has been working Social Security disability cases for more than 35 years.

“There’s very little funny in disability,” he said of his career. “There are a lot of people that need help.”

While Dickey likes to poke fun at authority in his column, that strategy connects to a serious ideology. “(Authority bothers me) when it squishes the little people,” he said. “The poor and the sick don’t have that much of a lobbying ability like big pharma.

“Representing people with Social Security disability, basically I’m representing people who the government says are not sick enough to get disability benefits.

“I say they are, and then we have a hearing, and the judge decides for us.”

In a seeming paradox, Pitt said he knew he wanted to be a lawyer as a child because he wanted to know what the rules were. As an adult, he said, he still believes in the importance of rules.

“If we don’t follow the rules, then it’s whoever’s strongest gets to eat the weak people. These folks I represent in disability cases, they’re at the end of their rope. They have no money, and they have no insurance for the most part, unless they’re military. And I can use the rules to help them.”

In 1996, Dickey was working both Social Security disability and family law cases, which he described as “the equivalent of being a legal proctologist.” He needed an outlet, and he’d taken several English classes as an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in the early ’70s.

Back to 1996. Dickey ran into Bill Bowman, who had recently become the new owner of Up & Coming Weekly, at Haymont Grill. Dickey asked if he could write a column for the paper.

Dickey’s only foray into published humorous writing at that point was an opinion piece he’d written during his adolescent years at Seventy-First High School. The topic? The lunchroom. The entire edition of that school newspaper was recalled. “You can’t poke fun at the school lunchroom,” is what he learned.

Back again to 1996. “(Bill) said sure, send one in, and I did. And the rest is history.

“The column in Up & Coming Weekly allows me to poke at the powers that be. … You can’t go out and make people do things, but if you point out that what they’re doing is ridiculous, that might in some way change things. Authority doesn’t like humor.”

Ultimately, he said, he also just genuinely enjoys entertaining people. The key to both his writing process and to understanding his articles, he said, is “the drinking of coffee. Then everything makes sense.”

Since 1998, Dickey has also written a monthly column covering various need-to-know subjects for Social Security disability claimants. It appears online at www.seniormag.com and in several local publications.

He’s been married for more than 40 years to Lani Dickey, a longtime educator at FTCC who recently retired.

“We met on the steps of the institute of government on the first day of law school (at UNC),” he said. “She was a Davidson and I was a Dickey, and we were lined up in alphabetical order. Isn’t that beautiful? If she’d been a Smith, who knows?”

Photo: Pitt Dickey

 The North Carolina Department of Transportation had hoped to open a new section of Fayetteville’s Outer Loop by Christmas. But DOT spokesman Andrew Barksdale said it will likely be summer or fall of this year before the segment from the All American Freeway to Cliffdale Road opens to traffic.

“Fort Bragg wanted a way to get from a unit’s motor pool straight to the training area and not have to go out and around (Interstate) 295,” Barksdale said. “A bridge was too costly, so we are building a large enough tunnel — at a cost of $2 million — for the military vehicles to use to travel under I-295.”

Barksdale noted Fort Bragg formally requested the enhancement of the project, and DOT Secretary Jim Trogdon approved it. Trogdon is from Hope Mills and retired in 2016 as the Deputy Adjutant General of the North Carolina National Guard.

A Fayetteville loop was first considered in 1977. But similar projects in Charlotte were given funding priority for several years.

In 2005, the DOT received the I-295 designation as a future route with signs erected along initial sections of the route soon after that. Changes made in 2014 downgraded the freeway to NC 295, a temporary designation pending completion of the loop. The Outer Loop, as it is alternately known, improves connectivity between Fort Bragg and Interstate 95, a commitment the Army sought for decades.

It also provides a new commuter route between the post and the city of Fayetteville. The final design takes the bypass 39 miles around the north, west and south sides of Fayetteville. Once the section to Cliffdale Road is completed, the next project awarded by DOT at a cost of $85.2 million will be a 3.1-mile stretch to Raeford Road.

The final three legs of the beltway are being built simultaneously. A design-build concept makes it possible for Barnhill Contracting Co., Sanford Construction, and HDR Engineering to work together and combine all aspects of the plan from design through construction under a single contract.

Work includes replacing the Lake Rim runoff bridge over Bones Creek on Old Raeford Road. That fragment should be finished by May 2022. Then comes Raeford Road to Camden Road. A contract is set to be awarded by DOT this month with construction to be completed by 2023.

The final leg of the future interstate is from Camden Road to I-95 South just below the Cumberland/ Robeson County line. That $129.7 million design-build contract has already been awarded to the Wilmington-based team of Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc., Branch Civil Inc. and STV Engineers Inc. and has a scheduled completion of July 2021.

When finished, I-295 will connect I-95 North and U.S. Highway 13 at Eastover to Fort Bragg. It then curves around Fayetteville and Hope Mills and  reconnects to I-95 South above St. Pauls. Total cost will be $1 billion.

Works of art most often reflect what is important to the artist: beliefs, sentiments or ideas.

For local artist Saundra “Sandy” Smith Rubiera, memory became the core of her inspiration. A personal story, a Southern cultural memory, Rubiera’s childhood in Fayetteville, North Carolina, frames the narrative in her mature body of work. Tuesday, Jan. 15, Gallery 208 will host an opening reception for her latest exhibit, “What Touches Us: Works by Sandy Rubiera” from 5:30-7 p.m. at 208 Rowan St.

The beginning of Rubiera’s accomplished artistic career began when she attended East Carolina University as an art student. By the time she left the university, she had completed a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting with a minor in printmaking.

She married a professional photographer (her son is a professional photographer as well) and they lived in Miami, Florida, for 25 years before she and her family returned to Fayetteville. A former educator, Rubiera has illustrated three published picture books and exhibits nationally, regionally and locally.

Most recently, Rubiera was one of the artists awarded the 2016-2017 Regional Artist Grant. This grant is administered and funded by the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County with support from the North Carolina Arts Council and the counties of Lee, Moore, Richmond, Robertson and Scotland, the city of Fayetteville and Cumberland County.

Although the majority of works in “What Touches Us” are Rubiera’s most recent works in Prismacolor pencils, professional markers and acrylic paints, Gallery 208 will present a range of Rubiera’s work so visitors can see the span of her career, including several multi-colored relief prints she made while studying at ECU.

After seeing the early work, visitors to the exhibit will readily recognize that Rubiera’s identity as an artist and what she values was present even when she was a young art student. Her early work evoked a sense of joy and celebrated simple pleasures. The early relief images are figurative and revel in the love between women and children.

Experiences of joy, beauty and simple pleasures are central to Rubiera’s content. Her approach to composition and pictorial perspective was forever altered when, as a student, she climbed a ladder to change a light bulb and viewed her surroundings from above. All of her mature body of work combines a birds-eye viewpoint with bright colors, patterns and a flattened space.

Rubiera is clear about her approach to imagemaking: “I have spent my life studying, teaching and making art. What inspired me to pick up a pencil, brush or pen and make marks on paper or canvas is the same now as when I first started out as an artist: color, pattern and flattened space.

“Although I draw from life, I make a conscious effort to flatten the space in the picture plane by tilting it toward the viewer and altering the perspective. The objects looked stacked, one on top of the other, vertically, rather than one behind the other, horizontally.

“For me, color needs to be intense and as bright as I can make it to be exciting, like opening a new box of crayons on the first day of school. My work is flat and decorative. I love patterns, texture and making marks on a surface. I like the movement they create in a drawing or painting and the way they activate the surface by breaking large shapes into smaller colored areas.”

Memories, the core of Rubiera’s mature work, take the form of sensations, objects and emotions. Unlike in her early work, the figure is replaced with the still life as a subject. Embedded in the still life are memories — like being a small child at her grandmother’s house.

“There is an element of storytelling in my work,” Rubiera said. “The objects I draw and paint are objects I touch or use every day — objects perhaps unimportant to others, but which have meaning for me beyond my finding them interesting or beautiful. These objects evoke stories from my own memories or sometimes stories I make up about them.

“I find these stories funny or whimsical, sometimes sad, sometimes silly. We all struggle, I think, daily, with horrors in the news and difficulties in our own lives. In my drawings, there is no cruelty or violence, no war or hunger or pain. I am aware that this is not the real world, but I want the viewer to forget all that if only for a moment.”

When reflecting on Rubiera’s body of work, I think about the greater meaning successful works of art can have for all of us who view it. While memory sensations have had a direct influence on the work, has Rubiera given voice to a varied and changing cultural landscape of identities and values? Rubiera is presenting her personal reflections and experiences. As an artist, has she left out enough information for us to construct our own meaning?

Positive answers to the above questions relate to the success of Rubiera’s work. Although the image is crowded with objects, Rubiera’s formal choices leave us, the viewers, with enough room to complete the work with our own curiosity. If we let go of preconceived ideas about what a work of art should be, we can rethink the familiar.

Works of art can express feelings and emotions in ways that speech does not. Rubiera successfully stimulates a type of joy that anyone, of any age, can appreciate.

Overall, art reflects what it is to be human, and the cultural dialogue in art is many things. Rubiera brings to the table an important perspective: beauty and joy are still important to our wellbeing. Having knowledge of Rubiera’s career path as an artist, it is easy to see she is a creative role model who can inspire many people of all ages to enjoy art or become artists.

Locally, Rubiera’s work is carried by Lisa’s Picture Framing in the Haymount area of Fayetteville. She also has a website: www.saundrasmithrubiera.com.

The public is invited to attend the Jan. 15 reception of “What Touches Us: Works by Sandy Rubiera,” from 5:30-7 p.m. at Gallery 208, located at 208 Rowen St. The exhibit will remain in the gallery until mid-March. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. For more information, call 910-484-6200.

 Note from Up & Coming Weekly Publisher Bill Bowman: No one has a better feel for the progress and economic momentum taking place in Cumberland County than Robert Van Geons, president and CEO of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation. When an inept Washington, D.C., personal finance website like WalletHub shoots from the hip and publishes its version of fake news at our expense, someone needs to set the record straight. Read on. Van Geons does just that. Let’s see if WalletHub picks up on this story. Or, better yet, maybe WTVD 11 will pick it up.

On the morning of Jan. 3, I received a call from Fayetteville Mayor Colvin asking if I had seen a recent study by WalletHub, which listed Fayetteville last on its list of “Best Places to Find a Job.” Considering all the projects we have underway, the recent economic development announcements and general state of our local economy, his instincts told him this wasn’t correct. While the city’s communication team followed up with the publisher, I took a closer look at the study. We soon found out that the mayor’s suspicions were on point.

Digging deeper, when reviewing the sources listed, it was clear that most of the data had been collected in 2016, before projects like the $130 million Woodpeckers Stadium/downtown development, our new transit center, the $35 million Parks and Recreation Bond and important initiatives such as Pathways to Prosperity. And it certainly didn’t include any of the job-creating economic development announcements made in the last two years, Booz Allen Hamilton, Campbell’s Soup Company and eClerx as examples.

At best, rankings like what was published by WalletHub say a lot about where we’ve been — as opposed to where we are today or where we are headed.

Before going any further, let’s be clear. We are a work in progress. I am confident that most of our public- and private-sector leadership would agree that, while we are making great strides, there remains much to be done. That said, our recent history shows us confronting tough challenges, investing in the future and driving progress forward.

Wanting to understand better the data that went into the WalletHub rankings, we went searching for the reports referenced, starting with the heavily weighted “Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.” To our surprise, that analysis is only available for the 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas, of which we are not one (Fayetteville is #138).

Shortly after this discovery, the city’s communications team received additional information from WalletHub, showing that five data points for Fayetteville were marked “N/A – Not Available,” taking 17.07 of 100 possible points off the proverbial table.

Subsequent conversations with the publisher confirmed that while we were not penalized for unavailable data, based on the sources they chose to use, we could not receive points for any of the following:

• Employment Outlook: Double Weight (6.53 points)

• Job Satisfaction: Full Weight (3.27 points)

• Retirement Access and Participation: Full Weight (3.27 Points)

• Transit Score: Full Weight (2.00 Points)

• Recreation-Friendliness: Full Weight (2.00 Points)

In the end, benchmarking our community against other cities can provide valuable insights. However, if someone is going to saddle a community with a label, the same criteria must be used for all. Putting our city at the bottom of a list that was developed using incomplete data is downright disingenuous.

Our community is moving forward, and I am confident that our citizens — and those considering Fayetteville for a business or personal move — will see past this website’s ranking. While WalletHub left out important statistics about our community, here are a few of which we can be proud.

• 1,200-plus current job openings in Fayetteville (NCWorks Employment Center)

• $200 million-plus announced projects under construction (FCEDC)

• 1,100-plus new jobs announced since January 2017 (FCEDC)

• 3,725 more people working than December 2016. (NC Commerce)

• 2,000 more people in the labor force (NC Commerce)

• 1,00,000-plus square feet of new construction underway (FCEDC)

• 4.6 percent unemployment rate – down 1.5 percent since December 2016 (NC Commerce)

The actions we are taking today set the foundation for us to be a stronger, more vibrant and globally competitive city. Working together, we are committed to building an economic landscape full of opportunity for all of our citizens. No internet study is going to deter us from continued progress along our path toward a brighter and more prosperous future.

 When the 116th Congress convened last week, 25 women were sworn in as senators, and a stunning 102 women became members of the House of Representatives, 43 of them women of color. For the first time in our nation’s history, nearly one-fourth of Congress is composed of women members — nowhere near our 51 percent of the population but far above the paltry numbers of the past.

And, oh, the diversity! At 29, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman to serve in Congress. Two Muslim women were sworn in, one of them wearing a traditional Palestinian gown, a colorful throbe. The other, a Somali native, recalled her arrival to the United States with her father 23 years ago from a refugee camp in Kenya.

Kansas and New Mexico sent the first Native American women to Congress. Marsha Blackburn and Cindy Hyde-Smith became the first women senators from Tennessee and Mississippi, respectively. Six states — Arizona, California, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire and Washington — are now represented by two women Senators. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is the first openly bisexual person ever sworn into the U.S. Senate.

Our U.S. Congress remains overwhelmingly white and male, but it is beginning to look more like the rest of America than it ever has.

The gains for women are unequal viewed through a partisan lens, however. Far more women ran and won as Democrats than as Republicans, who lost 10 women House members, down from 23 in the last Congress to 13 today. Of the 127 women now serving in Congress, 21 are Republicans. Of the 36 new women members of the House, one is a Republican. Republicans picked up two new women senators, but it is clear that for all sorts of reasons, Republican women remain on the elective sidelines.

Two questions seem obvious. Why is this pink wave happening now, and why is it important?

Many American women were stunned by the election of Donald Trump. Add in the #MeToo movement ignited by sexual harassment and assault from Trump, media moguls and stars, chefs and bosses of all stripes, and women reached a breaking point.

We ran for election to offices at local levels and to win positions as governors and members of Congress, and more of us won than ever before. We are doing so at younger ages, often without prior experience in public life, much less public office. Books are being written about this, including “Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger,” a New York Times best-seller by Rebecca Traister and a powerful and profane look at the lives of American women in workplaces dominated and controlled by men.

It is critical that women serve in public office, because we make up more than half of our nation’s population and because our life experiences are different from those of men, not better or worse but different in all respects.

From childhood, girls and boys experience the world in different ways, just as we do as adults. Like it or not, women continue to shoulder most household responsibilities, including child care and homemaking chores. This does not mean we come to elected responsibilities, from school board to U.S. president, with more skills than men but with different perspectives.

This difference was summed up nicely on a Christmas towel someone sent me online, which read, “Wise women would have asked directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stables, made a casserole, brought practical gifts, and there would be Peace on Earth.”

Neither approach is wrong, just different. The same is true of women in elective office. Some are better at their jobs than their men counterparts, and some are not. Both perspectives are needed at the table when public policy for all is being made.

It is clear that some of us are threatened by changes in American demographics, culture and governance. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus understood that people struggle with change when he wrote, “the only thing that is constant is change.”

American women are going through significant change now, and our nation will be better for it.

 In the three years my column has appeared in Up & Coming Weekly, I do not think there has been a time when I forthrightly characterized anybody. Circumstances, and my assessment of them, force me to do so in this column. I must acknowledge that far too many bullies and wimps populate the United States Congress. For the most part, many Democrats in Congress have earned the “bully” characterization, while a substantial number of Republicans are justifiably labelled as “wimps.”

The most recent event that shines a bright light on this “bullies and wimps” condition is front and center as I start this column Dec. 26, 2018. Twenty-five percent of the federal government shut down because the House, Senate, and president have not agreed on funding for a wall on the Southern border. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has repeatedly stated that Senate Democrats will not approve any funding for a wall. Since this matter was not settled by the expiration of the last continuing resolution Dec. 21, the partial shutdown commenced.

In what is happening here, the bullying shows through, first, in Democrats refusing to negotiate on a matter of national security reasonably. Allowing illegal immigration to proceed as it currently is in America clearly threatens our national security.

Then there is the in-your-face, confrontational, attacking approach employed by many Democrats in dealing with anybody who is part of the Trump administration or supportive of the president’s agenda.

A prime example of this conduct is reflected in comments by Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois to Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of Homeland Security, during a House Committee hearing. He brands her a liar, misappropriates a biblical passage and walks out of the hearing as Nielsen starts to respond to his comments. To get the full impact of the point I am making here regarding bullying by Democrats, please watch the clip of the Gutierrez/Nielsen exchange at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ScCMHhnkUk.

On the other hand, Congress has far too many Republicans whose actions show them to be wimps. For the last two years, Republicans have held a majority in the House and Senate and had a Republican in the White House. Donald Trump won the presidency, in great part, by promising to build a wall along the Southern border to curb illegal immigration. Congressional Republicans have given lip service to making the wall happen. Time and again, when they should have taken a stand, they promised to address the matter later. Republicans repeatedly bowed to the bullying of the Democrats.

In March 2018, Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill that funded the government through Sept. 30, 2018. Trump threatened to not sign the legislation because it did not include funding for a border wall. Republican Congressional leadership promised Trump that wall funding would be secured by the end of this year.

After Sept. 30 and into the new fiscal year, no serious action was taken to make wall funding available. An FY 2019 budget was put in place and funding was appropriated for 75 percent of the government. The remaining 25 percent was operating on temporary extensions that expired at midnight Dec. 21, 2018.

The Senate, overly populated by Republican wimps, by voice vote, passed another extension that would have gone into February 2019 — after Democrats take over the House majority. The extension included $1.6 billion for border security but did not include wall funding. Instead of accepting the Senate’s extension, the House passed a spending bill providing $5.7 billion for border security, including wall construction.

The Senate took no action on the House’s bill because Schumer made it clear that Democrats would not vote for wall funding. Given that it would take 60 votes in the Senate and there are only 51 Republicans, the House bill would fail in the Senate. No need to bring it up.

Trump has, rightly, locked in to his position that he will veto any bill that does not provide wall funding. At this point, it is not publicly known what amount would be acceptable to the president. Before the House action, it appeared Trump was about ready to give up the fight until the House Freedom Caucus demonstrated their lack of wimp affliction and encouraged the president to stand his ground. They committed to stand with him. The House Freedom Caucus is made up of 30-plus conservative Republicans led by Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina.

Another wimp presence indicator is that when the House was moving toward a spending bill vote, many Republican members had already left Washington, headed home for Christmas. This was especially true of those who were retiring or lost their re-election bid. Still on the payroll, in the midst of a crucial fight, they went home. Some had to be called back for the vote. Despite the urgency, 11 Republican House members did not vote.

In this bully/wimp circumstance, governing deteriorates to a dangerous and disgusting level. Conditions that make absolutely no sense are allowed to fester, and American citizens suffer. Consider some of what, with regard to the shutdown and illegal immigration, illustrates the horrible consequences of being governed by too many bullies and wimps.

Start with the $5.7 billion the House approved. Subtract the $1.6 billion the Senate offered for border security, but not a wall. That leaves $4.1 billion that could be spent on the wall, and Trump would probably accept this amount. An article by Kimberly Amadeo titled “FY 2017 Federal Budget Compared to Trump’s Spending” stated that FY 2017 federal spending totaled $3.982 trillion.

The government is in partial shutdown over $4.1 billion, or one-tenth of 1 percent of the total government spending in FY 2017.

We have 420,000 federal employees working without pay because they are considered essential and 380,000 on furlough without pay. It makes no sense.

An article by Alan Gomez titled “Federal judge blocks another attempt by Trump to limit asylum” addresses an area where the president has tried to take needed action, but the matter requires congressional correction. Following are crucial sections of the article:

“A federal judge in Washington on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration violated federal law by barring migrants from qualifying for asylum in the U.S. based on their fears from domestic abuse or gang violence in their home countries.”

“Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced new rules in June that required U.S. officials to deny those applications for asylum and place the applicants into expedited deportation proceedings.”

“Sullivan’s ruling follows a separate decision from a federal judge in San Francisco on Nov. 19, which temporarily prevents the Trump administration from implementing new rules that bar migrants who enter the U.S. illegally from requesting asylum.”

Being granted asylum in the U.S. requires that a person demonstrate that he or she has been, or expects to be, persecuted in their home country and that persecution is due to one of these five reasons: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, political opinion. Former Attorney General Sessions took the position that these conditions refer to actions by governments. If extended beyond governments, and beyond the five categories, we could have an even more dire situation than now.

As for illegal immigrants being allowed to apply for asylum, given the overwhelming flow across the Southern border, allowing it is unmanageable and does not pass the common-sense test. Both of these are matters that Congress should address, but they won’t touch them. They leave it to the president and then complain about what he does in response to these situations that threaten our national security.

A report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform titled “The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers” (2017) estimates that, after adjustments for taxes paid, illegal immigrants cost the federal government and state governments $115.9 billion annually. Paying $5.7 billion, even $25 billion, appears to be a reasonable investment to reduce that annual expense.

Democrats repeatedly say walls do not work. The Border Patrol says, and has demonstrated, that walls work. Further, research these walls that work: Israel- West Bank; Morocco-Algeria; Cyprus; India-Pakistan; Turkey-Syria. These walls work.

I could go on to address the negative impact of illegal immigration on employment for American citizens; the horrendous human consequence of illegal drugs that come across the Southern border; the additional crime that happens in our country; abuse of the asylum process. The list goes on.

Simply considering what is presented here makes it crystal-clear that Congress is an abysmal failure, and has been for years, with regard to addressing illegal immigration. Sadly, this is just one example among many that shows this institution to be nearing a state of uselessness, if not a danger, to the very survival of America. This condition should not be a surprise where bullies and wimps dramatically outnumber people of reason and courage.

  My wife, Deb, and I were having a discussion this morning and she reminded me of an old cliché that I hadn’t heard in years. “If you’re going to make an omelet, you have to crack some eggs.” I felt this saying to be appropriate for my article.

It surprises me how isolated the American people are to what is happening globally. Here in the U.S., President Trump is considered the No. 1 egg cracker. He is tough, and his style parallels that of Andrew Jackson. Jackson’s style was referred to by many as the “populist laissez-faire.” Middle America loved him, and the urban elitists despised him. Sound familiar?

The fact is, Europe has led the way in the global populist movement. This movement has been fully entrenched in the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and let’s not forget Greece. The similarities for all these countries have been the issues of immigration, taxes, trade and ultimately, cost of living. Any of that sound familiar?

British Prime Minister Teresa May’s days appear to be limited as her negotiation regarding Brexit — the U.K. leaving the European Union — likely will not pass the parliament. A decision must be made very soon on the agreement because on March 29, a hard Brexit is set to take place. This could prove devastating to the U.K. economy. One of the toughest issues in her negotiations with the EU was an open border with Ireland. You see, Ireland is part of the EU. Northern Ireland is considered part of the British Isles, and this is a huge issue for the UK.

In Italy, the trouble has been immigration as well as budget disagreements with the EU. The 5-Star Movement, a political party, is well organized and has teamed up with other groups to seize control of Italy’s legislative body. As a result, Parliament is now controlled by the populists. They are not likely to bow to EU demands.

A few weeks back, all eyes were focused on France as Macron called up nearly 89,000 police officers to bring an end to the civil unrest. Riots broke out after Macron attempted to increase the gas tax, bringing gas prices to more than $7.90 a gallon — all in the name of global warming. The unrest continued after he reversed his position on the gas tax increase. Now, the “yellow vests” — the rioters — continue their unrest due to the high taxes and the high cost of living in France.

Macron was elected in 2017 and his term is scheduled to end in 2022. Seventy-five percent of the population disapproves of his administration. I bet he does not serve his full term.

He has taken the torch from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, supporting a unified EU. Merkel just announced she will not seek re-election simply because she no longer has support of the people in Germany.

The issue in Germany has been immigration. One of the cornerstone policies of the EU is open borders among its members. As a result, there has been a huge influx of Muslim refugees into Germany.

The borders have closed, but not before a million Muslim refugees made Germany their home. Most of these refugees are uneducated, and most Muslim women are not allowed to work. Medical centers and hospitals are being swamped to meet the medical needs of these refugees — who have no means to pay.

The German citizens have had enough. Hence, the fall of the Merkel dynasty.

The Netherlands appears to be a carbon copy of Italy. The populist movement is led by Geert Wilders. He was the founder of the Partij voor de Vrijheid, or PVV, party. Currently, it is the third-largest party in the Netherlands. It was instrumental in keeping Prime Minister Mark Rutte in office. Immigration was the No. 1 issue for the PVV, and now it has focused on the EU deficit reduction plan. The PVV has clearly focused its attention on Brussels, home of the EU headquarters, as well as the European Central Bank.

The Belgian populist movement has gained traction under the leadership of Steve Bannon of Breitbart. Bannon was a trusted adviser for Donald Trump.

The populist movement is a global phenomenon that started years before the election of Donald Trump. Concepts of secure borders and bilateral trade agreements aren’t all that original. These same issues are coming to a head in Europe and have had an economic impact over all of the continent. Furthermore, these collective happenings have the potential to slow European growth to a crawl, and in some countries, the potential for recession is alive and well.

Populism is a grassroots movement that was born out of the struggles of the working class. I have written many times on the concentration of wealth, which is not just limited to the United States. As you can see, it has impacted the entire world.

If you’re struggling to put food on the table and a roof over your head, it’s hard to be worried about global warming. The last thing you need is a carbon tax on gasoline when it’s already close to $8 a gallon. President Macron, take care of your people first.

Of course we want to lend a helping hand to refugees fleeing war and oppression — but only to the extent we can afford to do so. On our very own Statue of Liberty, it says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.” A stone’s throw away, we also have Ellis Island, where migrants were screened for serious medical issues. If medical issues were found, they were treated and deported back to their original countries. We couldn’t risk the cost of spreading epidemics let alone the cost of medical treatment. The EU took none of these precautions, and it is paying the price.

As of this article’s writing on Jan. 3, our government has been shut down for almost two weeks, and Nancy Pelosi was just voted in as speaker of the house. The issue, of course, is the wall and immigration policy. Only time will tell who blinks first. The point is, immigration is a global issue, and I, for one, believe our safety is the first obligation of our government.

So, Mr. President, continue to crack eggs and stir them up in that omelet. If we get a few shells mixed in, so be it. Continue putting America first, and rebuild its heartbeat. Bring our industrial base home and secure our borders. And, yes, drain the swamp.

 The Fayetteville Police Department’s system of surveillance cameras is still not fully functional. It went down two years ago, and according to police spokesman Sgt. Shawn Strepay, “a portion of the system is up and running and other portions remain down.”

The cameras were purchased and installed with drug forfeiture funds. “The latest hurricane was a setback and caused additional damage to the system,” Strepay added. That was more than a year ago.

Dozens of cameras were initially installed, most of them in the downtown area. They can be monitored in real time at police headquarters. “We are currently going through the process of upgrading the system’s infrastructure to include hardwiring portions of the system with fiber optics, instead of relying only on a wireless system,” Strepay said.

The new FAST Transit Center on Robeson Street has its own system of exterior surveillance cameras that are monitored live, Strepay said. Recordings are also made, and the footage can be reviewed when necessary.

Voter information updating

In the past, local voters who failed to cast ballots on a regular basis had their names purged from the system, requiring that they re-register. The Cumberland County Board of Elections recently mailed biennial list maintenance notices to 13,169 registered voters to ensure their voter information is current. The notices were sent to registered voters who had not voted in two consecutive federal election cycles. They included address confirmation cards with instructions that they be filled out and returned.

“We encourage voters that receive the biennial list maintenance notice from our office to please respond,” said Board of Elections Director Terri Robertson. Voters who do not return their cards will be marked inactive. They will still be registered but will be asked to update their addresses the next time they vote.

Voters may also update their records at the Board of Elections office, 227 Fountainhead Ln. The office is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Another cold case cleared

The Fayetteville Police Department’s Special Victims Unit, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, has charged a suspect with a rape that occurred nearly 30 years ago. An investigation from Nov. 20, 1990, revealed the victim was kidnapped at Mazarick Park and sexually assaulted, after which the suspect stole her vehicle.

The case remained unsolved until Nov. 2017, when detectives learned that DNA from the crime scene had been linked to a Wilbur D. McGill, 54, of Torbay Drive.

He was recently located in Orange County, Florida, and charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping, robbery with a dangerous weapon, larceny of motor vehicle and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. McGill is being held in Orange County pending extradition to North Carolina.

Town hall community development meetings

Cumberland County Community Development is holding town hall meetings to provide information about various housing programs and other activities offered to eligible Cumberland County residents through the Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership Program. Feedback is welcomed from community residents. It helps the department prioritize projects to be undertaken during the 2019 program year.

Several meetings have taken place. Those still scheduled will be held Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. — Godwin Town Hall, Godwin; Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. — Falcon Town Hall, Falcon; Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. — Spring Lake Town Hall, Spring Lake; Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. — Wade Town Hall, Wade; and Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. — Linden Town Hall, Linden.

For more information, contact Community Development at 910-321-6112 or online at www.co.cumberland.nc.us/departments/communitydevelopment-group/community_development.

 The North Carolina Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement is evaluating tangible evidence of voter fraud in Cumberland and Robeson counties. Robeson is one of the counties alleged to have been significantly involved in election irregularities in the 2018 9th Congressional District race.

The state is investigating allegations that Harry L. Faust, 34, of Fayetteville and Lumberton voted twice using different addresses. Documents obtained by Up & Coming Weekly purport that Faust registered and voted first in Robeson County Oct. 22.

An email sent by Cumberland County Board of Elections Director Teri Robertson to the state board of elections’ chief investigator said Faust voted in Fayetteville, where he was already registered, Nov. 2. “That case is under investigation, and I cannot comment further,” said Patrick Gannon, a spokesman for the state board.

There is no apparent record of Faust living at the Cattail Court address in East Fayetteville that he claimed on registration documents. He is, however, a former resident of 785 Rose Ct. in Lumberton, which is the address he listed on forms there.

Other public records indicate Faust is a registered sex offender. He spent a year in prison after being convicted in 2013 of taking indecent liberties with a child. He gave Rose Court as his address at that time.

Robertson said that while reviewing duplicate voter information, a board of elections staffer found documentation that Faust had voted twice. The office of the state board says on its website that it “works in conjunction with County Boards of Elections to ensure that elections are conducted lawfully and fairly.”

It is unclear whether findings in the Faust case will be presented during an evidentiary hearing into allegations of misconduct during the 9th Congressional District election campaign.

Among the allegations are that Bladen County businessman Leslie McCrea Dowless, who worked for Republican Mark Harris’ campaign, coordinated an effort to collect and fill in, or discard, the ballots of Democratic voters who might have otherwise voted for Harris’ opponent, Democrat Dan McCready.

The board initially planned to hold the hearing Dec. 21, 2018, but it was rescheduled for Jan 11. Last week, the board put the hearing off again saying it needed more time to continue its investigation into illicit campaign activity. Harris beat McCready by 905 votes of 283,317 total votes cast.

The elections board refused to certify the results, citing an unusually high number of requested absentee ballots, many of which were unreturned, in rural Bladen County and neighboring Robeson County.

The 116th House of Representatives was sworn in Jan. 3 with a Democratic majority. The party flipped 40 seats in November. The local congressional district election is the only one undecided. The state board of elections appears to be leaning toward calling a new election to settle the issue.

Harris’ narrow victory over incumbent Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C., in the Republican primary is also under scrutiny, with new attention on the disproportionate number of absentee ballots — 96 percent — that Harris won in Bladen County. Pittenger said he will not challenge Harris if a second primary is held.

Photo: Mark Harris

  Sweet Tea Shakespeare, Fayetteville’s traveling theater company, starts the new year off with a twist. The location for its latest production is not a museum or a church, it’s Fayetteville Pie Company — and for good reason. Jan. 17-Feb. 3, the troupe will present the delectably gruesome “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Production Manager Medina Demeter said that while the troupe is known for its Shakespearean productions, this is not the first time it has strayed from the bard’s work. STS’ previous non-Shakespearean productions include “Jane Eyre,” “Songs for a New World” and “Sense and Sensibility.”

The character Sweeney Todd first appeared in literature in the 1840s. He was the villain in a Victorian weekly serial “The String of Pearls.” Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 rendition of Todd’s story, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” opened on Broadway in 1979 and won several awards, including Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. Many other stories have been created with the basic premise and character of Sweeney Todd, but it is Sondheim’s tale that STS will portray.

Shaking up the season with “Sweeney Todd” was an easy decision, Demeter said. “Sondheim is good any time of the year. The lyrics and melodies in ‘Sweeney Todd’ are particularly appropriate for those wishing to escape the commercialism of Valentine’s Day.”

The play’s main character and namesake, Sweeney Todd, played by STS founder Jeremy Fiebig, is a barber. He is also a killer with a tragic backstory. He disposes of his victims with the help of Mrs. Lovett, played by Marie Lowe, who bakes the victims’ flesh into meat pies and sells them in her pie shop. In true STS fashion, the group has made the story its own.

In addition to performing, Lowe is an associate art director and master of audience and LIT — the group’s drunken Shakespeare series. “We are a small troupe of company members who travel to different towns and venues, which is different than other theaters, but no matter what kind of show you see at Sweet Tea, some things are always the same: a focus on making great stories accessible to diverse audiences through great performances, music, fellowship and food,” she said. “One of my favorite things about Sweet Tea Shakespeare is that almost all of the people who have joined the company since I’ve been here came straight from the audience — including me.”

STS performs at a variety of venues, both indoor and outdoor, and is dedicated to bringing shows to as many audiences as possible. Setting this production at the Fayetteville Pie Company was the obvious choice.

“We are so fortunate to be working with the Fayetteville Pie Company — one of Fayetteville’s iconic eateries — for this production,” Demeter said. “With their help and the awesome staging possibilities in their restaurant, audiences can expect to feel like they are a part of the action.

“I am really enjoying the way the space at the Fayetteville Pie Company is at once challenging and infinitely fun to create in. I am excited to see the audience’s reaction to the use of space.”

Ticket price includes a savory pie, a sweet pie and a soft drink or tea. Beer and wine will be available for purchase.

“Try to carve out time to see this show,” said Demeter. “Getting tickets is easy as pie, and it’s guaranteed to not be crummy.”

Lowe noted that audiences often leave STS performances feeling pleasantly surprised at the uniqueness of the experience. “Almost everyone who comes to see one of our shows, whether it’s a musical or a new adaptation of ‘Jane Eyre’ or a drunk ‘Shakes in a bar’ or a traditional Shakespeare play, says the same thing — ‘I didn’t think I would have such a good time!’ There’s music, food, beverages adult and non, fellowship, T-shirts and a lot of laughter. I’d encourage people to … just come have a good time.”

STS’ mission is to celebrate the wonder of language, story and stagecraft by engaging a diverse community with accessible, imaginative, magical theater. STS work, inspired by Shakespeare and the early modern spirit, is heightened by music, presence, familiarity and fellowship.

STS employs universal lighting, which was common in Shakespeare’s day. Universal lighting illuminates the actor, the stage and the audience so the actors can engage more fully with the audience.

The company also uses large, movable set pieces instead of fixed sets. This not only keeps things simple, it emphasizes the actors and the performance. Many actors in STS productions assume the roles of more than one character in each production. In Shakespearean custom, cross-gender casting is also a part of STS productions.

There are two shows remaining in the STS 2018- 2019 season — “Maid Marion,” which runs April 25- May 12, and “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” which runs June 4-23.

Call the box office at 910-420-4383 or visit www.sweetteashakespeare.com for tickets and information. Tickets to “Sweeney Todd” cost $45. Performances are Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 17-Feb. 3. The show starts at 7 p.m.

 The holidays have come and gone, and we are entering a new year with all its blank new days stretched out in front of us.

I love the glitz and sparkle of the holidays, as well as the quiet moments of reflection that we somehow manage to work into our often-frantic schedules. Now that it is all over, I welcome the new year with its sense of freshness and renewal. Out with the dry tree and in with the paperwhite bulbs blooming on the kitchen counter.

Among the joys for me this holiday season was meeting several new babies just weeks old — the sort my father called “teeny weenies.” The new parents, thrilled and starry-eyed with both love and sleep deprivation, assured me they are getting the hang of 24/7 parenting. I, in turn, told them they have many adventures ahead with moments of great joy and moments of sheer terror. They smiled the smile of the uninitiated, but I know they will come to understand.

Also on my list of joys are the cards that come my way, bearing photographs of children with Santa, at play with siblings or just hanging out in their yards. The cards come, of course, not from the children but from the parents who love them so much they want to share them with family and friends not close enough to enjoy every moment with their precious little ones.

I understand. I, too, sent those cards for many years and still have a complete collection of Dickson photo cards from Precious Jewel No. 1’s first Christmas going forward to be joined by numbers 2 and 3 and into young adulthood. I would probably still be sending photo cards if the Precious Jewels were still willing to pose for them.

Those of us who have been parents for decades know, and new parents will learn, that bringing up children is a process, a journey that never ends. Even when we parents are gone, we live in our children’s memories, and our voices echo in their heads. Parenthood is not a series of highly significant and life-altering events, though those exist as well.

This brings me to a 2010 News and Observer profile of nationally acclaimed Durham architect Phil Freelon. In it, his wife, Nnenna, herself a Grammy award nominee, said this about her husband’s role as the father of their three children.

“I think he builds children. Not in the same way you build buildings, but you do build them. The time you spend, the things you model, the way you behave. Just the same way your partners, your employees watch you, your children watch you. And at some point, the walk becomes more important than the talk.”

She has hit on the simple and profound truth about being a good parent. You cannot tell children what it means to become a good person. You must show them.

Anyone who has ever been a parent or who has taken care of children knows this truth. Children, and especially adolescents, may seem lost in their own worlds that parents can barely fathom, but they are still sponges, taking in everything that happens around them, absorbing and processing their parents’ every word and action, for good or for ill.

That does not mean, of course, that every word and action must be perfect — an impossible standard — but it does mean just what Nnenna Freelon said, that “the walk becomes more important than the talk.”

My hope for 2019 for young parents beginning their journeys with their children is that you will live lives you hope your children will understand and admire, knowing that some days you will fail and some days you will be gratified to hear your own words and values repeated back to you, whether the children recognize that or not.

I wish the entire Up & Coming Weekly family and all its readers a happy and healthy 2019.

  It’s time once again to hop into Mr. Peabody’s Way Back Machine to take a stroll down memory lane to visit our old friend — the year 1919. For a year that is now a century old, 1919 doesn’t look a day over 68.

The year started with a bang on Jan. 1 when Edsel Ford took over the Ford Motor Company from his daddy, Henry Ford. Those of you of a certain vintage may recall his namesake car, the Ford Edsel, which appeared in 1958. The Edsel turned out to be one of the worst cars ever produced, although it provided many jokes for 1950s-era comedians. The Edsel only lasted until 1960 when production stopped due to lack of buyers. Naturally, if you have an Edsel now, it is worth a lot more than it was then.

In January, the tragic Boston Molasses Disaster took place. A storage tank filled with more than 2 million gallons of molasses collapsed. A 25-foot-high tsunami of molasses rushed through the streets of Boston at 35 miles an hour, killing 21 people and injuring more than 150 others. It was a sticky situation. To make matters worse, the 16th Amendment, creating Prohibition, went into effect the next day.

Politically, things were grumpy in 1919. The War to End All Wars, also known as World War I, had just ended. Like all things, nothing is finished until the paperwork is done. The winning team and the losers got together in Paris in January to work out the terms of the victory in the Treaty of Versailles so that the world could live in peace forever.

The treaty worked out about as well as the Titanic did in 1912 or the Edsel in 1958. The German’s were made to say, “I’m a bad country, kick me, and Uncle three times.” The Germans promised to pay the Allies much more in reparations than they could have done without using a rubber check. Unfortunately, the winning team was never told that winning is enough and a victory dance in the end zone is too much. The seeds of World War II were planted at Versailles.

In January, the Nazi party was founded as the German Farmers Party. Benito Mussolini founded the Fascist Party in Italy in February. The first congress of the Communist International met in Moscow in March and picked Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin as its leaders. Trouble was brewing. The poo was heading toward the fan. As Roman Emperor Claudius once said, “Let all the evil that lurks in the mud, hatch out.” The hatching started early in the year.

Not everything was grim in 1919. The comic strip “Barney Google” first graced the funny papers in June. Barney Google’s side kick, Snuffy Smith, eventually became the star of the strip. Snuffy’s wife, Loweezy, spent most of the strip hanging out clothes on the line and gossiping with her neighbor, Elviney. When Mrs. Smith was startled by news of some local event, she would blurt out, “Land O’ Goshen!” The “Snuffy Smith” comic strip continues to appear in fine newspapers 100 years later.

A bit of presidential medical trivia occurred the fall of 1919. President Woodrow Wilson was out on a long tour promoting the League of Nations. He had a stroke in October 1919, which left him essentially incapacitated for the rest of his term of office until 1921. Wilson’s wife, Edith, kept the country from learning how bad off Woody was by cutting off access to the president. Edith served as the country’s first female president for the rest of Woody’s term in office, acting as regent. She made presidential decisions in Wilson’s name while Woody recuperated. Just for a moment, ponder something like this happening now. President Melania has a nice ring to it.

In October, “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” first appeared in The New York Globe newspaper, dazzling and amazing readers ever since. You can now be dazzled and amazed at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Not to be outdone by the man with the world’s longest toe nails, Felix the Cat made his film debut in November 1919 in “Feline Follies.” Felix is credited with being the first cartoon character to gain a major audience. Mickey Mouse did not make his film debut until 1928, so Felix beat Mickey to the audience, although Mickey beat Felix to the bank.

So, what have we learned about 1919? Sometimes, the people selling wars to the public do not always tell the truth. If you suddenly smell a strong odor of molasses, either make pancakes or get to higher ground immediately. Melania might make a better president than our current Dear Glorious Very Stable Genius Leader. Bless his heart. Land O’ Goshen, I’m just sayin’. Happy New Year.

  As another year draws to a close, a year of Democratic resurgence in both national and local politics, I offer this challenge to incumbent and newly elected lawmakers alike. Do you really want to be leaders? Or do you just want to be politicians?

A mastery of politics is required to lead effectively, I grant you. No matter how high your ideals and how ambitious your goals may be, you have to win elections and cultivate alliances in order to fashion public policy. But only some effective politicians prove to be effective leaders.

In Washington, D.C., there is an obvious test of seriousness that, alas, few would-be leaders have been passing lately. Will Congress and the Trump administration do anything of consequence to address the most consequential issue we face, fiscal irresponsibility?

The federal budget is wildly, recklessly out of whack. Its massive annual deficits will add trillions more to the federal debt in the coming years.

Democrats blame the tax cuts enacted by the Republican Congress in 2017. It’s certainly the case that the reductions in personal and corporate income taxes, while growth-enhancing, will lead to lower federal revenues that would otherwise have been collected, at least in the near future. I believe the tax cuts should have been fully offset by budget cuts.

But Washington’s fiscal irresponsibility didn’t begin in 2017, and it has little to do with the nickeland- dime stuff we usually hear about on cable networks and talk shows.

Nearly three-quarters of what the federal government does can be described as transfer payments. It collects revenue from income and payroll taxes and then sends checks either to households (for Social Security, pensions and welfare) or to health care providers (for Medicare and Medicaid).

The federal government has promised more outflow than can be financed with the projected inflow. Progressives say they want to make up the difference with massive tax hikes — indeed, most want to expand Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and welfare programs even more — while conservatives say they want to control expenditures.

In truth, neither group seems to have the courage of their purported convictions. Few have offered anything approaching a viable plan for balancing the budget. When progressives claim only the “wealthy” will pay for their grandiose schemes and conservatives claim they can bring spending into line by targeting only “waste, fraud and abuse,” both groups are offering us a governing fantasy, not a governing philosophy. They are being unserious.

Here in North Carolina, the dividing line between politician and leader runs directly through the largest single function of state government: financing education. Democrats have promised vastly larger expenditures for preschool, elementary, secondary and higher education than the Republican-led General Assembly has yet appropriated. The money can’t come from borrowing, and the desired amount is too large to be financed by economizing elsewhere in the budget.

Either explicitly or implicitly, Democrats are calling for major tax increases — in the hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars a year. Will Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper include them in his upcoming 2019-21 budget proposal? Will Democrats list themselves as sponsors of such a tax hike in the 2019 session? Will the Republicans who have themselves promised much-higher spending levels be willing to sign on, as well?

I expect few such profiles in courage. Rather, I think some will be tempted to construct a kind of collusive settlement in the long-running Leandro litigation that would yield an order by the North Carolina Supreme Court to increase state spending — and, in effect, to raise taxes. This would be a thoroughly political gambit, not an exercise of leadership, and would provoke a constitutional crisis.

If they would truly lead, then policymakers of both parties should be looking for mutually agreeable ways to increase the productivity of the tax dollars North Carolinians already pay into education. States such as Florida, Indiana and Texas have higher-performing school systems as well as tax burdens comparable to or lower than ours. It can be done.

Will serious leaders step forward in 2019?