The minister who offered the invocation atthe most recent Hope Mills Board of Commissioners meeting must have had an idea about an entry on the agenda. He included Jesus’ admonition in the book of Matthew that “Every… household divided against itself will not stand.” Moments later, commissioner Jessie Bellflowers had a proposed resolution added to the agenda; that Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell be censured for cause.

Later, Mitchell, reading from a prepared statement, spoke of his concerns that some commissioners had been taking part in private discussions of town business on a private Facebook group known as the Hope Mills Chatter. Mitchell felt such closed discussions represented “social segregation of elected officials” that could be a violation of North Carolina’s Open Meetings law.

He did not mention them by name, but it’s widely known that Bellflowers and town board members Meg Larson and Jerry Legge were involved.

Knowing it would likely be defeated, Mitchell made a motion that commissioners not participate in group emails or closed online discussions because they represent a quorum of the governing body.

That’s when town attorney Dan Hertzog Jr. intervened. He cautioned that he agreed with some others that the virtual Facebook discussions did not necessarily violate the law.

Mitchell with drew his motion after Hertzog agreed to research the matter further.

Bellflowers introduced his motion that Mitchell be censured for behavior. He insisted that online, closed-group discussions are not considered official meetings. He said they did not engage in coordinated, simultaneous discourse. Bellflowers said none of the issues were likely to come before the board of commissioners for official action. “My first amendment rights have been challenged, and I take it personally,” said Bellflowers.

Commissioner Pat Edwards said this had become a “sore spot” for her and was the most recent of several conflicts among board members.

Commissioners Larson and Legge agreed with Bellflowers that Mitchell had raised an issue that had been be labored for months.

Mitchell said he was proud of his position, adding,“If you want to move on with this censure, that’s OK.”

The board did so, and the censure resolution passed on a 3-2 vote with Mitchell and Edwards dissenting.

In what is often the case, attorneys – even those who concentrate on communications law – disagree among themselves in nuances of the state’s open meetings and public records statutes. There is no misunderstanding of the preamble to the law, which states, “Where as the public bodies that administer the legislative, policy-making, quasi-judicial, administrative, and advisory functions of North Carolina and its political subdivisions exist solely to conduct the people’s business, it is the public policy of North Carolina that the hearings, deliberations, and actions of these bodies be conducted openly.”

PHOTO: Hope Mills Mayor Pro Tem Mike Mitchell

Civil Leader Dies

The legacy of a remarkable Fayettevillecivic leader will likely be anchored by his devotion to nature conservation in his hometown. Harry E. Shaw died on May 19 at the age of 91. He served in numerous capacities, including as president and chairman of the City of Fayetteville Linear Park Corporation.

At Mayor Mitch Colvin’s suggestion, the city’s Cross Creek Linear Park will be named for Shaw. He founded the nonprofit organization and personally directed development of the park and trail that runs along Cross Creek from Festival Park to Eastern Boulevard.

Shaw was a loan officer for Home Federal Savings & Loan for more than 30 years. He was elected to Fayetteville City Council in 1965 and won re-election four times, serving as mayor pro tem much of that time. In 1975, he was appointed by the governor to the board of Fayetteville Technical Community College, where he served for 29 years as its chairman. Shaw was a charter member of the Lafayette Society and a board member of Cape Fear Botanical garden.

New gateway to downtown Fayetteville opens

The new $24.3 million Rowan Street bridge in downtown Fayetteville is set to open June 5. Construction on the project is running six months ahead of schedule, according to North Carolina Department of Transportation.

Once the adjacent, old bridge is torn down, workers will finish construction on the final two lanes. “Favorable weather last year helped get the new bridge open half a year early, as did an internally compressed construction schedule by the contractor, S.T. Wooten Corporation of Wilson,” said DOT spokesman Andrew Barksdale.

The existing four-lane bridge was built in 1956 and had become functionally obsolete. The new bridge is made up of two spans. One crosses the CSX railroad, and the other goes over the Norfolk Southern railroad. The project also includes realigning Rowan Street, Murchison Road and Bragg Boulevard into an intersection that will create a new gateway into downtown and a more prominent route to the Fayetteville State University campus.

Cape Fear Valley launches clinical trials program

A new partnership in Cumberland County will enable Cape Fear Valley Health to have access to clinical trials. Carolina Institute for Clinical Research is the newly formed partnership between Cape Fear Valley Health and Wake Research/M3-Wake Research Associates, Inc., based in Raleigh.

“A robust clinical research program is an important part of an academic health system,” said Michael Nagowski, chief executive officer of Cape Fear Valley Health. “Our physician residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, emergency medicine, family practice, psychiatry and general surgery will benefit greatly from this partnership. Our patients and community will also benefit from having access to a wide variety of clinical trials.” 

Access to clinical trials will be available for nearly all major therapeutic areas including internal medicine, dermatology, women’s health, metabolic diseases, gastroenterology, men’s health, neuroscience, pulmonology, rheumatology, vaccines and women’s health trials.

City fire station repositioned

Fayetteville’s new Fire Station 12 at 911 Hope Mills Rd. is adjacent to J.W. Coon Elementary School. It’s three blocks east of the 65-year-old station it replaces, which was owned by the Lafayette Village Rural Fire Department until the city annexed the area in 2004. The land for the new station was donated to the city of Fayetteville by Cumberland County Schools.

“The new facility includes updated features needed for today’s fire service operations and resources, including our fire personnel,” said Fire Chief Ben Major.

The 10,000-square-foot building has two apparatus bays, a community/training room, a decontamination room, a kitchen and fitness room. The city paid more than $3.5 million for the station. Chief Major indicated response times will be shorter for the neighborhoods station 12 serves, which include Gallup Acres, Lafayette Village, Oakdale, South Hills, Ashton Forest, Quail Ridge, Queensdale and Evergreen Estates.

Health Department offers free mosquito insecticide

Mosquito season is in full swing in Cumberland County. The Cumberland County Department of Public Health is providing some relief by way of free mosquito insecticide to Cumberland County residents.

There are at least 60 types of mosquitoes in North Carolina. One of the most common and recognizable is the Asian tiger, with its distinct white and black striped legs and body. This pest feeds during dawn to dusk hours. Most of the mosquitoes native to North Carolina will reproduce in ditches, swamps, marshes and other natural bodies of water. But the Asian tiger mosquito tends to breed in pockets of standing water, sometimes in as little as 1 ounce.

To aid in reducing the mosquito population, Cumberland County Department of Public Health is providing Mosquito Dunks all summer long. The Mosquito Dunks product, provided at no cost to Cumberland County residents, is a biological pest control agent that kills mosquito larvae. It is nontoxic to fish, birds, wildlife and pets. Another effective means to reduce the mosquito population is the “tip and toss” method. Tip over any containers that have standing water including tires, flower pots, buckets, jars and barrels.

County residents can pick up a two-month supply of the Mosquito Dunk insecticide, with instructions on use, in the Environmental Health section on the third floor of the Health Department, 1235 Ramsey St., Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Board of Health discusses priorities

The Board of Health held its regular meeting on May 15. During that meeting, the agency discussed priorities previously established at the planning retreat in April. Issues discussed included the governing structure of the Health Department. On May 4, a letter from the Board of Health was sent to the Board of County Commissioners indicating they would like to see the Health Department remain an independent department from the Department of Social Services and that the Board of Health would like to remain a governing board.

Also discussed was a need for more school health nurses. An additional seven nurses have been requested to be added to the fiscal year 2018-19 budget. The Health Board also talked about an increase in transparency between the Health Department staff and the Board of Health and between the Board of Health and the Board of Commissioners and the community. The board also discussed issues including lowering the sexually transmitted infection rate in the county, providing better messaging around opioid misuse and becoming a leader in the effort to combat the opioid crisis in our community.

The 2017 Annual Report for the Department of Public Health is available online at http://co.cumberland.nc.us/health/community-resources/reports. The Board of Health meets monthly on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the 3rd floor board room of the Public Health Center, 1235 RamseySt. For more information, call 910-433-3705.

PHOTO: Harry E. Shaw

As the father of two young boys, one already in kindergarten, I can’t help but feel helpless seeing American school kids murdered in their classrooms on a monthly basis. “Thoughts and prayers” are running thin.

Columbine happened when I was in high school. I remember discussing it with my English class. Most of us wrote it off by arguing that the kids responsible were “just crazy.” Colorado was too far away, and it never really registered. We went on being high school kids.

Flash forward 20 years: I’m a dad now, and I’m at a PTA event in the auditorium of my old elementary school where I was a turtle in the Christmas play. The speaker interrupts bingo night to solicit donations to construct a solid wooden fence around the playground to “protect the perimeter” of the school.

What happened? No, seriously, what happened?

It used to be that there was a mass shooting and it was in the news for a few days, but it was soon forgotten and we all went about our lives. It could happen here, but it wasn’t a real threat, just a random freak event like a plane crash. We didn’t worry about “protecting our perimeter” like we were in a war movie.

Times have changed. We’re averaging one school shooting per week in 2018. A danger that once seemed random is now making an appearance at bingo night where it follows you home and sets up shop in the back of your mind where you store your catalog of fatherly fears. When you blog about it two months later, you’re still wondering if it could be your kid.

It’s not going anywhere. After all, we’re America.We’re different. We’re exceptional.

It’s a self-evident truth that more guns equal more gun deaths. Take basic math, logic, the nature of human conflict, add a dash of gunpowder, and you get the following:

Assault weapons kill people with amazing speed and efficiency, so it would make sense to try to keep these weapons out of the hands of minors, criminals, crazy people, etc. But we’re North Carolina, and we’re exceptionally exceptional, so there is absolutely nothing our right-wing legislators are going to do to curb access to assault weapons. Nothing. These men bash their peers in primaries if they get a B+ rating from the National Rifle Association.

But have no fear. Our leaders are on an innovative mission this spring to create new ways to save our kids without infringing on your (or their) right to bear assault weapons. Here’s a list from Longleaf Politics of school safety bills pending in the legislature:

• House Bill 933 lets North Carolina give school psychologist licenses to people who hold a national professional credential valid in 32 other states.

• House Bill 932 requires school districts to set up an anonymous tip line to help identify threats.

• House Bill 934 directs school districts to set up threat assessment teams and figure out how they’re going to respond to students who could cause harm to their school.

• House Bill 937 sets training standards for school resource officers.

• House Bill 938 gets charter schools to set up risk management plans, including making sure law enforcement knows the layout of school buildings.

• House Bill 939 will set up a framework for school districts to evaluate how safe their facilities are.

• House Bill 940 directs school districts to report out by Sept. 15 how many school resource officers they have and at what levels.

• House bill 941 allots $1.8 million to place school resource officers in more elementary and middle schools.

Do you feel better now? I don’t, and I’m not trying to be negative or sarcastic. It’s as if we’re conceding that these shootings are a new way of life, and we’re just trying to find a way to beat the shooters to the punch. If only we had more psychologists, more heroes to step in front of the bullets, or more wooden fences, we could stop them.

While all these bills are noble, they ignore the shiny black elephant in the room. The ignorance is intentional, just ask the Speaker of the House. Lawmakers are reviewing ways to increase school safety. But those efforts are expected to stop short of gun restrictions.

“Folks want to try to drag the gun debate into it, ”Republican House Speaker Tim Moore told a TV interviewer last week. “Look, that’s a discussion for another time.”

I guess he’s talking about me.

Do an internet search for “Christian support of Trump” and you will see a multitude of articles that roundly condemn Christians who supported him during the election and those who currently support this president. I did not find a single article that addressed the subject without a tone reflecting denunciation of these supporters. These articles appear driven by the fact that 81 percent of white evangelical voters voted for Donald Trump.

My reading of these articles and hearing comments of agreement from various individuals leads me to a troubling conclusion. That is, these people apparently think that being Christian, being in a faith relationship with God through Jesus Christ, requires one to take on a condition of total stupidity. The English Oxford Living Dictionaries define stupidity as “behavior that shows a lack of good sense or judgement.” Given that being Christian does not require believers to be stupid, allow me to share some thoughts regarding why I think many Christians support President Trump.

The argument put forth is that because of Trump’s alleged and actual “moral transgressions,” Christians who support him are guilty of hypocrisy. Elizabeth Bruenig writes the following in an opinion piece titled “Evangelicals’ support for Trump will cost them – spiritually” She says, “On the one hand, church going white evangelicals are among Trump’s most loyal supporters. On the other, there’s simply no way to square the way the president lives with the cultural vision these Christians seem to share.”

The statement above by Bruenig, which reflects the argument made by many, calls for what I see as an unrealistic approach to Christians helping make the world what God would have it be. They would have us not work with, not support, people whose alleged, or even actual, past moral conduct does not align with the standards of Scripture. They want that rule followed even when doing so dramatically adversely impacts the nation and moving the country toward what God would have it become.

This is like saying to a dying person, “This doctor has a treatment that will save your life, but, because of his alleged, or actual, moral failings, you should not allow him to treat you.” This is the situation faced by Christians in America.

In 2016, we were clearly a nation on a self-destructive course. We were presented with choosing between Hillary Clinton and Trump for president. In my estimation, on the one hand was a candidate who was not without her own questionable conduct and would keep America on this self-destructive course, maybe hastening that destruction. On the other hand was a candidate who came with allegations of, and some actual, moral failings but put forth an agenda that could correct our course and, in great part, do so by allowing Christians to again fully and freely, in America, practice our faith.

Without doubt, Christians came to the 2016 presidential election knowing that our faith, our very existence, is under attack in our own country. Consider the following paragraphs from the article “Regular Christians Are No Longer Welcome in American Culture” by Mary Eberstadt. “Traditional American Christians have long been on the losing end of culture-war contests – on school prayer, same-sex marriage and other issues. But recent events, including the Supreme Court decision overruling Texas’ restrictions on abortion clinics and the mandate that employers provide access to contraception, have added to the sense that religious expression is under attack.“

This new vigorous secularism has catapulted mockery of Christianity and other forms of religious traditionalism into the mainstream and set a new low for what counts as civil criticism of people’s most-cherished beliefs. In some precincts, the ‘faith of our fathers’ is controversial as never before.“

Some of the faithful have paid unexpected prices for their beliefs lately: the teacher in New Jersey suspended for giving a student a Bible; the football coach in Washington placed on leave for saying a prayer on the field at the end of a game; the fire chief in Atlanta fired for self-publishing a book defending Christian moral teaching; the Marine court-martialed for pasting a Bible verse above her desk; and other examples of the new intolerance. Anti-Christian activists hurl smears like ‘bigot’ and ‘hater’ at Americans who hold traditional beliefs about marriage and accuse anti-abortion Christians of waging a supposed ‘war on women.’”

Not being lured into a state of stupidity by others’ claims regarding the requirements of our faith, many Christians considered the destructive course being followed by our nation and the growing suppression of Christian views in America. Presented with a candidate whose alleged, and even actual, moral failings were and are emphasized by media and his very vocal opponents, many Christians considered the totality of Trump in light of the state of America overall and the growing suppression of Christianity in our country. In the end, he won substantial support from this group.

I expect the attacks on Christians who support this president will increase and grow even viler if his exemplary record of accomplishments over the first 16 months of his administration continues into the future.

Despite Democratic obstruction at every possible opportunity, media coverage overwhelmingly focused on real and imagined negative occurrences involving him or those in his administration, and the extremely questionable appointment of a special counsel who seems to be searching for a crime instead of investigating one that has been identified, Trump is delivering on his promises.

Among his campaign promises was that he would protect the rights of people of faith. That promise was clearly stated when Trump spoke at the 2017 Liberty University Commencement. In an article titled “Trump promises to protect Christians at Liberty commencement speech, ”Lauren Markoe quoted the president. “‘America is better when people put their faith into action,’ Trump continued. ‘As long as I am your president no one is ever going to stop you from practicing your faith or from preaching what’s in your heart. We will always stand up for the right of all Americans to pray to God and to follow his teachings.’”

The Markoe article also reported comments made during that ceremony by Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty. “‘Since his election I’ve noticed a new hope and a new optimism sweeping this country,’ Falwell said. He said he appreciated Trump’s support for the state of Israel, appointment of ‘a pro-life justice’ to the Supreme Court, and bombing of militants in the Middle East.”

As I do the kind of assessment detailed above, if the situation were not so dire, I would see these attacks on Christians for supporting Trump as laughable. The glaring hypocrisy is that these critics call on us to, based on their claims regarding the requirements of our faith, condemn and separate from the president; however, when we, based on that same faith, oppose same-sex marriage, abortion and other agenda items dear to that group, we are verbally attacked and our voices suppressed.

In the midst of this overwhelming pressure, rejection and condemnation, we (Christians) must remember that our faith does not require that we be stupid.

That statement is not intended to say that Christians or others who do not support Donald Trump are stupid. My message is that many Christians refused to be, and none of us should allow ourselves to be bullied into political behavior that “shows a lack of good sense or judgement.”

The baby boom generation, those Americans born between 1946 and 1964 to parents in recovery from World War II and anxious to start their “real lives,” changed everything.

The largest generation in American history required new schools at every turn, from elementary through college. When we got to college and out into the workplace, we changed American culture. We wore our hair long and our skirts short. We protested for equal rights for minorities and women. We were having none of the traditional mores about sex and marriage, and – for better or for worse – succeeding generations have followed suit.

For the most part, we presided over strong economies as our nation solidified what we have come to think of as our rightful place in the world.

We boomers did all this, inpart, because there were so many of us, the largest generation in American history – until we weren’t.

Statistics vary, of course, but millennials – sometimes called the Echo Generation as children of the boomers – will outnumber boomers by next year, if not before. So what, you may ask. Isn’t that the way the world works?

Yes, but there is a problem.

Millennials are not yet reproducing themselves in sufficient numbers to keep the American economy humming steadily along, and it appears they never will.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics reported earlier this month that the number of babies born in the United States is at a 30-year low after falling for three years in a row. The birth rate is lowest for women aged 30 and under, historically the ages at which women most frequently become mothers. Women 30 and up are having babies, but starting later often means a woman will have fewer children. Last year, the U.S. birth rate was just over 60 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. Needless to say, boomer women are long out of the baby business.

Industrialized nations in Europe and Asia have long grappled with declining birth rates, resulting in aging populations and slowing economies. Fewer young people mean fewer workers contributing to the economy, with the last boomers reaching 65 in 2029.

Remaining boomers will not be contributing to economy at levels anywhere near what they reached during their primes – if they contribute at all. In addition, they buy fewer homes, cars, clothing and everything else than younger people do.

Compounding the decline in birth rates is a decline in immigration. For many reasons, including political policy decisions, numbers of immigrants coming to the United States is also declining and impacting our economy and our birth rate. While the U.S.economy has grown an average of three percent annually since WWII, it has not met that level since 2005. The Federal Reserve predicts 2.7 percent growth this year and 2.4 percent for 2019.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” aside, we cannot make women have babies. It is one of life’s most private decisions, and its timing depends on parents’ unique circumstances. Economists suspect the Great Recession has delayed parenthood for some and is also keeping families smaller.

In short, it is a complicated issue with diverse causes and ramifications spanning generations. It is fair to say, though, that public policy at all levels and in many different areas is critically important to families, including access to health care and child care. Like millions of American families, both Dickson parents worked full time when the Precious Jewels were growing up, and we simply could not have done that without safe and reliable child care.

Demographics are trends, not events, and the United States’ birth rate is clearly on a downhill slope. Our policy makers must think strategically, not reactively, to keep our economy humming despite fewer workers in the pipeline.

Heaven forbid that we become a nation where Depends outsell Pampers. Japan has already reached that benchmark with an aging population and a slowing economy.

Last week’s edition of Up & Coming Weekly featured former city councilman Tyrone Williams. Some of our readers responded passionately to our position – especially on social media. We are publishing some of their comments, with their permission. Many of the comments related to this issue have not been published because the writer either refused to give us permission or did not respond to our request to publish their comments. If we missed you or if you want your voice to be heard, email editor@upandcomingweekly.com.

Via email

Hi, I just want to say that your magazine cover with Tyrone Williams is of bad taste. He may have done wrong, but what’s the point of kicking a man when he’s already down??? Let he w/o son cast the 1st stone!

– Marie Thomas

Via Up & Coming Weekly’s Facebook page

So much positive stuff going on in town and yallchose this as the cover? smh

– David P Wedlock Jr.

When you are caught on tape soliciting a bribe it is hard to go quietly into the night. Ask any mobster caught on tape in a RICO case. Mr. Lallier’s alleged actions (despecable as they may be) have yet to be litigated and he is not an elected public figure. Mr. Williams got busted. Straight up. 40 years ago I would have jumped to defend Mr. Williams based on our shared race. No more. I am long past defending the bad behavior of people based on their race. With elected public office comes public scrunity, good and bad. This is an example of something that he did being held up for inspection. Remember, the FBI does not just wake up and decide to tape someone. That permission comes from a U.S. District Attorney. We, the public must be able to look into the actions of our elected officials, no matter what color they are. Even if disclosing those actions is painful (and believe me as a Black southerner this is painful to me). I think Mr. Williams knew exactly what he was doing when he walked into that office shortly after being elected. He just got busted.

Long ago, before many of my adversaries were a stain on a mattress someone said you should be judged by the content of your character not the color of your skin. The guy has been judged by his character... he has been proved to be lacking.

The cover is on the money.

– Tony Long

This cover is an epic fail, Bill Bowman!

– Teri Gibson Schultz

Awful. No justification for this kind of behavior from a local media company. I’ve been watching how the Mike Lallier case has received next ”to barely there coverage,” or the level of sacrifice “outrage” similar to this case. The behavior by both men are wrong. Up and Coming - the cover stinks of racism.

– Carroll Arnold

For 23 years we have used our community newspaper to uplift market and promote the quality of life unique only to Fayetteville and Cumberland County.

I understand many of our readers, especially those in the black community, were disappointed and even angered with the choice of our cover for the last edition. I admit, it was over the top, but I wanted to get everyone’s attention.

Anyone who knows me knows I am passionate about this community. I built my media company marketing, promoting, touting and defending the Fayetteville community. The cover design was intended to make a bold and profound statement not about this community but to this community. It certainly was not meant to offend the sensitivities of our residents.

I am truly sorry and hope this heartfelt apology will be accepted by those I hurt and offended. Those who know me or my newspaper know that meanness and hatred are just not my style. I love this community and have spent my entire career working to solve problems, build relationships and celebrate the goodness that makes this such a special place.

Below is my official statement and explanation as to the purpose and intent of last week’s Up & Coming Weekly feature involving Tyrone Williams. There are no other explanations, motives, truths or conspiracies.

Over the past 23 years, our community has grown and finally come of age in the arts, culture, education, economic development and quality of life in comparison to other North Carolina cities. It was a long and hard-fought process, but we did it. I was distraught at the thought of us losing ground by allowing others to exploit and disrespect our community.

The purpose of the cover and the Tyrone Williams story was to get the community’s attention and to make sure everyone knows and understands that this kind of outrageous and unscrupulous behavior by anyone, of any race, color or political affiliation will not and cannot be accepted, condoned, ignored or encouraged with impunity.

Fayetteville elected Williams. He was a known entity in this community, and Fayetteville elected him to represent District 2 anyway. Then he got caught.

Getting Williams to resign from the city council does not eradicate the offense, and it surely is not an exoneration. The message I wanted to convey, and which I have already admitted was in poor taste, is that our city is on the right track both culturally and economically, and we have made too much progress to allow people, agencies or organizations to abuse and plunder our good will, resources and achievements.

Up & Coming Weekly takes full responsibility for our content and opinions. Our writers’ photos and credentials are included with every article, and we have never hid behind aliases or unidentified or anonymous sources. In addition, we have always openly made our newspaper accessible to the city, county and Fort Bragg, as well as individuals, businesses, institutions and community organizations, to promote initiatives and tell their stories. We provide them a strong and relevant voice. That’s what community newspapers do. That is what the Fourth Estate is all about.

In the future, and without minimizing any of the enthusiasm or commitment we have for promoting Fayetteville and our city’s leaders, I promise to be more sensitive and aware about how we convey the ideas, achievements and concerns that affect our city.

We are the only media company that has succeeded solely by aggressively and positively reporting, promoting and writing about one thing: the greater Fayetteville community.

I’ve never hid the fact that I love this community and seek to be a positive influence to bring about growth and change that will benefit it – even during tough times. In this situation, my form was bad, but my intentions were good.

I hope we can put this behind us and move forward. We have so much more to say about the Fayetteville community, its leadership and its citizens.

Respectfully,

Bill Bowman

Founder/Publisher

Up & Coming Weekly

Once a year, Festival Park in downtown Fayetteville comes alive with the annual Blues n-Brews Festival, which features some of the best blues music and beer in the region. The Blues-n-Brews festival benefits the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. All the proceeds from the festival go toward helping CFRT realize its mission. According to Liz Thompson, development director of CFRT, many people who attend the festival each year do not even realize that the event helps CFRT continue to serve the community through its many productions and programs. Funds raised through the one day music festival go toward arts education, theater camps, production budgets as well as general operating costs for the theater. This year’s festival is slated for June 2 and promises to offer an interesting new spin on what has become one of the area’s premier events over the last 16 years.

Thompson describes Blues-n-Brews as “a one day festival benefiting CFRT where around 3,000 people come together and taste the best beer in the region and jam to the hottest blues in the area.” General admission to Blues-n-Brews includes five hours of live blues music, a souvenir sampling glass and unlimited beer tastings from nearly 30 different breweries, including some local and regional favorites.

There will also be a plethora of local food trucks and other vendors on hand. Thompson noted, “We are still making some tweaks, but the full brewery and vendor lineup is available online at bnb.cfrt.org”

While the festival promises the same quality interms of its musical acts and beer selection, longtime patrons of Blues-n-Brews will notice something new about the event. According to Thompson, “This year, we decided to do something a little different and give the festival a theme.” That theme is “Music City,” and it ties in directly to CFRT’s 2018-19 season.

Thompson explained the tie-in: “Next year, the theater’s season opens with a new musical entitled ‘Music City,’ which tells the story of three young songwriters trying to make it in Nashville. We thought this offered a unique opportunity to brand the festival as ‘Blues-n-Brews: Music City Edition.’” Thompson went on to explain, “Patrons can expect some great blues but with a little more of a country spin.”

The festival boasts a strong lineup of musical acts that will provide the soundtrack to the afternoon. The general festival opens with a performance by Nattalyee Randall, a veteran of the stage who played both Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone inproductions at the North Carolina Theater. Patrons of the arts in Fayetteville will recognize her from CFRT’s production of “Dreamgirls.” “Nattalyee is a vocal powerhouse,” said Thompson. “She will be singing the blues standards that everyone knows and recognizes.” The Tom Euler Band, which plays progressive blues/rock, is also slated to perform. The band, out of Virginia, was a semi-finalist in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, earlier this year.

The festival’s music lineup culminates in the evening’s headlining performance by Casey James. James is from Fort Worth, Texas, and is probably best known for his season nine “American Idol” run, when he finished third place behind Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze. James has shared the stage with notable performing artists like Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson and Sugarland. His new album, “Strip it Down,” was released in June 2017 and is available for download on iTunes and can be streamed on Spotify.

There is a fourth band on the bill for the Blues-n-Brews festival, but the performance is only available to those who purchase VIP tickets. Fayetteville’s own Guy Unger Band with lead vocals by Michael Pennink will be playing the first hour of the festival from 4-5 p.m., an hour that is available only for VIPs.

According to Thompson, there are plenty of other perks to purchasing the VIP ticket. Not only will VIP ticket-holders hear great music from The Guy Unger Band, they will also avoid the long lines of the general admission portion of the festival, which means they will get to sample more beer and talk to more brewers than the people who arrive at 5 p.m. Additionally, she said, “The VIP tent is sponsored by 96.5 BOB FM, and they are bringing in fantastic caterers like Carrabba’s and Mash House.” She added, “VIP ticket-holders have access to covered seating as well as complimentary snacks and swag bags. VIPs will also serve as the judges in the Best in Show Beer Tasting Competition.”

The festival is staffed each year by volunteers, and according to Thompson, there are still volunteer positions available. “We need beer pourers more than anything else,” said Thompson. “Volunteer beer pourers make it possible for the brewers to talk to the people sampling their beer about how that beer is made and all of the other things that people who do beer tastings are interested in.”

Volunteer shifts are available throughout the day, and there are major perks that come with volunteering at Blues-n-Brews. Anyone who volunteers for at least four hours at the festival will receive either complimentary general admission to the festival or two complimentary tickets to any CFRT opening-weekend show for the 2018-19 season.

CFRT provides summer theater camps for children, special matinee performances for students in the area, and a brand-new military outreach program that offers free theater classes to military children and families on Fort Bragg. More information on the work of CFRT and the 2018-19 season, which includes performances of “Annie,” “Memphis” and “Trumbo,” is available at www.cfrt.org.

Tickets for the 16th Annual Blues-n-Brews Festival in Festival Park are on sale now. General admission tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the gate. VIP tickets are $80 and are only available in advance. Tickets are also available for $10 for those who do not wish to participate in the beer tasting. Advanced tickets can be purchased online at bnb.cfrt.org.

The Blues-n-Brews Festival is scheduled for Saturday,June 2, from 4-10 p.m.

Meetings

For details about all meetings and activities, including location where not listed, call Acting Deputy Town Clerk Tiffany Gillstedt at 910-426-4112. Most meetings take place at Town Hall.

• Veterans Affairs Commission Thursday, May 24, 7 p.m.

• Board of Commissioners Monday, June 4. A public hearing on the proposed FY 2018-2019 Budget will be held. Citizens Academy Graduation will take place that evening as well. Students will be presented with a plaque displaying their certificate of completion.

Activities

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

• Town offices closed for Memorial Day Monday, May 28.

• Memorial Day Ceremony at Hope Mills Municipal Park. 4 p.m. Free.

• Fall sports registration June 1-July 28. $30 per child; $15 late fee after registration deadline. Season begins Sept. 8. Call 910-426-4109 for more information.

• Daddy/Daughter Dinner & Dance Saturday, June 9, 6 p.m. $50 per couple plus $20 for each additional ticket purchased. Call 910-426-4107 to RSVP by June 1.

• First Annual 4th of July Pageant Friday-Saturday, June 22-23. Pageant registration deadline is June 1. For more information, call 910-426-4107.

Promote yourself: To include your business’s event, email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

• After 51 years in various roles with American Legion baseball, veteran coach Doug Watts has decided to step aside.

Hope Mills Boosters coach Mark Kahlenberg announced that Watts retired from his role with the Hope Mills program just a couple weeks ago.

Watts, a member of the state American Legion Hall of Fame, has been the heart and soul of the Hope Mills American Legion program for years, keeping the team afloat as other American Legion programs in the Cape Fear region withered away and died.

The Hope Mills team will hold a special ceremony to honor Watts at its home game with Jacksonville on June 9 at 2 p.m.

All former players and coaches who worked with Watts over the years are invited to attend the ceremony.

All of Hope Mills’ home games this year will again be played at South View High School.

The team began regular season play last Saturday at Wilmington Laney. Their first home game is scheduled for May 28 at 7 p.m. with Apex.

• Congratulations to South View’s Nyneem Williams and Jaeil Daniels, winners in the recent 4-A Mid-East Regional track meet. 

Williams took the shot put with a throw of 49 feet 6 inches.

Daniels was the winner in the girls discus with a throw of 97-8. Both advanced to the state 4-A meet

Also winning were the Jack Britt boys 4x100 and 4x200 meter relay teams.

Members of both winning teams were Barry Elliott, Chancellor Johnson, Deangelo Davis and Malik Graddy.

• Congratulations to the softball team from Riverside Christian Academy, which recently won the Carolina Athletic Association Schools of Choice State championship.

Riverside defeated Clover Garden 10-4 in the championship game.

Leading hitters in the finals for Riverside were Briana Wilson, 2-for-4 with a double and a home run; Kimberly Bordeaux, 2-for-4 with a home run; Trinity Hood, 2-for-4; Grace Draughon, 3-for-4 with two doubles and Amelia Edge, 4-for-5 with a double and a home run.

Riverside finished with a 14-4 record.

• A reminder to all middle school and high school athletes in need of a sports physical for the 2018-19 school year: Fayetteville Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine will be giving physicals Saturday, June 9, from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m.

The cost will be $10 per physical. Only athletes under the age of 18 are eligible for the physicals and must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Please bring the physical form provided to you by your school athletic trainer, athletic director or head coach.

Fayetteville Orthopaedics is located at 1991 Fordham Dr., Suite 100. For information, call 910-484-3114.

Photos: Doug Watts; Nyneem Willians; Jail Daniels

Life is getting back to near normal at Fayetteville’s Mobile Manor mobile home park in Bonnie Doone. Electrical power will likely have been fully restored to all occupied trailers by week’s end. Many of the homes were hooked up late last week, and the only garbage dumpster serving the park was emptied. It was overflowing when code enforcement officers responded to an anonymous tip about dangerous electricity problems at a dozen trailers late last month. 

They found what officials described as “an imminent threat to life and property.” Duke Energy disconnected power at the single electricity meter that serves as the point of delivery at the park. City officials said inspectors found about a dozen instances of life-threatening hazards at occupied trailers after getting an anonymous tip April 24. 

Assistant City Manager Jay Reinstein said 37 families occupy the 45 trailers in the park. City police hand-delivered letters to residents the night before the power was turned off. “The information process should have started much earlier,” said Fayetteville City Councilwoman Tisha Waddell. She added that residents could have been alerted at the same time trailer park managers were told in April that they had to fix the problem or their power would be turned off.

“We’ve been dealing with concerns out there for a long time,” said District 4 Councilman D. J. Haire. City manager Doug Hewett noted that code enforcement violations, which he called “deplorable,” had been levied against property manager Sheila Monsour previously. He said emergency vehicles would be unable to negotiate a bumpy, virtually impassable dirt road that winds through the property. 

Hewett said Monsour was warned three times earlier this month about electrical hazards throughout the park. Issues ranged from exposed electrical conductors on individual meters to exposed energized terminals, according to Michael Martin, the city’s assistant development director

The main meter is located on the lot of Army veteran Dewey McLamb. He showed a receipt book where he had paid his $150 monthly lot rent two months in advance. McLamb has lived at Mobile Manor mobile home park for nine years and subsists on a VA disability benefit and Social Security. 

“Our code enforcement staff has limited knowledge of the electrical code, so we sent an electrical inspector out with our code enforcement staff to follow up on the complaint,” Martin said. He added that electrical hookups are not checked routinely when the city conducts sweeps of the city’s 17 mobile home parks.

Absentee owner Portia Covington of Glen Allen, Virginia, said she and her sister, Valerea Russ of Fayetteville, took ownership of the property last year. Since then, Covington said, she has tried repeatedly to get Monsour to make property improvements. Monsour has the management lease on the trailer park and has for years. 

City records indicate that Mobile Manor has been cited 219 times for code violations since 2010. Four fines of $200 each were levied since March of this year.

Hats off to Cape Fear Regional Theatre for wrapping up the season with a singing, shouting, footstomping good time with “Crowns, A Gospel Musical.” Cast and crew deliver a fantastic story of overcoming tragedy and finding one’s path.

“Crowns” runs through June 3. Don’t wait to get your tickets; there are sure to be sold-out shows.

The show, written by Regina Taylor, is adapted from the book “Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats” by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry.

Seeing “Crowns” onstage is a little bit like going to church, and a little bit like hanging out with some of the coolest gals in town. There are a lot of laughs and a few tears as the characters recount stories of their lives associated with their hats, or crowns.

I attended a pre-show chat with playwright Regina Taylor, where she shared not only her thoughts on “Crowns,” but also her experience of being a Golden Globe award-winning actress, as well as her perspective from growing up with a single mother who encouraged her writing and creativity.

“Crowns is a celebration of African-American culture,” Taylor said. 

“The character (Yolanda) loses her sense of self with the death of her brother in Brooklyn,” Taylor said. “Her mother sends her to South Carolina to live with her grandmother (Mother Shaw).”

But as Taylor explains, and we see in the musical, her mother sends her South to reclaim her from her grief. Yolanda no longer knows quite where she fits into things without her brother, who was her other half.

With Mother Shaw and her “Hat Queens,” Yolanda starts hearing stories – markers in these women’s lives that shape them and point them ahead on their paths.

“These stories are stories we’ve all been touched by (baptisms, funerals, happy and sad moments)... about finding you have a community to lean on, to find your direction,” Taylor said.

“We can put that on a stage and different people of all walks of life can see themselves, see their neighbors, who they think are so different…” and recognize commonalities, Taylor said.

It is a story of finding yourself and your voice in this world through the collective memories of who we are and what we have experienced. Though the subject matter is serious, CFRT delivers a fun show with amazing music, dance and hats – oh, the hats! 

“Crowns” is worth the price of admission just to see the hats, and these characters wearing them, and I do mean wearing them – with style, with sass, with confidence. It’s the kind of confidence that comes from truly knowing your value.

“Crowns” is directed by Donna Baldwin Bradby (“The Wiz”). The cast includes Cassandra Lowe Williams as Mother Shaw, La’Tonya R. Wiley, Chasity McIntosh, Sha’Air Hawkins, Janeta Jackson and Walter Johnson with Ariel Neema Blake as Yolanda. 

All deliver terrific performances and shuffle between multiple characters as they switch crowns. Each has a turn to demonstrate their vocal talents, as well.

Everything about the show pays tribute to AfricanAmerican culture – from gospel hymns to dance moves. The songs are mostly traditional hymns sung in churches all over the South, with some blues and jazz. There’s even a bit of hip-hop. The songs carry the message that trouble doesn’t last, better times are ahead. 

Choreographer Tina Yarborough Liggins included West African movements that are also reminiscent of shouting in churches. It was interesting to see these movements performed by the whole cast at times when shouting can be such an individual experience. It seemed to be symbolic of a collective joining to share in enthusiastic worship. It was fantastic and a testament to the talent CFRT gathered for this production.

This is a show you don’t want to miss.

Tickets for “Crowns” range from $17 to $32 with discounts and group sales available. For more information about the show or special events, contact the box office at 910-323-4233 or visit www.cfrt.org.

We are almost halfway through 2018. Just 50 short years ago, we were half way through 1968, which was one difficult year. The 71st High School class of 1968 and I graduated the day Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. Climb on board Mr. Peabody’s Way Back machine to waste three minutes of your time reading this column. Most Dook graduates, being slow readers, will lose five minutes of their life reading this stain on world literature.

To give you some perspective of how long ago 1968 was, consider that in 1968 the TV series “The Lone Ranger” had been in reruns since 1957. High school graduates in 1968 grew up watching the Lone Ranger, who was a bit of a time traveler himself. Who among us of a certain delicate age can forget the opening lines of the Lone Ranger bidding us to travel back into the past?

“A fiery horse with the speed of light and a cloud of dust, and a hearty Hi-Yo Silver away! With his faithful Indian companion Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early West. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.” 

with the Lone Ranger, chasing bad guys. Some of you who came in late and are not yet calendar-impaired may not get the cultural importance of the Lone Ranger. Please stop reading this column and return to watching cat videos on your cellphone. 

The Lone Ranger, played by the excellent Clayton Moore, was the sole survivor of a troop of Texas Rangers who had been bushwhacked by bad guys. The Lone Ranger wore a mask, roaming the West, bringing justice and capturing the lonely hearts of pioneer women who endured unrequited love for him. 

He always rode away at the end of each episode, leaving a lovely lady pining for the handsome stranger behind the mask. It was an early version of “Fifty Shades of Grey.” At the end of each episode, after the Lone Ranger had solved the crime with the bad guys in the calaboose, someone would ask: “Who was that masked man?” A more knowledgeable someone would say, “It was the Lone Ranger.” The Lone Ranger would yell, “Hi-Yo Silver and away!” and ride off into the sunset. Fade to commercial. 

Some unkind critics said the Lone Ranger loved his horse, Silver, more than he loved the ladies. Not so, he was just too busy fighting bad guys to settle down on a ranch with a good woman. Fighting for law and order in the early West was a full-time job. His faithful Indian companion, Tonto, was played by Jay Silverheels, who was a Canadian Indian. Tonto’s job was to be the Lone Ranger’s sidekick, chasing bad guys or hanging out by a ranch or in a box canyon, waiting for the bad guys to show up. Mostly, Tonto would get captured and beaten up. Then the Lone Ranger would save him. Less frequently, Tonto would rescue the Lone Ranger from the guys in black hats. It was clearly a politically incorrect TV show. 

It culturally misappropriated Native American culture by making Tonto the Lone Ranger’s flunky. Tonto always called the Lone Ranger “Kemosabe,” which some amateur linguists said meant “Dumbo” or an even worse insult that is not printable in a family newspaper.

The Lone Ranger had a vaguely defined financial interest in a silver mine. As a result, he named his horse Silver and would only shoot silver bullets into bad guys. It is unclear whether being shot by a silver bullet was less painful than being shot by a lead bullet. It does seem classier to have silver bullets pierce vital internal organs. Even in 2018, thanks to the Lone Ranger, the term “silver bullet” remains in use when discussing some remedy for an intractable problem. 

In addition to plugging bad guys, silver bullets are very useful in killing werewolves. While the TV series never showed the Lone Ranger fighting a werewolf, the possibility remains that the Lone Ranger might have been born in central Europe, where werewolves were quite common.

One can never be too careful about werewolves. Gentle Reader, even you might become a werewolf, under the right conditions. Remember the ancient chant: “Even a man who is pure in heart/And says his prayers by night/May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms/And the autumn moon is bright.”

If your significant other has recently purchased a magazine of silver bullets, buy a Kevlar vest and do not go outside during the next full moon. The life you save may be your own.

Hi-Yo Silver and away!

The town of Hope Mills is known statewide for opportunities it offers for athletics, recreation and senior citizens. Now Mayor Jackie Warner is trying to expand its cultural horizons by putting a little art on local display.

It’s been two years since Warner went to a meeting of the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County on behalf of Hope Mills to learn about ways she might bring art into the community.

About the same time, her son, Teddy Warner, was working with the city of Laurinburg when it had a relationship with the University of North Carolina at Pembroke to try and do the same thing.

Warner’s idea was to get outdoor sculptures to be displayed in public locations like Hope Mills Lake and the park near Town Hall.

She spoke with Adam Walls, a sculpture instructor at UNC-Pembroke.

Walls came and made presentations to the Hope Mills Town of Commissioners. The plan was for the town to spend $3,000 on purchasing materials for Walls’ art students at Pembroke. In return, they would create original works of sculpture with the town-purchased materials and give them to the town.

Laurinburg didn’t have an agreement with the students on what happened to the art, so Warner and Hope Mills struck a deal. At the end of a year of display, the town could have the option of buying the art from each student, at a cost of $300 per sculpture, based on 10 sculptures for the total of $3,000 for materials.

If the town doesn’t buy the artwork, it will go back to the student and the town will get a new piece to replace it.

For future funding for the project, Warner said she spoke to Deborah Mintz of the Arts Council about writing a grant and getting funding from the council.

“The Arts Council would love to help fund this project so that it will instill in Hope Mills the same kinds of things they’re trying to do in Fayetteville and other areas,’’ Warner said.

The sculptures began showing up in Hope Mills earlier this month, some at Hope Mills Lake and some near Town Hall.

Warner said the various projects now on display are largely constructed from recycled metal, everything from old grate and drain covers to metal poles.

Warner said she hopes to continue putting art on display in other ways in the near future. Part of the upcoming lake celebration in Hope Mills will include art and jazz performances.

“We’re going to have artists down there painting and doing sculpture,’’ she said. “We’re just trying to promote art in Hope Mills.’’

For the time being, Warner said, the focus on art will be outdoors, dealing mainly with metal sculpture.

In the long term, she’d like to offer painting, but finding a place to display paintings is a problem.

“We have to come up with a venue or display area,’’ Warner said. There is a possible limited option for display in Town Hall, she said. The parks and recreation building wouldn’t be suitable because it’s so busy.

Warner said the town may have to limit art displays to those times when special events are going on like the lake celebration.

Once the town builds its long-awaited museum to celebrate its mill village history, Warner said that’s a possible location to display local art.

“I’m tickled we are doing this,’’ she said. “This was something I wanted to do way back when I was first elected mayor and couldn’t get the support for it. Once the Arts Council got involved and they started offering the opportunity for Hope Mills, it just fell into place.’’

The annual beauty pageant held in conjunction with Ole Mills Days in the fall has been a success for the past few years in Hope Mills, and town officials are expecting similar results from the new Fourth of July pageant that will debut Friday, June 22.

The new pageant is part of the extended celebration of both the Fourth of July and the return of Hope Mills Lake.

The Fourth of July pageant will take place over a two-day period from June 22-23, both times in the gymnasium at the Hope Mills Recreation Center. Both events will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Kenny Bullock, who heads up the recreation department for the town, will oversee the pageant, which will determine winners in five different age groups.

The divisions will be 3-5, 6-9, 10-12, 13-16 and 17-22. 

All contestants must be Cumberland County residents and pay an entry fee of $30 each. Entry forms are available at the recreation center

The deadline for entry is June 1, but this date may be extended if there aren’t enough entries in each of the five age groups

Bullock said they will be aiming for a minimum of five to six entries in each age group with a maximum of 20 per age group.

The entry fee is used to cover the cost of the competition since the town has not allotted any funds to cover the expense. Bullock said they will also seek outside sponsors to cover the cost.

Bullock said the gym at Hope Mills Recreation Center was chosen to host the pageant after the town was unable to find a local school where it could be held.

“We tried several schools,’’ Bullock said. “During the summer it’s hard to get into the schools because they are stripping and waxing the floors, trying to get schools ready. It was hard to fit the pageant in before the summer schedule.’’

In addition to issues dealing with regular summer maintenance at the schools, Bullock also said the summer schedule of the county schools is a problem since they are closed from Friday through Sunday during those months. 

“It’s hard trying to get someone to come in, open the building and stuff,’’ he said. They also looked into using recreation or community buildings at local churches but were unable to find one suitable.

In addition to housing the actual pageant, Bullock said the recreation center also offers space to have dressing rooms for the contestants so they can be split up according to age group.

Bullock said the seating capacity of the gym, with bleachers and chairs set up on the floor, is 400. Tickets, which are $5 each, will be sold at the recreation center. Staff will keep count of the tickets sold to make sure capacity isn’t exceeded, Bullock said.

Each contestant will get one free ticket to give to a family member or friend.

Bullock said the pageant judges will be chosen from outside Cumberland County to try to ensure that none of them know any of the pageant contestants. He said judges will be sought who have previous pageant judging experience, possibly even at the national level.

The pageant will begin on Friday evening, June 22, with the competition for the youngest age group. “They get tired early,’’ Bullock said of the smaller children. “That night, they’ll be done, and they won’t be there until 10 or 11.’’

The remainder of the contestants will take the stage the following day. Bullock said there would not be a talent competition, but the contestants in the two oldest categories will have an onstage interview question during the competition.

We’re looking at natural beauty and stage presence,’’ Bullock said. Contestants are not allowed to wear fake eyelashes or wigs, only naturally-looking, age-appropriate makeup.

For any questions about the pageant, call 910-426-4107.

A fitting cap to the wrestling career of former Jack Britt coach John DeWeese occurred this past weekend when he was inducted into the North Carolina chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame based in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

DeWeese’s nomination was pushed by some old friends in the North Carolina wrestling world, former UNC-Pembroke wrestling coach P.J. Smith and his longtime coaching partner when the two were at Seventy-First, current Pine Forest principal David Culbreth.

“You don’t realize after 28 or 29 years of coaching wrestling all the impacts you have,’’ said DeWeese, who, though he’s retired from coaching, still teaches earth science at Jack Britt High School. “I still get calls from my first wrestlers. They have kids and want to know what to do with them when they’re wrestling.”

He enjoys bumping into his former wrestlers when he’s around Fayetteville shopping. He still helps out in the wrestling program at Jack Britt, mainly with the operation of the annual tournament he founded, the Boneyard Bash. But other than that, he’s tried to deliberately stay away from frequent visits to the Buccaneer wrestling room.

“I think I’ve been in there three times,’’ he said. He said he learned a valuable lesson from Culbreth, who was supposed to be the first wrestling coach at Jack Britt after leaving Seventy-First, but literally walked away from the job to enter the business world before deciding to return to education some years later.

“I didn’t realize how much that would help me,’’ DeWeese said. “It helped me understand this is my job and what I need to do.’’

DeWeese literally got into the sport as a favor to a former wrestler. He was at Lewis Chapel Junior High when the previous wrestling coach unexpectedly stepped down. The late J.C. Hawk, who went on to win a state title at Seventy-First, came to DeWeese and pleaded with him to take over as coach, even though he knew nothing about wrestling

DeWeese said Hawk promised to teach him all he knew about wrestling, and DeWeese ordered some VHS instructional tapes to get an understanding of the sport. 

“I wore them out trying to get an understanding of what to teach a bunch of kids,’’ DeWeese said.

DeWeese went on to win 13 conference titles and only lose three home conference matches in 17 seasons as Britt’s wrestling coach.

His crowning moment came in 2015, when the Buccaneers won the 4-A state dual team championship in a match held on Jack Britt’s home court.

Although he won that state title and crowned multiple individual state champions during his career, DeWeese points to an accomplishment from the academic realm that remains his proudest achievement.

“I had three kids at West Point,’’ he said, referring to three of his wrestlers who attended the United States Military Academy.

The trio included Spencer Nick and brothers Andrew and Brad Wanovich. A third brother, Kevin Wanovich, is still enrolled at Britt and could become the fourth wrestler once coached by DeWeese to attend the military academy.

“I think they learned a lot and we put them in a position to be good leaders,’’ DeWeese said.

Looking back, DeWeese said his goal as a wrestling coach was pretty simple. “I never went into anything if I didn’t want to do it,’’ he said. “If I’m in it, I’m in it to win it, and win it as ethically correct as possible.

Photo: John DeWeese

On Tuesday, May 15, at 8:16 a.m., Gallberry Farm Elementary School in Hope Mills went under lock down. A man who was seen wandering the school had not checked in with the school’s office. Cumberland County Schools Chief Communication Officer Renarta Moyd said, “An unidentified man walked into the school cafeteria looking for his child and was acting strangely. As a precaution, the school went into code red lockdown. Cumberland County Sheriff’s deputies responded and took him into custody.”

Lt. Sean Swain, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s spokesman, explained, “The School Resource Officer from Grey’s Creek responded and had the unidentified man in custody at 8:26 a.m. When our K-9 officer arrived, the suspect was already in handcuffs.” 

The man, identified as 33-year-old Pierre Kevon Miller of Fayetteville, was charged with trespassing, damage to property, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. He did not have a weapon. No one was harmed, and there was no further incident. Sheriff deputies investigated why the man was in the school. Lt. Swain added, “The school’s prep plan took place like it was supposed to.”

Will term limits increase?

Some members of Fayetteville City Council are contemplating a change to council members’ term limits from two to four years. The idea was discussed during a council work session on May 7. Councilman Larry Wright said he thinks it makes sense to give the elected official time to do policy. 

Councilman Jim Arp is against the idea. He said, “After what we’ve just gone through,” referring to the recent controversy with former Councilman Tyrone Williams, that it’s not fair to the citizens to not give them new options at the two-year point. 

Councilwoman Kathy Jensen expressed that voter turnout would be boosted in the years that the mayor would run. And she noted that the district where the mayor lives would see higher turnout

Mayor Pro Tem Ted Mohn mentioned the council previously considered four-year terms but the vote was deadlocked at 5-5.

May 28, City Council will hold a public hearing on its desire to extend members terms of office from two years to four years. If the city code is changed, the members’ four-year terms would likely be staggered, although that provision is not included in the resolution. The proposed changes would take place following the next municipal election in November 2019.

Opioid Use Disorder 

The use and abuse of opioids is now considered a chronic issue. The North Carolina League of Women Voters says nearly half the people with Opioid Use Disorder have no health insurance coverage. They cannot be accepted into rehab programs, pay for medications or receive longterm care. 

NC House Bill 662, dubbed Carolina Cares, proposes an affordable insurance-like program for working North Carolinians who are not eligible for Medicaid. Unintentional opioid overdose deaths have risen dramatically over the last 16 years, according to the NCLWV. Heroin, fentanyl and other synthetic drugs are outpacing prescription medications as the principal cause of overdoses.

The LWV urges the state legislature to conduct a hearing on the Carolina Cares proposal during the legislative session now underway.

Animal shelter pet adoption hours change

The Cumberland County Animal Control Shelter, located at 4704 Corporation Dr., has temporarily adjusted its weekday hours for adoption services. The shelter now opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is open Saturday from 1-5 p.m. Drop-off and owner claim hours remain unchanged. 

The change in adoption hours results from staffing changes at the shelter. The new schedule ensures adequate staff is available in the afternoons, which is the shelter’s busiest time. 

“The change in hours should have minimal-tono-impact on adoptions,” said Shelter Manager Jennifer Hutchinson-Tracy. “We would never do anything that would make it more difficult for an animal to be adopted or reclaimed.”

Shelter attendants will be better able to focus on caring for the animals and cleaning and preparing the animal housing areas. 

Learn & Burn Longleaf Pine Workshop

Private landowners are invited to an Evening Learn & Burn Longleaf Pine Workshop. The workshop will be held Thursday, May 31, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., at 535 Speight Rd., West End, North Carolina. Dinner will be included.

Grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (http://nfwf.org) makes this a no-cost event for attendees. There will be discussions and demonstrations (weather permitting) about the opportunities for prescribed burning during the growing season. Attendees will learn best management practices for pinestraw raking as well as converting from loblolly to longleaf. Beetle prevention will also be discussed. RSVP to Jesse Wimberley, Sandhills Area Land Trust, by calling 910-603-1052 or emailing jesse@sandhillslandtrust.org.

Some individuals in Cumberland County with traumatic brain injury, also known as TBI, could be getting some assistance. A TBI is classified as an injury to the brain that has been caused by an external force. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, “Effects of TBI can include impaired thinking or memory, movement, sensation (e.g., vision or hearing), or emotional functioning (e.g., personality changes, depression).”

The CDC estimates the prevalence rate of TBI to be 2 percent of the population, which is approximately 200,000 North Carolinians. 

Last November, the Joint Legislative Committee on Health and Human Services introduced an Adult and Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Pilot Program (S.L. 2017-57, Section 11F.9; Senate Bill 582). According to a document prepared by Dave Richard and Mark Benton of the Department of Health and Human Services, “The purpose is to increase compliance with internationally approved evidence-based treatment guidelines. The goals include reduction in patient mortality, improve patient level of recovery and reduce longterm care costs.”

The General Assembly, last fall, approved $450,000 in funding to allow between three and five hospitals to participate in a TBI pilot program. Senate Bill 582 indicates that $150,000 was committed for the program in the 2017-18 state budget with $300,000 committed to the 2018-19 state budget. The funding was appropriated to the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse.

Alliance Behavioral Healthcare was selected by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to administer the pilot waiver for TBI in its four-county service region. Cumberland County is one of the four counties. The other counties Alliance serves are Durham, Johnston and Wake. Medicare and Medicaid Services recently approved the waiver for implementation in late summer 2018. 

“This waiver is an important milestone in North Carolina’s commitment to improving the life and well-being of individuals who experience a traumatic brain injury,” said DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “The waiver includes rehabilitation services such as supported employment, life skills training, cognitive rehabilitation and day supports.”

The TBI waiver program is designed to provide community-based rehabilitative services and support to help TBI patients with recovery. TBI patients will need to meet certain eligibility criteria to participate. The TBI will have to have happened on or after their 22nd birthday. They need to have cognitive, behavioral and physical support needs. 

The TBI patients will also need to meet certain financial eligibility requirements. A news release from NCDHHS states, “To qualify, the adults must require the level of care for a nursing facility or specialty rehabilitation hospital.” This pilot will last three years. In the first year, the waiver will include 49 individuals participating, increasing each year to 107 participants by year three. The TBI pilot program will launch in late summer 2018.

If you have questions about eligibility, call Alliance’s 24-hour Access and Information line at 800-510-9132. Alliance is asking that callers please specifically ask for information on the TBI waiver when they call. Callers should expect to experience a brief crisis screening initially.

Over the last 12 months, I have been a traveling fool. 

Perhaps I am making up for all the years I could not travel because of family and work obligations. Perhaps I feel the increasingly heavy press of time. Probably it is both, coupled with a real curiosity about the rest of the world and how others live.

My most recent travels have taken me to Africa on safari in Tanzania last summer and last month to Peru and Bolivia. I never imagined hiking in the Andes, but I did at 13,000 feet or so and lived to report it. Such trips add immeasurably to my understanding of the world in all sorts of ways, including what people eat in other places. 

My practice is to try most anything once – not quite CNN’s Anthony Bourdain, but I have tasted and enjoyed lots of new dishes. I drew the line only once in Peru, which has a signature delicacy called cuy. What exactly is cuy? Cuy is what you and I know as guinea pig, and a Dickson Precious Jewel had an albino guinea pig named Ace (Ventura) as a pet when he was in the second grade. That did it for me, and our guide consoled me with this thought. If you name it, don’t eat it – and I did not. We did discover a small village devoted to cuy restaurants. Note my facial reaction in the attached photo. Full disclosure. I never really loved Ace myself, but that does not mean I could eat him or any of his distant relatives.

Interestingly, though, I lost a little weight on both trips even though I ate almost anything that crossed my plate, including breads and dessert most days. 

The reason, I now believe, is that countries like Tanzania, Peru and Bolivia do not have the processed and preserved foods that are staples for us. Most families grow and raise most of what they eat and shop daily for the rest in small local shops. The fare is not especially gourmet, but it is absolutely fresh and prepared and eaten within a short period of time. What you and I think of as a full-service supermarket is almost nonexistent in these countries. The few that may be spotted in major cities still differ from ours in that they offer fresh local meats and produce, not products that have been preserved and transported thousands of miles to get to their tables.

All of this has reminded me yet again that food shopping in our mega groceries, offering everything from actual food to tooth brushes and insect repellant, must be strategic. Wandering around is rarely a healthy option. Planning ahead can keep you and your family healthier.

Here are a few tips I have gleaned over the years and try to practice, some days with more success than on others.

If what you pick up has ingredients that sound more like a chemistry lab than coming from plants or animals, you might consider putting it back on the shelf. Ditto if the words “processed” or “preservative” are on the package, especially if they appear more than once.

Shop the perimeter of your supermarket for produce, meats and dairy items. Skip the interior aisles filled with processed cookies, crackers, chips loaded with calories and low in nutrition

Keep an eye on people you know who are healthy and of normal weight. They are doing something right, so consider following their examples.

Acknowledge that restaurant portions are way too generous. Think about putting part of your order in a “to go” box at the outset. That way you will not over eat, and you will have another meal for later. Remember, too, that luscious as they may be, buffets are not your friends for healthy eating.

Try not to let yourself get too hungry between meals so that the next meal or snack turns into a total rout of everything edible within sight.

So, travel when you can to learn how others live, whether it is to the next state or the next continent. It will enrich your life, and – as a prescription drug TV spot says – “it may even help you lose a little weight.

Jaden Pone

Gray’s Creek • Softball •

Freshman

Pone helped lead the Bears’ softball team to a berth in the state 3-A playoffs while managing a grade point average of 3.5.

Angel Aviles

Seventy-First • Bowling •

Junior

Aviles has a grade point average of 4.0. In addition to bowling, he participates in Skills USA and is a member of the Academy of Scholars.

Terry Sanford finished a dominant year in the Patriot Athletic Conference by bringing home the Maxwell/Wells Fargo Trophy for overall athletic excellence.

The Bulldogs won or shared conference championships in seven sports. They won at least two conference titles in all three major seasons of the school year, and ended with a flourish in the spring as they took titles in boys tennis, baseball and girls soccer. All three of those spring teams made deep runs in the N.C. High School Athletic Association state playoffs, each making it at least to the third round or beyond.

Final point totals saw Terry Sanford outdistance second-place Cape Fear, last year’s winner of the trophy, with 137 points to 129.5.

Pine Forest was third with 122, followed by South View with 110, Gray’s Creek 107, Overhills 101, E.E. Smith 54, Westover 44 and Douglas Byrd 32.5.

When it was created in 1979, the Maxwell Cup was an all-sports trophy for Cumberland County schools. Since that time, as schools have been moved into different leagues, it’s become a joint all-sports award with the NCHSAA’s Wells Fargo Cup that goes to the best overall athletic program in each conference. Now that eight of the 10 Cumberland County senior high schools are in the Patriot Conference, the Maxwell is presented to the best school in that league along with the Wells Fargo Cup.

“We encourage multi-sport athletes,” said Terry Sanford athletic director Liz McGowan. “There’s a lot of truth that kids who play sports have to be more organized with their time. They end up being stronger students because they are using their time wisely.’’

McGowan said the coaching staff at Terry Sanford works together to make the sharing of athletes between different sports successful. “A lot of our kids end up going Division 1 or Division 2 after they leave us,” she said.

A couple of multi-sport athletes, Maggie Hodge and Dante Bowlding, share McGowan’s view of the coaches at Terry Sanford.

Hodge participates in cross-country, swimming and track and field. “I’m with smaller teams, and you really get to build a tighter connection with your coaches,” she said.

Bowlding was part of two conference championship teams for the Bulldogs, basketball and football. 

A junior, Bowlding will have a chance next year to help keep the Maxwell Cup at Terry Sanford. He already knows what the key will be to doing that.

“Leadership,’’ he said. “Leading by example. Doing everything I can to help my team.’’

Photo: L to R: Maggie Hodge, Dante Bowlding and Terry Sanford athletic director Liz McGowan.

It began innocently enough in November of last year. Political newcomer Tyrone Williams was elected to an open District 2 Fayetteville City Council seat. He placed first in a crowded field of 10 candidates to replace councilman Kirk deViere, who decided to run for state senate rather than seek re-election. 

A few weeks after his election, Williams and his campaign manager, T.J. Jenkins, met with downtown Fayetteville commercial developer Jordan Jones. Jenkins had arranged the meeting with Jones, indicating there was an apparent problem with the legal title to the former Prince Charles Hotel, which Jenkins indicated Williams could clear up.

The firm, in which Jones is an investor, had purchased the building in bankruptcy for $200,000. Jones became suspicious, and that may be when the FBI’s Public Corruption unit was called in by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. It isn’t known if any indictments will come out of the federal investigation. 

“I know that my meeting with Mr. Jordan Jones of Prince Charles Holdings, LLC, in December 2017, has caused turmoil for the city,” Williams said in a lengthy statement issued when he resigned. 

“It’s unfortunate that things worked out the way they did; the people of District 2 just didn’t know him,” former Cumberland County Commissioner Billy R. King said of Williams. According to published reports, Williams has a checkered past when it comes to business dealings. And he lied when he said publicly that he had a financial interest in PCH Holdings, the firm restoring the Prince Charles.

Jones’ firm had conducted a title search and found the iconic eight-story Hay Street building is clear of any issues. A title search is performed primarily to answer three questions regarding a property on the market: Does the seller have a saleable and marketable interest in the property? What kind of restrictions or allowances pertain to the use of the land? These include real covenants, easements and other equitable servitudes. Do any liens exist on the property that need to be paid off at closing? 

A title search is also performed when an owner wishes to mortgage property and the bank requires the owner to insure the transaction. Jones’ firm acquired two bank loans totaling $13 million to pay for the renovation of the building. He told Up & Coming Weekly that interior restoration of the 90-year-old structure is on schedule. It will be followed by about five months of work to restore the historical facade. Jones hopes to have 61 apartments available by the end of this year. 

Some plans for the former eight-story ballroom have changed. A posh, high-end apartment was planned originally, but Jones said it didn’t appear the market would support a $3,000 monthly rental fee. So, it will be converted into an office. At least two restaurants, a coffee shop and a couple small retail stores will occupy the first floor. Jones’ greatgrandfather built the hotel in 1924. 

After resisting demands from his city council colleagues to resign, as well as a legal procedure to remove him from office, Williams finally caved and stepped down early this month. 

What about Jenkins? Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin asked him to resign his position on a city council advisory committee. Entrepreneur Wilson Lacy said Jenkins was removed from his recently acquired post as president of the Fayetteville Business and Professional League. 

Williams’ resignation brought relief for city council and was accepted. “If you’re an elected official, you ought to understand the importance of avoiding ethical lapses and the perceptions most likely to accompany secret meetings asking for money if you expect to be successful in the political arena,” said civic leader Troy Williams. 

Fayetteville Observer columnist Myron Pitts said of Williams, “He lied to his council colleagues about having a financial interest in the current Prince Charles project, forcing the council to retake some key votes on the stadium and the other projects. He also lied about informing the mayor and city attorney about his alleged conflict of interest in February.”

Five people interested in being appointed to fill the District 2 position recently attended a meeting at Second Missionary Baptist Church on Old Wilmington Road. Patricia Bradley, Len Brown, Sharon Moyer, Paul Taylor and Dan Culliton asked the more than 100 people in attendance to support them. Several others spoke, some of them in support of the interested candidates. Others who filed to seek the District 2 seat were Vernell Cruz, Mary “Bunny” English, William Gothard, George Mitchell and George Turner.

Two-term Cumberland County Commissioner Charles Evans organized the public meeting and was joined by Mayor Colvin, who served as master of ceremonies. Evans once served as District 2 councilman and has since become one of the community’s influential political figures. In addition to Evans, immediate past District 2 council member deViere and former council member Mabel Smith were in attendance. Williams was not mentioned at all during the hourlong meeting. 

District 2 is the largest and most racially diverse of the city’s nine districts. It encompasses the downtown area, much of the impoverished inner-city residential areas and a portion of Haymount Hill.

The application process to succeed Williams has ended, and now it’s up to city council. Each applicant will address city council at a meeting on May 29. Council will hold a hearing to take citizen input June 5. They’ll make their decision June 11 and will install the new member June 25. 

The city of Fayetteville’s next fiscal year will begin July 1 with a new governing body and fresh hopes for a better community.