Local News

Lost in Leviticus: How to read the Bible year round

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Tuesday, 24 February 2026

Written by Dan DeBruler

Every January, gyms get crowded with new members, salad sales spike, and Bible-in-a-year reading plans get downloaded by the millions. And by this time in February… only the kale is still hanging on.

Celebrating life, activism of Dr. Ora Mobley Sweeting

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Tuesday, 24 February 2026

Written by John Riggio

When you meet Dr. Ora Mobley Sweeting, the first thing you notice is her kindness. Soon after, her quiet strength begins to shine. She grew up in Monroe, North Carolina, where she was raised by her aunt, Mama Cora. Mama Cora was a pillar of the community. She helped raise 19 children, including Dr. Sweeting and her twin, after their mother passed away. She also cared for Robert F. Williams, who later became a well‑known civil rights leader and author. In their family, education and Black history were part of daily life. Mama Cora often spoke to the children about the struggles of their community, which planted the first seeds of activism in Dr. Sweeting.
Dr. Sweeting’s father was one of six boys, all of whom went to college, which was rare at the time. Their strong belief in education shaped her early love of learning and her desire to teach. This family environment taught her to care for others and to speak up when things were unfair.
Dr. Sweeting attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and after graduating, she went on to teach and moved to Whiteville. Following Mama Cora’s example, she “went off script,” as her daughter, Candida, says, and taught Black history, even when it was unsafe to do so. When the school board told her to stop teaching it, her students held a sit‑in to support her. This drew the attention of the Ku Klux Klan, and her life was threatened. She was arrested “for the crime of educating,” as her daughter explains. A group of Black doctors bailed her out, and she was told she could either stay in North Carolina and face jail time or leave the state. In 1951, she headed north for safety.
Dr. Sweeting moved to Harlem, where her activism grew even stronger. As a young mother, she wanted her community’s children to be safe, supported, and heard. She founded the Central Harlem Mothers’ Association. They worked tirelessly for nearly 30 years and focused on improving conditions around schools, shutting down unsafe bars, closing dangerous roads near school buildings, advocating for equal job opportunities, and making sure Black students were part of every important conversation.
During her time in Harlem, Dr. Sweeting also led the St. Nicholas Tenants’ Association, helping residents of public housing fight for safe, livable buildings and get access to state services like food assistance.
Dr. Sweeting believed children of color should be honored and celebrated. She created “The Pursuit of Excellence Pageant,” which invited students from kindergarten through 12th grade to wear caps and gowns and be recognized for their achievements. Every child received a “Certificate of Excellence,” because, to her, no success was too small to celebrate.
Her boldest moments have become part of Harlem’s history. After helping to rename her neighborhood school the Harriet Tubman School, she fought to protect children from speeding cars on unsafe roadways. When the city refused to act, she lay down in the street between two kitchen chairs to stop traffic. Candida recalls seeing her there, remembering a police officer stepping over her mother to arrest her. Sweeting told him, “When you stepped over me, you stepped over every mother in Harlem ... That’s who you’re looking at right now.” Her protest was a success, and the city closed the nearby streets during school hours.
Over the course of roughly thirty years (1960’s – 1990’s), Dr. Sweeting pushed for decentralization by serving on the Executive Board of P.S. 157, a local public school. She helped organize the first Decentralization Community Control movement so schools would better reflect the needs of local families in Harlem’s schools. Due to threats connected to her advocacy work, Dr. Sweeting moved to California in 1990.
Candida says her mother’s story is a reminder today for young advocates to use their voices. In 2019, after nearly seven decades away, Dr. Sweeting finally returned to North Carolina.
Dr. Sweeting joined LIFE St. Joseph of the Pines in 2023. Her journey has since come full circle. The strength she once used to lift her community is now met with care, dignity, and support. As a PACE program, LIFE St. Joseph of the Pines helps seniors stay independent and connected to the places they love. Dr. Sweeting’s story reminds us that when one person stands with conviction, entire communities rise.
Today, she is surrounded by support, community, and peace. Her daughter says, “I must tell you, Mom is aging backwards. She said, “I feel like I'm 16 … So, something wonderful is happening here!”

(Photo: Dr. Ora Mobley Sweeting, a part of the LIFE St. Joseph of the Pines community, has been an activist and community leader her entire life. Photo courtesy of LIFE St. Joseph of the Pines)

Dining Guide: Black History Month

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Tuesday, 24 February 2026

Written by Staff Report

Health & Wellness: Just superb: Triple-bypass patient walks promising road ahead

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Tuesday, 24 February 2026

Written by Lia Tremblay

Last spring, Tina McKinnie was looking forward to a pretty big milestone: Her first grandchild was due in a few months, and she was counting down the days.
“I just couldn’t wait,” she said. “I was dying to see my grandbaby and just love on him.”
After surviving a heart attack in 2021, McKinnie was grateful to be alive and well for this new chapter. She had recently lost 70 pounds and was taking good care of herself.
“I was walking a mile and a half every day,” she said. “Going to the gym four days a week. I was doing really, really well.”
So when she began to experience a familiar chest discomfort, she initially wrote it off as no big deal.
“I was going through a stressful time,” she said. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a little anxiety and an actual heart problem, and I thought my heart must be fine because I was feeling so much better than I did back then.”
McKinnie wisely went to her cardiologist just to be sure. When a stress test indicated a slight blockage, she was scheduled for a cardiac catheterization in a few days. She was advised to go to the Emergency Department if the discomfort worsened in the meantime.
“It did, that Sunday morning,” she said. “So I called 911, and they took me to the hospital. I was having another heart attack.”
She was wheeled off for a heart catheterization to place some stents in the affected arteries, but the imaging there led to a new plan. She would instead need surgery: a triple-bypass coronary artery bypass grafting to create new pathways for blood flow in three narrowed arteries.
Fearful at first, McKinnie said she was soon calmed by learning from her surgeon, Adam Celio, MD, exactly what would happen and how it would help. She’s also grateful to a memorable nursing team for keeping her calm throughout her stay with helpful information—and humor.
“When I get nervous, I make jokes,” McKinnie said. “Jeanne, Abigayle and Matt were so sweet and so kind, and we kept each other laughing.”
After the surgery, she experienced some discouraging complications related to her blood pressure. But she said the staff kept her informed and encouraged with every setback.
“They always explained everything they were going to do, step by step,” she said. “They were just superb.”
At home, McKinnie’s recovery hit another speed bump when she began to accumulate too much fluid in her chest. She had to return to the hospital for a weekend, but was delighted to see the same team awaiting her.
“I had the best staff and nurses,” she said. “Truly, if it weren’t for them and God, I would not be here.”
In the following weeks, McKinnie said, she was motivated through her recovery by the excitement of soon meeting her new grandchild. And on August 28, there he was.
“His name is Sebastian,” she said. “He was born weighing less than five pounds. His little head would sit in the palm of your hand. So, he had a little struggle for a while there, but he’s doing great now.”
McKinnie said there were times when she felt discouraged during her recovery, when she lacked the energy to do the things she wanted to do, but it helped to keep moving in any way she could.
“Even on days when you feel like you can’t get up,” she said, “you can sit in that chair and move your legs, move your arms. Do anything that moves your body and wakes it up.”
It was especially frustrating, McKinnie said, to have this setback after she’d worked so hard to get into better shape. But even if they didn’t prevent a second heart attack, she said, those healthy habits may be the reason she lived to meet Sebastian. So, she’s taking the road ahead in stride.
“Now I may be starting over,” she said. “But I’m not stopping. I live by the words ‘You are here for a reason.’”

(Photo courtesy of Cape Fear Valley Health)