Cumberland County Schools has outlined how students will be educated as they head back to school under a remote learning plan. School officials say that to establish consistent expectations and quality education from school to school, the plan provides answers to numerous questions. A daily learning schedule has been established for elementary, middle and high schools. It includes live time with teachers, independent work time for students, student breaks to manage attention span and time to visit the district’s meal sites for lunch. An online districtwide learning management system for instruction will provide interactive learning, align assignments, house lecture recordings and quizzes/exams and provide online grading. The district will use a uniform grading structure that assures student assignments, quizzes and assessments are balanced and will provide quality feedback. The distribution of devices and instructional materials is underway now. About 80 school buses are outfitted with internet connectivity to serve as hotspots and will be strategically placed in areas throughout the community to make sure students have access. School officials have also built into the remote learning plan ways that parents can share concerns about their child’s remote experience with teachers and principals. For detailed information about the plan, visit http://ccs.k12.nc.us/.

Imagine this scenario: at approximately 2300 hours, you are dispatched as a member of law enforcement to a residence with a possible home invasion. You received information that the caller was a male child approximately 12 years of age and hiding in a closet. The child said he heard his back door kicked in and people walking around in his house. The child was crying on the phone, whispering that he was home alone, scared and didn’t know what to do.

Does this type of challenging situation positively motivate you when you consider a career?

If so, a career in law enforcement could be for you. Fayetteville Technical Community College offers convenient ways for you to learn about being a law enforcement officer and how to get started in this rewarding career. FTCC conducts a Basic Law Enforcement Training Informational/Application Workshop once a month.

If you’re not sure if law enforcement is for you but want to learn more about FTCC’s BLET Academy, we invite you to a workshop to meet the staff. We will discuss what to expect before, during and after the academy. We encourage you to bring your support (significant other) with you, so we will be able to answer any and all questions you or your significant other may have.

For those who want information and are ready to start the application process, sign up for our information session and application workshop with the BLET staff. Print out the application packet and bring it with you to the workshop. By the time you leave, the majority of your application process will be complete, and you will be on your way to a rewarding career in law enforcement!

For those who already know what BLET is all about, you can skip the informational session and move right into getting the application process completed with BLET staff assistance. Print out the application packet and bring it with you to the workshop. Sign up for our application workshop where a BLET staff member will assist you through the lengthy process.

If you already know a career in law enforcement is for you and you are ready to complete the application process on your own, no problem! Download the application from home and get started. I recommend starting the application process 5-6 months prior to your desired class start date. Anything submitted more than 5-6 months in advance could expire before the class begins.

Get started by signing up two ways:

(1) Visit our website at www.faytechcc.edu and type “BLET” in the search box. Click on “How to Enroll” to sign up for the workshop, or just download the BLET Application.
(2) Visit our Facebook page at FTCC Basic Law Enforcement Training BLET and click on the “Sign Up” button located on our cover photo.

We look forward to serving you at FTCC, and your community awaits your service as a member of law enforcement. Contact me at
vesty@faytechcc.edu if you have questions.

Now that warmer days are upon us, I seek the refuge of water with my activity of choice kayaking. I have always had a mermaid soul that draws me to the water for activities such as paddle boarding, boogie boarding, swimming and surfing, but the kayaking experience has been unique. This versatile sport can be enjoyed in many different settings, from the river to open lakes and even the beach. I also love that the kayaking community is quite diverse in terms of age and physical ability. Anyone, even you landlubbers, can enjoy this sport.

If you do not own a kayak, a few places offer kayaks for rent. I appreciate these options as different types and sizes allow people to try them out and find a comfortable fit. I own a sit-in kayak, where my legs fit inside the vessel. Some buccaneers own sit-on-top kayaks, a flat style allowing legs to stay exposed, and prefer that style for both the rowing and what else – tanning. My 10-year-old daughter uses this type of kayak; it is safer, I feel, in the event she has to abandon ship. Everyone seems to have their preferences, so I think renting for a day to “test the waters” is a great option.

When I first began kayaking, I found it a pleasant surprise the number of places available for kayak access in the local community. The locations vary in level of difficulty and offerings regarding fees and amenities such as shuttle services, guided tours, events and classes. Some kayakers like such programming, while others prefer to strike out on their own.

Spring Lake Outpost on the Lower Little River in Spring Lake has rental options, guided tours and self-guided options. Book a fun float such as the SLO Glow Canoe or SLO Glow Kayak trip; Freedom Float for the Fallen; Memorial Candle Release or an adult, youth or tandem short-route trip. One option allows you to rent their vessel or use your own kayak to put in. You travel downriver to a designated location where SLO guides pick you up and drive you back to the starting point.

Another site for a similar shuttle experience is Cape Fear Adventures in Lillington. I enjoy this area of the Cape Fear River in neighboring Harnett County as it is wide enough to give paddlers the freedom to explore with minimal obstacles. I have visited on days when it was calm enough to row upriver and then almost sail back down to the ramp for departure. With a kayak, canoe or paddleboard rental, you can book the Leisure Paddle, Easy Float, 10-mile Challenge, Epic Overnight or Sunset Paddle. Rev up the action with Stand-Up Paddle Board Yoga or Whitewater Kayaking. Slow it down with Lazy River Tubing.

If you are not into the river scene, several lakes in the local area allow you to launch your kayak free of charge. A few of my favorites are Hope Mills Lake in Hope Mills, Lake Rim in west Fayetteville and Mott Lake on Fort Bragg. All have ramps for easy water access, but Hope Mills Lake provides a nice kayak ramp that makes embarkment a snap. Lake Rim Park offers guided lake tours and off-site paddling adventures as well.

I like to take a few things on my kayak adventures that you may wish to take, too: a small cooler with water and snacks, bug spray, a sun hat or sunglasses and flip flops or water shoes. Requirements are life jackets for each person and an emergency whistle, just in case.

Don’t forget to batten down the hatches, as even on calm days, it’s easy to lose a phone to the water. How devastating it would be to miss out on sharing pictures of your adventure with your social media mates. So, grab your Mer Pals, hit the open water and beat the heat this summer.

Brandon has three little girls, no job and no health insurance.

His company launched mass furloughs just weeks after North Carolina shut down its economy over the coronavirus pandemic. Brandon’s job didn’t last long, and his health insurance became a casualty.

Brandon is familiar with the risk of being uninsured. Years ago, he racked up medical bills when depression turned his life “upside down.” But he came back to get a job he loved, working as a residential project manager in Charlotte.
Now the only reason he still can see his therapist is her decision to treat him, free of charge.

“I finally started getting help, met the woman of my dreams, I turned my life around,” Brandon told Carolina Journal. He preferred to use his first name for privacy reasons. “If I didn’t have her, if I had someone who went by the book — it scares me. And it sucks, because none of this was any fault of our own. No fault. That’s the sad part.”

Brandon is one of an estimated 723,000 North Carolinians who lost their health insurance to the economic devastation unleashed by the pandemic and the lockdowns, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The loss has forced patients to delay or forfeit care while they wait for the economy to restart and for the pandemic to ease.

Americans’ dependence on employer-based health insurance — a result of government regulations and union activism — exacerbates the problem, experts say.

During World War II, the War Labor Board exempted health benefits from its wage freeze. After the war, unions fought for health benefits in a wave of strikes. They won a victory in 1953, when the Internal Revenue Service upheld a tax break for employer-based health insurance.

The system has its strengths, but its weaknesses become acute in a global pandemic, said Mark Hall, the director of Wake Forest University’s health law and policy program.

“You can’t live with it, can’t live without it — whatever cliché you want to use,” Hall told Carolina Journal. “On the whole, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. But the drawbacks are significant when you have these economic downturns that cause people to lose their insurance when they need it most.”

More than 1.2 million people have filed unemployment claims in North Carolina since the outbreak began and Gov. Roy Cooper shut down the economy.

“I honestly thought I’d be back working by now,” Brandon said. “I absolutely loved my job; best job I ever had, they took care of me. … It’s a nightmare for a lot of people.”

Months after being diagnosed with cancer, Sherie Bradshaw’s husband lost his job and his health insurance during the pandemic.

The cancer diagnosis, they expected. Genetics was against them, they knew, and the same cancer had killed Frank Bradshaw’s father within 10 years of its diagnosis. Father and son each were age 58 when doctors discovered prostate cancer.

Bradshaw went in for surgery just as the pandemic neared its first peak. At his company, sales plummeted 90%, federal money ran out, and the Bradshaws found themselves uninsured and unable to afford insurance. His cancer diagnosis eliminates catastrophic coverage, and Obamacare premiums are prohibitively expensive. They make too much to qualify for Medicaid, even if the program were expanded under the Affordable Care Act.

“I’m angry, and a little nervous,” says Sherie Bradshaw, a physician assistant in Charlotte. “Are we going to have to dig into our retirement savings to pay $1,000 just to be covered? And that’s sad when you’re our age.”

In Apex, Dr. Brian Forrest says many of his patients have lost their jobs to the pandemic. Two of his uninsured patients were saving for hernia repair surgery, but he worries the pandemic has hit their finances, too.

“A hernia isn’t an emergency, but you want to get it fixed before it gets twisted, or it is life-threatening,” Forrest told Carolina Journal. “It can cut off the blood supply, and kill you in an hour … They’re just biding their time.”

Expanding Medicaid would open coverage to households who make less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level. But there’s a shortage of Medicaid providers, and the pandemic has damaged the health care system, said Joe Coletti, John Locke Foundation senior fellow.

Even if the General Assembly expanded Medicaid today, it couldn’t help these families in time, Coletti said. Oklahoma approved Medicaid expansion this July, but coverage won’t take effect until July 2021 — a year later.

“Expanding Medicaid would run into the same problems as every other legal remedy,” Coletti said. “It’s not immediate, where you pass the law and it takes effect that day. They’re still in the same spot.”

In Raleigh, Ruth Porter had health insurance for two weeks before losing her job in May. She’s trying to make ends meet with her 24-year-old autistic son sleeping on the couch. Her other son lost his job when salons and restaurants closed. She cancelled the medical visits she scheduled for May.

There are gaps in Porter’s job history. She’s worked a slew of part-time jobs, and she didn’t have health insurance for the past two years. Her request for unemployment benefits was denied. But Porter says she wants to get back into the workforce.

For now, Porter is relying on her sister and her savings, but she’s starting to use her credit card. She says she can make it until the end of September. After that, she doesn’t know.

“Just looking for a job, just applying constantly. I haven’t heard anything back from any of them,” Porter said. “I’m hoping I don’t even have to think about all that, and I’m working, and it’s not even an issue. But I have no idea, the pandemic seems like it’s getting worse, and the situation with the shutdowns.”

But if schools stay shut, Brandon doesn’t know if he could take a job. His oldest girl is 10.

“I’m ready to get back out there and work,” Brandon said. “What are we going to have to do with child care? We couldn’t afford it. … What’s the government going to do, issue another $1,200 check six months from now? It is a joke.”

Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly Jr. has selected a new executive director and four new principals. Jackie White was named executive director of Elementary School Support. She has served as the principal of College Lakes Elementary School since 2010. White holds an associate’s in early childhood education from State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri, a bachelor’s in elementary education from Central Missouri State University and a Tier I administrative credential and master’s in elementary education from Chapman University, Santa Maria, California. Tremaine Canteen and Nathan Currie were named principals of Cumberland Academy. Brenda Ware-McAllister was appointed the principal of College Lakes Elementary. Kamal Watkins is the new principal of Lillian Black Elementary, where he currently serves as the assistant principal.

Have you been enjoying the year of our Lord, the very festive 2020? So far, it has been really swell, what with the Rona, the riots and the rational reactions. If you have spent any time on social media, you may think that 2020 thus far has stunk. Perish the thought. In a continuing effort to keep on the sunny side of the street, today’s stain on world literature will highlight some of the good things that have happened so far. Sit back, light up a stogie, pour a glass of your favorite adult beverage, and take a ride on the Reading Railroad to Happy Town, U.S.A.

Like the Overlook Hotel in “The Shining,” misquoting Mr. Halloran: “Lots of things have happened in 2020, and not all of them was good.” So, while the smell of burned toast may hang heavily in the air when you ponder the progress of 2020, as long as you stay out of Room 237 on your calendar, you should be OK. But you have no reason to go into Room 237 of 2020. So, stay out! There are places in 2020 that you should avoid. This column is not going into Room 237. You can get all the horror and anger you need by reading your social media feed. Today we shall put on a happy face.

Let us begin. Some really bad things that have not happened in 2020. There has been no invasion of body snatchers. The only evil pods that have shown up are the mystery seeds mailed here from our Chinese friends. There is no truth to your suspicion that evil Pods from another planet have replaced the loved ones with whom you have been confined while sheltering in place for the last five months. They are still the same people who existed in February — before cabin fever set in. They are not aliens from another planet, despite what you may think. It is still safe to go to sleep. You will not turn into a Pod. Take Sominex tonight and sleep safe and restful, sleep, sleep, sleep.

There has been no attack of the Mole Men this year. The Mole Men remain underground, digging diligently but silently like the Pennsylvania Miners unit of Union Army at the Battle of the Crater during the siege of Petersburg in the Civil War. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee the Mole Men won’t erupt if Dear Leader loses the election and refuses to leave office, triggering Civil War 2. To be on the safe side, buy a barrel of Talprid Mole Bait for any pesky infestations of Mole Men who may pop up in your yard after the election.

Another cheery thought for those of you who are gifted with the weight of many winters is that Soylent Green has not yet been suggested as a remedy for Social Security’s accounting issues — too many people, too little money. For those who don’t remember this excellent 1973 movie, “Soylent Green” is set in the far distant future of 2022. Life is grim, overpopulation, pollution and not enough food to go around. A big corporation has a monopoly on a food supplement called Soylent Green, which is supposedly made of plankton. It turns out Soylent Green is actually made of ground-up excess people. If the U.S. Department of Agriculture starts pushing Soylent Green instead of government cheese for the masses of unemployed Americans, at that point, you may legitimately begin to worry.

Recently TCM showed Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “The Birds.” So far, homicidal birds have been confined to Bodega Bay, California and Tippi Hendren’s bouffant hairdo. To be on the safe side, keep feeding the birds. We don’t want to rile them up. Birds descended from dinosaurs. There are more of them than there are of us. Mr. Google says there are about 7.5 billion people in the world versus about 200 to 400 billion birds. Keep buying bird seed, and all will be well.

There are good things that have happened, not just bad things that have not yet occurred in 2020. For example, Lassie came home and Timmy got out of the well. That’s a plus. Despite demands from Marvin the Martian to quarantine Earth due to the Rona, NASA recently launched the Perseverance Rover on a mission to Mars. The Rover will look for signs of life, and possibly bring Martian rocks back to Earth. Unless Marvin is able to build a great big beautiful Martian wall to keep us out, Earth will be knocking on Marvin’s door in February 2021. We shall boldly go where no man has gone before to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations and to spread Rona across the universe.

Now don’t you feel better already? There is some good stuff out there. Kindly focus on it. As John Prine once sang, “Blow up your TV/ Throw away your paper/ Move to the country/ Build you a home/ Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches/ Try and find Jesus on your own.”

As Floyd the barber once told Andy, “Time heals everything. Know who said that? My Latin teacher at barber college.”

Lt. Gen. Jody J. Daniels is the ninth commanding general of the Army Reserve. Daniels will lead more than 200,000 soldiers and civilian employees located in 50 states, five U.S. territories and more than 30 countries. Her promotion to three-star general and assumption of command took place at Fort Bragg, where she will be headquartered. As the 34th Chief of Army Reserve, she will serve as an adviser to the Army Chief of Staff and Congress.
“I know my squad, my team has the flexibility, creativity, innovation and the will to adapt to prevail against all enemies — to tackle them head-on,” said Daniels, who succeeds Lt. Gen. Charles D. Luckey. She has over 36 years of active and reserve military service. Throughout her career, Daniels has commanded at every level, filled a variety of military intelligence positions and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Fayetteville City Manager Doug Hewett has named Toney Coleman director of the Fayetteville Regional Airport. Coleman has served the city since 1993 as the airport deputy director. Longtime airport director Bradley Whited retired in April.
“Dr. Coleman has more than earned this new role as director,” said Hewett. “He’s demonstrated his prowess as a subject matter expert in all things airport-related and as a superb leader. Before joining the city of Fayetteville, Coleman served 12.5 years on active duty in the U.S. Army as an Army aviator. He then served 12.5 years in the Army Reserve. He is a fixed-wing pilot and is a member of the American Association of Airport Executives. Responsibilities on the immediate horizon for Coleman will be to continue terminal renovations while securing new flights for airport customers. He holds a bachelor’s from Winston-Salem State University, a master’s from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a doctoral degree from Northcentral University.

Farmers markets have grown in popularity in recent years. Nowadays, consumers interested in farmers markets can likely find one near their homes whether those homes are in rural communities, the suburbs or bustling cities.

People who have never before shopped farmers markets may be curious as to why many people find them so appealing. The following are a handful of benefits of shopping farmers markets that might turn market novices into full-fledged devotees.

Freshness: Many people visit farmers markets because the fruits and vegetables sold at such markets seem to taste more fresh than those sold at chain grocery stores. People are not mistaken, as the produce available at farmers markets often comes from local farms, meaning there's no long-distance shipping necessary. Locally sourced foods need not be frozen en route to the market, meaning foods purchased there tend to taste especially fresh.

In-season foods: Some grocery stores may sell fruits and vegetables even when those foods are out of season. Farmers markets only sell in-season fruits and vegetables. To grow fruits and vegetables out-of-season, farmers may need to rely on chemicals or other unnatural methods. No such means are necessary when farmers stick to growing foods in-season.

Environmental benefits: According to the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, food in the United States travels an average of 1,500 miles to get to consumers' plates. Such journeys burn natural resources, pollute the air and produce sizable amounts of trash that ultimately ends up in landfills and/or the world's oceans. Because food sold at farmers markets is locally sourced, considerably fewer natural resources are necessary to transport the food from farm to table, and the relatively short distances the food travels translates to less air pollution.

Biodiversity: Many farmers market shoppers find unique foods not readily available at their local grocery stores. This is not only a great way to discover new and delicious foods but also a way to promote biodiversity.

Hormone-free animal products: Farmers markets do not exclusively sell fruits and vegetables. Many farmers markets also are great places to find meats, cheeses and eggs. Animal products sold at farmers markets are typically antibiotic- and hormone-free, which is both more humane to the animals and healthier than animal products produced with hormones or
antibiotics.

Farmers markets are more accessible than ever, and the benefits to shopping such markets are endless.

Now, more than ever before, is the perfect time to support local entrepreneurs. One of the great characteristics of Cumberland County farmers markets is that, in addition to touting agricultural goodness, other items from local entrepreneurs, like sauces and jellies, crocheted pieces, soaps and more are often offered.

Here are a list of regular pop-up and brick-and-mortar farmers market locations.

Dirtbag Ales Farmers Market

Popular for its taproom, Dirtbag Ales offers a variety of fun activities throughout the year, to include a farmers market. The farmers market welcomes individuals, families and furry companions to support local artisans on Sundays through Nov. 22. The market notes on its Facebook page that it is adhering to social distancing guidelines with face masks being strongly encouraged. Preorders and prepay will be offered. Stay tuned to their Facebook page for more information on the vendor lineup. Dirtbag Ales is located at 5435 Corporation Drive. Visit -https://www.facebook.com/dirtbagalesfarmersmarket/?eid=ARBzYoEIHDqKQpjM4ryHihJaVs-4Y4SMXOSHiGJ9YmhzJ85g69SwR7dAo3tKoP6hwq215i7dwX1I3LGb&fref=tag for more information, or call 910-426-2537.

Murchison Road Community Farmers Market

This farmers market, located next to Fayetteville State University is a program that stems from the school's Development Corporation. Find delicious baked goods, handmade crafts and more from the area’s growers and artisans. The Murchison Road Farmer’s Market is located at 1047 Murchison Rd. The market is closed for now, but the organizers hope to resume it in the fall. To learn more, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fayettevillefreshnc/ or call 845-216-1242.

City Market at the Museum

This farmers market, touting fresh produce, beautiful artwork, baked goods, soaps, candles and more is held on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-
1 p.m. The market is held at the Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum, located at 325 Franklin St., giving you the perfect reason to stroll around the downtown area and support local merchants.
For information, call 910-433-1944.

The Reilly Road Farmers Market and Carolina Farmers Market

This tried and true local favorite has been open for 40 years. Satisfy your sweet tooth with old-fashioned candies, honeys and jam, browse the fresh produce, or pick up some delicious cheese here. The farmers market is located at 445 N. Reilly Rd., although owner Mike Pate hopes to move into a building currently under construction at the corner of Raeford Road and Bunce Road. Pate also owns Carolina Farmers Market, a nursery with a beautiful selection of flowers, on 4400 Raeford Rd.  The Reilly Road Farmers Market is open throughout the week from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Call 910-868-9509 for more details. The Carolina Farmers Market is open from 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. For more information, call 910-426-1575.

Bright Beginnings

If the evenings are more convenient for you to do your shopping, then Bright Beginnings will be the perfect market for you. The night market, located at Bright Light Brewing Company in downtown Fayetteville, is open on the first Friday of every month. Visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Bright-Beginnings-112449620380630/ or call 919-349-6062 to learn more.

Music enriches people's lives in myriad ways. Age is of no consideration when it comes to benefitting from and appreciating music, but it seems that young people in particular have a lot to gain from music education.

According to the New England Board of Higher Education, various studies have found that consistent music education can improve vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.

In addition, the National Association for Music Education says that research has found a significant relationship between arts participation at school and academic success.

Parents who want their children to reap the benefits of being involved with music can try the following strategies aimed at fostering a love of music in young people.

Turn the television off and turn music on. Exposing youngsters to music is one of the simplest and most effective ways to get them to embrace it.

For example, in lieu of turning on the television while preparing meals, parents can play music instead.

Let youngsters pick their own songs, or mix it up by including some of mom and dad's favorites as well. Such exposure can be incredibly valuable for youngsters. In fact, a 2016 study from researchers at the University of Southern California found that musical experiences in childhood accelerate brain development. Music is especially effective at helping children in language acquisition and reading.

Another way to build kids' enthusiasm for music is to replay some of their favorite songs. While mom and dad may cringe at the prospect of hearing "Baby Shark" several times in a row, they should take note of how enthusiastic their kids become when hearing a favorite song. That enthusiasm can benefit their language skills as they listen closely to the lyrics in an effort to memorize the words. Youngsters may not be so receptive if they don't like what they're hearing.

Dance to music. Kids are bundles of energy, and dancing is a fun way for them to expend some of that energy. Dancing also provides a great reason to play music. Physical activity set to music can help kids burn off some extra energy as they develop their brains, making dance sessions a win-win for both parents and children.

Embrace opportunities to see live music. Kids are often captivated by seeing musicians perform in person. When possible, take youngsters to concerts, local music festivals and/or restaurants that showcase local musicians. Such excursions may prompt youngsters to want to learn how to play, which can provide a host of additional benefits, even for especially young children.

In fact, a 1996 study published in Nature found that first grade students who took part in music classes during art study programs experienced marked improvement in reading and math proficiency.

Music enriches people's lives in various ways, and exposure to music at a young age can be especially valuable to children.

Do Black lives matter in a good, almost all-white neighborhood in Raleigh?

The Black lives in this neighborhood are two of the main characters in Raleigh author Therese Anne Fowler’s latest novel, “A Good Neighborhood.”

Fowler became a literary hot property following her bestselling “Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald” in 2013 and “A Well-Behaved Woman” about Alva Smith Vanderbilt in 2018.

The new book opens in the middle of a not unusual neighborhood conflict brought on by the tearing down of an older home that had sat on a wooded lot in Raleigh’s fictional Oakdale neighborhood. The old house and trees have been replaced by a mansion-sized house and swimming pool. The old ambience is gone. That would be bad enough, but the pool construction destroyed the roots of a giant beloved tree next door.

The owner of the doomed tree and adjoining lot is Valerie Alston-Holt, a
college professor who is a well-liked fixture in Oakdale.

Valerie’s new neighbor, Brad Whitman, is a self-confident, self-made man who has built a successful heating and air conditioning business. His personal appearances on TV to promote his business have made him popular and recognizable in Raleigh. He is used to getting his way.

Brad’s wife’s daughter, Juniper, is 17. When she was 14, she and Brad participated in a “Purity Ball.” As Brad explained to a neighbor, “Well, the ball culminates a ceremony wherein the dads promise to protect and support the girls, and the girls promise to stay virgins until after the dads hand them off at their wedding.”

When we first meet Juniper, she is swimming in the new pool.

So, what does all this have to do with Black Lives Matter?

First, Valerie is Black.

Second, she and her late husband, who was white, had a son, Xavier, who is now a senior in high school.

Xavier is near perfect. Smart. Hard working. Courteous and considerate. Popular. A musician good enough to win a scholarship to a fine conservatory in San Francisco.

Xavier is popular with his contemporaries of both races. He cherishes the memory of his dead white father and considers himself to be both white and Black.
But outside of his family and friends, he is just another young Black male.

If you have already guessed that the book’s story line will revolve around a romance between Xavier and Juniper, you have it right.

And if you guess that Brad’s devotion to his stepdaughter and his latent racism might lead to a tragedy exacerbated by Xavier’s skin color, you already understand the Black Lives Matter connection to the story.

Fowler’s novel has appeared at a time when the Oprah-selected and bestselling novel “American Dirt” has been roundly criticized for having been written by an author who had not actually experienced the culture she so vividly described.
In short, the question for Fowler’s book is whether a white author can successfully write about Black characters such as Valerie and Xavier?

Critics have different opinions about “A Good Neighborhood.”

In The New York Times, reviewer Kiley Reid said no. She wrote, “Much like Uncle Tom, Xavier, the perfect biracial teenager, is presented as a nonthreatening fantasy for the book’s white
audience.”

On the other hand, Washington Post reviewer Jung Yun writes, “What Fowler has executed is a book in which the Black characters are thoughtfully rendered and essential to the story being told. Valerie and Xavier’s perspectives enrich and complicate a larger narrative about prejudice and how it can infiltrate even the most neighborly and seemingly open-minded of communities.”

I agree with Jung Yun. Fowler deserves admiration and praise for carefully developing her characters and telling a disturbing story that makes her readers confront Black Lives Matter.

History comes alive at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, a premier garden experience located in Fayetteville’s own backyard. The garden opened in 1989 and serves not only to educate horticulture students from nearby Fayetteville Technical Community College but the public as well. The garden is home to the numerous plant species and communities of the Cape Fear River basin.

Educational activities for all ages abound, such as the upcoming Heritage Tour. Members and visitors are invited to join staff for a Saturday morning tour of the McCauley Heritage Garden Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. The garden is home to five historic structures, including a general store, farmhouse, tobacco barn, corn crib and the farmhouse outhouse. Guests will learn about early 1900s farm life in North Carolina and will explore the interiors of all the historic structures.

All ages are welcome. Children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

The garden is also excited to announce the third and final Sunset Picnic Series Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt “A Hawaiian Homicide” Aug. 21 from 5:30-8 p.m. The Owle’s arrive to discover that something mysterious has happened to the patriarch of the family, Lou Owle.

There’s a mystery to be solved — who killed Lou Owle? So, gather up the family or friends for a social-distancing Hawaiian-style family reunion with the Owle Family and help them find Lou Owle’s killer. Gilbert Theater actors strategically staged throughout the garden will provide clues to guests in search of answers on this self-led scavenger hunt. Enjoy food available for purchase from Cousins Maine Lobster food truck and the Garden View Cafe. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase. Cool Heat will provide live music, and there will be vendors on-site for guest’s shopping pleasure.

“The June and July events were well received and brought many first–time visitors to the garden, exposing them not only to the beauty and cultural versatility of Cape Fear Botanical Garden, but also to the talented troupe of actors from the Gilbert Theater,” said Sheila Hanrick, director of marketing and events at the garden. “We invite everyone to join us for a mysterious and fun evening on August 21.”

Hosting cultural events in the garden’s natural setting increases public awareness of the local natural environment and exposes guests to the benefits of nature. The self-led murder mystery scavenger hunts provide the best of both worlds during COVID-19. They allow people to interact at a safe distance while supporting the Cape Fear Botanical Garden’s mission of connecting people with nature.

End the summer with an evening at the Garden and help solve the mystery of what happened to Lou Owle.

The Heritage Tour and “A Hawaiian Homicide” are free to Garden members and included with Garden admission for non-members. Pre-registration is required. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the number of participants is limited and registration may fill up quickly.  For more information, call 910-486-0221.

The July 31 edition of The Fayetteville Observer ran an opinion piece by Dr. James Anderson, former chancellor of Fayetteville State University, rebutting a Publisher’s Pen printed in Up & Coming Weekly July 21. Former contributor to UCW, Karl Merritt, took issue with some of Anderson’s points and reached out to both The Observer and UCW. He shares his thoughts below.

On Sunday evening, Aug. 2, I read an opinion piece by Dr. James Anderson, former chancellor of Fayetteville State University. His comments appeared in the 31 July edition of The Fayetteville Observer. Primarily, Dr. Anderson very strongly condemned what Bill Bowman, publisher of Up & Coming Weekly newspaper, wrote in a column titled, “Leadership: What Fayetteville needs now.” It appeared in the 21 July issue.

Almost five years ago, Bill Bowman invited me to write a column for his newspaper. We agreed that I would do so. My column was in the paper every other week until just recently when I ended it in order to take on some other projects. Over the years, I got to know Bill Bowman; got to see his love for others and for Fayetteville. I also quickly grew to appreciate his willingness to speak forthrightly regarding the challenging issues of our time. Consequently, reading what Dr. Anderson wrote was a gut-wrenching experience.

The following paragraph from Bill’s column gives a good feel for what apparently sent Anderson on his tear. Bowman writes that there is “… plotting to take away our freedoms and our country.”

The next paragraph says: “Fayetteville is only one microcosm of that malicious movement, and it boils down to our leadership. Or, in Fayetteville’s case, our lack of leadership. Mayor Mitch Colvin and Police Chief Gina Hawkins have perpetrated a harsh injustice on our community by not implementing and demonstrating leadership that is representative of the safety and well-being of all the citizens of the Fayetteville community. By encouraging, endorsing and siding with the protesting Black community, they left the white, Asian, Hispanic and Native American Fayetteville citizens wondering what happened to their representation and assurance of safety and protection?”

Anderson starts by accusing Bowman of “confounding several things.” I read the publisher’s point to be succinct. He says Mayor Colvin and Police Chief Gina Hawkins failed this community when they did not allow police and other appropriate personnel to stop the damage to property that took place during a protest downtown on May 30. That is a statement of fact. Mayor Colvin has made it clear that a decision was made not to attempt to stop the damaging of buildings. His argument was that the consequences would likely have been made worse by police intervention. The problem with that assessment is that government had a responsibility to protect those downtown properties. Failure to do so rightfully allows for questioning city leadership.

Then comes three comments from Anderson regarding Bowman’s statement that the actions “perpetrated a harsh injustice on our community.” The first contends that “leaders should be evaluated on their complete portfolio of work and not single incidents.” I contend that failure to protect those properties was so egregious that, taken alone, there is sufficient reason to question the quality and fairness of city leadership. However, go on to consider the chaos created by how city leadership has, and is, handling calls for tearing down the Market House, building the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center, protesters camping out at the Market House to the detriment of downtown businesses, and promoting a climate conducive to economic growth. None of these issues are being addressed in a productive and unifying fashion.

Then Dr. Anderson writes, “Second, we have no right to assign motives for their actions if we have not asked them.” For all the time that I have been writing for publication, it has been my practice to give individuals about whom I write an opportunity to give me input. I have gone so far as to allow subjects to review my text for accuracy. I have consistently followed this process with Mayor Colvin. After the first couple of exchanges, when the mayor obviously disagreed with my opinions, he stopped responding to my email offers to consider his input.

The latest instance of no response from Mayor Colvin was an email I sent to him and all members of Council. It was sent on 16 July 2020. To date, I have not heard from the mayor. In fact, only a minuscule number of Council members have bothered to respond. That email offered each of them an opportunity to address an opinion piece that I am writing and the email summarized my focus as follows (The full email is available at karlmerritt.com under “Blog”.) “The focus is on how individuals, governmental officials, and various entities have responded, and continue to respond, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. It seems to me that the resulting efforts are so heavily focused on various conditions allegedly negatively affecting Black Americans that the white population is being neglected while, even worse, being painted as the enemy. Note, I am not alone in this thinking. I saw a post on Nextdoor recently where a lady said exactly the same thing. She and I are not alone.”

The point here is that I have zero belief that Mayor Colvin would have responded if Bill Bowman had attempted to contact him. Further, from reliable media reports and input from people in the downtown area, Bowman had sound substantiation for everything he wrote.

After a brief third point commending people who take on major responsibilities, Anderson moves to the prevailing argument that there are genuine protesters, then rioters and looters. Then comes his contention that because rioters and looters constitute a smaller percentage than the protesters, there should be conversation as to how their disruptions might be addressed. It would appear to me the first step should be to stop them from damaging the property of other people, while adversely impacting livelihoods. As to conversation, it would be interesting to see what groups would actually be invited and which voices would seriously be heard. In today’s environment, my guess is that white Americans need not expect an invitation and, if invited, should not speak unless they follow the Black Lives Matter script.

In the event all else fails, now Bowman gets hit with the race card. Anderson writes, “This is not the first time that Bill has applied the broad brushstrokes of race to indict a Black person.” Without giving the Black person’s name, he recounts how Bowman “…placed a Black man’s face on the cover of his newspaper and inserted this man’s face onto a facsimile of a wanted poster. This person’s purported crime was that he was running for public office while being investigated for some questionable personal quandaries.”

He is referring to Tyrone Williams, who was serving on Fayetteville City Council in early 2018. Following is a section from an article in The Fayetteville Observer by Greg Barnes titled, “Williams resigns council seat”:
“Williams came under fire nearly a month ago after The Fayetteville Observer published a secret audio recording of a December meeting during which he told a developer that he could resolve a minor issue with a property title for $15,000. The council immediately asked Williams to resign. When he refused, the council began a process of forcible removal that would have taken a few months.”

Williams was forced from office because of his action that Dr. Anderson characterizes as “some questionable personal quandaries.” He further minimizes the situation by saying that, to his knowledge, Williams has never been convicted. Was it wise for Bill Bowman to use that wanted poster in America’s “with no proof or fairness, racist around every corner” atmosphere? No. Does it show him to be racist? Absolutely not.

Finally, Anderson challenges Bowman’s contention that people are afraid to speak up; Bill lays those fears out. Anderson apparently thinks Bill’s comments here only apply to white citizens. I know, firsthand, that what he says in this regard is absolutely true. I hear it from Black and white citizens. The unsettling treatment I receive as a conservative Black Republican would apparently shock Dr. Anderson. Anybody who follows Bill Bowman’s advice and speaks up better be prepared for rough seas; but he is right, we better speak up and take action.

I have tremendous respect for Dr. James Anderson, but I will not be quiet in the face of his unjustified broadside on Bill Bowman.

Picture: Spirited debate is a sign of a healthy democracy and has the power to bridge differences and influence change.
Up & Coming Weekly encourages the civil public discourse of ideas, which is a hallmark of our great republic.

As if the COVID crisis and economic recession weren’t bad enough, here’s some more bad news to process: homicide rates are spiking in many North Carolina communities.

Through the end of July, 32 people in Greensboro have been the victims of homicide so far this year, up 52 percent from the count during the first seven months of 2019. Charlotte’s 68 homicides are up more than 11 percent from last year and more than double the comparable count for 2018. In Winston-Salem, homicides are up 17 percent over 2019. In Durham, homicides have tripled.

These developments are part of a national trend. Homicides are up 14 percent so far this year in Los Angeles, 24 percent in New York, 27 percent in Houston, 32 percent in Phoenix, and 52 percent in Chicago.

I know what you’re thinking. You’ve probably already seen or heard the argument that the antipolice protests that erupted a couple of months ago, after the highly publicized death of George Floyd, explain the recent increase in homicides — that as embattled law-enforcement officers withdraw from urban centers, violence is surging.

Advocates of police reform resist this explanation, however. They point out that homicides were going up in many places before Floyd’s death and the ensuing street protests, that “defunding the police” and other radical demands have yet to be acted on in most cases, and that, in fact, other reported crimes are often flat or declining in the very cities where homicides are rising.

The skeptics are certainly right to point out that events in May and June can’t be the cause of events in January or February. Indeed, as I noted, Charlotte’s murder rate went up more in 2019 than in 2020. These are complicated matters, to say the least. But it strains credulity to argue that adverse pressure on law enforcement isn’t a significant part of the problem.

Keep in mind that while some of the homicide spikes predate May, so do politicized attacks on police departments. Remember the Charlotte riots that followed the death of Keith Lamont Scott in 2016? He had brandished a pistol at police officers and refused repeated commands to drop the gun.

Moreover, as The Wall Street Journal recently pointed out, the divergence between homicides and other crimes could be the result of the pandemic.

“Police in many departments said robberies, burglaries and rapes are down so far this year because more people stayed home during COVID-19 lockdowns, leaving fewer prospective victims on the streets, in bars or other public places,” The Journal reported. “Homicides, on the other hand, are up because violent criminals have been emboldened by the sidelining of police, courts, schools, churches and an array of other social institutions by the reckoning with police and the pandemic, say analysts and law-enforcement officials in several cities.”

As for calls to reform the police, the specifics matter. The public largely agrees with constructive proposals to enhance training, increase transparency, and hold departments accountable in egregious cases. But slashing police budgets, discouraging people from cooperating with police investigations, and pulling officers back from high-crime neighborhoods are unpopular — and rightly so.

Context also matters, as a recent study by two Harvard University scholars discovered when they examined the effects of federally ordered investigations of police departments on subsequent rates of crime.

Generally speaking, they found that investigations of police procedures didn’t affect criminality. But in communities where there was a high-profile death at the hands of police — think Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson, Missouri — the federally ordered investigations that came afterward were associated with large increases in homicides and other felonies in those cities. The likely mechanism, they found, was that embattled departments were pulling back from policing risky neighborhoods. “There is no free lunch,” the researchers concluded. “If the price of policing increases, officers are rational to retreat. And, retreating disproportionately costs Black lives.”

There is no shortage of useful ideas for improving the quality of policing. But if we end up reducing the quantity of policing, our cities will be less safe.

Cape Fear Valley Health System has ended the temporary furlough of staff, which began March 29, with the closure of nonessential surgeries, procedures and diagnostic testing because of COVID-19. Seven hundred eighty-three employees were furloughed. Employees covered by the system’s health plan kept their health insurance benefits during the leave time. Cape Fear Valley paid premiums during the furlough. There has been a resumption of surgeries, imaging tests and other procedures requiring staff members. Health Plex employees will return when Gov. Roy Cooper reopens fitness centers. All but 28 full-time and 33 part-time furloughed employees are returning. They will be offered priority placement within the health system, severance pay based on their length of employment, and comprehensive outplacement services.

The Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center is a community blood program that serves the needs of patients in Cumberland, Hoke and Bladen Counties through blood donation by individual donors, community organizations and businesses.
The center is located at 3357 Village Drive, in the Bordeaux Shopping Center. It is open for donations Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the third Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Here’s a list of upcoming community blood drives:
Saturday Aug. 15 at St. Ann Catholic Church, 357 N. Cool Springs St. 9 a.m.-noon.
Saturday, Aug. 22 at Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson, 3950 Sycamore Dairy Rd. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Call 910-615-3305 for more information.

The presence of ungodly mobs on the streets of many American cities, every night, is clear proof of the miseducation which has been taking place in our education system.

The great sacrifices made by earlier generations of Americans have been forgotten by much of the present generation.

Forgotten too, were the great godly principles, this great nation was founded upon.

The past great contributions America has made to this world (are) all but forgotten. Without America’s contributions in feeding many parts of this world, and in defeating many past evil enemies in the world, this world would be in terrible shape. We need to thank God for this nation, and we also need to thank America for trying to follow God’s principles.

America needs to get back to God and to the just laws and principles set forth by him. Obviously, rioting, looting, burning, disrespecting and killing law enforcement (and) fellow human beings are just the opposite of what God commands his created human world to do.

You should have been taught that at home and in school.

Unfortunately, for America, too many ungodly people were placed in the Supreme Court of America, and they voted God out of schools and government places.

That was not all their ungodly decisions. They also went against God’s laws and legalized the killing of unborn babies and other abominations, such as same-sex marriage.

Once upon a time, laws required schools to teach about God and his word (the Bible). Now because of Court decisions, they cannot.

Now a large part of America does not know about God, eternal life and eternal damnation. Because they do not know, they will eventually spend eternity in hell, and the lake of fire. Two places, one would not want to be in for eternity.

Manuel Ybarra Jr.

Not even a global pandemic could stop the Poetic Pathos poetry team from Gray’s Creek High School enjoying its best-ever finish in a national poetry competition recently.

The team had to cope with a variety of challenges as it participated in the 23rd annual Brave New Voices competition, originally scheduled for Washington, D.C., but changed to a virtual format via Zoom because of the COVID-19
pandemic.

The Gray’s Creek poets advanced all the way to the final round the final full week of July and finished third among the 12 teams that were able to participate in the event.

Joel Mayo started the Poetic Pathos group at Gray’s Creek in 2014 with the goal of bringing the youth in the community together and giving them the opportunity to share their voice through the medium of spoken poetry.
The Brave New Voices competition is usually a much bigger deal with some 50 teams from around the United States as well as foreign countries.

But even with a smaller event, the Gray’s Creek group found a way to make history. According to Mayo, this was the first time a North Carolina team made the finals of the competition.

Nicole Rivers, another English teacher who has been at Gray’s Creek for 10 years, assisted Mayo with coaching the current team. She said the slam poetry style that the team uses offers many benefits.

“It allows them to assess who they are on the inside — and in the world around them — in a very honest way,’’ Rivers said. “That is why it is so positive. It makes them think critically about what’s going on inside them and around them.’’

Rivers said it also gives students a different perspective on poetry, stopping them from thinking that poetry is something created only by authors who are elderly or deceased. “It’s not about the past,’’ Rivers said. “It’s about the moment, and they get to express that. That’s what makes it relevant. It’s close to genres of music that they hear now.’’

Members of the team that competed in this year’s Brave New Voices included Isa Meachum, Miya Walters, Yasmine Saintjuste, Kine Clark and Natalie Blacker.

Meachum said one of the biggest challenges of this year’s competition was not being able to be face-to-face with team members or to have an audience in front of them since all of the competition was done on Zoom.

“When you have a crowd in front of you, it allows you to feed off the energy when you’re doing good,’’ Meachum said. “You can really build off what they give you.’’

Another challenge came from situations where the team did a group performance. In order to avoid exposing the team members to face-to-face contact because of the virus, they elected to prerecord all of their group performances for the competition on Zoom.

Meachum said that was a challenge, especially when it came to getting timing right. “On Zoom there could be a little lag if they are not there with you,’’ he said. “It’s hard to be in sync.’’

The virtual nature of the competition was actually a benefit to one team member, Miya Walters, who was vacationing with her family during the event and had to take part in Brave New Voices while away from home.

Still, Walters said it was difficult to coordinate. “We had to do a lot of video takes,’’ she said. “That was hard because we had different internet connections. We had to time our speech so we didn’t have overlap or have a pause because we were timed for our competition.’’

Walters felt the passion and the knowledge of the Gray’s Creek team were the keys to their best finish ever at this level of competition. But Walters didn’t think winning was the most important thing.

“We went there as a team and wanted to say what we had to say for ourselves,’’ she said.

She hoped the win helped the team show, as she put it, that poetry isn’t something about whining on a stage and complaining. “It’s starting a conversation that needs to be had,’’ she said. “It shows poetry is much deeper than that poem you had to write in your first year of English class.

“People may not realize the simple things they are writing in their diary every day may be something that needs to be said on stage. It (poetry) shows people they can really use their voice.’’

L-R: Joel Mayo, Nicole Rivers, Isa Meachum, Miya Walters.

The city of Fayetteville is assisting low- and moderate-income citizens with their rent, utilities and mortgage payments in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Qualified residents are eligible to receive up to $2,000 toward rent, utilities or mortgage payments. Call 2-1-1 and ask for COVID rental, mortgage or utility assistance, or visit https://www.nc211.org. The city of Fayetteville’s Economic and Community Development Department is charged with creating programs using CARES Act funds to help citizens during the pandemic. Applicants must provide past due notices from landlords or utility providers. This is a one-time assistance program, and applicants must live in Fayetteville. This relief effort was made possible by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Information about local relief efforts is available at https://www.fayettevillenc.gov/city-services/economic-community-development.

If Novavax’s coronavirus vaccine gets approved, manufacturers in North Carolina hope to have millions of doses already prepared and immediately ready to immunize residents.

Fujifilm Diosynth, a Japanese contract drug manufacturer, is making the main component of Novavax’s potential coronavirus vaccine in Research Triangle Park. The manufacturer is stockpiling vaccine ingredients to prepare for the day the vaccine could be approved, says Marin Meeson, CEO of Fujifilm Diosynth.

The federal government has invested $1.6 billion in the little-known Maryland company Novavax — the largest deal yet from Operation Warp Speed, the federal push to mass produce coronavirus vaccines. The operation aims to make 300 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine available to the public by January. It has poured nearly $4 billion into six potential vaccines.

If Novavax’s vaccine proves successful, the federal government will own 100 million doses, enough to immunize at least 50 million U.S. residents.

“America will develop a vaccine very soon, we will defeat the virus. We’ll have it delivered in record time,” President Donald Trump said before touring Fujifilm Diosynth’s facilities in North Carolina on Monday, July 28.

According to the World Health Organization, Novavax is in an earlier phase of testing than at least seven of its competitors. Novavax’s vaccine candidate is about to finish the first of three clinical trial phases.

“We should have a considerable amount, multi millions of doses available by the time that the vaccine is proven effective,” Meeson told Carolina Journal about the manufacturing process. He says his staff are doing the work of months in just weeks.

In May, Novavax began testing the vaccine in 130 people, and researchers anticipate reporting the preliminary results by the end of July. They expect to advance to Phase 2 in August, and to begin the final Phase 3 sometime in the fall.
“This is being developed at warp speed,” Novavax said.

Across the world, researchers are chasing more than 164 COVID-19 vaccine candidates, but only 25 vaccines are being tested in humans. Five vaccine projects are in the final phase of testing. Two of those five projects are based in China, and another is tied to Britain and Sweden. An Australian company is also in the final stage of testing a tuberculosis vaccine to determine whether it can protect against the coronavirus.

So far, Moderna is one of two U.S. companies to reach the final trial.

Moderna this week launched its final trial to enroll 30,000 people across the county. The Trump administration has also struck an agreement with Pfizer, a company based in New York City working with companies based in Germany and China. Pfizer began its third trial Monday, July 27.

Experts hope Novavax offers a faster way to manufacture coronavirus vaccines. Moderna’s candidate relies on fragile RNA molecules, and it must be stored in sub-zero temperatures — complicating rollout in rural areas and scattered populations. Novavax declined to comment on the storage of its vaccine candidate.

Novavax hopes to provoke an immune response with coronavirus proteins.

Fujifilm Diosynth makes coronavirus proteins by using moth cells as factories. This offers a quicker way to mass produce vaccines than the mammal cells employed by normal vaccines.
This could save critical time in vaccine distribution, says Meeson.

“It is a few days shorter, the process. Once we start ramping up the manufacturing, it will be an advantage for us,” Meeson said. “You need to grow the cells, the virus, and that takes time. When that’s a little bit quicker, that means we can do more. … It’s not a massive difference, but it certainly will help.”

The federal investment marked a dramatic change in Novavax’s fortunes. A year ago, the company was fighting financial collapse. One of its major vaccine candidates failed twice in three years. The company sold off its manufacturing facilities, and its stock fell so low that it risked being taken off the NASDAQ electronic stock exchange, reported the New York Times.

After 33 years of business, Novavax has never brought a vaccine to market, the Times reported.

If researchers can develop a vaccine by the end of the year, or within a 12- to 18-month timeline, it will shatter the normal timeline to develop vaccines.
“It’s normally nine to 12 months before we’d start making products at this level, and we’ve started this process in a matter of weeks,” Meeson said.

While art is good for humanity in general and can have positive impacts across a person’s lifespan, it can be especially beneficial in how children develop. A report by Americans for the Arts states that young people who participate regularly in the arts (three hours a day on three days each week through one full year) are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, participate in a math and science fair or win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate. And honestly, whether it is dance, drawing, writing creating, sculpting, or you name it — art is fun. However, engaging in art during a pandemic looks and feels different than art-related events did pre-COVID. Check out some of the upcoming opportunities to support youth in the arts — and keep your creative juices flowing, too.

Sunday, Aug. 9, from 7-8:30 p.m., join the community for a virtual fundraising event. This event is different because it is by kids and for kids. Tune-in to Facebook on the LeClair’s General Store page for a variety show with individual performances as kids entertain from their homes — separately but together. The event also includes an online auction with one-of-a-kind artworks created by local youth throughout the community.

The goal of the event is to make local arts organizations accessible to all youth regardless of race, beliefs, disability or economic status. The event benefits the following organizations and their youth scholarship funds: Cape Fear Regional Theatre, The Gilbert Theater, Carolina Performing Arts Studio and Temple Theatre. Search “Kids With Hearts For The Arts! A Virtual Fundraising Event!” on Facebook for more information.

Gilbert Theater rolls out its adult theater education series starting Saturday, Aug. 15, with a session titled “Singing with Sarah.” Directed by education director at the Gilbert and voice teacher Sarah Chapman, the event offers a short introduction to singing for the stage and preparing for auditions as well as some fun singy-songy exercises. The class runs from 10 a.m.-noon.

The second session in the four-part series is titled “Improvisation with Gage” and runs from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Aug. 22. Instructor Gage Long will help attendees not only better understand improv but help them get more comfortable and proficient with it, too.

Saturday, Sept. 12, the “Stage Makeup/Special Effects” session offers a look at the basics of stage makeup, in addition to special effects like wounds and age — and perhaps even a space alien. The class runs from noon-2 p.m.

The session “Intermediate Acting Techniques” brings instructor Justin Toyer’s talents to the forefront. He’ll outline basic acting techniques, audition preparation, memorization techniques and how to connect with your character emotionally. The class is from 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Sept. 5.

Find out more about these and other opportunities at Gilbert Theater at http://gilberttheater.com/education.php.

Fayetteville’s Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area has been expanded for the first time in modern memory. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget recently announced that the Fayetteville metropolitan statistical area has been augmented to include Harnett County. The MSA was originally comprised of Cumberland and Hoke counties. This change has increased the total Fayetteville MSA population to 526,719, up by nearly 30 percent. According to the U.S. Census, Fayetteville is now ranked as the 108th largest MSA in the U.S.

“Cumberland County plays a central role in southeast North Carolina. It is home to three major universities and a community college, as well as home to Fort Bragg, the largest military installation in the world and home to the Woodpeckers, a Houston Astros affiliated Class A Advanced baseball team,” said Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin. “We also have a solid workforce... with much to offer those businesses that might choose to come to this region. As the sixth-largest city in the state, there is a deep connection between Fayetteville and the neighboring counties through commerce, employment, health care and leisure activities.”

Large companies often consider MSA size and workforce numbers in the search for new locations. These factors are key in the early stages of site selection, and for Fayetteville, this change reinforces the community as a commerce center. Located on the I-95 corridor, this new data illustrates that Cumberland County is drawing workers from up to an hour away. “Fayetteville’s MSA expansion will increase competitiveness for economic development projects and enhance the marketing and promotion of the region,” said Andrew Pennink, chairman of Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation.

The city and county regularly compete against larger MSAs when recruiting businesses that are looking to expand or relocate. This change will more accurately reflect the community’s size and increase its chances of success. An MSA is a geographical zone with an urban center of 50,000 residents or more that has close economic ties throughout the adjacent counties. The OMB determines MSA size and mandates that each member county show 25 percent more of economic integration with the urban center.

Increasing an MSA size can position a community to receive additional federal funding, increase the amount of economic information developed by private and nonprofit statistical agencies and raise the visibility for national or multistate site selection searches. “We believe Cumberland County draws in more people than shown, and we are proactively participating in the protocol development for the next recalculation,” said Marshall Faircloth, chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners.

The United States Office of Management and Budget delineates metropolitan statistical areas according to published standards that are applied to census bureau data. The general concept of a metropolitan statistical area is that of a core area containing a substantial population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of economic and social integration with that core. Current metropolitan statistical area delineations were announced by OMB effective March 2020.

Fayetteville is the greatest and we love this community. I personally want to say “thank you” for the dozens of calls, emails, letters, tweets and texts we have received from like-minded residents of Fayetteville who share our concerns, love and passion for this community.  Unfortunately, I cannot share their thoughts with you because we must respect their privacy and take precautions as not to expose them to the “cancel culture” mob whose mission is to retaliate against those whose opinions and demands do not adhere to theirs. They do this regardless of race, color or creed. No one is exempt. This being the case, I thought it would be fitting to remind them and the community of our inherent constitutional rights and the amendments therein that separate us from totalitarian Marxist, socialist and communist tyrants. You know, that document that makes America, America. Home of the brave and land of the free! So, to this end, thanks to the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, the North Carolina Press Association with the support from USA Today and the Associated Press we are sharing with you a national campaign featuring celebrities to remind us about the value and importance of freedom of press, speech and other freedoms of the First Amendment.

Austin Warren arrived in Tempe, Arizona, at the Los Angeles Angels minor league baseball spring training camp in February anxious to continue working on his dream of making it to the major leagues.

But after a few weeks working out with the other early arrivals, and almost the same time as his mother Alana Hix and other relatives arrived to watch him play spring training games, minor league baseball joined the rest of the sports world in shutting down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now back in Fayetteville, the Terry Sanford High School and UNC-Wilmington product is working out three days a week and waiting like everyone else in minor league baseball to find out what the future holds, both for the sport in general and his career.

Warren started 2019 with the Inland Empire advanced Class A team in San Bernardino, California, then he was briefly assigned to the Mobile Bay Class AA team in Alabama. He was in Mobile long enough to compile a 1-2 record with a 2.57 earned run average, walking nine batters and striking out 14.

Team assignments for the aborted 2020 minor league season weren’t to be made until near the end of spring training, but Warren said he expected he would have been sent to Los Angeles’ new Class AA near Huntsville, Alabama, the Rocket City Trash Pandas.

Even after the season was canceled, Warren hoped to stay in Tempe and get in some more workouts, but while hiking there with family a couple of days after the season was halted, Warren got the word from team officials that nobody could stay behind and everyone had to return to their homes.

Since coming back to Fayetteville, Warren has divided his time between here and his old college haunts in Wilmington, while working out locally to stay in shape and keep his pitching as honed as much as possible.

During his brief time in Arizona this year, he did get to do some bullpen work as well as throw live batting practice against some of the Angels’ major league players.

He said coaches from the Angels have been in regular contact with him since he came home, checking on his health and conditioning.

As for what will happen next with minor league baseball, Warren said he’s just as much in the dark as everyone else.

“I’m hoping they will start some kind of fall league like I was in last year,’’ Warren said. “I’m sure winter ball teams will reach out to people. You never know what’s going on with this virus. You’ve got to play it by ear.’’

Warren said the formula for advancing further in the sport is simple. “You’ve got to throw strikes, pound the zone and like everyone says trust your defense,’’ he said. Warren feels he’s improved all of his pitches and has the confidence to throw any pitch in any situation.

“I just can’t wait to get back with the guys and get things rolling again,’’ he said.

Pictured: Austin Warren