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  • 15 ALMSHOUSE signIt’s time to dust off those hippie sandals in the back of the closet and dig out the tie-dye T-shirt you’ve got in mothballs. Saturday, Oct. 6, the Members Credit Union office in Hope Mills holds its second annual Peace-Love-Walk benefit for the ALMSHOUSE of Hope Mills.

    Jon Hamby, member relations coordinator with MEMCU, said a focus of the credit union’s involvement in a community is to help with community events and community-based charities.

    “We already had a connection with the ALMSHOUSE, and when we were looking to add something else, we had the idea of the walk,’’ he said.

    The walk’s name is borrowed from the thrift shop operated by the ALMSHOUSE.

    “Most of the time when you go to a thrift store, you usually find older clothing,’’ Hamby said. Using that theme, the walk was tied to the era of the ’60s and ’70s, and the watchwords of that era, peace and love, were added.

    MEMCU is covering the complete cost of promoting the walk, from advertising and banners to free T-shirts that will be given to all the paying participants and sold at a discount after the walk is over.

    Hamby stressed the walk is totally noncompetitive. “It’s an hour walk,’’ he said. “You can walk one lap, ... five laps, however many laps you can get in.’’

    This year’s walk will be held somewhat in conjunction with the move of Members Credit Union’s Hope Mills office from Trade Street to a new location in the old Bi-Lo Shopping Center.

    The move should be complete around the middle of this month, and the grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 5, the day before the Peace-Love-Walk.

    The walk will take place at Hope Mills Municipal Park Oct. 6. Registration starts at 8 a.m., and the actual walk begins at 8:30 a.m.

    At 9:45 a.m., a fashion show will be held for those who’ve decided to come dressed in their best ’60s or ’70s clothing.

    There will also be a bounce house, face-painting and a live DJ with music. Activities do not have a set ending time, but Hamby said things usually begin to die down around noon.

    There are multiple divisions for people to enter. Children up to the age of 12 can register for $5 and will receive a certificate.

    Adult registration by Oct. 5 is $20 and includes a free T-shirt. Registration the day of the event is $25.

    Honor registrations to have someone’s name listed on the official walk T-shirt are $100. 

    “One of the founding principles for credit unions is concerns for our community,’’ Hamby said. “We want to give back to them and that’s what this does for us, helps us stay within our founding principles.’’

    To register online for Peace-Love-Walk and for more information, visit the website: www.memcu.com/peace-love-walk.

  • 08 Around townIf you park your car on Person Street adjacent to the county courthouse, you might pull into a spot that indicates two-hour parking. You’ll do a double take at another sign on the same pole that says no parking. A closer look discloses that a small slot between two parking spaces has been carved out for access to a fire hydrant. 

    Sometimes, things stand out like a sore thumb. A drive along Hay Street reveals something never seen before: a massive high-rise construction crane next to the old Prince Charles Hotel building. 

    Downtown Fayetteville’s skyline will soon be quite different. Deputy City Manager Kristoff Bauer said the crane will be in position for the next couple of years for construction of an eight-story hotel and office complex that will be built on top of a five-floor parking garage. 

    With 13 stories, it will become downtown’s tallest structure. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat defines skyscrapers as those buildings which reach or exceed 490 feet in height. 

    The parking deck should be completed next spring when the minor league baseball stadium opens for business. But Bauer said it will be another year or so after that for construction to be completed on the entire project.

  • 14 Grays Creek FFA wining fair boothThe Gray’s Creek chapter of Future Farmers of America was recently recognized at the Cumberland County Fair for having the best booth put together by an educational group or organization.

    Tara King, who has been the FFA advisor at Gray’s Creek since the school opened in 2003, said students with the Gray’s Creek FFA chapter began working on their entry over the summer.

    “(The judges) just want your students to interpret the theme for this year’s fair,’’ King said. This year’s theme was “Thrills, Squeals and Ferris Wheels.’’

    King said the Gray’s Creek FFA chapter used their booth to tell the story of the various projects their group is working on.

    “It gives us exposure,’’ King said. “There are thousands of people who walk past that booth. Any chance we can get for that message, we’re all about doing.’’

    One of the biggest parts of the FFA program at Gray’s Creek is the raising of sheep and goats, which is part of the school’s animal science curriculum, King said.

    Students actually raise the livestock at Gray’s Creek, working all summer to prepare them for show at the county fair.

    The booth at the fair displayed pictures taken over the summer of the students working with their animals.

    King said an animal may be on public display at the fair for about five minutes, but it took up to 50 hours of preparation time for those few minutes.

    “If people take a few minutes in the booth to read the descriptions, they walk away with a better understanding of what it takes to get an animal ready for that kind of show,’’ she said. “It’s not as simple as putting a halter on them and walking them around the ring.’’

    At one time, King said, Gray’s Creek had upwards of 40 sheep and goats at the school. The students were in charge of raising and breeding them, monitoring the progress of pregnant ewes and eventually helping with the birthing of their offspring and giving them vaccinations.

    Fairs are a longstanding tradition with FFA students, King said. “I think it’s a place for people at the end of the growing season, the end of the summer, where they are bringing out the best they’ve gotten,’’ she said. “It’s a celebration in a way.’’

    She feels the fair is a teachable moment both for the students and the general public. 

    For the students, especially, King likes that it’s an opportunity to understand the importance of getting organized, putting a plan together and carrying it out.

  • 17 shot clock 2846843 1920There’s an ancient idiom that says a man is known by the company he keeps.

    That idea can be applied to other things, too, and it’s at the center of my ongoing argument against North Carolina high school basketball adding a shot clock to the game.

    Langston Wertz, veteran high school writer for The Charlotte Observer, has long been a proponent of the shot clock and recently wrote a story about how the clock is going to go through a couple of trials in season-opening tournaments this year in North Carolina.

    One is the Carmel Christian Tip Off Classic in Charlotte Nov. 9-10. The other is in Greensboro in the National High School Showcase Nov. 16-17.

    Both tournaments will feature some top teams, the Charlotte tournament in particular drawing the famed program from Oak Hill, Virginia.

    But here’s the interesting part. Both tournaments are being sponsored by a regional scouting service that, according to Wertz’s story, is footing the $3,000 bill for two wireless shot clocks.

    Who are some other proponents of the clock? Well, there’s Bobby Lutz, former head coach at Charlotte and assistant at North Carolina State University.

    Another backer is Sue Doran, director of athletics for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

    Paul Biancardi, a recruiting analyst for ESPN, is also in favor.

    Do you see a pattern here? I certainly do. Scouts. College coaches. People from metropolitan areas.

    All of these folks have a common ground. They focus on metropolitan areas with bigger schools, more talent to draw from and more college prospects.

    These folks need to drive out of the city and attend some games in rural areas and at smaller schools where the number of college prospects is considerably smaller.

    My point has been and remains that the push for the shot clock in high schools is coming from one group, the group that only sees big-time prospects play on a consistent basis and has no appreciation for the vast number of schools in North Carolina that don’t have a four- or five-star athlete on the roster and aren’t likely to in the near future.

    I hope you checked that price tag for shot 

    clocks for these two tournaments in November. 

    It was $1,500 per clock. We’ve got teachers buying supplies for their students on a regular basis in North Carolina. I don’t think we need to strap athletic budgets any further by tacking on the cost of a $1,500 shot clock and then finding the money to pay someone to run it.

    By the way, I ran a scoreboard clock in my high school days at West Rowan, and it was a pain to monitor. I can only imagine the headaches involved with a shot clock and getting it right every Tuesday and Friday night.

    I agree totally with one person quoted in the Langston Wertz article, Kevin Garner of the Missouri State High School Activities Association.Wertz said of the nearly 1 million athletes who play boys and girls high school basketball in this country in 2017, 3.4 percent of boys and 3.9 percent of girls play in the Collegiate Athletic Association

    As Garner put it, “Should we make the high school game like the college game to help less than four percent of the players?”

    My reply remains a resounding no.

  • 06 news digestsMany Cumberland County thoroughfares have undergone a major transformation in recent years with the elimination of center turn lanes and the installation of medians. The North Carolina Department of Transportation says it’s in the interest of highway safety. 

    A major project already funded includes the planned upgrading of Raeford Road. DOT plans to install center medians from Robeson Street in the Highland Village area to south of Raeford Road’s intersection with Cliffdale Road in 71st Township. 

    Another regional project not previously announced includes Robeson Street from Blount Street near downtown to Raeford Road. The roadway will be reduced to four lanes with the elimination of the center lane and installation of a dividing median. Sidewalks will be installed on both sides of the street, along with bicycle lanes.

    More Hurricane Matthew recovery funding

    ReBuild North Carolina has awarded more than $286,000 to 22 families whose homes were damaged during Hurricane Matthew. The grants come through North Carolina’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding. The families are in Cumberland, Robeson, Edgecombe and Wayne counties. The money will be used to repair their homes and to reimburse homeowners for work that is already completed. This funding is in addition to over $743 million already on the ground for small business recovery, public infrastructure repair and direct payments to homeowners including over $98 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency individual assistance. 

    “Recovery is picking up steam with more repairs getting underway and more families getting money back for home repairs,” said Mike Sprayberry, director of North Carolina Emergency Management. 

    The state is awaiting federal guidelines that will outline the use of an additional $168 million. Cumberland, Robeson, Edgecombe and Wayne counties have all had mandatory areawide environmental reviews approved allowing grant funds to flow. 

    ReBuild North Carolina has completed 483 home damage inspections and begun or completed 574 site-specific environmental reviews. CDBG-DR funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development is available to help low-to-moderate income families and individuals repair or rebuild following damage from Hurricane Matthew. 

    Service members beware

    Military men and women could be at risk of losing their security clearances if they don’t keep their personal finances in good shape. That’s because of changes in rules for the security clearance process, according to advocates. Under new guidelines, officials will conduct continuous monitoring of federal employees who have roles in national security, including service members. 

    Historically, individuals were up for periodic reviews every five to 10 years, depending on the type of clearance. The new, continuous evaluation will include a system that automatically pulls data on workers’ financial and criminal records, and eventually, data from social media. 

    “This new process might impact your DoD security clearance and prevent you from being deemed deployable, which could greatly impact your military career unless you can prove to DoD that you were the victim of identity theft, fraud or a mistake, and that you’re currently living within your means and are making a good-faith effort to resolve your unpaid debts,” stated a recent blog from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

    Under the new system, military members are going to have to face the consequences of those late payments or missed payments quicker than they would have.

    Renowned fashionista coming to Fayetteville

    Fashion designer Dorothy Grant will be in Fayetteville Saturday, Sept. 15, to present a runway show at the Arts Council gallery on Hay Street. Grant, an international designer who is Kaigani Haida from Alaska, is recognized for her Haida-inspired womenswear and menswear, scarves and leather accessories. 

    “Dorothy Grant is an artist, designer and visionary whose creations have graced the red carpet at the Oscars,” said Deborah Martin Mintz, executive director of the Arts Council. 

    The event is being staged in conjunction with the current exhibition “Contemporary Art Forms by America’s First People.” It includes portrait paintings, pottery, baskets and textiles by some acclaimed American Indian artists. 

    Grant will be available to meet the public at the Arts Council event, which will include a Champagne toast. The event will run 4-6 p.m. Sept. 15 at 301 Hay St. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at www.theartscouncil.com, or by calling the Arts Council at 910-323-1776. Proceeds go toward funding Native American make-and-take crafts at the 40th International Folk Festival on Sept. 28-30 in downtown Fayetteville.

    PWC celebrates

    Oct. 4 has been declared PWC Day by the city-owned utility. Events include tours of the Butler-Warner Generation Plant in Eastover as well as tours of Public Works water and wastewater plants.  

    “We’ll also have an up-close look at the power restoration, water main rehabilitation, PWC’s customer call center, emergency operations and new initiatives that will impact your utilities services,” said PWC representative Carolyn Justice-Hinsons. 

    The day will begin at 8 a.m. at the PWC Operations Center at 955 Old Wilmington Rd. Lunch and transportation to the various PWC facilities will be provided. Justice-Hinson said transportation will be available during the day should visitors need to leave at any point.

  • 02 no fake newsThere seems to be a lot of attention given to fake news lately. In our neck of the woods, Methodist University conducted a panel to discuss it, The Fayetteville Observer is writing about it, and Jeff Goldberg (Goldy), the host of WFNC 640 AM’s morning show, recently criticized our newspaper for creating fake news about local events. Most recently, the best article about fake news was written by The Fayetteville Observer’s Sandspur stringer Lisa Carter Waring of Hope Mills. It was well-written and insightful, considering her involvement in Hope Mills issues – specifically, the ongoing controversy involving the Lone Survivor Foundation, which is trying to locate a $1.5 million military veterans retreat center in Hope Mills. 

    Waring’s article “Fake news isn’t anything new,” which ran Sept. 4, reads like a hybrid of an admission and a self-indictment of her own campaign conspiring with Hope Mills Commissioners Mike Mitchell and Meg Larson. The three of them have disseminated inaccurate and misguided information, seemingly for the sole purpose of undermining the progress and achievements of Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner and any project, person or organization aligned with Warner – including this newspaper. Equally egregious is that Waring, Mitchell and Larson found another willing partner to pile on the Warner smear campaign in Goldy. Waring is using her trusted position with The Fayetteville Observer, along with her private and selectively restricted Facebook group, Hope Mills Chatter, to perpetrate her own fake news. And she’s doing it under the guise of being a concerned Hope Mills resident looking out for the town’s best interests. 

    What we have been concerned with here at Up & Coming Weekly is the fact that such influential people like Waring, Goldberg, Mitchell and Larson intentionally dismiss the truth and ignore the facts to accommodate and enhance personal agendas. This is unethical in regard to trustworthiness in media, and, for the commissioners, at least, it disregards the sworn oath and obligations of elected Hope Mills officials. It reflects poorly on the integrity and character of each person involved. 

    Here are the facts.

    1. Goldy spent 20 minutes interviewing Mitchell and Larson Aug. 23 about the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners’ rejection of and objections to LSF’s request to purchase property on Lake bed #2 in Hope Mills.

    2. Elizabeth Blevins of Up & Coming Weekly and Hopemills.net provided portions of that radio interview transcript along with a link to the entire interview in the Sept. 5 edition of Up & Coming Weekly, where she rebutted specific points with documented proof – all of which is a matter of record.

    3. Aug. 28, Warner was interviewed on the same radio show, by the same person. Warner did an excellent job explaining the LSF’s mission and objectives as well as her position on the matter. She did this gracefully and professionally while refuting her detractor’s allegations that “the fix was in” and that proper protocols were not followed.

    4. Up & Coming Weeklydispels fake news. In all cases, our name, titles, credentials and photos are on every article we pen. We own our content and are responsible for it. In addition, we return all our calls and respond to texts and emails. More importantly, concerning the Hope Mills controversy, both Blevins and I included in our articles a direct challenge and open invitation to all the parties involved that if they found anything in our articles that was misrepresented, inaccurate or not factual, we would get it corrected immediately.

    5. The challenge went unanswered. We have not heard from anyone. No public rebuttal, no phone calls, no emails or text messages. Why? Because Larson and Mitchell have found themselves in indefensible positions when it comes to providing facts and being truthful. 

    Here’s the takeaway: Goldy will not have me on his show because he knows I have command of the Hope Mills situation and I will speak from a base of absolute facts as I know them, as Blevins has documented them, and as Warner has articulated them on Goldy’s own radio show. 

    Mitchell and Larson will continue undermining the mayor’s efforts. They want to obstruct Warner’s effectiveness and impede her progress while trying to damage her credibility in the process. They will resist contributing to or participating in anything constructive, even if it benefits the town of Hope Mills and its residents, if they feel such actions will reflect positively on the mayor, or worse, further endear her to the Hope Mills community. 

    Waring, who writes for The Fayetteville Observer and commands her private Chatter Facebook group, will continue to struggle with her own credibility issues. 

    Here is what we know for sure: All these people have issues, and they all have access to media. This doesn’t mean that everything (or anything) they say, write or post on social media is accurate. However, everything you read in Up & Coming Weeklycan be substantiated. And, in response to Goldy’s allegation that I only print one side of an issue, the policy at U& Coming Weekly for 23 years has been that we will provide the space for anyone to respond to or opine on any subject or topic discussed in our publication. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes and supports the sharing of all viewpoints. 

    Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly!

  • 04 Pitt dickeyToday’s blot on world literature will take another walk down memory lane. We shall visit our old friends Antony and Cleopatra in their dust-up with Octavian at the naval battle of Actium, which occurred in September 31 B.C. 

    Replenish your caffeine level by popping a handful of No-Doze, eating a giant Hershey chocolate bar and drinking a huge cup of Bojangles’s coffee to stay awake while having some Roman history tossed in your direction. Our old philosopher buddy George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” Another of our buddies, Bluto in “Animal House,” started a food fight with the evil Omegas listening to Sam Cooke’s song “Wonderful World,” which included the lines “Don’t know much about history/ Don’t know much biology/ Don’t know much about the French I took.” 

    I am unsure if Santayana’s warning and Bluto’s imitation of a pimple means that if you don’t recall the Battle of Actium that you, gentle reader, are doomed to be defeated by a Roman Emperor in a naval battle or to be chased around a college dining hall by a bunch of evil preppies. But why take a chance? You have already read most of the first few paragraphs. You are invested now in avoiding becoming a galley slave of a Roman Emperor or an Omega pledge. You might as well finish the rest of this column.

    Once upon a time, Julius Caesar had a funny thing happen to him on the way to the forum. After being ventilated by a number of sharp objects held by some Roman senators, Julius expired, leaving a vacuum at the top of Rome. Three would-be emperors took over, Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus. 

    The plan was to divide up the Roman Empire with each taking a slice to rule. This did not work out so well, as the boys had not learned to share in kindergarten. Mark Anthony got the section of the empire that included Egypt, which was ruled by Cleopatra. Cleo was a major babe and political strategist in her own right. She had beguiled Julius Caesar, providing him with a son named Caesarion, which meant in Latin, “You are going to be a target for any other Roman leader.” 

    Mark sent word to Cleo to come see him because he thought she was helping his enemies. Cleo got herself gussied up and came down the Nile in the Royal Yacht dressed as Venus, the goddess of love. Mark was so smitten by Cleo’s false eyelashes that he became a fool for love. He hooked up with her and began making whoopee. 

    Word in Rome was that the other two Emperors were not happy with this turn of events. 

    After a winter of content with Cleo, Mark left Egypt and went back to Rome. In an effort to show he was a team player, Mark married Octavian’s sister, Octavia. Alas, the marriage to Octavia could not last. Mark had left his heart in Alexandria. Mark took Route 66 back to Egypt to hang with Cleo. In his absence, Cleo had produced a life insurance policy in the form of twins for whom Mark was the Baby Daddy. 

    Octavian was not amused at this affront to his sister. He declared war on Cleo and Mark. Near Actium, off the coast of Greece, Octavian’s, Cleo’s and Mark’s navies lined up for the Naval Rassle Mania Battle of the millennium. 

    After a mighty ruckus, Octavian’s fleet whupped Cleo’s and Mark’s navy. Recognizing that the battle was lost, Cleo and Mark skedaddled back to Egypt – where, like today’s politicians, they blamed others for their loss. 

    Octavian eventually had a final land battle with Mark, defeating him once again. After Cleo heard about this loss, she went to the mattresses in the tomb she had built for herself. Mark received fake news that Cleo had killed herself. Distraught, he fell upon his sword, mortally wounded but alive enough to learn from a second messenger that reports of Cleo’s death had been greatly exaggerated and she still lived. Mark managed to get to Cleo before he died. He asked her to try to make peace with Octavian. 

    Cleo dolled herself up, intending to seduce Octavian as she had done with Julius Caesar and Mark, but Octavian was having none of it. 

    Scorned by Octavian, Cleo clutched an asp to her bosom and expired rather than become a high-profile prisoner. Like a mafia Don, Octavian cleaned up the rest of the family by having Cleo’s son Caesarion terminated with extreme prejudice. Egypt then became part of the Roman Empire. Octavian changed his name to Caesar Augustus, renamed the eighth month August, and ruled Rome for the next 41 years. 

    So, what have we learned today? Bluto didn’t like the Omegas any more than Octavian liked Mark Antony. If warned to beware the Ides of March by a soothsayer, you better beware. Cleopatra may have been the first woman to have been a victim of #MeToo. Marrying and then dumping the sister of a Roman Emperor may not turn out as well as you hope. The grass on the other side of the pyramid is not always greener. Roman emperors played for keeps. Or finally, as Jim Morrison once said: “Nobody gets out of here alive.”

  • 13 Rev. KretzuThe town of Hope Mills recently joined the city of Fayetteville in establishing a law prohibiting citizens from engaging with panhandlers seeking donations from pedestrians or people in motor vehicles.

    This is a sensitive issue for many people, especially those who feel genuine compassion for those who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own and are seeking assistance until they can get back on their feet.

    But the problem in roadside requests for help is determining whether they are genuine or coming from someone who wants money to feed a drug or alcohol addiction.

    Rev. Bob Kretzu of Hope Mills United Methodist Church is familiar with the problem. Before coming to Hope Mills, he served pastorates in different communities and saw how those communities tried to offer real assistance to those in need.

    “One part is compassion, and another part is obedience, if you’re a Christian,’’ Kretzu said. “Nobody likes to be taken advantage of.’’

    Kretzu has been on the receiving end of numerous requests for assistance during his time as a minister. He tries to track each of them down and sadly reports it’s been his experience that nine out of 10 calls he has gotten for help over the years weren’t genuine.

    He recalled one experience when he was in Goldsboro helping with a relief effort following the devastation of Hurricane Floyd.

    At one benefit event, he said, a man walked in and began yelling, “I’m here for the free stuff.’’

    Kretzu said he is pleased when he comes to a community like Hope Mills where there is an existing cooperative ministry like ALMSHOUSE. Similar ministries exist in Fayetteville with Fayetteville Urban Ministry and the Salvation Army.

    The purpose of the ALMSHOUSE is helping families reach goals of sufficiency, along with feeding the hungry, clothing the needy and providing counseling and financial assistance. The town supports the ALMSHOUSE by holding regular collections of food in conjunction with its Food Truck Rodeos.

    “There, you feel like your compassion is satisfied,’’ Kretzu said of a community-based charity like the 

    ALMSHOUSE. “Your sense of obedience to care for those in need is satisfied, and your safety is preserved. You know the majority of (the benefits) are going to be used for a really redemptive purpose and not to support somebody’s addiction or other choice.’’

    The safety of the public is a major part of the problem with panhandling, Kretzu said. He previously worked in Durham, where over a period of eight years, the number of people panhandling on street corners and at intersections doubled.

    “It got to a point where they were fighting each other over the prime locations,’’ Kretzu said. “You worry about the safety of passengers in cars and interrupted traffic patterns.’’

    One person Kretzu worked closely with was actually pushed into oncoming traffic by a “homeless’’ person.

    That is one reason Kretzu is glad to work with an organization like the ALMSHOUSE in Hope Mills, which offers tangible support for people who have been identified as being in genuine need.

    “To me, it’s a win-win,’’ Kretzu said. “It’s a more redemptive use of my time to support a ministry like that than to try to meet the needs of individuals that come by the church. I love when I go into a community and one is already established.

    “I really believe in cooperative ministries.’’

    Photo: Reverand Bob Kretzu

  • 18 Shavonne SpellmanShavonne Spell

    South View • Volleyball •

    Junior

    Spellman has a 4.3 grade point average. She’s in the International Baccalaureate Academy and is a member of National Honor Society and Key Club.

     

     

    18 Jason Garcia

     

    Jason Garcia

    South View • Soccer • 

    Senior

    Garcia has a 4.1 grade point average. He’s a member of the International Baccalaureate Academy at South View. He’s also active in his church youth group and plays piano and violin.

  • 02 pub penJackie WarnerEDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Florence last week to alert Hope Mills residents on the best way to contact the town in the event of problems following the storm.
     
    The town of Hope Mills, with painful recent experience from Hurricane Matthew, has taken extra precautions to deal with the potential aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
    Days ahead of the arrival of the storm in North Carolina, Mayor Jackie Warner declared a state of emergency.
     
    Assuming people still have power and access to the internet, Warner said they can visit www.townofhopemills.com or go to her mayor’s page on Facebook to report problems or get pertinent news from the town about any non-emergency issues resulting from the storm.
    If the internet is down or power is out and those sources are not available, Warner said town staff will be manning the switchboard at town hall of field non-emergency calls from townspeople regarding any issue the town needs to be made aware of. The main number at town hall is 910-424-4555.
     
    Folks facing genuine life-threatening situations should still call 911 first.
    Warner also assured the residents of Hope Mills that town officials, with the support of the Army Corps of Engineers, are monitoring the level of Hope Mills Lake and doing everything necessary to lower the lake as needed with the expected onset of heavy rain from Hurricane Florence.
    “We are on top of things,’’ Warner said.
     
    Photo: Mayor Jackie Warner
  • Meetings

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

    • Board of Commissioners Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6 p.m., Special Meeting, William “Bill” Luther and Doris Luther Meeting Room. Called to conduct a closed session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (3) to discuss matters relating to attorney-client privilege and to conduct a Closed Session pursuant to NCGS 143-318.11 (a) (6) to discuss personnel matters.
    • Lake Advisory Committee Tuesday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m.
    • Mayor’s Youth Leadership Monday, Sept. 24, 7 p.m.
    • Board of Commissioners Monday, Sept 24, 7 p.m.

    Activities

    • Hope Mills Citizens Academy is designed to help citizens gain insight intohow local government works and promote open lines of communication. The sessions began Sept. 6. For more information, call Jane Starling at 910-424-4902 or email jstarling@townofhopemills.com.
    • Hope Mills Area Kiwanis Club at Sammio’s, second Tuesdays at noon and fourth Tuesdays at 6 p.m. For details, call 910-237-1240. 
    • Hope Meals Food Truck Rodeo Thursday, Sept. 6, at the parking lot between Town Hall and Parks & Rec Center. 5 p.m.
    • Registration open for the 4th Annual Miss Hope Mills Cotton Pageant Applications are now being accepted at Hope Mills Parks & Recreation. Registration Deadline is Friday, Sept. 14. The pageant is for ages are 3-22 years old. Visit www.townofhopemills.com/375/Miss-Hope-Mills-Cotton-Pageant and see applications for rules and important information for contestants. The pageant takes place Oct. 5 for ages 3-9 and Oct. 6 for ages 10-22.
    • Ole Mills Days 2018 Saturday, Oct. 27, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more details and vendor information, contact Parks and Recreation Director Kenny Bullock: 910-426-4107 or kwbullock@townofhopemills.com.
    • Pumpkin decorating for seniors Tuesday, Oct. 30, 10 a.m.-noon in the small activity room of Parks and Rec. No fee, but advanced sign-up is required. Only 20 pumpkins available. Prizes will be awarded for the best three pumpkins.
    • Ghostly Gala for seniors Wednesday, Oct. 31, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Parks and Rec community room. Advanced sign-up at the reception desk required. Costumes are preferred but not required. There will be a costume contest and pumpkin decorating contest. Potluck social. Bring main dish, side dish or dessert.

    Promote yourself:Email hopemills@upandcomingweekly.com.

  • 10 Three MusketeersGivens Performing Arts Center will open its 2018-19 season with “The Three Musketeers” Thursday, Sept. 20, and Friday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m. The show is sponsored in part by Wesley Pines Retirement Center of Lumberton and is directed by Jonathan Drahos, director of theater at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. 

    “The Three Musketeers” follows D’Artagnan, who travels to Paris in hopes of becoming a musketeer, one of the French king’s elite bodyguards. He discovers the corps have been disbanded by conniving Cardinal Richelieu, who secretly hopes to seize the throne. 

    Athos, Porthos and Aramis continue to protect their king and refuse to lay down their weapons. D’Artagnan joins the rogues to expose Richelieu’s plot against the crown. 

    The play will feature sword fights, romance, dancing, rolling-in-the-aisles comedy and high adventure. 

    “This production has an epic spirit – sword fights, romance, dancing, rolling-in-the-isles comedy and high adventure!” said Drahos. “It’s going to be a fun night in a great space.”

    The second performance of GPAC’s season, “Jessica Jane & Niels Duinker’s Magic Show,” is Friday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. The show is sponsored in part by the Pembroke Activity Council, a division of Campus Engagement and Leadership, and is part of UNC Pembroke’s Family Weekend Events. The duo entertains audiences with juggling acts, grand illusions, dangerous escapes and more. 

    “We are excited to present a magic show with such high caliber performers as Jessica and Niels,” said James Bass, director of GPAC. “If you like high-energy shows that keep you on the edge of your seat, you’ll love this show.”

    Jessica was born into and grew up in the world of magic. Her mother was a magician’s assistant for several illusionists, and her father designed magic tricks. At the age of 12, Jessica was being cut in half as a stage assistant. Her first real job was as a roving magician, and she has performed in Europe and around America. She has appeared on Penn & Teller’s “Fool Us” TV show. She currently lives in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where she regularly performs “Jessica Jane’s Magic, Comedy and Variety Hour.” 

    Niels Duinker holds seven Guinness World Records for juggling. He is a three-time winner of the International Magician’s Society Award, a three-time National Juggling Champion in The Netherlands and a Gold Medal Winner of the 2009 Taiwan Circus Festival. He has worked all over Europe and Asia. He was voted Best Corporate Entertainer 2018 by Corporate Vision magazine and has appeared at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Harrah’s Hotels and Casinos and on several cruise ships. 

    GPAC is located at 1 University Dr. on the UNCP campus. Tickets for “The Three Musketeers” cost $21 and $26 for adults and $5 for children and students. 

    Tickets for the magic show cost $16 for adults and $5 for children and students. 

    For more information, call 910-521-6361. 

  • 01 coverEditor’s note: Check the Up & Coming Weekly Facebook page for updates on rain dates due to Hurricane Florence.

    History. Prestige. Family.

    Those are words heard over and over again when you talk to golfers, sponsors and friends of the Cumberland County Golf Championship.

    The long-running staple of the golfing community in Fayetteville and Cumberland County marks its 50th anniversary this weekend, Sept. 14-16, at Gates Four Golf & Country Club with the 54-hole flighted competition for men and the revamped 36-hole edition for women.

    Here’s a preview of this year’s tournament, looking at the history and sharing the thoughts of some of the best players and major sponsors as to why this event has been a must on the calendar of the county’s golfers for so many years.

    The history

    Chip Beck has competed in some of the biggest golf tournaments in the world, including the Masters and the U.S. Open. But some of his fondest memories on the golf course were back in the late 1960s when he took part in the earliest days of the CCGC. 

    “It was one of the most fun events I played in all year,’’ Beck said. “It wasn’t very expensive to get in, and it had the biggest trophies I ever saw. I think they were the biggest trophies I ever got.’’

    What made it extra special for Beck was the competition, going head-to head with friends like Jim Adams, Ernie Massei, David Canipe, Andrew Stiles and Chris Newman.

    “It was like (being) king for a week,’’ he said of winning. “You got to be king amongst your buddies. We had a lot of fun with it.’’

    Beck said golf has always held a special place in both the state of North Carolina and in Cumberland County, which are among the reasons he thinks the county championship has survived all these years, even through some lean periods.

    “What better way to spend time with your friends,’’ he said. “It’s nice to see how you compete on the city and county level.’’

    It was those early experiences in the county championship, Beck said, that helped motivate him in his pursuit of a career on the professional tour. “You have a sense of... that relaxed concentration and joy that comes from playing a high level of golf,’’ he said, “Playing with your friends, playing in your community. I just felt it was the emotion and feeling I’d like to have and that I tried to carry on through all my golf. If you don’t want to be there, it’s not going to happen for you.’’

    Robert Wilson, currently the golf pro at Cypress Lakes, remembers a time when the county championship was held on two courses at the same time. There were leaderboards on the course and people were kept updated on how the field was doing.

    He praised Up & Coming Weekly publisher Bill Bowman for his recent involvement in the tournament and an effort to restore the event to the glory days of the 1980s.

    “The better golfers in each division in Cumberland County mark it on their calendars and wouldn’t miss it,’’ Wilson said. 

    The sponsors

    Billy Richardson of The Richardson Firm and Mac Healy of Healy Wholesale are both strong supporters of the Cumberland County Golf Championship and cite similar reasons for their commitment.

    Richardson said he grew up watching golfers play in the CCGC every year, citing Chip Beck, Chris Newman, Billy West and Mike Williford as people he watched hone their skills in the tournament.

    “The quality of golf here (and the rivalries through out the years) for a community of this size is amazing,” he said. “It’s such a good thing for the community. Being a small part of reviving the tournament, and especially of celebrating 50 years of it, is our privilege. As long as Up & Coming Weekly is sponsoring and participating in it, we plan on being a sponsor as long as they ask us to.”

    Healy’s business has been in Fayetteville since 1978. He said his family always watched the CCGC with great interest and that he was glad to be approached about being a sponsor because of the tournament’s great tradition. 

    “Part of it is giving back to the community,’’ he said. “This is amateur golf as its best. These guys are businessmen or lawyers or sell insurance or whatever the case may be. To all get together in a great fellowship once a year like that, it’s a thing you want to be involved in from a business standpoint. It’s what Fayetteville is all about. The locals have an opportunity to showcase their wares.’’

    Healy said there is great golf opportunity available here, with good public and private courses. “The community has always embraced golf,’’ he said. “We don’t have to pay the Pinehurst No. 2 rates to get out and play a round of golf here. That’s what makes it so appealing to everybody.’’

    The Everyman concept is a big part of the success of the CCGC, Healy said. “The guy bagging groceries is as likely to win the darn thing as a guy that practices every day and has lessons.”

    Wally Hinkamp, who owns Hinkamp Jewelers, has feelings about the tournament that are deeply personal. His brother, the late David Hinkamp, was a former champion of the CCGC, and Wally said it held a special place in his brother’s heart.

    “He was a pretty good athlete, but golf was his passion,’’ Wally said. David got his first golf lesson from the late Julius “Jack” Willis back at the old Green Valley Country Club in the early 1970s. “From that day forward, he was in love with the game of golf,’’ Wally said.

    David won the tournament in 1986, and Wally said it remained a special memory for David until his untimely passing. “He knew all the guys in the tournament,’’ Wally said. “They were all buddies and played together all the time. It was like getting a big group of friends (together) on a Sunday and playing against each other. That’s the reason it was so special. It was people they personally knew and not just strangers.’’

    Wally said he hopes Bowman and the many other sponsors of the CCGC will continue to work to make it the great event it once was. “It’s always been a well-run event, and it’s held a special place in my family’s heart all these years and will continue to,’’ he said.

     

     In previous incarnations of the CCGC, a separate competition was held for women at a different time and location.Since last year, the women have been competing on the same dates and course as the men. That will continue this year with one major change. The women will play 36 holes versus 54 for the men.

    DeeDee Jarman, deputy director of athletics at Methodist University, suggested the change to 36 holes for the women to Bowman in an attempt to increase participation. “The average age of the female golfer these days is 50 and above,’’ Jarman said. “Some women may not be able to withstand the heat and physical demands of playing a three-day tournament.’’

    Jarman added that it makes logistical sense for the women to play at the same time and location as the men. “The committee is not doing double work and it’s a big showcase for area golfers,’’ she said. “I think it’s a big draw that both are being held at the same time. This being the 50th year – it’s going to be a great event.’’

    She also saw it as an opportunity to continue bringing the women’s tournament back while giving them a chance to share the spotlight with the men.

    “I would like to see the females be just as strong,’’ she said, referring to the men marking the 50th anniversary of their tournament. “We want to make sure the women feel involved and connected, not (like) just tagalongs. Let’s get the field as strong as we can and support this tournament.’’

    The players

    Billy West and Thomas Owen represent both the old and the new in CCGC history. Owen graduated from Terry Sanford in 2007 and put up a fierce battle with West last year before West took the title.

    It was a special win for West, who won the tournament 20 years earlier and wasn’t sure if the time had passed for him to have another opportunity at taking the championship.

    “This is my home golf tournament,’’ said West, who serves as district attorney for Cumberland County. “I said it when I started playing it when I was 16, almost 30 years ago, and I’m still saying it. I think it’s because of the exposure... and the recognition you get among your family and friends and coworkers. It’s really different than any other tournament you play in.’’

    West used to be active in tournaments on the state and national level, but there’s still something about the Cumberland County Golf Championship that sets it apart from everything else. “There just wasn’t the same recognition you get from playing well in the county championship,’’ West said. “That always made it special. My favorite tournament has followed me through my lifetime.’’

    A hallmark of the tournament for West is the camaraderie that comes with it. He considers himself one of the older guys in the field now, joining a long list of names like Jon Riddle, Gene Howell, Mike Williford, Gary Robinson and Gary Moore who have been in the field for upwards of 30 years.

    But he said it’s not just a tournament for veterans. “The new folks like Thomas Owen have embraced and understand how significant it is to the golfing community,’’ West said. 

    West said he’s hitting the ball well and playing decent coming into this year’s event and hopes he’s got a chance at victory. “Anybody will tell you it comes down to getting a few breaks and putting well,’’ he said. “Getting the ball in the hole. That’s the big unknown. You won’t know until you get into the weekend.’’

    West said he never tires of that final round on Sunday, being in the hunt for the championship. “There’s nothing quite like it,’’ he said.

    Owen said this will only be his fifth time playing in the CCGC, but it already means a lot to him because of the deep tradition in Fayetteville golf going back to legends like Chip Beck and Raymond Floyd.He also has a strong connection to West. “As a kid, I looked up to Billy,’’ Owen said. “He’s become a great friend and kind of a golf mentor to me.’’

    Owen feels he’s had better success in match play competition than stroke play, but he’s hoping experience in tournaments like the CCGC will improve his efforts in stroke competition. “I’m glad to see this championship revitalized by Bill Bowman and Up & Coming Weekly,’’ Owen said. “When (hearing) stories about how there used to be hundreds of people in the tournament on different golf courses, you wish you were a part of that.’’

    After a good summer of tournament golf, including the Carolinas Amateur and the North Carolina Amateur, Owen feels he’s ready for another try at the CCGC title. “Golf is a fickle game,’’ he said. “For me, a lot of it comes down to driving and putting. You’ve got to put it in the fairway and make some putts.’’

    The course and format

    Kevin Levertu, general manager at Gates Four Golf & Country Club, said this year’s participants and spectators won’t be seeing any major changes in the tournament. The entry fee for the flighted tournament will be $175 for men and $145 for women. 

    The entry fee includes range balls, a commemorative gift, trophies, prizes and an invitation to the pre-tournament pairings party on Thursday in the main ballroom at Gates Four. 

    “This is the biggest event of the year,’’ Levertu said. “People pull out of other events to make sure they are geared for this event. People want their name on that trophy. It continues to push forward and thrive with the resurgence of Up & Coming Weekly coming on board to make sure it’s around another 50 years.’’

    Despite the blistering heat in recent weeks, Levertu said the course is in great shape for the tournament. “We need to continue irrigating and make sure we keep the greens from drying out,’’ he said.

    Spectators are reminded that they will not have access to carts during the tournament, and they are asked while walking the course to adhere to the rules and stay on the cart paths.

    For those who don’t want to walk to watch the golfers, Levertu said there are areas around the new pavilion at the clubhouse where they can sit and view action on multiple holes. “That would be a good place to see some good golf,’’ he said.

    Giving back

    There will be a ceremony recognizing the winners in the pavilion after the tournament. During the ceremony, Bowman will make a donation to the Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation and the Kay Yow Cancer fund. 

    Founded in 2011, The Kidsville News Literacy & Education Foundation is a recognized nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation under the laws of the state of North Carolina and provides free reading and educational resources to Cumberland County and Fort Bragg schools.

    In addition, the foundation awards grants to qualified organizations for the purpose of promoting education and improving literacy among America’s youth. 

    The Kay Yow Cancer Fund was founded in 2007 from the vision of Kay Yow, former N.C. State University head women’s basketball coach. 

    “It was DeeDee Jarman who advocated for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund,” Bowman said. “She thought it would tie in nicely while developing the CCGC Women’s Division.”

    Chasity Melvin is a former Lakewood High School and N.C. State basketball star who led the Wolfpack to the North Carolina Athletic Association Women’s Final Four and played 12 seasons in the Women’s National Basketball Association. She was inducted in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. She is currently the coordinator of development for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. 

    “The Kay Yow Cancer Fund is a homegrown, nonprofit organization here in North Carolina, started by our late, great mentor, hall of fame coach, N.C. State’s Kay Yow, who was extraordinary,” Melvin said. “She had a vision to raise money for all cancer research affecting women. Even though she battled breast cancer most of her coaching career, she didn’t want to just fund one cancer. She wanted to fund all research affecting women with all cancers and serve the under-served. 

    “She didn’t care. Small, big, multi-billion-dollar companies, she was all about uniting communities for a common cause. She really felt like whenever someone wanted to participate or sponsor the cancer fund, she was really adamant about getting the community involved, uniting them and spreading awareness.

    “I... want to just say a special thank you to Bill Bowman for really taking charge and bringing more awareness back to this golf tournament. Personally, from my own standpoint, working in a nonprofit organization and working at the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, I know how challenging it can be to get people onboard. Once they really learn what the cause is they’re supporting, you can’t help but want to be a part of it. I’m glad he sees the big picture. It’s so much more than golf. It’s so much more than money. For him to get behind the cause that affects many women in North Carolina, especially rural areas outside of Fayetteville, this is really great.’’

    Register for the 50th CCGC online at www.cumberlandcountygolfclassic.com.Email klavertu@gatesfour.com or call 940-425-6667 with questions

  • 03 margaretA decade ago, the United States experienced a financial “correction” that eventually turned into the Great Recession. It affected not only our own economy but rippled across many of the world’s other developed economies. Economists continue to argue about its causes, one of which was surely the unbridled bundling and selling of mortgages destined for default, and its effects, among them getting the millennial generation off to a delayed and perhaps crippled start.

    Ten years later, our economy has recovered – some would even say boomed. Psychological scars remain, however personal and private they may be, but publicly, our economy is on a roll.

    What we need now is a political correction. 

    American politics have always been rough and tumble, not for shrinking violets or the faint of heart. The last decade, though, has brought partisan division unlike any in our history. Talking heads chat endlessly about the very real decline in civility among leaders at all levels of government. What we hear about less often are changes in the unspoken rules of government through which one branch respects and honors the work and responsibilities of other branches.    

    Americans have just witnessed the confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brent Kavanaugh, a political spectacle if ever there was one. U.S. senators chewed each other out on live television – perhaps because of live television – and protestors shouted opposition as they were dragged out of the hearing room. Grandstanding was the name of the game.

    Compare that to the confirmation hearings of Antonin Scalia, nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and widely regarded as among the most conservative justices ever to sit on our nation’s highest court. He was confirmed by a vote of 98-0, meaning that he was supported by both Republicans and Democrats because the U.S. Senate has historically abided by the Constitutional advise and consent authority given to presidents to appoint Supreme Court justices. Until now.

    In their recent book, “How Democracies Die,” Harvard political scientists Steven Levisky and Daniel Ziblatt examine failed democracies in Europe in the 1920s and ’30s and in South America in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. They identify common threads in populist leaders who took their nations away from the balance of powers that mark democracies into autocracies, even dictatorships. In some countries, the shift was obvious, sometimes violent. In others, it was more of a slow, lazy slide that many people did not see until it slapped them in the face.

    The authors refer to governmental customs and traditions within and between various branches as “guardrails,” safety features not enshrined in constitutions or in law, but very real and accepted practices that keep democratic governments operating. In the U.S., the authors assert, many factors, including presidential primary system changes in both parties in the 1970s, changing demographics that make some Americans feel like our country is leaving them behind, and highly partisan hardball politics are weakening our guardrails. As for our own state, the authors say North Carolina is now without guardrails at all – a state hijacked by intense partisanship – and much the worse for it.

    The pendulum has always swung back and forth in American politics. When it goes too far in one direction – left or right, it reverses itself and heads toward center. It is now time for a political correction, just as it was time for an economic correction a decade ago. 

    Many talking heads agree that correction could and should come in less than two months in the November elections. The midterms are an opportunity to say “enough” to intense and corrosive hardball partisan politics, to divisive policies and rhetoric, to incivility, and to begin repairing the guardrails that have been our safety net for more than two centuries. 

    Let the healing begin.

  • 09 firemanSome veteran firefighters are asking why it took so long. The Cumberland County Fire Chiefs Association recently purchased ballistic protective gear for volunteer firemen as part of its active shooter response plan. 

    “Unfortunately, we are seeing increasing numbers of active shooter situations across the country,” said County Fire Commissioner Jimmy Keefe. “Our emergency responders are preparing should the unthinkable happen here,” he added. 

    All 19 rural county fire departments are being issued the equipment. Firefighters have been receiving specialized training in mass casualty life-saving, which integrates fire department and emergency medical personnel with law enforcement to rapidly extract and care for injured victims.

    Stoney Point Fire Chief Freddie Johnson is Fire Chiefs Association president. “Based on research from active assailant incidents, emergency responders needed to change the active shooter response model to save more lives,” Johnson said. “We must be prepared to move in and get the victims out.” Johnson cited the North Carolina Active Assailant and Mass Violence Work Group White Paper released in 2017. 

    Until now, fire department protocol in the city and county has been for rescue personnel to lay back while law enforcement officers deal with active shooter situations and clear the scenes. In many mass shootings across the country, heroic personnel have been found dead when they tried to help others and got no help themselves. 

    The Fire Chiefs Association spent approximately $90,000 for the equipment. Funding was appropriated by county commissioners from the 1.25-cent fire district tax receipts from Cumberland County’s unincorporated volunteer fire districts. The protective gear includes Kevlar helmets and ballistic chest and side bullet-resistant vests with striker plates capable of stopping high-velocity ammunition. 

    Purchasing the equipment became a priority because of increasing hostile fire incidents, according to Johnson. “Cumberland County Fire Service reached another milestone as we begin the process to equip all our volunteer fire departments with protective equipment that will allow our firefighters to enter an active shooter scene or mass-casualty incident in order to extract the injured as part of a rescue task force,” he said.

    Rescue teams consist of firemen or EMS personnel who are shielded by police officers in human extraction situations. 

    “We recognize a new chapter in public safety and the important role the fire and emergency service personnel have in our community,” Keefe said.

    The City of Fayetteville Fire Department was not included in the distribution of the protective gear. Its 17 fire stations are funded directly by city property tax receipts. “We are working to find financial resources to equip our firefighters with the equipment,” said Fire Chief Ben Major. 

  • 16 Bill YeagerBill Yeager, veteran assistant football coach at Terry Sanford High School, remembers it like it was yesterday.

    A local dentist asked if he’d like to play golf on Sunday afternoon.

    Yeager explained he couldn’t because he had to review film from the previous Friday’s game and then review film of the next opponent to formulate a game plan.

    The dentist looked at 

    Yeager and said, “Wow, you guys take this stuff seriously, don’t you?”

    For 50 years, since he was a freshman at old Alexander Graham Junior high in downtown Fayetteville, Yeager has taken football seriously.

    You can still see him on the practice field at Terry Sanford and on the sidelines on Friday night, coaching, cajoling and cheering on another generation of young men playing the game.

    For Yeager, 64, the reasons are simple. “I still love the game and love working with young people, watching them develop and grow as young men,” he said. “I’ve seen so many of them take their places as productive citizens in the Fayetteville area, and (I’ve) become good friends with a lot of them.’’

    Alongside him for 42 of those 50 years has been his wife, Chris Yeager, a veteran educator for Cumberland County Schools.

    Chris said coaching football is what her husband was born to do. “He gets along with kids and relates to (them),’’ she said.

    But it goes beyond that, extending to the relationship with his fellow coaches. Chris called it a fraternity, an in-the-trenches kind of mentality.

    “They work all week and then they stand and everybody questions what they are doing on the sidelines,’’ she said. “You put your life in the hands of 16- and 17-year-old children. You make decisions and things happen and they have to support each other.

    “Winning is a big deal, but the character of the young men is really what they are focused on.’’

    Chris said she has to be committed to her husband and what he does because the demands of the job are extreme. Countless times she’s sat in the stands and heard fans yelling at her husband, questioning every decision he makes. 

    “It’s difficult to sit and listen to it when you know how much they put into it and how hard it is to hear that,’’ she said. 

    Chris has been behind her husband at the many stops he’s made in those 50 years. His winding route through local football has taken him to head coaching positions twice, at Terry Sanford and Gray’s Creek. He’s made stops as an assistant at Terry Sanford, South View, Pine Forest and UNC-Pembroke, returning to Terry Sanford in 2011, where he’s been ever since.

    He’s now serving under Bruce McClelland, who was the quarterback for the Bulldogs in the mid-1980s when Yeager was an assistant coach for first Len Maness and then John Daskal.

    McClelland said having a coach with Yeager’s experience and knowledge is invaluable.

    “He’s seen it all,’’ McClelland said of the offensive and defensive alignments Yeager has used and coached against in his career. “I demand my staff to hold me accountable. I don’t want yes men.’’

    Yeager is anything but that, McClelland said. “When he’s in the room, he’s going to speak up.”

    One thing Yeager said hasn’t changed is the goal every week, to figure out a way to effectively move the football.

    “It’s just like a chess match almost,’’ he said. “You move your pieces, and hopefully you move them in the right place to be successful.”

    For the last several years, his job at practice and on Friday nights has been coaching the Bulldog receivers. That was the position he played at Reid Ross High School under John Daskal, starting at tight end and eventually moving to wide receiver when he completed his college education at Appalachian State.

    He revels in seeing his players run routes correctly and work hard to get open. But he’s just as pleased when Terry Sanford runs an option or a sweep and one of his receivers makes a key block to spring a runner.

    The one thing he still tries to sell his players on that dates back to his beginnings as a coach is the importance of work ethic, knowing the job you have to do. “Do your part to help the team, whatever that might be,” he said. “Special teams. Offense. Defense. Quarterback. Whatever it is.’’

    Trey Edge was the quarterback at Terry Sanford in 1984-85. Yeager was his offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. These days, Edge watches Yeager from his perch in the press box as play-by-play announcer for the DK Sports Network’s weekly broadcasts of Terry Sanford football on WFNC 640 AM.

    Edge said the thing that impresses him most about Yeager is he doesn’t have to be out there coaching at this stage in his life, but he does it because he can’t walk away from something he loves this much.

    “He had a passion that was at times addicting and at times hilarious,” Edge said. “It’s all about helping 

    kids and teaching the game of football to kids.’’

    When asked if he’s ready to give it up, Yeager said no. “Really and truly, I’ve never looked at football as a job,” he said. “It’s been something I wanted to do.’’And after 50 years, he’s still doing it.

    Photo: Bill Yeager

  • 12 FTCCJust when you think the marketplace can’t get more competitive, some company ups the ante or changes the rules. If you don’t believe me, ask the people at Toys R Us, Blockbuster or Kodak. 

    Other than failure, the common denominator amongst these former titans is their complacent acceptance that “good” was good enough. 

    What they failed to understand is the innate human condition that I call “The Inflation of Expectations.” No matter what we have, we always want more, better, cheaper and quicker. It’s only natural. 

    Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, summed it up best when he said, “It’s impossible to imagine (that) a customer comes up and says, ‘Jeff, I love Amazon, I just wish the prices were a little higher, or... I just wish you’d deliver a little more slowly.’” 

    If you are not moving forward at a pace that’s faster than your key customers, you’re losing the race – even if you appear to be the leader.

    You’re probably thinking, great... I’m barely getting by in this dog-eat-dog marketplace, and this Kent Hill guy wants me to do more, cheaper, better and quicker. He’s nuts! If you are thinking that, you’re right on both counts: As George Bernard Shaw said, “Nothing great was ever accomplished by a reasonable man.”

    But what if there were a way to realistically improve your business? What if you had the tools to map and navigate your route from good to great? 

    Based on years of trial and plenty of error, FTCC’s Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Small Business has put several proven business tools together in a unique way to help companies grow from good to a sustainable great. It’s called the Profit Exceleration Program.

    In the first 10-week segment of the Profit Exceleration Program, participants distill their businesses to the essential elements through an adaptation of the Lean Business Model Canvas. Then they assess and chart their company’s current situation using The GrowthWheel, an innovative approach created by a successful Danish serial entrepreneur who realized that starting, growing or improving any business can be reduced to a set of critical decisions and actions. The 

    GrowthWheel helps users prioritize, decide and take action to improve those areas that are essential to the success of their enterprise.

    The next step is to begin transferring the GrowthWheel output into LivePlan, an online resource to fine-tune, communicate and administer a plan.  

    With this and some viability testing, participants are ready to move to the second 10-week segment of the Profit Exceleration Program: the implementation, funding, analysis and standardization of their progress. The Profit Exceleration Program is effective for existing companies and start-ups.

    Each of the two 10-week segments costs $180 and includes The GrowthWheel, LivePlan and QuickBooks Online, one-to-one business coaching plus some proprietary extras.  

    The first cohort of ten business owners will begin in mid-September.  For more information, write down a brief description of your business, your goals and the biggest obstacles you see in between. Email this to innovationcenter@faytechcc.edufor more information about the program. There are no shortcuts on the journey from good to great, and there is no guarantee of a safe arrival. But using proven tools and methods can make the trip a lot smoother and more rewarding.

    If nothing else, remember that good enough today is not good enough tomorrow.

  • A few observations as we come to the end of nonconference play in Cumberland County and the Patriot Athletic Conference teams begin league wars tonight.
    Seventy-First got statewide recognition as the county’s best team so far when it was voted No. 10 in the first Associated Press 4-A poll this week.
    The Falcons have looked good on both sides of the football and should head into their open date next week unbeaten and ready for a tough test in the Sandhills Athletic Conference.
    I’m still waiting for somebody to show they are clearly leading the pack in the Patriot Athletic Conference. South View is the lone unbeaten but the Tigers don’t look too strong on defense.
    The loser of this week’s Terry Sanford-Cape Fear game will be battling back much of the rest of the season. There are still some questions about both Gray’s Creek and Pine Forest, and the loser of their game Friday will also be having to scramble to stay in the playoff race.
    Player wise, Donovan Brewington is performing as expected at quarterback for South View while newcomer Davidjohn Herz has quickly developed into a major pass-run threat for Terry Sanford.
    Emery Simmons, the Penn State bound receiver from South View, is living up to expectations. Dorian Clark of Terry Sanford and Andre Allen of Gray’s Creek are the only running backs currently averaging 100 yards rushing per game.
    Good luck to everyone starting conference play tonight, and for the rest, enjoy your last tuneup before the wins and losses really start to count.
     
    The record: 23-9
     
    I had a decent showing of 7-3 last week, pushing the season total to 23-9, 71.9 percent. Hopefully we can bump that number up this week.
     
    Terry Sanford at Cape Fear - I’ve got multiple dilemmas with this one. Terry Sanford appears to have a problem playing defense. Cape Fear is the reverse, with a spotty offense.
    Cape Fear woke up a little last week, but got a lot of help from its defense in scoring 33 points against New Hanover. On paper, that looked like a good win, but it’s pretty clear New Hanover isn’t the team that won a state title a year ago.
    I’m tempted to go with Cape Fear at home, but I think Terry Sanford may be able to outscore the Colts so I’m leaning in that direction. Look for it to be close either way.
    Terry Sanford 20, Cape Fear 18.
     
    Douglas Byrd at South View - The road gets tougher for the Eagles as they take on their neighborhood rival, unbeaten South View.
    South View 35, Douglas Byrd 12.
     
    Overhills at E.E. Smith - I think Smith is going to be the best team Overhills has seen so far this season, but I think the Golden Bulls are suffering from an assortment of problems that will make the visiting Jaguars the favorite Friday night.
    Overhills 22, E.E. Smith 12.
     
    Gray’s Creek at Pine Forest - This is another tough one. Gray’s Creek has looked good so far this season, but so had Pine Forest until it ran into a buzz saw in Rockingham last week and lost to Richmond Senior. I feel like the Bears have a little more momentum headed into this one.
    Gray’s Creek 18, Pine Forest 16. 
     
    Jack Britt at Southern Lee - I think Britt has played a tougher schedule than Southern Lee, but the Cavaliers still get the edge in this one.
    Southern Lee 19, Jack Britt 12.
     
    Seventy-First at Southern Durham - Seventy-First hits the road to see if it can hold or better its new state ranking.
    Seventy-First 21, Southern Durham 6. 
     
    Other games: Village Christian 30, Harrells Christian 8; Trinity Christian 30, Sandhills Titans 14;  North Wake Saints 20, Fayetteville Christian 8, Westover open.
  • fall festivalMelissa Pittman remembers one moment of last year’s North Carolina Fall Festival vividly. 

    On the phone with her mom late at night after a long day working at the festival, she watched an emotional Facebook video that centered on a young boy in his wheelchair clapping with the utmost excitement as floats went by during the festival’s popular parade. 

    “This is why we do this,” Pittman expressed in that moment.

    Returning this year Sept. 11-15, the North Carolina Fall Festival will be packed with a variety of activities and events. The festivities encourage residents of Raeford and out-of-town guests to usher in the fall season Hoke County style. 

    With a bingo tournament for seniors to participate in on Senior Day, a trackless train ride that families can hop on for free all day Saturday, and a gospel concert featuring Winslow Ratliff Jr. scheduled for closing night, there is a little something for everyone to enjoy, no matter what age. 

    One newer event gives local artists the opportunity to showcase their work throughout the duration of the weeklong festival at the Parker House, which is located on Hoke County’s Museum grounds.

    Of the activities and events that take place throughout the week every year, Pittman said the parade on Raeford’s Main Street is the most loved by the community’s families and festival-goers. 

    “We have all of our schools participate. All of the businesses in Raeford participate, and the streets are lined on both sides before the parade actually starts,” she said.

    This year’s parade is scheduled to take place in downtown Raeford Thursday, Sept. 13, at 5:30 p.m. Like the annual parade, returning festival-goers will have some other favorite events to look forward to, including the Card Tournament, the Stuffin’ and Stompin’ Dinner and the Turkey Bowl. 

    Pittman’s desire is that every person who attends or participates in some part of the festival will walk away knowing how loving, welcoming and wonderful Raeford is and what Hoke County as a whole has to offer. Besides the fall season, communal support is the theme Pittman hopes attendees will experience firsthand throughout the week of the festival. 

    From the banners and street signs to the food to the vendors’ products, most everything seen at the festival is created locally, right in Hoke County. 

    “If it can be done in Hoke County – in Raeford – that’s where we do it, and that’s another way we support our community,” Pittman said. 

    Ultimately, without Raeford’s community – its volunteers, its sponsors and the citizens who come back and support the event each year – the North Carolina Fall Festival would not be able to go on, Pittman said. 

    “There would be no festival. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a community to host a festival,” she added. 

    To learn more about this year’s North Carolina Fall Festival, call 910-904-2424 or visit www.facebook.com/ncfallfestival.

  • 04 Ben Carson official portraitI have finally reached the point that nothing, no matter how senseless, surprises me. Consequently, the content of an article by Juliet Linderman titled “In the city that claims him, Ben Carson falls from grace,” was no exception. Baltimore, Maryland, is the city where Dr. Ben Carson spent years as a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon. Rising to that level of professional achievement was quite an accomplishment. His achievement is even more amazing and instructive because he grew up poverty-stricken in a home headed by his single mother. 

    Now, as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Trump administration, Carson is under attack by some citizens of Baltimore. The article referenced above clearly indicates that most, if not all, of the criticism is from black citizens of the city. 

    Carson’s support of the Make Affordable Housing Work Act, which requires congressional approval, embodies much of what underlies his fall from grace in Baltimore. The act is summarized as follows in an article by Juliet Linderman and Larry Finn titled “Analysis: HUD plan would raise rents for poor by 20 percent.” It states, “The ‘Make Affordable Housing Work Act,’ announced April 25, would allow housing authorities to impose work requirements, would increase the percentage of income poor tenants are required to pay from 30 percent to 35 percent, and would raise the minimum rent from $50 to $150 per month. The proposal would eliminate deductions, for medical care and child care, and for each child in a home. Currently, a household can deduct from its gross income $480 per child, significantly lowering rent for families.” Beyond Carson’s support of this legislation, his serving in the Trump administration is also a source of opposition. Linderman’s “Fall from grace” article referred to in the first paragraph includes the following: “The Trump virus is weakening Ben Carson’s image,” said Bishop Frank Reid, a former pastor at Baltimore’s Bethel AME Church who met Carson at Yale, where both received their bachelor’s degrees. Carson is still respected, Reid said. “But he is no longer the hero he once was.”

    Linderman reports several incidents and comments that reflect the depth of Ben Carson’s rejection by black citizens of Baltimore. Some appear below:

    • Alicia Freeman, principal of Archbishop Borders School, moved a portrait of Carson from a very public area of the school to the Ben Carson Reading Room – a far less visible space. Of the principal, Linderman writes: “‘The doctor’s inspirational message now feels hostile,’ she said.”
    • Boateng Kubi, a rising second-year student at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, is quoted: “‘It feels like he’s neglecting the communities he came from, the people who grew up admiring him, who might not have all the money in the world,’ he said. ‘I no longer speak of wanting to be the next Ben Carson.’”
    • “Shaun Verma, a Ben Carson Scholarship recipient from Georgia, says Carson’s use of his story of hard work and determination to justify scaling back the safety net for the same communities that raised and revered him ‘is really disappointing.’

     ”The writer goes on to detail other actions and attitudes among Baltimore’s blacks that show Carson’s fall from grace. It is stated that Carson declined to be interviewed for the story but sent a written statement that is presented in the article as follows: 

    “I understand what it means to be poor because I grew up poor,” the statement said. “I was fortunate to have my mother who was my compass – always steering me on course, helping me to see beyond our circumstances. That’s what I hope to do for the millions of low-income families HUD serves.”

    As I read and process Carson’s statement, my thought is that here is a black man who found his way through poverty, and any hindrances because of his blackness, to absolute greatness and success. Given this fact, the question to be asked by those in poverty, and those who claim to want to help them, should be: “How did Carson make it and what might we learn from his journey?” 

    Instead, the response is to attack and seek to punish him for, in attempting to move people out of poverty, supporting actions and policies that are consistent with what he learned along his journey from poverty to financial independence.

    Given that there is so much opposition to the Carson approach, the other reasonable question is what should we expect if we stay on the current course that is so totally supported by those who oppose Carson’s method? Even though the article by Kay S. Hymowitz titled “The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies” is from the summer of 2005, the segment below provides a crystal-clear framework for answering the expectation question:

    “Read through the megazillion words on class, income mobility, and poverty in the recent New York Times series ‘Class Matters’ and you still won’t grasp two of the most basic truths on the subject: 1. entrenched, multigenerational poverty is largely black; and 2. it is intricately intertwined with the collapse of the nuclear family in the inner city.

    “By now, these facts shouldn’t be hard to grasp. Almost 70 percent of black children are born to single mothers. Those mothers are far more likely than married mothers to be poor, even after a post-welfare-reform decline in child poverty. They are also more likely to pass that poverty on to their children. Sophisticates often try to dodge the implications of this bleak reality by shrugging that single motherhood is an inescapable fact of modern life, affecting everyone from the bobo Murphy Browns to the ghetto ‘baby mamas.’ Not so; it is a largely low-income – and disproportionately black – phenomenon. The vast majority of higher-income women wait to have their children until they are married. The truth is that we are now a two-family nation, separate and unequal – one thriving and intact, and the other struggling, broken, and far too often African-American.”

    A graph at https://www.statista.com/statistics/205114/percentage-of-poor-black-families-with-a-female-householder-in-the-us/ shows the following poverty rates for households headed by a single black female: 1991– 51.2 percent; 2000 – 34.3 percent; 2014 – 37.2 percent; 2016 – 31.6 percent. Looking back to 1991, as compared with recent years, there is impressive improvement. However, the more recent picture says we need a far more productive response to poverty than has been the case. 

    All Americans, not only those black citizens in Baltimore who oppose Carson, need to thoughtfully assess poverty in America and reasonably come to grips with causes and effective solutions. A step forward in that process would be to hear Carson with an open mind and appreciate him for what the lessons learned along his journey from poverty allow him to bring to the table.

    Photo: Dr. Ben Carson

  • 15 Britt SoftballIt wasn’t the easiest challenge to accomplish, but a little over a week ago, Jack Britt’s softball team got its biggest recognition for winning the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A softball title as the players and coaches were presented championship rings by the school.

    The ceremony took place at halftime of Britt’s second home football game of the season against Terry Sanford.

    Jack Britt athletic director Michael Lindsay said the toughest thing about raising the money to give the players rings was the timing of the championship.

    “Literally a week after we won the championship, school was out,’’ Lindsay said. “We didn’t have the day-to-day contact with the parents, kids or community. Teachers and staff were gone. We had a tough time reaching out to the community.’’

    When the money was raised and the rings were finally secured, the next problem was scheduling the ceremony at a convenient time so all the players could be there. That wasn’t a problem for the underclassmen, but for the seniors who’d left to go to school, there were some issues.

    One of the biggest challenges involved Savannah Roddey, who had already traveled to the West Coast where she was in the process of moving to Clackamas Community College in Oregon to play softball.

    “Her mother said early on if we gave them plenty of notice when the date was, she would try to get back,’’ Lindsay said. Roddey was able to make it.

    In addition to making the ring presentation to the girls, special recognition was given to Jane Britt, the wife of the late Dr. Jack Britt, whom the school is named for. Dr. Britt passed away last December.

    Mrs. Britt was presented with a game ball used in the state championship series that was autographed by all the players and coaches. They also gave her one of the state championship individual medals presented to each player by the NCHSAA.

    “Since the building opened, she and Dr. Britt have been huge supporters of Jack Britt High School,’’ Lindsay said. “We felt it was most appropriate to honor her.’’

    Lindsay said it was also a fitting tribute for the whole team, which really hadn’t gotten to celebrate much in front of their peers because the championship came right at the time school was closing for the year.

    “This was an appropriate way to start the school year off and remind everyone what Jack Britt softball did in June,’’ he said.

    For her part, Buccaneer softball coach Sebrina Wilson just enjoyed seeing the girls get their rings. “It put the icing on the cake for the season and the accomplishment they achieved,’’ Wilson said.

    Wilson also praised principal Scott Pope, Lindsay, the school’s athletic boosters, team parents and the Buccaneer community for coming together to make the whole presentation ceremony special.

    She also thanked Debbie Jones of Hope Mills Plaza Florist. When the team arrived at Jack Britt after winning the state title in June, Jones was in the parking lot to hand out flowers to the players. She showed up at the ring ceremony to do it again.

    “Everybody was trying to make it extra special,’’ Wilson said. “(The players) were super happy for what they got.’’

    Wilson said she’s been asked multiple times if being state champion has sunk in for her. She admitted she’s not sure it ever will.

    “As a coach, you work so hard and want your kids to do so well,’’ she said. “I just wanted to sit back and watch their faces when they opened the boxes (and) see the smiles and surprise on their faces. It’s a moment not very many have and that they’ll remember the rest of their lives.’’

    Meanwhile, the celebration of the title is about to end as Wilson and the returners from last year’s team start work on the 2019 season.

    There will be a team meeting this week, then Wilson will check the eligibility of all her players before starting off-season practice.

    “We’re going through fundamental things,’’ she said. “It’s what we did last year. When the season gets here, we focus on the bigger picture.’’

    The Buccaneers won’t have any problem setting goals for next year. While they won the state championship, they suffered three losses to Richmond Senior, which wound up as the Sandhills Athletic Conference champion, but was eliminated from the state playoffs by the same South Caldwell team that the Buccaneers beat in three games for the state title.

    Wilson is hopeful the fact her team peaked at season’s end may help prevent opposing teams from putting a big target on their back.

    “I think there are so many other teams that have so much more hype,’’ she said. “We went under the radar most of the reason. I’d rather relish that role than have the spotlight on us.’’

    As for chances of repeating as state champion, Wilson doesn’t want to look that far ahead. “We’ve got to play within ourselves,’’ she said.

  • 14 grafittiA need to increase security at Hope Mills Municipal Park has led the town to add cameras that will aid park staff and law enforcement in keeping an eye on potential lawbreakers.

    “In this day and time, we can’t be everywhere,’’ Mayor Jackie Warner said, referring to the Hope Mills police department as well as first responders.

    “This helps them investigate things that happen and also gives them a look at maintaining what is going on in our parks.’’

    With the continuing increase in the population of Hope Mills, Warner said usage of the Municipal Park area has increased dramatically.

    “I don’t know of a day you can go up there when there aren’t people everywhere,’’ she said. “We have more people using the park, not just the walking trails but the ball fields and the picnic areas.’’

    Kenny Bullock, who heads up the parks and recreation department for Hope Mills, said the goal is to cut down on vandalism and to improve the overall safety of people who use the parks.

    Although it’s more of a preventative measure, Bullock said there have been some real problems, including graffiti on the dugouts at the ball fields and on the bleachers and playground equipment.

    There have also been fights and other issues at the outdoor basketball court. In extreme cases, they’ve had a shooting and some drug deals.

    Police have increased patrols of the park area, Bullock said, but the cameras will help to bolster security when there’s no physical police presence.

    The town has purchased four digital cameras that can be viewed on a monitor while also recording activity and storing the video digitally.

    Bullock said the four cameras can be moved around to different locations in the park.

    “Some are going to be set up randomly and some where we are having issues,’’ Bullock said. “We should be able to pull up each day’s recordings.’’

    Bullock indicated both recreation department staff and law enforcement officials from Hope Mills will be able to access the video and review it.

    Representatives of the company installing the camera equipment will come in for a single day of training for those who will be using it, Bullock said.

    He’s hopeful the entire system will be up and running by the second week of September.

    “Hopefully it will deter some of the activities going on in the park that shouldn’t be going on in the park,’’ Bullock said.

    Warner stressed that most of the activity the cameras hope to monitor is the malicious mischief that can go on when no one’s watching.

    “We’ve been very fortunate,’’ she said, adding that there have only been a few serious incidents in the park during her term as mayor of Hope Mills.

    “Usually, we’ve found it’s not people from Hope Mills,’’ she said. “For the most part, the kind of things we’ve seen are some graffiti or loitering, especially around the basketball courts. The assumption is it might be drug buys, or they might be seeing if they can create some issues.’’

    In addition to possibly catching those who are trying to cause problems, Warner hopes the cameras will give those who use the park for legitimate purposes a greater sense of security.

    “In the early dawn hours when people are walking or at dusk in the evening, this is another way of making them feel safer,’’ she said. “If something takes place or somebody is out there that shouldn’t be, hopefully they’ll be able to target it.’’

    Warner encouraged citizens who see something out of place to do their part and let someone know about it.

    “If you see something you don’t think is right, you need to notify the police,’’ she said. “I get phone calls or emails from people when something doesn’t look just right. You can report stuff on our website too.’’

    To report suspicious activity via the web, visit www.townofhopemills.com. On the homepage, click the link labeled “Report a concern.”

    Warner added citizens can be confident their reports will remain anonymous. “The police have been really good about taking a tip and not alerting anybody where it came from,’’ she said.

  • 16 Charles DavenportNeil Buie, regional supervisor of football officials for the Southeastern Athletic Officials Association, said you can notice something different about Charles Davenport in his striped official’s shirt when he’s running down the field during a play.

    “A lot of us run down the field,’’ Buie said of himself and other football officials. “He seems to glide. It’s like he’s on skates.’’

    Of course, there’s a reason for that. Davenport was a star player in his high school days at Pine Forest before going on to earn All-ACC honors at North Carolina State and land a spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster for a few seasons.

    Now he’s in his third year giving back to the local athletic scene as an umpire on high school football officiating crews Friday nights.

    Davenport, who works with an agency that licenses foster parents over a nine-county area, had taken a stab at coaching for a few years after leaving the NFL but decided three years ago to give football officiating a try.

    “I want to be close to the game and I want to be able to participate in a positive way,’’ Davenport said. “I do work with young people in my day-to-day business, but it didn’t afford me the opportunity to be around athletics the way I really wanted t o   b e .’’

    Oddly enough, Buie sometimes has a difficult time getting ex-athletes like Davenport to become officials, and he thinks there’s a reason for it.

    “One of the problems we have in recruiting former players is they’ve been told since their first day on the football field that the guys in the striped shirts were the enemy,’’ Buie said. “When they finish their playing days, they say, ‘Wow, I don’t want to be a part of that. Those are the bad guys.’ Overcoming that perception is part of the problem.’’

    Davenport agreed that sentiment held him back initially from getting involved as an official. Now he regrets the delay.

    “I really wish I had gotten involved right out of the NFL,’’ he said. “It would have been great.’’

    Any lingering problems he had with officials disappeared as soon as he got on the field again, he said. He now realizes the best officials are the ones who enter and leave the field for each game without causing anyone to remember them because they did their job efficiently and with no controversy. 

    “I’m starting to see this side of the game better and better each year,’’ he said. “It’s really a great opportunity to get back on the field and be part of the game I do love.’’

    Davenport tries to bring a player’s mentality to his role as an official, watch as plays develop and see opportunities for educating the athletes he’s working with while he’s calling the game.

    His role in most games he’s called has been as the umpire. In high school football five-man crew mechanics, the umpire works with the referee and is in charge of controlling play along the line of scrimmage.

    Davenport said he enjoys the interaction between himself and the offensive and defensive linemen. It’s not uncommon for him to tell a player or players they are using good techniques and to keep doing it. But he’ll also offer gentle critiques, reminding players to keep their hands in and to clean up minor mistakes in their play. “You can talk more to players about the flow of the game so they don’t hurt their own team,’’ he said.

    He does this partly to help the players but also to prevent himself and his fellow officials from having to throw penalty flags. “One thing I hate to see is a bunch of flags on the field,’’ he said. “It messes up the flow of play. Clean things up early and let them play.’’

    He also encourages coaches to spend more time studying the rules of high school football so they can understand it better both for themselves and their players.

    “Coaches who do understand the rules are very successful,’’ Davenport said. “There are a lot of coaches who know the X’s and O’s but don’t understand the rules of the game. A lot of times, that’s where they lose a game every year.’’

    Someday, Davenport said, he’d like to be the head of an officiating crew, but for now he’s glad to be on the field involved with football again.

    “This is a win-win,’’ he said of the opportunity to be working in high school football and getting paid at the same time. “I just want to get better at what I do. I just like to work with all the different guys and learn their backgrounds.’’

    Buie said having someone like Davenport as an official is an asset to the program.

    “It’s a learning process, and Charles has done a good job with that learning process,’’ Buie said. “It helps he has knowledge of the game.

    “People realize who Charles Davenport was and that he was an athlete.’’

    Now he’s making a new mark for himself as an official and giving back to high school sports at the same time.

  • Dear Editor,

    I’m sick and tired of how our government in Washington, D.C., as well as many of our state and local governments spend our tax dollars. I’m so angry I just don’t know where to start, but here I go.

    Health care costs over $3 trillion a year here in the United States, and $1 trillion of that is fraud. And you wonder why we pay so much for health care? That in itself would pay our current budget deficit.

    According to David Hyman M.D., J.D., and Charles Silver, M.A., J.D., both adjunct scholars at the Cato Institute, one out of every three dollars that passes through the system is lost to fraud, wasted on services that don’t help patients or are otherwise misspent.And to make matters worse, the American Medical Association, one of the biggest unions in the country, and organized by physicians, is setting the prices we pay for every Medicare procedure done in this country. Is that not the fox guarding the hen house? To make matters worse, all the health care insurers base their prices off Medicare billing.

    I used to know a local surgeon in town who would intentionally take the hardest cases; using old-school techniques, he would literally do as many procedures as he possibly could – simply to beef up his billing. I remember the anesthesiologist(s) used to hate to work with him because they get compensated not for the length of the procedure but for the procedure itself. He was eventually run out of town, and in my opinion, should have never been able to practice medicine again. This is simply one story of many. It’s time we cleaned up the fraud and waste in our health care system.

    Welfare and Medicaid cost taxpayers 50 percent more due to fraud. A few years back, I shared a scenario where an unmarried couple with two children could qualify for $50,000 a year in welfare benefits. Please tell me what incentive this couple has to be gainfully employed. You got it, there is none! The average family of four in the United States earns approximately $52,000 a year. Hell, you can stay at home and earn $50,000. Isn’t it about time we reformed our welfare program to mandate work or a job skill program?

    There is an entire subculture in this country doing nothing but gaming the system to get free government handouts. For example, a nurse from a maternity ward once told me she was bringing a newborn to see her mother, sitting across the room was the grandmother who said to the nurse she (the new mother) is the breadwinner of the family. You see she has the baby then gives the baby up to another relative, and that relative receives $500+ a month for taking care of the child. This is not an isolated situation. This nurse tells me she sees this every single day.

    I am sick and tired of people who can work just as good as you and I claiming and receiving disability. Now don’t get me wrong, we should take care of someone who is truly disabled. How many times have you gone to the grocery store to see somebody occupy a handicapped parking space, get out of the car, and physically run into the store? Man, that ticks me off!

    Through the Karen Chandler Trust, I have worked with cancer patients for the last 20 years. Are some of these patients deserving of long-term disability? Absolutely! For the most part, they need assistance for the period they are being treated for cancer. Chemo takes a tremendous toll on one’s ability to function. To my knowledge, through the SSI program, there are no short-term benefits.

    Here again people are simply gaming the system costing taxpayers billions of dollars.

    Today, some congressmen are actually considering a guaranteed minimum income for all Americans. Really! Where do you think that money is going to come from?

    Then of course we have our favorite whipping boy 

    of the year, (immigration). We take in illegal immigrants, and in many cases, we clothe, we feed, we educate and we take care of their health care needs – and we have been doing this for many years because Congress cannot pass immigration reform.

    Let’s say someone from off the street came into your home, sat down on your couch, refused to leave and mandated you feed and clothe them. What would you do?

    To add some irony to this, let’s look at the great city of Seattle, Washington. It appears they have been inundated with a fast-growing population of homeless folks. In fact, many of the cities all along the West Coast are experiencing this problem. San Francisco, California, may very well be the granddaddy of them all. Did you know because of the cost associated with the homeless the mayor and the city council are considering giving them one-way plane fare to anywhere they want to go. All the cities I refer to, coincidentally, are openly declared as sanctuary cities and are welcoming illegal immigrants with open arms. Furthermore, they are aiding and abetting felons and hindering the pursuit by federal agents. In fact, they want to completely dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    I got up this morning and the first thing I hear is Congresswoman Waters telling the world she was sent by God to get rid of President Trump. The second story that I hear, California is considering making the delivery of a plastic straws by a waiter to a patron as a class B misdemeanor, punishable by six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. In the state of California, that is the same penalty you would receive for assault and battery or a prostitution conviction.

    Finally, because of the way he handled a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, with President Putin from Russia, it is declared that Trump is guilty of treason – a felony that carries that the death penalty as his punishment.

    Folks, this world has gone mad, and our country is leading the way. Do we need to drain the swamp? You’re damn right we do! And it’s time that we as Americans stood up to take our country back. Someone told me a long time ago to lead, follow or get the hell out of the way. If we don’t lead, we deserve what we get. It’s time we showed some common sense and fairness in how we govern. I’m not saying don’t be compassionate and helpful for those in need; I’m saying have no patience for those perfectly able to be productive citizens who steal from the hard-working tax paying citizens of this country.

    Break up the monopoly in health care, and jail all of those fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid. Fix the welfare and disability system so it lends a helping hand to those truly in need and force those gamers to get a damn job. And for crying out loud, do something about immigration.

    To all you lowlifes in Washington, i.e., congress, I say it again, lead, follow or get out of the way. Apparently, leading and following are not in your job description. Therefore, get out of the way.

    My name is Mike Chandler, and I am mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.

    – Mike Chandler

     

    Dear Editor,

    I agree 100 percent with Margaret in her op/ed piece, Acosta Accosted, that:

    “... We do not have to like the information reported, but it is critical that we love, respect, and support information and opinion in all their diverse forms.”However, she left one thing out; ACCURATELY:

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-says-only-the-fake-news-are-the-enemy-of-the-people/. Fake news strikes again!

    – Randy Scott

     

    Dear Editor,

    I read with disdain the article by Margaret Dickson in the most recent Up & Coming Weekly (June 27).

    Her liberal bias is in full bloom to defend the previous POTUS’ First Ladies complaining about the “ILLEGAL” immigrants and their children. These are tough issues indeed but trying to push this agenda on our present POTUS is hogwash! He inherited their mess to start with and they were not strong enough to make those hard decisions.

    Donald Trump is trying to straighten out the mess both of these ladies’ husband’s were not able to do and he has had to make some hard choices in doing so. 

    (It) seems like every media source has an issue with standing up for our president and takes the popular path, which is to downplay and criticize instead of standing for the American citizen when it comes to the immigrant invasion.

    – Tim Cannon

     

    Dear Editor,

    After reading your comment referring to the clowns of the NFL, I am a 22 year retired Veteran who happens to be black, I served so that Americans would have the right to legally protest their grievances. Just because you and other Americans think differently does not make it wrong. Let me bring to your attention that you being white, you will never understand, and for the most part the “Star Spangled Banner” was never written for African-Americans in the first place. It was written by a slave owner lawyer who spent his career fighting against the rights of African-Americans; nor was the Declaration of Independence or many of the other Bill of Rights. We just happen to be caught up in the middle of what white America thought and still thinks we should be. Yes, possibly the players could have used another venue to protest – although as usual no one pays any attention.

    The mere fact that the players are using a venue that cannot be ignored is, in my opinion, outstanding because in spite of your feelings, the NFL and owners will not miss a nights sleep and any other financial lost (sic) will be made up somewhere else. The NFL will not go under because a few Americans disagree I can assure you. Professional sports have much more impact in this country than to be affected by a few disagreeable Americans.

    Furthermore, my belief is that the only reason our president is making such a big deal about NFL players in protest at all is because the NFL refused to allow him to be a NFL team owner.

    – Robert Johnson

     

    Hey Bill, 

    Loved your article about the NFL bozos and the true American heroes honored at the Purple Heart dinner. Don’t slow down and don’t quiet down brother! Hopefully the silent majority is still the majority! God bless America.

    – Andy Anderson

     

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