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    EarlVaughansmallThere is a scary thought in the back of the mind of every high school football player and coach when they step on the field each Friday night at this time of the year.
     
    With the sudden-death nature of the postseason, you never know for certain when a game could be your last one for the year.
     
    Cumberland County teams face that challenge this week with a list of tough games standing in the way of a trip to the next round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs.
     
    The way this season has gone so far, I’m pleasantly surprised we’ve still got five Cumberland County Schools in the chase for state titles. What’s even better is, thanks to the way the NCHSAA football playoffs are split up, our five remaining teams are in three different classifications, meaning in a perfect world, as many as three could reach a state championship game.
     
    It would be great to see a repeat of the 2008 season, when Cumberland County schools Douglas Byrd, Seventy-First and Jack Britt all reached the state championship round, with the Falcons of Bob Paroli winning the 4-A championship.
     
    Would that be a long shot? Absolutely. But hey, Thanksgiving is next week, and Christmas is just around the corner, so it’s the season for wishing and dreaming big.
     
    The record: 86-24
     
    I had a decent week for the first round of the state playoffs, going 7-2. My misses were South View over Jamestown Ragsdale, a huge win on the road for the Tigers, and Raleigh Millbrook over Jack Britt, a game I truly thought the Buccaneers would win.
    That makes the season total 86-24, 78.2 percent.
     
    Getting back to 80 percent is going to be tough since the number of games to pick normally keeps falling during the playoffs, which decreases the margin for error if you want the percentage to climb.
     
    Jacksonville at Terry Sanford– This is the first of a couple of really close calls. I’m giving the Bulldogs a slight edge because of home field and the impressive display Dorian Clark put on running the ball in the playoff opener with Rocky Mount.
    Terry Sanford 22, Jacksonville 20.
     
    Cape Fear at Lee County – This is a tale of two schedules, and Cape Fear has a clear edge. For years, numbers cruncher Brian Simmons has been doing his strength of schedule rankings at simmonsratings.com. Through Thursday, Nov. 9, Simmons rated Cape Fear’s schedule as the seventh-toughest among the 112 3-A schools in North Carolina. Lee County’s schedule is ranked 101st. Simmons does rank Lee higher overall than Cape Fear, No. 7 vs. No. 16 in 3-A, but the Colts are a different team with Justice Galloway-Velazquez at quarterback. And if linebacker Chris Matthews is able to get back on the field Friday night, that will be a further boost for the Colts. Those factors, plus the way Colt Nation travels to support this team, make me think the Colts have a chance in this one.
    Cape Fear 21, Lee County 19.
     
    Seventy-First at Scotland – I’d like to predict a different outcome in the rematch between these two, but I just don’t see it. Scotland has had a week to heal and scout the Falcons, and they’ve shown no signs of slipping in the closing weeks of the season.
    Scotland 28, Seventy-First 12.
     
    South View at Wilmington Hoggard– The Tigers had a great win at Ragsdale last week, but they’ll need a miracle to survive Friday. Hoggard is rolling, and I don’t think the Tigers have what it takes to stop this Viking juggernaut.
    Wilmington Hoggard 31, South View 12.
     
    E.E. Smith at Havelock– Havelock is a program we’ve not had much experience with in Fayetteville, but it’s one of the best in the state. E.E. Smith will get a first-hand look how good they are on Friday night.
    Havelock 27, E.E. Smith 12.
     
    Other games
     
    Village Christian 28, SouthLake Christian 15.

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    05AnalysisMost Fayetteville politicos thought this month’s race for mayor between two-term incumbent Nat Robertson and Mayor Pro-Tem Mitch Colvin would be tight. It wasn’t even close, and the outcome of the election had veteran observers wondering if the national anti-Trump down-ballot movement reached this far. Robertson is a Republican. Colvin’s a Democrat. He handily beat Robertson, unofficially, by winning nearly 60 percent of the votes, a difference of 4,000 ballots of nearly 23,000 cast.

    Robertson’s strength was confined toan “old city” pocket of voters in Van Story Hills and other Haymount and center-city neighborhoods. Colvin, on the other hand, attracted an impressive, wide swath of support around Robertson’s core – despite the incumbent mayor’s expensive, negative ad campaign targeting Colvin’s past indiscretions and troubling business practices. Robertson said the campaign was fair game because his allegations were true. Voters evidently didn’t buy it. In fact, some of the mayor’s supporters were critical of him for launching what some called the dirtiest political campaign in Fayetteville’s modern memory.

    Others sensed that Robertson didn’t have his heart in the race. After all, he said publicly when he first ran for office that he wouldn’t seek re-election. Close associates said the mayor had not planned on running for a third term. He had been offered a cabinet level post in Raleigh a year ago by then Governor Pat McCrory. Both are Republicans and had grown close personally. But then McCrory lost his bid for re-election, and Robertson’s hopes were dashed.

    For the first time in modern history, Fayetteville City Council will be majority minority. Six of the 10 members are African-American, continuing a trend that began a few years ago with the successful election of black judicial candidates. Also, a second woman joins the body. Only one other incumbent lost his job. District 4 Councilman Chalmers McDougald was defeated by the man he replaced four years ago. D.J. Haire did not seek re-election in 2013 because of nagging back problems. But he apparently decided he wanted his old job back and ran an impressive, positive campaign touting his accomplishments while on council previously.

    Haire had built a strong political constituency in his 16 years of service. McDougald, on the other hand, exhibited bouts of anger in public, and at one point earlier this year alienated the 300-member Fayetteville Fire Department. He alleged the city’s hiring practices lacked inclusiveness and resulted in a lily-white department.

    Incumbents Kathy Jensen, Larry Wright, Jim Arp and Ted Mohn won re-election. Arp was the only incumbent who was unopposed. The dean of the governing body, Bill Crisp, won a sixth term.

    There will be two newcomers on council. Tyrone Williams won the District 2 seat vacated by Kirk deViere. Tisha Waddell will take Colvin’s place as the District 3 council member. District 5 veteran Councilman Bobby Hurst did not seek re-election. Former Councilman Johnny Dawkins defeated Henry Tyson – but there was only a 10-point differ- ence in what was Tyson’s first run for public office.

    The new council will be sworn in next month.

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    04KarlSome 40 years ago, I enrolled in a Master of Business Administration degree program at the University of Georgia. At the time, I was working long hours in my assignment as director of the Leadership and Management Division at the Navy Supply School in Athens, Georgia. My work responsibilities simply did not allow time for the graduate program. I remember walking into a macroeconomics class and having absolutely no idea what the professor was talking about. I have come to a similar realization regarding much of what is going on in America today involving how some legitimate issues are addressed. Further, I do not understand how some issues even become issues.

    As I share my thinking in what I write and in speaking, it is obvious that I am failing to understand the positions taken by some other Americans; especially a substantial percentage my fellow black Americans. I suppose my life experiences have shaped my thought process in a way that does not allow me to understand most of the arguments presented in contradiction to my thinking.

    An example of this is a reader’s comments in response to my October 2017 column titled “National Football League... goodbye.” Regarding players kneeling during the national anthem to protest oppression of black Americans, I objected. I included a definition of oppression from the Cambridge English Dictionary: “A situation in which people are governed in an unfair and cruel way and prevented from having opportunities and freedom.” Looking at the definition, I contended that there is still racism in our country, but black Americans are not oppressed.

    A frequent reader disagreed with my thinking. His rebuttal was to argue that oppression shows in black Americans being racially profiled, beaten or killed in the streets of our country. He contends that when racists with authority – meaning police officers – feel free to kill a black man simply because he is black, that is oppression. The reader went on to give other indicators of the oppression of black Americans: A black woman is stopped for a traffic violation, ends up dead in a jail cell and no one is held accountable; judges and juries do not convict police officers who kill black Americans; a political party repeatedly tries to strip millions of Americans of the health care they have (Obamacare).

    Out of my life experiences and examination of facts, focusing on the black male component, here is how I process this reader’s response. Regarding experiences, I am a black man who has never had an unpleasant encounter with a police officer: white, black or other. In a September 2016 column titled “My Interactions with White Police Officers,” I reflected on those interactions all the way back to my teenage years. That would be well over 50 years.

    Couple this with my most recent encounter, which has been since I wrote that column. A young, white, Fayetteville police officer stopped me for speeding. As he approached my truck, I let the window down and put my hands on the steering wheel. He politely and respectfully greeted me and explained that I was clocked doing 45 mph in a 35 mph zone. I explained to him that the speed limit in that area had always been 45 mph. There was no speed limit sign between where I turned onto the street and where he checked my speed. The officer acknowledged that the speed limit had recently been changed. When he asked for my driver’s license, I looked at him and said I was going to get my wallet from my hip pocket. He said that was fine, and I gave him my license. He went back to his car and did whatever had to be done. Returning, he gave me a warning, and I went on to the golf course. Not for a moment did I feel threatened or in any danger.

    Time and time again, this has been my experience with police officers, no matter their skin color. Consequently, I read the response of this reader, and my personal experiences do not align with the oppression picture he paints.

    Then there is the consideration and analysis of facts. The football players who are kneeling during the national anthem claim that black Ameri- cans, as a whole, are oppressed. The reader of my column is making the same claim. Colin Kaepernick – former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who was the first athlete who refused to stand during the national anthem – the current kneelers and my reader all point to white police officers killing black men or using excessive force. They see this as indicative of all black Americans being oppressed. The question to be addressed, then, is the extent to which all black men in America are affected by police brutality or killing.

    Philippe Lemoine speaks forthrightly to this consideration in an article titled “Police Violence against Black Men Is Rare.” I encourage reading of this article at www.nationalreview.com/article/451466/police-violence-against-black-men-rare-heres-what-data-actually-say. Following are some statements made by Lemoine that show police do not kill or commit brutality toward black males at the terrifying pace portrayed by media and others:

    • In reality, a randomly selected black man is overwhelmingly unlikely to be victim of police violence – and though white men experience such violence even less often, the disparity is consistent with the racial gap in violent crime, suggesting that the role of racial bias is small.

    • (Referring to 2016) Last year, according to The Washington Post’s tally, just 16 unarmed black men, out of a population of more than 20 million, were killed by the police. The year before, the number was 36.

    • Only 0.6 percent of black men experience physical force by the police in any given year, while approximately 0.2 percent of white men do.

    • Actual injuries by the police are so rare that one cannot esti- mate them very precisely even in a survey as big as the Police-Public Contact Survey, but the available data suggest that only 0.08 percent of black men are injured by the police each year, approximately the same rate as for white men.

    • National Crime Victimization Survey data from 2015, the most recent year available, suggests that black men are three times as likely to commit violent crimes as white men. To the extent that cops are more likely to use force against people who commit violent crimes, which they surely are, this could easily explain the disparities we have observed in the rates at which the police use force.

    These facts speak clearly. I hear the reader, but my thinking through brings me to conclude that treatment of black males by police officers does not show oppression of black Americans.

    The thought process employed above reflects my approach to every issue. Whether it is illegal immigration, Obamacare, alleviating poverty or a multitude of other issues, the approach is the same. That is, draw on my life experiences while assembling and analyzing the facts. That process leads to conclusions and, where appropriate, action.

    I am comfortable with the decision-making approach outlined above. I recognize there is the danger that being comfortable can lead to over- confidence and wrong conclusions. Consequently, I invite readers to give me feedback regarding the thoughts and issue positions I put forth. However, if that feedback is to be productive, it must be supported by facts and orderly analysis of those facts.

    Whether I agree or not, I want to understand the arguments of those who see an issue differently than me. Let me hear from you.

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    03GunsWhy does the United States have exponentially more mass shootings than any other country on the globe? Are we an inher- ently more violent people? Do we have more mentally ill citizens? Does our diversity cause us to attack each other?

    The answer may be simpler than we think. Our mass shootings may well be because we have way, way, way more guns than any other country. Americans account for 4.4 percent of the world’s population, and we own an astounding 42 percent of the world’s guns.

    Recent research by University of Alabama professor Adam Lankford found that only one other nation, Yemen, has a higher rate of mass shootings than we do. Not surprisingly, it also ranks second in gun ownership.

    Lankford found that the United States’ mental health problems are not appreciably different from those of other developed nations, nor are we more or less likely to play violent video games. Societal diversity and associated divisions also show little correlation to gun murders or mass shootings.

    No need to take my word for this or even professor Lankford’s. Here are a few numbers to sober even the most ardent gun enthusiast.

    In 2009, the United States’ gun murder rate was 33 lost souls per million people. In Great Britain and Canada, the same statistics are 0.7 and 5 per million. In numbers rather than percentages, this means that of gun-related deaths in the U.S. in 2013, there were more than 21,000 suicides, more than 11,000 homicides and more than 500 accidental gunshot deaths. During the same period, Japan, a nation and with a 150 percent lower gun ownership rate, recorded 13 gun-related deaths.

    Yes, 13 – for the entire nation.

    A landmark study from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1999 found that while our nation suffers no more violent crime than other developed countries, we are more likely to die from it. A person in New York is no more subject to robbery than a London resident, but she is 54 percent likelier to be killed in the process, most likely from a gunshot.

    It is true that mass killings happen everywhere, including Switzerland, Finland, Britain and France. China has them as well, though most of those involve knives, not guns. We simply have more mass killings than anyone else on earth, again from gunshots.

    Much has been written in recent years expressing the question of when the United States will reach its tipping point regarding the relationship between mass shootings and weak gun regulation, as other nations such as Britain have done. Many observers thought it would be Sandy Hook Elementary with 20 dead school children, Virginia Tech with 33 lost or the Orlando nightclub with 49 dead.

    More recently, people have speculated that Las Vegas with 58 dead and more than 500 wounded would do it – or, just this month, the 26 dead in a Texas church.

    So far, there has been little official discussion and no change.

    Cynics say nothing will happen as long as the National Rifle Association gun lobby maintains its financial lockdown on our Congress, including North Carolina’s own U.S. Senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, who have accepted $7 million and $4.4 million respectively in NRA campaign contribu- tions. Sadly, the cynics seem to be right.

    British journalist Dan Hodges wrote this two years ago regarding the United States’ long-running debate over gun regulations:

    “In retrospect, Sandy Hook marked the end of the U.S. gun control debate. Once America decided kill- ing children was bearable, it was over.”

    Sleep tight.

     

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    02PubPenThis is a time of year, with Thanksgiving drawing near, when many of us spend time reflecting on our lives and counting our blessings. It’s true, we live in interesting times; some would even say troubling times. Headlines report rising tensions around the globe with the spotlight currently shining on the Middle East, North Korea, Russia and, of course, the ongoing battle against terrorism. An avalanche of sex scandals continues to break with new accusations against various high-profile personalities released almost daily. Recurring mass shootings and continued political strife continue to plague our country. Still, there are many reasons to give thanks.

    One of the things we at Up & Coming Weekly are thankful for is you, our reader.

    For more than two decades, we’vehad the privilege of bringing you good news and positive coverage of the greater Fayetteville and Cumberland County area. Because of you, we get to seek out the goodness, promote the generosity of our citizens and share the facts that counter the naysayers and prove the haters wrong and misinformed. Because of you, we get to tell this community’s story. We bring you the unbridled truth about the people, businesses and organiza- tions working hard to make Cumberland County a better place.

    It’s no secret that the print media indus- try is struggling. Subscriptions are down across the country, and many publications – both nationally and locally – are fighting just to keep their doors open. Even iconic publications like Vogue and Rolling Stone have felt the change with the former losing its editor of more than 25 years and the lat- ter preparing to hang a “for sale” sign on its door. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that national publishing giant Gatehouse Media bought the family-owned The Fayetteville Observer, North Carolina’s oldest newspaper. So, we are feeling it here, too.

    It is mostly the daily, subscription- based newspapers feeling the brunt of this trend. Up & Coming Weekly is a free weekly community publication and doesn’t rely on paid subscriptions. We focus on the local community and rely on “demand” distribution at more than 500 locations in Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Hope Mills and other places in Cumberland County. This means Up & Coming Weekly readers “demand” the publication and search it out. In addition, many enjoy it conveniently online.

    Because you continue to pick up our paper around town and read it online, we get to continue celebrating the goodness and uniqueness of this community while discussing the most important issues that affect quality of life locally. We get to sup- port local nonprofits, engage with community advocates, promote high-quality events and share the meaningful stories that make this community special. Thank you for giving us that opportunity. It feels good to serve a community that allows us the opportunity to walk on the sunny side of the street.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from the staff at Up & Coming Weekly.

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    18Lauren McDonough Terry SanfordLauren McDonough

    Terry Sanford

    • Sophomore

    • Tennis

    McDonough has a grade point average of 4.0.

    She won her singles and doubles matches against Chapel Hill in the first round of the NCHSAA 3-A dual team tennis playoffs.

    She is active in Tri Chi, Friends Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Global Studies Academy.

    She is also a member of the Highland Presbyterian Church youth group.

     

     

     

     

     

    19Bailey Haggins Grays CreekBailey Haggins

    Gray’s Creek

    • Senior

    • Soccer/cheerleading

    Haggins has a 3.67 grade point average.

    She is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Student Government Association, Future Farmers of America, National Honor Society and travel soccer.

    She was Miss Gray’s Creek High School in 2016 and is the current senior class president.

     

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    17DefenseThe heroics of Terry Sanford’s potent passing combination of Christian Jayne to Andrew Jayne have made headlines all year for the Terry Sanford football team.

    But in the closing weeks of the regular season, when the Bulldogs finally broke clear from the pack in the Patriot Athletic Conference and won the league’s first football championship, it was defense that made the difference.

    In key wins over South View, Pine Forest and E.E. Smith, the Bulldog defense stood especially  tall in the second half, limiting the opposition to a touchdown or less in each game.

    Among the biggest reasons behind that are Terry Sanford’s versatile starting safeties, Garren Elliott and Dante Bowlding.

    First-year Terry Sanford coach Bruce McClelland said Bowlding and Elliott provided critical moving pieces in what he described as an amoeba-like defense that let Terry Sanford take advantage of matchups and frustrate opposing offenses.

    “They are both so physical and play with their hands so well it allowed us to shoot them down to linebacker positions,’’ McClelland said.

    But both Bowlding and Elliott are quick to add that the reason for Terry Sanford’s success involves more than game strategy.

    “It’s not just a team, it’s a brotherhood,’’ Bowlding said. “If we have each other’s back, we can go out and accomplish anything.’’

    Elliott agreed. “With the chemistry we have, it really fell into place,’’ he said. “We all love each other, and we’re going to play for each other.’’

    McClelland thinks the strong bond the team has is an extension of the relationship he enjoys with his assistant coaches, who he was on the staff with as an assistant before he was promoted
    to head coach.

    “I know the kids see the relationship the coaching staff has (with) each other,’’ he said. “Everybody on this staff is knowledgeable. They take a back seat to no one and can coach with anyone.

    “These young men sensed that, and I think it grew with them and made them closer team-mates.’’

    Elliott and Bowlding also sensed the presence McClelland brings to the head coaching position, and it’s a good one.

    “We all love Coach Mac to death,’’ Elliott said. “We’re going to play our hardest for him. To see him smile at how good we’re doing, it’s like a blessing for everybody on this whole team.’’

    “When we’re on the field, he’s always joking,’’ Bowlding said. “It’s always good to be out there on the field, having fun.’’

    Terry Sanford drew the No. 4 seed for the Eastern 3-A bracket, which likely means if the Bulldogs can keep winning they’ll get at least two home games in the postseason.

    “Having success in the playoffs is doing the same thing we’ve done all year,’’ McClelland said. “It helps that these guys have been in playoff runs the last two years.

    “We’re an even-keeled group. It’s just taking that same approach, not cutting a corner, making sure we’re watching film and doing the same things that got us here. It’s kind of like that old adage, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’’

     

    PHOTO: (L-R) Garren Elliott, coach Bruce McClelland, Dante Bowlding

     

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    15Lauren Moore Jack Britt girls playerGIRLS

    Coach: Nattlie McArthur

    Top returning players: Lauren Moore, 5-8, Sr, G/F; Brianna Lord, 5-4, Sr., G; Kenzie Wilburn, 6-0, Jr., C; Mikayal Jones, 5-8, So., G.

    Top newcomers: Skylar Arakaki, 5-4, Jr., G; Kayla Bridges, 6-1, Jr., C.; Ashara Hayes, 5-9, Fr., F.

    Coach’s comment: “I am very excited about this season. We have a core of young ladies that know our system and will be able to assist the new players. We are looking forward to competing at a high level each and every night.’’

     

     

     

    16Israel Hill Jack Britt boys basketball playerBOYS

    Coach: Isaiah Walker Jr.

    Top returning players: Barry Elliott, 6-0, Sr., G; Brandon Hayden, 6-3, Jr, G; Calvin Washington, 6-5, Jr., F; Israel Hill, 6-3, Jr., F; Kenan Keys, 6-2, Jr., F.

    Top newcomers: Jordion Fox, 6-4, So., F; Greg Maddux Velez, 6-4, So., F; Langston Davis, 6-2, So., F..

    Coach’s comment: “We return five guys that played major minutes last year on a team that finished 11-15. We lost six of those games by a total of 19 points. Although we are still extremely young – Barry Elliott will be the only senior in the starting lineup – we feel experience will help us as we prepare for a tough schedule."

     

    PHOTOS: (T-B) Lauren Moore, Israel Hill

     

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    13Daija Robinson Douglas Byrd girls basketball playerGIRLS

    Coach: Jernard Grant


    Top returning players: Damond Tatum,6-0, Sr., G; Arianna Maddox, 5-10, Sr., F.

    Top newcomers: Dai’ja Robinson, 5-9, Fr., G; Democrat Williams, 6-0, So., F; Jameisha Mahoney, 5-5, So., G; Renee Jacques, 5-7, So., G; Samiya Newell, 5-7, Jr., G.

    Coach’s comment: “Our strength and weakness will be our accountability and success as a whole, doing the little things together as a team.’’

     

     

     

    14Trey Johnson Douglas Byrd boys playerBOYS

    Coach: Reshrond Tucker

    Top returning players: Trey Johnson, 6-0, Sr., F/G; Christian Jones, 5-11, Sr., G; Kelvin Armstrong, 6-0, Jr., G; Domion Evans, 6-2, Jr., F; Capre Crawford, 6-3, Jr., F.

    Top newcomers: Elijah Smith, 5-7, Fr., G; Sean Jones, 5-10, Fr., G; Sydney Johnson, 6-2, So., F; Brandon Washington, 6-0, So., G.

    Coach’s comment: “Unfortunately, as a team, we don’t have a whole lot of size. But I believe that we will be able to counter that with our team speed and guard play. We have a lot of players at that guard position that we can plug in and sustain the same quality of play.”

     

    PHOTOS: (T-B) Dai’ja Robinson, Trey Johnson

     

     

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    12WhatsUpThere is a flurry of upcoming holiday activities to partake in and sights to see in Hope Mills and the surrounding area. Whether you prefer big, festive parade crowds or quiet, one-on-one walks, Cumberland County has something for everyone this holiday season.

    • Nov. 24 A Dickens Holiday in downtown Fayetteville is a family favorite, presented for its 18th year by the Arts Council Fayetteville/Cumberland County and the Downtown Alliance. Festivities will run from 1 to 9 p.m.; the traditional candlelight procession starts in front of the Arts Council at 5 p.m. To learn more, visit www.theartscouncil.com/things-to-do/a-dickens-holiday.

    • Dec. 1-30 Christmas Lights at Denton Ridge on Ramsey Street starts with a tram ride accompanied by Christmas music and lights. Stops include a live Nativity scene, an old-timey country store, Mrs. Claus’ bake shop and a museum of early 1900s farming equipment. Marshmallow roasting and free photos with Santa are also available. Open every weekend Dec. 1-30. Entry is $10 per person. For more information, visit www.dentonridge.com.

    • Dec. 1-23 Christmas in Paradise at Paradise Acres in Hope Mills features, in addition to lights, a holiday buffet, live Nativity scene, train rides, inflatables, fried moon pies, marshmallow roasting and the Clauses. Admission is free. Open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 1-23. Call (910) 424-2779 for details.

    • Dec. 1, 2, 8, 22, 29 Nothing adds excitement to an evening like a hockey game. With five home games this month, it is easy to come out and support your local team. All local games are at the Crown. Learn more about the team and purchase tickets at www.marksmenhockey.com.

    • Dec. 1-17 “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is a beloved Christmas tradition at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. This comedic classic tells the story of the awful Herdsman kids and how they wreakhavoc on a local production of the Christmas story.
    For tickets and information, visit www.cfrt.org.

    • Dec. 1-2 Enjoy a Renaissance-style dinner featuring a four-course meal in a banquet hall setting. Characters in period costume sing Christmas carols to keep everyone in good spirits. The festive event, titled Yuletide Feaste, starts at 7:30 p.m. at Haymount United Methodist Church. Call (910) 630-7100 or (910) 364-9710 for details.

    • Dec. 2 The Hope Mills Christmas Parade starts at 3 p.m. at Hope Mills Middle School and ends at Rockfish Elementary School. Christmas in the Village will follow directly, featuring free train rides, hot cocoa, cookies, a visit with Santa and an outdoor Christmas movie at the Hope Mills Town Hall, 5770 Rockfish Rd. Call (919) 426-4109 for details.

    • Dec. 2 Enjoy Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra’s “A Carolina Holiday” at Methodist University at 7:30 p.m. The symphony will play traditional and popular holiday music, accompanied by the children of Fayetteville Academy Chorus for many selections. Visit www.fayettevillesymphony.org to purchase tickets.

    • Dec. 2 Runners, don’t miss the 7th Annual Green Beret Jingle Jog at 102 Ann St. Proceeds benefit fallen heroes, gold star families, Op X-mas Cheer and wounded warrior programs. Call (813) 446-8125 for information.

    • Dec. 3 Celebrate the holidays Victorian style at the Holiday Jubilee at the 1897 Poe House from 1-5 p.m. This free event features a concert by Fayetteville’s own Coventry Carolers. The Coventry Carolers will perform on the front porch of the Poe House at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. The Poe House will be decked out in Victorian-era decorations, and there will be workshops and activities for children along with cookies and cider. Santa will be there, too. Free admission. Call (910) 486-1330 to learn more.

    • Dec. 3 At 5 p.m., Fayetteville State University Choir and Band will present “Great Joy,” a holiday spectacular, at Seabrook Auditorium. Call (910)672-1528 to purchase tickets.

    • Dec. 4-17 “It’s a Wonderful Life” opens at Gilbert Theater Dec. 4 and runs through Dec. 17. This classic production is based on the 1946 comedy-drama produced and directed by Frank
    Capra starring Jimmy Stewart. Watch local talent bring this timeless tale of hope to life. Visit www.gilberttheater.com to purchase tickets.

    • Dec. 7-21 Christmas in the Park at Arnette Park adjacent to the Cape Fear River. Enjoy a half-mile stroll on a paved walking trail and take in the sights and sounds of Christmas. Other features include local musicians, a Christmas Express train, food vendors, a marshmallow pit, Santa, and an outdoor movie screen with holiday films. Tickets cost $10 per vehicle. Open every day Dec. 7-21, 6-9 p.m. Call (910) 433-1547 for details.

    • Dec. 7-30 Holiday Lights in the Garden at Cape Fear Botanical Garden offers a mile-long walk to admire the decoration of the garden’s natural winter plant life and structures. Other attractions include a synchronized light show, Santa photos, s’mores and free kids’ crafts. Entry is $5-12 depending on age and membership. Open Thursday through Sunday, Dec. 7-30. Learn more at www.capefearbg.org.

    • Dec. 7-9 Sweet Tea Shakespeare presents “Behold, a Folk Christmas Cantata” at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. The production features musicians and actors with music from Andrew Peter son’s “Behold the Lamb of God” and the Oh Hellos. Find out more at www.sweetteashakespeare.com.

    • Dec. 9 Givens Performing Arts Center presents “Holiday Extravaganza” featuring the performing groups, students and faculty of UNC Pembroke. Virtually all the university’s ensembles and choirs will gather to perform uplifting renditions of holiday favorites starting at 8 p.m. Call (910) 521-6361 for tickets and information.

     

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    • Nov. 15 Historic Preservation Commission meeting at 5 p.m. at the Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Center. The purpose of the meeting is to review guidelines for the commission.

    • Nov. 20 Public hearing for Case No. P17-40 at 7 p.m. at the Town of Hope Mills Regular Meeting. The meeting will be held in the Bill Luther Board Meeting Room in the Town Hall at 5770 Rockfish Rd.

    • Nov. 20 Audit Finance Committee special meeting at 6 p.m. in the Town Hall Board Room to discuss the fiscal year 2017 audit.

    • Dec. 7 Multimodal Congestion Management Plan Public Meeting No. 2 at Hope Mills Parks and Recreation Center from 6-8 p.m. Open house starts at 6 p.m., presentation starts at 6:30 p.m. Several potential transportation alternatives will be presented to address transportation issues in Hope Mills. The Hope Mills Board of Commissioners may be attending the meeting, and there could be a possible quorum.

    To learn more about the study, visit www.HopeMillsPlan.org. For more information, contact Joel Strickland of the Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization at jstrickland@co.cumberland.nc.us or (910) 678-7622.

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    11CmasinParadiseParadise Acres presents Christmas in Paradise Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from Thursday, Nov. 30 through Saturday, Dec. 23, from 5-9 p.m.

    “Christmas in Paradise is a 12-acre park, and we are going to have it decorated inside and outside,” said Shane Taylor, owner of Paradise Acres. “We have been out here for 33 years, and
    for the last five years, we have been aiming to do something different like this so that we can invite the public to Paradise Acres.”

    Taylor added that they have been doing private events, so it was decided to open to the public to be able to serve and allow people to come out and enjoy Christmas.

    The event will include Santa Claus, a train ride, marshmallow roasting, a holiday buffet, local entertainment, a children’s playground, Christmas lights and inflatables. “A bonfire will be set up outside to roast marshmallows,” said Taylor. “We will have an outside section where we will sell fried moon pies, Oreos, Brunswick stew, hot chocolate and apple cider.”

    Taylor added that Santa Claus will be onsite and it is free to take selfies with Santa. Every night there will be live entertainment featuring performances by two bands and local students.

    A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association of North Carolina. “My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease years ago, and we are taking care of her now,” said Taylor. “We will have a couple of boxes set up so that you can give directly to the Alzheimer’s Association, and we will also give back a percentage of the proceeds at the end of Christmas.

    “We just want people to feel free to come out and enjoy our family-friendly venue during the holiday season.”

    Admission is free. Reserved seating for large groups is available. The buffet dinner is from 5–9 p.m. The cost is $14 for adults and $8 for children 10 and under. The train ride is $2 and the in-
    flatables are $1. Paradise Acres is located at 1965 John McMillan Road. For more information, call (910) 424-2779.

     

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    10FTCCHave you ever wanted to attend college but felt as if your disability prohibited you from accomplishing your academic goals? If you answered yes, now is the time to pursue your educational dreams. Fayetteville Technical Community College renders its services to students who require accommodations based on mental, emotional or physical impairments through its own Disability Support Services Office.

    The DSSO is an exclusive entity within Student Services at FTCC and, as a renowned equal opportunity learning and educational institution, takes great pride in assisting students online and on campus who have disabilities. The academic rigor of curriculum courses does not change based on the diagnosis or disorder of the student. The services and accommodations provided by the department are implemented to promote fairness within education. The purpose of quality education is to retain knowledge and to foster career opportunities through a mastery level of academic retention.

    FTCC policies and procedures, which can be found on the FTCC website, comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It is essential to FTCC that its students do not undergo discrimination or exclusion from participating in college events and programs and that they are not denied curriculum or non-curriculum educational activities and opportunities based on any form of a medically diagnosed disability. All prospective students applying to FTCC arewelcome to visit the DSSO to obtain information before enrolling into programs offered at FTCC. The team will be glad to answer any questions regarding ADA compliance and services provided to the public. When applying to FTCC, future students are provided with information about where and how to apply for disability services. Once a student submits the proper documentation through the DSSO, accommodations will be granted immediately.

    The DSSO promptly sends accommodations to faculty members after the student completes required procedures. It is later the student’s responsibility to follow a simple step-by-step process to renew accommodations for each semester. The appropriate documents to receive and to maintain academic accommodations consist of a valid medical evaluation that must come from a licensed psychological or medical provider within the last five years. If students cannot provide required medical information, some temporary services may be determined and arranged on a case-by-case basis.

    Those receiving services provided by the DSSO should have no concern about their data being vulnerable to public exposure, as the department responsibly guarantees secure, ethical and legal protocols for protecting students’ welfare. Students’ medical information is protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and is considered confidential.

    The DSSO is located at the Tony Rand Student Center, Room 127. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time so that we may respond to questions or concerns regarding student accommodations, ADA compliance or professional assistance. At FTCC, student success is our No. 1 priority. We look forward to working with you.

     

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    01HOC coverThanksgiving weekend, The Heart of Christmas Show will bring a spectacularly choreographed and elaborately costumed show to the Crown Coliseum. The show has one goal: giving fayetteville children a platform to use their singing and dancing talents to raise funds for other local children in need. Showtimes are Nov. 25 at 1 and 7 p.m. and Nov. 26 at 3 p.m.

    Fayetteville native Laura Stevens, creator of The HOC Show, said the show’s 19-years-and-counting popularity came as a surprise; it was never intended to be more than a one-time event. It started when Stevens, who gives vocal performance lessons out of her home, decided to take a group of her students to the Great American Gospel Fest in 1999 at Alabama Theatre in Myrtle Beach. “I just wanted them to be able to have other experiences vocally and performing-wise,” she said.

    The girls performed under the moniker Voices of the Heart. They had only existed as a group for one year. It was their first time at a competition, and they were the first group to push the envelope by performing gospel music with choreography. Out of 267 acts from all over the U.S., they won first place in the nationally televised event.

    Though Voices of the Heart has not returned to any competitions since – Stevens said that’s not the group’s purpose – that win did encourage her to view the show as a legitimate offering the
    Fayetteville community could enjoy.

    “Now let’s turn and do something good with this,” she remembers telling her girls. She decided to put the show on at the Crown as a fundraiser in which 100 percent of the proceeds would benefit local organizations that work with children. “I never intended for it to go on this long – never – but it has because the response was so great,” she said. “The first time we gave away Money, it was only $8,000.... Well, that’s a totally different story today.”

    To date, The HOC Show has raised over $700,000 and donated all of it to organizations like Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation’s Friends of Children, the Child Advocacy Center, the Autism Society of Cumberland County, Agape Pregnancy Support Services, Falcon Children’s Home and Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina.

    Though homegrown in the truest sense of the word, The HOC Show boasts the quality and professionalism of a big-city production. It’s one of the best-attended shows at the Crown every year, and it’s got costume, prop and scene changes that put it on par with New York City’s Rockettes. Voices of the Heart, which today is comprised of five girls, is joined onstage for over 30 acts put on by 36 performers ages 6 to 18. These 36 performers include, in addition to Stevens’ vocal performance students, dancers from Elite Dance Center.

    “Seriously, I have people from New York stop by and say, ‘I haven’t seen a show in New York like this. This is amazing,’” Stevens said. “We have just raised ourselves up right here in little ole’ Fayetteville. We have people come in from Virginia, Florida, Myrtle Beach, Raleigh – from all over.”

    Some acts, like the manger scene in the second half of the show, are too special and important to ever be changed much, Stevens said. But she does implement at least a few new songs each year, and this year’s show has been significantly updated with never-before-seen numbers.

    New acts include a segment from “Elf: The Musical,” a ’50s-themed holiday medley, a performance of “Light a Candle,” new quartet and quintet songs, an adorable rendition of “I Want a
    Hippopotamus for Christmas” from the younger cast members and a finale based on the Rascal Flatts version of “Joy to the World.” Also new in the second half is a number that explores the
    way the virgin Mary must have felt when she first found out she was pregnant.

    “The song shows her turmoil and her coming to an understanding that God was with her every step of the way,” Stevens said. “The way it’s going to come across is just really, really beautiful.”

    Stevens said one of the best and most common comments she hears from audience members is that during the show they forget, and afterward can’t believe, that all the performers are so young. “W.C. Powers from Powers Swain Chevrolet said, ‘It’s CPR for Christmas,’” Stevens said.

    “Come to The Heart of Christmas Show and get away for a few minutes. Remember what Christmas was like when you were young.... That’s the magic of (the show). It will definitely take to you to a place about the real meaning of Christmas and the fun of Christmas and the joy and outreach. I don’t think there’s an element of Christmas that (the show) doesn’t touch.”

    Perhaps it’s the way the Christmas spirit is at work behind the scenes that makes the performances shine so brightly. The school-aged performers sacrifice every Saturday from Labor Day until the show at the end of November – about two and a half months – to rehearse.

    “The children understand that they’re raising money with their talents to help children who are not as fortunate,” Stevens said. “When you see them performing, you see this is a group of young
    people who are energized about life and about what they’re doing.... That’s going to carry them into adulthood, (the idea that) we’re here for each other, and this is something (they) can do at a very young age. I hope and pray... they will always have that energy and passion to do something good for somebody else because they can and are willing to.”

    Stevens’ backstage crew is comprised of parents who take a week off of work to help pull curtains, fix costumes, paint, build props and do hair.

    “Who takes vacation time to work a show?” Stevens asked. “It’s strengthening bonds as all these families do this together. I don’t have people pulling the curtains who don’t care. Nobody’s getting paid.”

    Also behind the scenes are the hundreds of local sponsors who make the purchase of costumes, props and the rented stage possible. “We are so lovingly supported by this community,” Stevens said. “They’re there every year because they love the show, even when their business is tight financially.”

    The combination of local roots, altruistic motive and top-notch quality is what makes The Heart of Christmas Show an annual event to enjoy and take pride in for families in Cumberland County
    and beyond.

    “Support the show; come and see,” Stevens said. “Once you come once, you’re going to come again.... This is Fayetteville’s own shown. Look at the outreach; this is a show Fayetteville can truly be proud of.”

    Visit www.heartofchristmasshow.com to purchase tickets for The Heart of Christmas Show on Nov. 25 and 26.

     

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    09CARE"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." – Luke 6:31

    The CARE Clinic was established in 1993. It’s run by volunteers – staff members, doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, dental assistants, pharmacy assistants, chiropractors, social workers and nutritionists. The clinic relies solely on donations, grants and whatever monies fundraisers bring in. The CARE Clinic offers free health care to eligible uninsured, low-income adults who live in Cumberland County and the surrounding area. Serving selflessly to keep their community healthy, the clinic volunteers provide basic medical care, dental extractions, chiropractic care, lab tests, diagnostic tests, pharmacy service, health education, community resource information, social services are referrals to specialists.

    Meet Kimberly. Originally from Ohio, she’s called Fayetteville home for more than three decades. Making a living as a server in local eateries meant Kimberly did not have medical insurance. That wasn’t a problem until she started having trouble with her teeth. As a server, Kimberly’s smile is a big part of her job, so much so that it can impact her earnings. When the pain became unbearable, she knew she had to do something about it. A friend told Kimberly about The CARE Clinic. She decided to see if they could help her.

    The team there extracted her tooth, giving Kimberly immediate relief. “This place is awesome! You are very welcoming and have been very wonderful to me,” Kimberly said.

    Meet Angela. When Angela moved to Fayetteville in 2014, she moved into an apartment. Two years later, Hurricane Matthew came through, and, like so many in the area, Angela’s place was flooded. Shortly after that, Angela and her children started getting sick – so sick that Angela sent her children to live out of state while she figured things out. She did some digging and learned that there was black mold growing in her apartment. Having no insurance, Angela turned to The CARE Clinic and found the medical care she needed.

    “The CARE Clinic is the only place to see me. I just want to say thank you to The CARE Clinic for everything,” she said.

    For the volunteers at the clinic, doing a good deed is often its own reward. Sometimes, there are other forces at play, though.

    Dr. Brandt Wood has a strong faith and volunteers because he believes in doing what he can to make a difference. “I began volunteering as a way to give back to those in need, to do God’s mission here on Earth,” Wood said.

    Wood is an OB/GYN at Fayetteville Woman’s Care. He received his medical degree in 1997 from Des Moines Medical University. Wood completed his internship and residency at Christiana Care Hospital in Newark, Delaware, in 2002. The Woods moved to Fayetteville in 2004 when Wood joined Fayetteville Woman’s Care. Wood’s desire to help people is strong. Before putting his skills to use at The CARE Clinic, he started a Medical Mission Team that traveled to Dominica and Romania.

    While the services at the clinic are free, donations are what keep the lights on and the doors open. Running a high-quality clinic is a massive undertaking. You don’t have to be a medical professional to make a difference. Volunteers are welcome, as are monetary donations. Learn more about The CARE Clinic and how you can help at www.thecareclinic.org.

    The CARE Clinic is open Tuesday and Thursday and the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 5:30-8:30 p.m. by appointment only. Call (910) 485-0555 to make an appointment or to learn more.

     

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    08localelectionFayetteville’s new city council is set to be sworn in next month. Mitch Colvin’s election as mayor came despite being outspent two-to-one and being characterized by Mayor Nat Robertson as unfit for office. There will be two fresh faces, and two former members will return to council. Newcomers include former councilmen D.J. Haire and Johnny Dawkins, who will represent Districts 4 and 5 respectively. Tyrone Williams and Tisha Waddell will represent Districts 2 and 3. Incumbents Ted Mohn, Bill Crisp, Larry Wright, Kathy Jensen and Jim Arp won re-election.

    Elsewhere in Cumberland County, Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner won a fourth term by defeating Keith Bowen. Mike Mitchell, Meg Larson, Jerry Legge, Pat Edwards and Jessie Bellflowers will comprise the new town board of commissioners. Mitchell was the leading vote-getter. Incumbent commissioner Bryan Marley lost his bid for re-election.

    Warner observed that the three newcomers have been involved in civic affairs for some time. Mitchell is a former mayor pro tem. Bellflowers is chairman of the town Lake Advisory Committee, and Larson has been a political observer. Commissioner Jerry Legge will serve his seventh term. Also in Hope Mills, 57 percent of the 1,000 voters favored a ballot issue authorizing the on-premises sale of malt beverages.

    Spring Lake Mayor Chris Rey retired. Mayor Pro Tem Larry Dobbins becomes the new chief executive. Incumbent Aldermen James O’Garra, Fredricka Sutherland and James Christian remain on the board. Political newcomers Jackie Jackson and Sona Cooper fill out the five-member board of aldermen. In Stedman, Martin “Mardy” Jones was elected mayor. Jon Wayne Mosley and Paul Pirro won election to the board of commissioners.

    In the newly-incorporated town of Eastover, Charles G. McLaurin won his unopposed election for mayor. Retired educator Lawrence Buffaloe, Bruce Sykes and Randy Lee were elected to the town council.

    In Wade, longtime mayor Joe Dixon was unopposed. Johnny Lanthorn, Kenny Griffin, Ray Edwards, John Nunnery and Johnny Sawyer will serve on the board of commissioners.

    Marie Butler will stay on as mayor of Linden. Barbara Denning, Larry Overby, Bobby Garner, Ronnie Maness and Frances Collier were elected to the Linden Board of Commissioners.

    Willie Burnett was re-elected mayor of Godwin. Town commissioners include Donald McIntyre, George Cooper Jr., Ronald McNeil and Darold Dugger.

    And in Falcon, Clifton Turpin Jr. was re-elected mayor. Wiley Clark, Jerry Lucas Sr., Rayford Dunning and John Gipson were elected to the board of commissioners. Gipson was a write-in candidate.

     

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    07fayairportFayetteville airport gets a makeover

    A multimillion-dollar renovation of Fayetteville Regional Airport is underway. It’s the first major makeover of the local airport in more than 30 years, although smaller improvements were made in 1999, 2003 and 2006. Renovations will begin with the demolition of the original Concourse A, which is still in use. It was built in 1969. The replacement Concourse A will include two second level jet bridges with a ground-loading gate to provide direct service access to aircraft.

    This first phase of the terminal renovation willcost $17.6 million in federal, state and airport funds. The bulk of it, nearly $14 million, is part of an estimated $30 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants awarded the airport by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Renovations will also include replacement and relocation of the restaurant, which will be designed to primarily serve flight passengers.

    The total project is tentatively divided into three phases. Additional value engineering must be completed to determine final project costs, said Airport Director Brad Whited. The Fayetteville Regional Airport services 500,000 customers annually. This portion of the renovation project is expected to take 18 months. The travelers will not be affected by the work.

    Firefighting danger

    Municipal and rural firefighters deal with hazardous situations each time they respond to alarms. Some fires are preventable and should never have occurred. A case in point was a mobile home fire off Wildwood Drive in West Fayetteville last week. It was the third fire in the trailer since early summer.

    “The mobile home was the subject of a fire in July with minor exterior damage,” said city spokesman Nathan Walls. The blaze on July 1 gutted the mobile home, rendering it uninhabitable, said Fire Marshall Michael Martin.

    Firefighters returned to the Lafayette Plantation Mobile Home Park the next day to extinguish a blaze that apparently was rekindled from the day before. Utilities were pulled at that time, Martin said.

    “Structures determined to be dangerous are set for hearings, and subsequent orders to repair or demolish them may be issued,” Walls said. “We initiated a substandard building hearing and subsequent order to repair with a compliance date of Jan. 23, 2018.”

    The city’s governing council must eventually issue the order to remove the burned-out hulk. Last week, the trailer flared up again, and was fully engulfed in flames when first responders from Fire Station 12 arrived.

    “This doublewide was vacant... and because of the previous fires, a defensive attack was used to gain control,... which provided for a safer entry to confirm no one was present,” said Battalion Chief David Hargis, who was the fire scene commander. Hargis said none of his firefighters were hurt.

    A look at city committees

    Fayetteville Mayor Nat Robertson started installing committees soon after he took office four years ago. Since then, he’s established several standing committees of council members.

    When Robertson served on city council in the 1990s, the body had a few working committees. So far, the mayor has created eight committees. Robertson appointed himself to five of the small groups, which number from three to five members. Three committees are hybrid groups to include PWC representatives. One also includes a county commissioner.

    Robertson appointed Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Colvin to four committees and named him chairman of two of them. Councilman Bill Crisp sits on five committees. Councilmen Chalmers McDougald and Larry Wright have one committee assignment each.

    Whether Mayor-elect Colvin will continue the practice remains to be seen. There’s a ninth committee, but it’s been around for nearly 10 years and determines citizen appointments to various municipal boards and commissions. It was the only standing committee prior to Robertson taking office.

    The other groups deal with such issues as the parks and recreation bond spending, the baseball stadium, city-county emergency communications, fleet maintenance, city-county sales tax, Shaw Heights annexation, gateway beautification and city auditing.

    Combatting addiction one step at a time

    A small Moore County firm may have a solution to part of the country’s ongoing opioid epidemic. DisposeRx Inc. of Southern Pines has developed a compound that, when combined with water, virtually destroys unused and unwanted prescription drugs. It becomes a biodegradable goo that makes the meds impossible to use. And, they can be thrown in the trash.

    Taking prescription opioids non-medically is considered one of the ways people get addicted to drugs. Unwanted or expired prescriptions are an easy source for those wanting to abuse medications, according to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

    “Our passion is to find a way to stop this cycle of addiction,” John Holaday, the company’s co-founder, said. His concept is to include a packet of DisposeRx with each prescription when it’s picked up from the pharmacy. It only costs $1.50. Ten thousand of the packets have already been distributed.

    In North Carolina, more than 12,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses between 1999 and 2016, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. “It’s important to get these drugs out of circulation,” said Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., whose district includes Southern Pines.

    Passing of a true public servant

    Hope Mills has lost a longtime town commissioner. Mayor Pro Tem Robert “Bob” Gorman Sr., 71, died Nov. 4. Gorman served on the Town Board of Commissioners for 14 years. He was a 24-year Air Force veteran.

    “He really was a great man,” said Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner, who regarded Gorman as a close friend and professional colleague. Gorman was a native of Wilmington and later lived in Asheville before settling in Hope Mills.

     

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    In his book “Jesus, Interrupted,” Bart Erhman, the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said, “Within three hundred years Jesus went from being a Jewish apocalyptic prophet to being God himself, a member of the Trinity. Early Christianity is nothing if not remarkable.” Erhman is an atheist and is considered one of the leading scholars in New Testament studies. Through his class, he serves as an “evangelist for atheism,” seeking to convert Christians to skepticism and atheism. Professors and scholars like Erhman are why the church needs Christian apologetics.

    Christian apologetics is simply the methods and means of defending the Christian faith. In 1 Peter 3:15, believers are commanded to be ready to provide an answer for their faith. We call this “doing apologetics.”

    The goal of Carolina College of Biblical Studies’ first lecture series, “The Defending the Faith Conference,” was to help believers develop a robust understanding of some of the basic ways to defend their faith as well as help believers grapple with some of the most common arguments against Christianity.

    This conference featured world-renowned apologist Dr. Norman Geisler, who has written over 100 books on the subject (that is about 70 more books than Erhman has published). Other leading apologists, including some of CCBS’ own alumni and faculty, also presented and dialogued to serve the church by helping believers contend for the faith once and for all handed down to the saints (Jude 3).

    Geisler addressed the inerrancy debate and why the topic is of the utmost importance for believers. A discussion followed regarding how believers can know that they know the meaning of Scriptures in a world that believes truth is entirely subjective.

    The conference also offered eight unique breakout sessions covering topics like the historicity of the resurrection, answering the problem of evil, dealing with postmodernism, understanding the reliability of the Bible and more. Each breakout session was offered twice to allow attendees the chance to attend half of the breakouts and both plenary sessions. That way, everyone could attend the breakouts that would benefit them the most.

    The speakers had a lay-audience in mind and sought to offer practical advice and information to help equip the saints in evangelization, teaching and responding to the challenges of culture and anti-Christian rhetoric. This conference was a wonderful opportunity to receive world-class training and build a foundation for further studies in how to defend the faith.

    To learn more about CCBS’ upcoming lectures, visit www.ccbs.edu.

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    EarlVaughansmallLast May, just after the N.C. High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted to use MaxPreps rankings when putting together this year’s state high school playoff brackets, I spoke with Patty Evers. Evers represents our region on the board, serving as girls’ basketball coach and athletic director at East Bladen High School.

    She didn’t support using MaxPreps and had strong reasons as to why.

    “I’m not for a ranking system in high school,’’ she said. “How do you give somebody a ranking?’’

    She cited last year’s girls’ basketball season as an example. Jacksonville Northside was consistently ranked ahead of her East Bladen team by MaxPreps. “We met them in the regional and beat them by 17,’’ Evers said. “How do you know who’s good and who’s not? Who’s going to do all that research?’’

    Another problem Evers has with rankings, and one that impacts Cumberland County: how do you rank teams in a split conference, which has schools of different classifications?

    In a split league, Evers noted, you have to play schools not the same size, and if you’re among the bigger schools in the league, that’s a liability. It’s also a liability if you’re in a big conference like the Patriotic Athletic and many of the teams on your schedule that you’re forced to play are considerably weaker.

    “Look at your geographic area,’’ Evers said. “We’re not going to travel three hours to beef up our schedule because we can’t afford the gas.’’

    So how should the NCHSAA address the problem? First, I’d do away with MaxPreps rankings. I don’t think strength of schedule is fair in a high school setting when schools are locked into playing teams they have no choice over playing.

    I have no problem with ranking teams by overall records, but let’s take the whole record, no dropping games for any reason.

    When you seed, seed conference champions first, then everybody else by records.

    I also think you’ve got to stop showing too much preference to split conference teams that don’t win the conference title. Set a minimum win total to qualify for the playoffs, like the NCAA does for bowls. If you don’t make it, then use a bye or give it to a deserving wild card that didn’t qualify otherwise.

    I hope this issue is addressed quickly and fixed before we disappoint many more teams.

    The record: 79-22

    I made a strong rebound from the disaster of 4-4, going 6-1. The season record is 79-22, 78.2 percent.

    Rocky Mount at Terry Sanford – As D.K. Sports Page co-host Trey Edge noted earlier this week, good things have happened to Terry Sanford when the Bulldogs met Rocky Mount in the state playoffs. Let’s see if that will take place again.
    Terry Sanford 28, Rocky Mount 14.

    West Carteret at E.E. Smith – The big problem for the Golden Bulls this week is shaking off the disappointment from a tough loss to Terry Sanford and focusing on the playoff challenge ahead. If Smith plays like it’s capable, they should be headed to the second round.
    E.E. Smith 24, West Carteret 12.

    South View at Jamestown Ragsdale – Ragsdale has a rich tradition, going back to the '70s when they battled East Bladen to a 16-16 tie in the state title game in Elizabethtown. I’d like to pick South View, but I think this will be a tall order for the Tigers.
    Ragsdale 21, South View 14.

    Cape Fear at Hillsborough Orange – I’m hoping that Orange takes the 11th-seeded Colts lightly. I’m also hoping that some of Cape Fear’s numerous walking wounded, like quarterback Justice Galloway-Velazquez and running back Zaire Boykin, are going to be able to suit up and play Friday.
    Cape Fear 22, Hillsborough Orange 20.

    Raleigh Millbrook at Jack Britt – Millbrook was the top Raleigh football power back in the day before all the newcomers stole the show. The Wildcats aren’t the same program they were back then, and I think the Buccaneers can pull off a win at home.
    Jack Britt 24, Raleigh Millbrook 21.

    Westover at Southern Nash – This will be a good experience for the Wolverines, even though I don’t think the outcome is going to be especially positive.
    Southern Nash 30, Westover 12.

    Seventy-First at Durham Jordan – Once again, the Falcons get the short end of the stick and have to travel to play a team with a record worse than theirs. The reward, however, should be a first-round playoff win for Duran McLaurin’s team.
    Seventy-First 21, Durham Jordan 7.

    Other games

    Charlotte Latin 24, Trinity Christian 20.

    Village Christian 29, Harrells Christian 14.

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    17Alexia Cross Grays CreekAlexia Cross

    Gray’s Creek

    • Senior

    • Cross country/soccer/track

    Cross has a 3.92 grade point average.

    She is active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Government Association, National Honor Society, Girls Expecting More Success, Future Farmers of America, Art Club and Thespian Honors Society.

    She is also her school’s yearbook editor.

     

     

     

    18Michael Wright Terry SanfordMichael Wright

    Terry Sanford

    • Senior

    • Football

    Wright is an offensive lineman with a 5.0 grade point average.

    He is active in Student Government Association and also plays baseball.

     

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    16.1 Fay Ac soccerThe banner hanging on the soccer field fence listing the state championships won by the Fayetteville Academy boys’ soccer team is going to have to be updated. Again.

    The Eagles brought home title No. 16 recently when they defeated Coastal Christian 3-1 for the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 2-A title.

    Since the string of championships began with the first one in 1984, that’s an incredible average of a state title just shy of one every two years.

    Nine of those championships were engineered by one coach, Andrew McCarthy, who took over the program in 2001. McCarthy has been aided by another former Eagle head coach, Jimmy Maher, who now serves as McCarthy’s assistant.

    Talking with players from this year’s team, it’s easy to see the respect and admiration they have for the coaching duo that has guided this school to unprecedented success.

    “They know everything about soccer,’’ said Marcos de Paz, a senior and the leading scorer on this year’s Eagle team. “We just have to look at them and learn.’’

    Julian Barbaro said the work of McCarthy and Maher goes far beyond practice. “They’re always motivating you to be the best you can, like giving us extra things like summer workouts starting in June,’’ he said. “They give us everything they possibly can, which leads to big things.’’

    Drayton Smith said it’s a two-way street for the players, who want to perform to the best of their ability to please their coaches. “They are just great people,’’ he said. “You want to play to the best of your ability just for them. Making them happy makes you extremely happy. They are great people on and off the field.’’

    Goalkeeper Carter Boliek thinks what makes McCarthy and Maher a great team is they know how to balance work with play. “They know when it’s time to joke around and have fun,’’ he said. “But when it comes to practice, it’s all business. And when it comes to games, it’s all business.

    “We can still have fun, but they really take it seriously, and I think it translates into the team taking it seriously and us giving our best effort.’’

    16.0Fayetteville Academy soccerWith nine state champions to his credit, McCarthy – like all coaches – hates the question about how the current team stacks up against his previous ones, but he still tried to give a good answer.

    “We’ve certainly had more talented teams,’’ he said, “but from the beginning, there was always potential. It was definitely a together group, and the team chemistry was very good.’’

    McCarthy agreed with the players that the relationship he has with Maher is important.

    “We’ve known each other for 20 plus years,’’ he said. “I have the utmost respect for him, and he has the utmost respect for me.’’

    That includes the ability to question each other and offer critical advice. “I think it’s a comfort level of being able to tell each other things,’’ McCarthy said. “I trust him implicitly.’’

    If there was a turning point to the season, McCarthy thinks it came after a tough overtime win late in the season against Cape Fear Academy. “That was the last game going into the playoffs,’’ he said. “That week, practice was not good the first two days, and we had a meeting about it.’’

    McCarthy said some of his past teams might not have been able to get over that hurdle, but this team did.

    “We rallied well and really got together,’’ he said. “We were playing really well in the playoffs.’’

    One player McCarthy pointed to as a key to the good chemistry on the team was newcomer Hudson Zeisman. “He’s a fun-loving kid who’s also a leader,’’ McCarthy said.

    McCarthy added that leadership as much as anything is critical to that mysterious thing called chemistry. “Sometimes when you try to create team chemistry, it backfires. You’ve got to let it flow and monitor it and try to make a few subtle suggestions. But the key is good leadership. The team chemistry normally takes care of itself.’’

    The Eagles lose some key seniors like de Paz and Boliek, but McCarthy is optimistic about 2018.

    “We’re always excited,’’ he said. “We feel it will be a good year again.’’

     

    PHOTOS: Top: The Eagles are adding another year to the banner. Bottom: L-R: Drayton Smith, Marcos de Paz, Coach Andrew McCarthy, Carter Boliek, Julian Barbaro

     

  • Details

     

    When it comes to high school athletics, I’m old school and make no apologies for it. During my years at Swain County and later West Rowan, you lived in a community and you attended the school where your home was.

    Fast forward to the 21st century. Yes, I know, times are different. Kids, and more often their parents, are driven to look for the best deal, the best opportunity.

    Sometimes it’s for a good reason, like improved educational opportunities. But when it’s solely for sports, especially basketball, which seems to be the prime game where it’s done, I tend to raise an eyebrow as to why. They move around from school to school to find the best athletic situation for a youngster they think is the next LeBron James.

    I had a great conversation recently with Homar Ramirez Jr., head of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association. He shared this observation with me: “It’s just a matter of the climate of athletics as a whole, the expectations of our coaches, expectations parents have on their kids, and I’d call those unrealistic. But that’s not unique to us.’’

    He’s absolutely right. It goes to the highest levels of sports, like the NBA, where we see the top stars congregating to one team.

    Michael Wilbon, who appears on the ESPN show “Pardon The Interruption,” nailed it recently when he talked about this trend of stars flocking together. He blamed it on what he called “massive egos and the AAU mentality.’’

    I couldn’t agree more. It’s all about individual stardom and glory. Sports is supposed to be about teamwork, pulling together, all the oars rowing in sync, no matter if the arm doing the rowing is heavily muscled or a little flabby, or if the skin on that arm is black, white, red or yellow.

    Maybe it’s time for the parents who have their kids on the superstar track to skip high school sports and just let their children play for AAU teams, where the big concern is working on your dunks and your crossover and looking good for the college coaches, who rarely darken high school gyms anymore.

    Let’s leave high school athletics for the kids and coaches who work hard, play together, develop teamork and other skills that will serve them well in life.

    • Congratulations to a number of Cumberland County baseball stars who have either signed college offers or will shortly.

    Heading the list is Terry Sanford’s Christian Jayne, who will commit to East Carolina in a ceremony today in the media center at Terry Sanford.

    Jayne is enjoying an outstanding year as the quarterback for Terry Sanford, but baseball is his first love.

    Last season he was 4-0 with a 1.21 earned run average. He had 18 strikeouts in 17.1 innings.

    He was also one of the county’s top hitters with a .373 average, leading the county in hits with 31. He had seven doubles, two homers and drove in 17 runs.

    A trio of Jack Britt players signed last Friday. Brennen Herbert chose Appalachian State, Nick Lee picked Wake Tech and Brendan Shea chose Peace.

    Herbert batted .337 with 29 hits and 25 RBIs.

    Lee was 3-4 as a pitcher with a 1.43 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 44 innings.

    Shea was 1-3 as a pitcher with a 4.33 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 21 innings.

     

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    15Homar Ramirez JrHoma Ramirez Jr. is starting his third year as executive director of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association.

    He recently paid a visit to Fayetteville and was a spectator at Fayetteville Academy’s semifinal round game in the NCISAA 2-A soccer tournament.

    While there are no major issues confronting the NCISAA at the moment, Ramirez said growing the association would be a welcome improvement.

    “We have 93 schools in our association,’’ he said. “Parity is a good thing, but when you don’t have a lot of teams, you tend not to have that depth in the playoff experience.’’

    In a perfect world, Ramirez would like to see membership increase to 120 schools, which would be a good fit with a plan to expand from three classifications to four. “A four-class system would not only be competitive, but more well-rounded,’’ he said.

    There have been some complaints made about the outside influence being exerted in some sports in the NCISAA, notably AAU basketball. Ramirez is aware of the concerns and said the organization’s handbook is regularly revised so the rules and processes of the NCISAA are clearly understood.

    “When red flags are raised, we make the phone calls, and we visit the schools,’ he said. “We investigate if that’s the term you want to use. But a lot of the situations that come about are hearsay, and there’s not a lot you can do with that.’’

    While he doesn’t think these problems are rampant in the NCISAA, he said the organization has to be realistic. “Are their people pushing the envelope?’’ he said. “We have concerns about that. But it’s not the majority by any stretch.’’

    Ramirez is looking to a couple of pilot programs that are designed to increase participation opportunities for member schools.

    In football, two schools in the northeast corner of the state, Northeast and Hobgood, will be allowed to combine their athletes to field a football team. “We want to assess it to see if it’s a good experience and if we want to offer it to schools looking to start a program,’’ he said.

    Another pilot program in basketball will have every boys’ and girls’ team in the state qualify for the postseason.

    “We want to give these young people a chance to see what happens on the field,’’ he said.

    Another big change for the association is the relocating of its headquarters from Asheville to the metro Charlotte area at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    “People can come to the state office and we’ll show them our history that we’re proud of,’’ Ramirez said. “We’re also more centrally located for our member schools.’’

     

    PHOTO: Homar Ramirez Jr., NCISAA executive director

     

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