Fayetteville is an art-friendly town, so much so that one Friday every month the entire Downtown community celebrates the arts, bringing festivities, fun and creativity to the community. 

This 4th Friday, June 23, the Arts Council continues its exhibit “Public Works,” which showcases the work of local artists. 

One of the greatest things about this exhibit is that it’s not juried. That means that anyone who enjoys making art is welcome to submit his or her art for the show. 

There are more than 200 colorful creations gracing the Arts Council’s walls, all of them from local artists. 

This truly embraces the spirit of the belief that art is for everyone. The exhibit hangs through July 6. Call (910) 323-1776 to learn more. The People’s Choice winners are:

• 1st Place: Robson Spinelli – “Venezia Grand Canale”

• 2nd Place: Michelle Bir – “Timshel”

• 3rd Place: Sunyoung Kim – “My Dream”

• Honorable Mention: Griffin Carrick – “Delightfully Redundant”

• Honorable Mention: Nancy Whaley Chandler – “Bear Family”

• Honorable Mention: Marlene Wellard – “The Wonderland of Childhood”

Ellington-White Gallery hosts the opening of a new exhibit by local artist and educator Soni Martin this 4th Friday. The exhibit, called “Resemblance,” features an entirely new body of work. This show has been a year in the making. The opening reception lasts from 5 to 9 p.m. and features an artist talk. Find out more at www.elington-white.com

Cape Fear Studios opens a new exhibit featuring “Jeremy Sampson Plein Air Paintings” along with pottery from visiting artist Ben Owen in the main showroom. As an artist co-op, Cape Fear Studios showcases the work of its members year-round. On any given day, visitors will find artists that work in their studios. Member artists also sell their work at Cape Fear Studios. From pottery to paintings to jewelry, there’s always something interesting to see here.

Headquarters Library presents Rhonda Emileo from 2-U-Keys from 7 to 9 p.m. Their ukulele music brings the sounds of the beach to the sandhills. Fascinate-U Children’s Museum’s 4th Friday special for families has free admission from 7 to 9 p.m. Children are invited to make crafts as part of the celebration. This month, the craft is spring flowers. Find out more about Fascinate-U at www.fascinate-u.com.

At the Fayetteville Transportation Museum, don’t miss the “St. John’s Episcopal Church - The First 100 years” exhibit. Learn about the architecture symbolism in stained glass windows in the church. The Museum Annex includes vintage cars, a replica 1920’s gas station and Fayetteville’s 1880 Silsby steam pump engine. The museum is open from 6 to 10 p.m. for 4th Friday.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously this month to name the County Courthouse in honor of retired North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge E. Maurice Braswell. He died Jan. 30 after serving more than 50 years in the legal profession. He was 94. Braswell began his career in Fayetteville as an assistant district attorney and served after that as district attorney, superior court judge and judge of the
court of appeals.

Senior Resident Superior Judge James Ammons Jr. and Cumberland County Register of Deeds Lee Warren presented a petition to County Commissioners asking that the courthouse bear Braswell’s name. Commissioners ordered that his name be installed above the Cumberland County Courthouse lettering on the front of the building at 117 Dick St. in downtown Fayetteville. A brass plaque will be placed in the interior of the courthouse. 

Judge Braswell wrote more than 800 judicial opinions. He was a former President of the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges and North Carolina District Attorney’s Association. 

Braswell was a decorated World War II veteran. He earned his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and opened his legal practice in Fayetteville in 1950. 

“Naming the Cumberland County Courthouse after Judge Braswell is a wonderful way to honor a man who had such a significant impact on this community and our court system,” said Chairman Glenn B. Adams. 

“His name emblazoned on our Courthouse will serve as a reminder of his legacy and all he did for Cumberland County,” he added. Only two other courthouses in North Carolina are named for someone, according to Judge Ammons. “He was a man of impeccable character and a public servant for 50 years,” Ammons said. 

Braswell was instrumental in the construction of the Courthouse, which opened in 1978. He recognized the need for more space for the effective administration of justice 10 years earlier and presented a pamphlet to the Board of Commissioners explaining the need for a new courthouse. The building proposal was approved in 1975.

Braswell was born in 1922 in Rocky Mount. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps at age 19. He served honorably during World War II as a tail-gunner on a B-17 bomber. His aircraft, named “Flaming Arrow,” recorded 41 combat missions over Europe when it was shot down. Braswell and crew were held as prisoners of war in Bucharest, Romania, for several months. He was honorably discharged in 1945 and left the Army with an Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, a Purple Heart, a presidential citation and 11 campaign and battle Bronze Stars. 

At the urging of his children, he reluctantly wrote of his experiences in a book titled “Flaming Arrow: WWII as seen from a B-17.” “I don’t consider war romantic,’’ he said in an interview published in The Fayetteville Observerin 2003. “Other people, people who haven’t been in war, consider it an extended adventure. But war is terrible. The consequences of it are terrible.’’ 

Photo: E. Maurice Braswell

With less than two weeks remaining in the fiscal year, Fayetteville City Council has yet to adopt an operating budget for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. Members continue to work on several options this week. As of this writing, a hung council is divided 5-5 on City Manager Doug Hewett’s proposal to raise taxes to achieve revenue neutrality in the wake of a $5.5 million decrease in property values.

The most recent budget work sessions have been acrimonious, prompting Mayor Nat Robertson to ask members to be agreeable and behave with civility and respect towards each other.

At issue is whether to raise the tax rate or the City’s household solid waste fee, or both. One proposal is to raise the fee from $44 per year to $108. That would allow budget writers to eliminate an $8 million supplemental sanitation allocation from the general fund. 

DeViere and McDougald argued that fees are regressive and hurt low-income households while favoring the wealthy. Jensen noted that commercial businesses don’t pay the annual solid waste fee because they depend on private trash companies. She said they would be hurt if the property tax is raised. Jensen is a small-business owner. Council member Jim Arp agreed. “We need more businesses paying lower taxes, not fewer businesses paying larger taxes,” he said. 

Councilman Ted Mohn used a white board to record the ideas his colleagues offered on whether to raise the property tax or increase the solid waste fee. He favors a combination of both as proposed by the city manager. The others who favor an increase are deViere, McDougald, Mohn, Bobby Hurst and Larry Wright. 

Mayor Robertson, Jensen and Arp say they are unequivocally opposed to any increase. Bill Crisp and Mitch Colvin are also opposed. Colvin said any increase in the tax rate would be seen as taxing residents to pay for the $33-million baseball stadium planned for downtown. “We owe it to those folks to keep our word” and not raise taxes, he said.

County Budget Adopted with Tax Increase

Cumberland County Commissioners found themselves in a more difficult budget-balancing situation. They approved raising the property tax rate from 74 cents to 79.9 cents per hundred dollars of valuation. 

That barely brings FY18 spending to a countywide revenue neutral position and will require cuts in government services. Cumberland County residential property values declined this year. 

Commercial values went up, so the tax increase will negatively affect businesses. When coupled with the county’s fire district and recreation taxes, the total ad valorem tax rate in unincorporated areas of the county will be 96.15 cents. That doesn’t include storm water, solid waste, refuse and recycling fees or auto privilege taxes. 

Chairman Glenn Adams, Vice Chairman Charles Evans, and commissioners Jeannette Council, Marshall Faircloth and Larry Lancaster voted in favor of the budget. Commissioners Michael Boose and Jimmy Keefe were opposed.

Photo: As of this writing, a hung council is divided 5-5 on City Manager Doug Hewett’s proposal to raise taxes.

Dr. Frank Till Jr. Is Out

The Cumberland County Board of Education voted unanimously to buy out Superintendent Dr. Frank Till Jr.’s contract, effective immediately. “He had indicated that he wasn’t coming back at the end of 2018, next June, and the board didn’t want to wait … and be in limbo for a year,” school board chairman Greg West said in an interview. Associate Superintendent Tim Kinlaw will serve as the interim superintendent. Till will be paid his annual $271,000, West said. Till served as superintendent since 2009. A search for a successor will begin at once, said West. 

The Cumberland County school system is the fifth largest in North Carolina. It operates 87 schools and serves 51,480 students in grades K-12. 

Tokay Center Opening Soon

The City of Fayetteville now says the popular Tokay Senior Fitness Center operated by the Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation Department will reopen within 30 days. 

It’s been closed since March 27 when the building sustained extensive smoke damage during an electrical fire. 

District One City Councilwoman Kathy Jensen said she has been assured the senior center is scheduled to reopen next month. The City said in May, “there are too many variables to predict a reopening date.” The popular older adult fitness center has workout equipment including treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines and Nautilus equipment. Seniors use the facility for physical rehabilitation and regular fitness regimens often as prescribed by physicians. 

Modern Gateway Signs Go Up

New Fayetteville gateway signs are going up along the city’s main corridors. They’re designed to give motorists a fresher look of the city and provide consistent branding. 

New signs have already been installed on Raeford Road at Hoke Loop Road, Ramsey Street near I-295, Bragg Boulevard at I-295 and Murchison Road near I-295. “We want our city to feel welcoming to residents and others who are visiting,” said Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Colvin. “This is just the first of many more visible steps we’ve made to improve our gateways,” he added. All locations will also be landscaped with lighting. 

Hospital Wins Reaccreditation

Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects the organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care. 

“Womack is pleased to receive accreditation from The Joint Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and accrediting body in the nation,” said Col. Lance Raney, Medical Center Commander. 

Womack underwent a thorough, unannounced on-site survey March 13 through 17. The team of Joint Commission auditors evaluated compliance with hospital standards related to several areas, including emergency management, environment of care, infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management. 

New Off-Post Exchange

The Linden Oaks Community of Spout Springs north of Spring Lake in Harnett County continues to take on the identity of a growing town. Linden Oaks is a unique Fort Bragg satellite residential neighborhood. 

It’s home to about 6,000 soldiers and their families. Now it has its own post exchange. Business is booming along the two-mile stretch of NC 24/87 where restaurants, stores, auto parts businesses, medical offices and a Wal-Mart have developed. The most recent addition is a Post Exchange Express, located at 513 Hilltopper St. “We are very happy that we can offer our services now in Linden Oaks,” said Alex Dewberry, supervisor of the Fort Bragg Exchange. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays. 

Replacement Bridges Planned

The State DOT continues to replace old bridges in rural North Carolina. Bridges in Cumberland, Harnett and Columbus counties are scheduled to be replaced as the result of a contract awarded by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. 

In Cumberland County, the bridge on Polly Island Road over the South River near Autryville is among them. The existing bridge has weight restrictions limiting the kind of vehicles that can use it. 

DOT will also replace the bridge on Marshbanks Street over the East Buies Creek northeast of Lillington. In Columbus County, the bridge on North Carolina 214 over Green Swamp is being replaced. Work on the $5.4 million contract is expected to begin in mid-July and to wrap up by November. 

I attended the city of Fayetteville’s Police Chief Candidate Forum at City Hall. I wanted to see for myself what a national search for a new police chief would yield.

The city rolled out the candidates the day before during a news conference. I watched, but I wanted to see up close and personal how interim Chief Anthony Kelly and his competition, deputy chiefs Gina Hawkins and James Hinson Jr., handled themselves in public.

I was both impressed and disappointed. Each gave good answers to questions from moderator Stephen Strauss. He’s the city’s hired headhunter.

There were also disappointing answers. Some were laden with ear candy catchphrases and the latest police jargon. Overall, though, they were interesting answers that gave insight on where each stood as crime fighters.

And to be fair, some of the questions were so general it was hard to answer any other way. They each had to walk a fine line by telling citizens they would fight crime on their behalf yet treat everyone their officers encounter with respect and kid gloves.

They were aware of nationally publicized incidents of unwarranted or excessive use of force by police and how that resonated in parts of this community. And their answers were dead-on. 

They all said involving the community to fight crime is necessary because the police force can’t do it alone.

The “it takes a village to fight crime,” aka community policing, is as true now as it was in the 1980s and ’90s. 

But when it comes down to it, I’m not sure how much the police can depend on the community to help fight crime. It doesn’t matter how many dance routines or street basketball games patrol officers participate in. People don’t want to become involved unless they’ve been victims of crime. 

As I stated on social media, I don’t know if I can be objective about my choice of a new police chief. 

As a work colleague, I’ve seen Kelly rise in the ranks from patrol officer to a member of the chief’s staff. I left the city in 2006, so I haven’t kept up with his accomplishments. But since his appointment to interim chief I’ve had the chance to renew our acquaintance.

City Manager Doug Hewett appointed Kelly as the interim chief after Harold Medlock unexpectedly relinquished the post last September. According to officers and people associated with the department, they say Kelly’s done a good job. Another mentioned he might spend too much time in the office.

Well, sometimes chiefs have to spend time in the office, especially during budget preparation season. It’s what chiefs do. Besides, I too think he’s done a yeoman’s job. And he knows the community. There’s no learning curve. As he said during the forum, “I watched this city grow and I grew with this city.”

Kelly’s chief rival — I believe — is Gina Hawkins, the deputy chief of Clayton County, Georgia. Her resume is impressive as is her poise and ability to schmoose thepublic. She has 28 years of policing experience that has served her career well.

James Hinson Jr., the deputy chief from Greensboro, is well qualified. He has the credentials of someone who spent 26 years in a department that serves one of the largest cities in North Carolina. He is a man of faith who referenced God a few times during his answers. But he lacked the smooth rhetoric displayed by Hawkins.

Among his novel ideas was to place stress analyzers on officers to track their stress levels. That could be a good thing for the officer and for citizens they may encounter. 

The selection process whittled down 30 applicants. It vetted the select few during an arduous process that included psychological evaluation, interviews by a former police chief, role-playing in simulated crisis scenarios and making budget presentations. A group of “community leaders” paired with police officers from other jurisdictions scored the results. Kelly, Hawkins and Hinson came out on top.

Who will be the next chief? It all depends on what we’re looking for and who makes the decision for the rest of us. See for yourself. Check out the video of the Police Chief Candidate Forum on the city’s website at fayettevillenc.gov/government/city-administration/police-chief-search.

For reasons totally without merit, today we shall mangle the curious world of quantum physics.  Quantum physics is the study of how atoms, molecules and even smaller itty-bitty atomic particles react with each other. It’s a weird place down there in subatomic land. Take a moment away from your iPhone and the pictures of cats playing pianos. Come enter a land where a cat can be both alive and dead at the same time. You are now traveling through another dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is the middle ground between light and shadow; between science and superstition. You have just crossed over into the Quantum Zone. 

Consider, if you will, the strange inhabitants of the Quantum Zone who have names that would fit comfortably in Middle Earth or among feuding families living in the deepest hollows of West Virginia. 

You will meet six different flavors of Quarks: up, down, bottom, top, strange and charmed. If you have spent your entire life without meeting a Charmed Quark, then today is your lucky day. The Quantum Zone has a tribe of Leptons — electrons, neutrinos, muons, muon neutrinos, and tau neutrinos. 

There is a passel of Bosons — Z Boson and Weak Boson — and eight tiny different types of Gluons. But who is the leader of the subatomic club that’s made for you and me? H-I-G-G-S  B-O-S-O-N. Forever let us hold Higgs Boson high, high, high. As Otis Redding once sang about James Brown in “Sweet Soul Music,”  “Spotlight on Higgs Boson now/ He’s the king of them all, yeah/ He’s the king of them all, y’all/ Oh yeah oh yeah.” 

The mighty Higgs Boson wasn’t actually discovered until 2012. In theory, Higgs is what gives the universe mass. Without the Higgs Boson our universe might not exist. As Forest Gump once said, “That’s all I have to say about that.” Like Donald Trump keeps telling us, just trust me, I’ll explain it all to you very soon. The Higgs Boson is the very beautiful President of the Universe. 

There are some other weird sisters making up the Quantum Zone who are so reclusive that they haven’t been discovered yet. Physicists think they are out there and have already named them. There is likely something called a Gravitron. The Gravitron is not the ride at the State Fair or the secret ingredient that makes gravy in Gravy Train dog food. The Graviton is a building block of our old friend gravity. As we all know, gravity is not just a good idea; it’s the law. 

There is an undiscovered something which has been named the Magnetic Monopole. You might think that is a type of one-legged tadpole that would stick to the iron. You would be wrong. A Magnetic Monopole has something to do with magnetism. 

Those of you of a certain age will remember Dick Tracy in the funny papers used to constantly remind us: “The nation that controls magnetism will control the universe.” I, for one, will never, ever dispute anything Dick Tracy says. If Dick Tracy says it, I believe it. And that settles it. 

The most confusing item in the subatomic box is Schrodinger’s cat. According to Professor Schrodinger, in the Quantum Zone, an atom can exist in a bunch of different states at the same time which can lead to totally different outcomes. This is called superposition, which is not, in fact, a yoga pose. 

The atom remains in superposition until it is observed by someone who is not a subatomic particle. After being observed, the superposition makes up its mind and takes a final form. Here is where Schrodinger’s cat comes in. Put a cat in a steel box with a Geiger counter with a tiny radioactive blob. There is an equal chance the blob will decay or not decay during an hour. If it decays, then a hammer will break a glass tube full of acid, and the cat will die. If the blob doesn’t decay, the cat lives. 

To a normal person pondering the welfare of the cat, the cat is either alive or dead. There is no Mr. In Between. But in the Quantum Zone, the cat can be either alive or dead because the radioactive blob may or may not have been released. We won’t know if the cat has used up all its lives until we open the box. If you can understand Schrodinger’s cat illustration as to the wonders of the Quantum Zone, you may award yourself several gold stars. As the King of Siam said, “To me, it is a puzzlement.” Before you call PETA to report possible harm to Schrodinger’s cat, please understand that no cats were harmed during the writing of this column.

Photo: Schrodinger’s cat

On my desk, I have a complete chronicle of Troy Williams’ personal and vindictive war on the Cumberland County Health Department and its director, Buck Wilson. It is a notebook documenting Williams’ quest to call into question the loyalties, competency, management and qualifications of health department staff and leadership. 

Shame on Troy Williams. 

These documents, based on untruths, mean-spirited accusations, “anonymous” sources and false narratives, not only depict journalistic irresponsibility but beg the question, “Why?” What is the motivation behind these attacks? When you read and study the documents, it’s apparent that Williams’ first salvo at the health department came in a letter he addressed to Cumberland County Health Department Director Buck Wilson on March 3, 2017. In this correspondence, Williams stated his presence at a health department public board meeting was “allegedly” (his word) disparaged. Allegedly?  

Defined: “Allegedly, adverb, used to convey that something is true or has taken place, but there is NO proof.” 

Shame, Troy Williams. Either you were disparaged at the public board meeting or you weren’t. It was a public forum. Surely there were witnesses he could have asked if he wasn’t sure. 

During the next 90 days, using (and abusing) his position on The Fayetteville Observer’s Community Advisory Board, Williams penned five more unsubstantiated attacks on the health department, its management team and its board, each relying on vague, ambiguous facts and “anonymous” sources. Some of these allegations reached into other North Carolina counties and dated as far back as 2010. 

In Williams’s Fayetteville Observer article of April 9, he got so excited and carried away with his rant disparaging Wilson’s statewide and nationwide achievements that he insinuated Wilson spends too much time away from Fayetteville because of state-level obligations, wasting time and money. In the article, Williams wrote, “I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but his out-of-town travel expenses for 2016 were $9,331.” True or not?

To make matters worse, during this same period of time, The Fayetteville Observer fed off Williams’ toxic rants and maligned agendas, contributing nine additional negative articles and editorials critical in some respect toward the health department. 

Shame on The Fayetteville Observer for being such a poor example of the Fourth Estate. 

Unaware, Cumberland County Commissioners, internal auditors and county attorneys only got involved after Williams orchestrated a “fake news” TV report with CBS affiliate WNCN (licensed in Goldsboro and serving the Raleigh Triangle). 

The report brought forth three anonymous sources, all claiming to be nurses and charging that female patients who received abnormal test results from pap smears or breast exams at the health department were never informed of their results. One of the anonymous nurses interviewed was not actually a nurse and never worked in the health department’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program. Another one of the anonymous sources was Barbara Carraway, a former Cumberland County employee and close personal friend of Williams. 

Of course, after much consternation, hundreds of hours of wasted time and thousands of taxpayers’ dollars needlessly spent on false allegations about how the health department failed to notify women about abnormal mammograms and pap smears, the narrative was finally debunked. 

Shame on the Cumberland County Commissioners for being lead down a rabbit hole by Troy Williams, who never filed a formal complaint, but instead served them up a baseless charge born from anonymous sources, enhanced by over a dozen fake news articles and a staged TV news report by WNCN. And yet, to date, no one has questioned Williams’ motives. Even more shame for not standing up for your own local county health department, its board, staff and leadership team. 

And, now, after exoneration, shame on those who will dare try to cover up and justify their actions by claiming, as I have already heard, “… the good health, safety and welfare of every patient is our responsibility.” Well, of course it is. All the more reason for prudent, well-thought-out actions by our county government done in a timely manner. 

Shame on Pastor Troy Williams for pursuing this track of discourse. His “alleged” grievances are needlessly harming our community and disrupting our quality of life. His actions embarrass the newspaper industry and discredit those honest citizens who serve on The Fayetteville Observer’s Community Advisory Board. His actions have tainted WIDU’s airwaves and for purely personal reasons known only to him. 

Williams seems to be dishing out harsh injustice and wrongful allegations in the same spirit of the ones he was subjected to five years ago. In 2012, he underwent a similar kind of cruel and insensitive public scrutiny when he was arrested by Fayetteville Police for prostitute solicitation on Bragg Boulevard. Though the allegations against Williams were many, the authorities were careful not to let his trial play out in the media. Williams deserved that, and he was exonerated of all the charges. 

However, the situation he’s creating now seems to be just the opposite. He is using a willing media to vent his personal bitterness and hostility. 

Make no mistake about it. This is all about his personal grievance against the health department and Buck Wilson. Need proof? June 13, the very day The Fayetteville Observer broke the story debunking the anonymous allegations against the health department and exonerating its management and staff, Williams filed a Public Records Request with Cumberland County, requesting Wilson’s cellphone records to question the use of Wilson’s personal phone. 

We have a great health department here in Cumberland County that serves our residents well. We have a health facility that radiates compassion and sensitivity with precision that can't be faked or contrived. Its leader, Buck Wilson, who happens to be a middle-aged white guy, is a talented, results-driven, conscientious, professional without a blemish on his record. Demographics aside, this is the type of visionary leadership this community needs to survive.

If a dedicated professional like Wilson leaves our community to go elsewhere, it will not be because of the likes of Troy Williams. It will be because he can’t work within a system that will not allow him to do his job and serve the people. Much is expected of our health director, and fending off baseless allegations and anonymous complaints that contribute nothing to our quality of life is a waste of his time and talent. 

Shame on all of us if we do not protest loudly and adamantly reject this type of behavior. Only then will we stop lending credibility to those, like Troy Williams, who use the pulpit, radio waves, newspaper and our local government to endorse and underwrite their personal underhanded agendas. 

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Photo: Troy Williams

Public health departments are essential to healthy communities. Unlike primary care providers, which assess and treat individuals, health departments focus on improving the health of an entire population. 

To do this, health departments analyze the unique health needs of their community; create policies that address and advocate for those needs; and implement and evaluate health programs. They also provide a variety of health services.

On the Cumberland County Public Health Department website, the organization lists the following qualities as central to its mission of improving the county’s health: innovation, collaboration, integrity, diversity and quality.

INNOVATION

The CC Health Dept. is funded by federal, state and county tax money. This funding enables the department to provide services in 23 distinct areas, such as clinics, disease control, environmental health, health education, immunization, health in jails and schools, maternity care and more.

For innovative projects beyond this funding, the department must apply for grants — and it does. Recent grants include:

• 2015: $3,000 for a diabetes education program 

• 2016: $2,000 to improve children’s dental services

• 2016: $500,000 for a family planning and teen pregnancy prevention program

•2016: $1,500,000 for a four-county initiative (Cumberland, Hoke, Montgomery and Richmond) for maternal child health 

• 2017: $9,000 to hold a Food and Drug Administration food safety forum, print food code books and provide staff training for the NC Food Safety Defense Task Force

Dr. Jeanette Council said the department’s Food Safety Forum, held May 23, was open to industry regulators and the public. Council is a member of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners and is on the Board of Health.

The forum, she explained, provided information on how to properly handle, prepare and sell seafood. The forum is an example of the kind of perceptive problem-solving our health department regularly initiates. The department saw a unique source of illness in our community and proactively addressed it.

COLLABORATION 

Innovation is, in Health Dept. Director Buck Wilson’s eyes, often directly tied to collaboration. He has served as director since July 2009 and leads by example, serving in cross-organizational leadership at local, statewide and national levels.

Wilson is Chair of the NC Healthy Start Foundation, which aims to “(eliminate) preventable infant death and illness in North Carolina.” Both previous governor Pat McCrory (in 2013) and current Gov. Roy Cooper (in 2017) appointed Wilson to the NC Child Fatality Task Force, a legislative study commission that helps create laws to keep children safe from abuse and neglect. Wilson currently co-chairs that task force. 

In 2014 he was invited to serve on The NC Center for Public Health Quality Advisory Board. The center, according to a press release, “provides quality improvement training and technical assistance programs to public health organizations nationally.” 

Recently, the Health Dept.’s maternity clinic collaborated with Duke University on the three-year “Baby Steps” study. The study, initiated in 2014, examined the effects a supportive text-messaging program could have on helping pregnant women quit smoking. Results of the study are currently being processed at Duke and will be released soon.

Council said the Health Dept. and Board of Health also led the charge in requesting that all county properties become smoke-free. 

Collaboration doesn’t just happen cross-organizationally. The Health Dept. holds a management meeting the second and fourth Friday of each month, comprised of a senior leadership team and 23 middle managers. “We do a roundtable where we talk about the work that’s being done in each of the (areas),” Wilson said. “It’s my favorite part of every meeting. I always feel so proud.”

Wilson said the team deals with many unforeseen challenges. “Our team has a way of putting everything else aside and coming together to put the public health first,” he said. “We’ve had situations where there was a potential outbreak of a communicable disease.” Council said the team recently stopped potential Hepatitis A. and salmonella outbreaks at two different restaurants. She added that during Hurricane Matthew the Health Dept. worked in the Emergency Operations Center and all the shelters. “They are an essential part of our Emergency Management Team,” she said.   

INTEGRITY

“I don’t really have a hobby,” Wilson said. “My hobby is trying to do for people and help people. It sounds cliché, but I really, really like to make things better and help in some way. I don’t golf, fish or hunt. (But) when I’m helping pass a law on state level that will save the lives of children, when I’m part of a team effort that’s helping to make things better … it’s a great thing.”

Wilson explained that in many ways the Health Dept. is a safety net for people who can’t get care or services elsewhere. “There are things we do that are people’s last resort,” he said. “If people are getting primary care or cancer screenings here, they may not be able to get it anywhere else.” The Health Dept. is also the sole provider of the world travel vaccine (essential in this military-centric city) and restaurant and public pool inspections. 

In January of this year, the department offered free flu shots to uninsured children from six months to 18 years old. Individuals with insurance were able to receive a flu shot at no out-of-pocket cost if they had Medicare, Medicaid, North Carolina Health Choice or Blue Cross Blue Shield.

DIVERSITY

The value the Health Dept. places on diversity can easily be seen in the wide array of services it provides. “I am fortunate, and Cumberland County is fortunate,” Wilson said. “We have (a) tremendous staff that work(s) really hard. … We have lots of different disciplines that all have a passion for helping people. We have a leadership team that truly cares about trying to do what’s best for our community. And we have a Board of Health that’s very supportive of the work we do.”

QUALITY

In 2013, Buck Wilson was named NC Health Director of the Year by the NC Association of Local Health Directors. Two years later, he was elected president of the association, following 13 years with that organization and service as secretary, treasurer and vice president. He has continued to serve in a past president role due to the current president being unable to serve. 

Wilson is not alone in his dedication. In 2012, Daniel Ortiz, the Health Dept.’s public health environmental supervisor, was appointed to serve on the Well Contractors Certification Commission. In this position, Ortiz helps to ensure clean, safe water is provided to communities statewide. Public health nurses Lynetta Allen-Geddie, Connie Owensby and Corliss Parson have served the community for over 25 years. 

The Health Dept.’s Quality Improvement Team regularly conducts events and studies with the aim of increasing organizational effectiveness and efficiency. A recent example includes the Kaizen Event last March, which reviewed the department’s newly-implemented central registration. The QI team solved a staffing coverage issue identified during the morning peak time for central registration. The team also changed the waiting line layout to improve overall visibility for staff and patients, improving customer service. 

Cumberland County, as Wilson said, is very lucky. “This is the community I live in; I want my community to be better,” he said. “This is the state I live in; I want my state to be better.” 

Evelynd Arias

Seventy-First • Soccer • Junior

Arias, who was captain of the Falcon soccer team last season, had a grade point average of 4.05.

Emily VanHoozer

Gray’s Creek • Soccer • Senior

VanHoozer recently celebrated her graduation after compiling a 4.66 grade point average.

Barnes Smith and Reese Walker, seventh-grade classmates at Max Abbott Middle School, have known each other since kindergarten. When Smith learned his longtime friend had been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewings Sarcoma, he wanted to do more than just send her get well wishes.

“He came to me and asked if they could do something for Reese,’’ said Max Abbott principal Carla Crenshaw.

Beyond being friends, Walker and Smith are also athletes, Walker playing volleyball and Smith baseball at Max Abbott. So, the idea of Runs for Reese was born.

“It was a sponsorship for every run they scored,’’ Crenshaw said. “It really motivated our kids, and they ended up winning the conference championship this year. They dedicated that to her as well.’’

The Runs for Reese campaign raised over $600 which was presented to Walker’s family to help offset the expense of her treatment.

In addition to raising the money, Smith also wears a special green bracelet as a tribute to Walker and her fight against cancer.

“We can’t wear them when we play,’’ Smith said. “I wanted to do something for her. I knew the medical expense for the treatment was really high. So I wanted to do something to help her and her family.

“The treatments are intense. I just wanted her to get through it, and with us behind her, I felt like she can do it.’’

Crenshaw thinks it’s likely if Walker is still undergoing treatment when school resumes in the fall, her eighth-grade classmates will continue to try and help her. “We’ve talked about a couple of different things,’’ Crenshaw said. “She is a big part of their class.”

Westover High School will need to do a quick turnaround to replace head football coach Stephen Roberson. Roberson, who guided the Wolverines to a share of the Cape Fear Valley 3-A Conference title last fall, is leaving to become head coach at C.A. Johnson High School in South Carolina. 

Roberson takes over a program that was 1-9 last season and hasn’t fielded a winning team since 2009.

Westover will be starting summer workouts soon and needs a head coach in place as quickly as possible to maintain continuity.

Photo: Barnes Smith

Just two days after they fell to North Davidson in two straight games for the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A softball championship, Cape Fear’s players and coaches Jeff McPhail and Mack Page returned to Doris Howard Field at Cape Fear to pack things up for the season.

It was the second straight year Cape Fear lost in the finals, again failing to hit in a series-opening loss, then having to dig itself out of too deep a hole after dropping the first game.

McPhail made no excuses and didn’t spend time discussing what might have been. Instead, he talked about the season ahead and what Cape Fear can do to remain one of the best softball teams in North Carolina. 

One thing the Colts have no control over is how strong their conference opponents are. Next year the Colts will be in the 4-A/3-A Patriot Conference. Two teams in that new league, E.E. Smith and Terry Sanford, were winless this season. Westover, Douglas Byrd and Pine Forest combined for 13 wins.

The only teams in the new league with winning 2017 records, aside from Cape Fear, will be South View and Gray’s Creek.

McPhail said Cape Fear has tried to schedule tougher nonconference foes like it did this year with Marlboro Academy and Whiteville, but added they’ve not been able to work out games with some of the better teams in the state.

“We’re going to try to sit down and look at some other schools, see if they want to come down or us go up there,’’ he said. “The last two or three years we tried, and their schedules were booked.’’

Beyond scheduling concerns, McPhail loses four talented seniors in Haley Cashwell, Bri Bryant, Kaitlyn Knuckles and Kayla Molivas, all starters. 

“Next year we’ll be kind of young on the varsity,’’ he said. “I feel the next two or three years we’ve got some good players coming up. And we’ve got our pitching back.’’

Mackenzie Peters and Katie Murphy both saw action in the state playoffs and will return in the circle for the Colts.

Among the biggest graduation losses is Cashwell, who earned All-American status during her four-year career and leaves with five N.C. High School Athletic Association fast-pitch softball state records.

Cashwell plans to play more travel softball this summer as she prepares to enroll at Wingate.

“I’m thankful I got to spend time with my best friends,’’ she said of her years at Cape Fear.

Cashwell expects to play middle infield at Wingate, which was 25-25 overall and 10-10 in the South Atlantic Conference this season, losing eight of its last 10 games.

“I’m going to better myself as much as I can, keep practicing and get better at everything,’’ she said.

Photo: Haley Cashwell graduates this year. She earned All-American status during her four-year softball career at Cape Fear and leaves with five N.C. High School Athletic Association fast-pitch softball state records.

There are still more questions than answers as Mike Paroli tries to restore the Douglas Byrd football program to the glory years it enjoyed under him and his father Bob Paroli during most of the 1990s.

But during this year’s spring practice, the younger Paroli focused on finding a quarterback and continuing to build on a successful year in the weight room as the Eagles seek to improve on a 0-11 record last year.

“Our strength has increased, and our attendance has been good,’’ said Mike Paroli. “We still need a situation where a good number of jayvees are coming to the varsity. That hasn’t happened the last two years.’’

Despite not having the kind of overall numbers he’d like, Paroli aims to play two-platoon football as much as possible this season. “We had a couple of games we were up in the fourth quarter and didn’t win,’’ Paroli said. “Others were close at halftime, and things got away quickly for us in the second half.

“We’re trying to find 22 kids so at some point we can win a game in the second half.’’

Paroli is also looking for a quarterback. The top contenders are Kamahree Futrell and John Carroll. Carroll played wide receiver and running back last season. Futrell started on the junior varsity and was promoted during the season.

“John took a physical pounding but never got hurt and never fumbled,’’ Paroli said. “We want to get to the point where we feel we can hand it off or give it or toss it or they can run it.’’

Bryheem Swanson will be a senior defensive back for Byrd this season. Like his coach, he feels discipline and mental strength are keys for the Eagles to prevent games from slipping away at the end like they did last season.

“Last year we had a lot of close games,’’ he said. “When the second half rolled around we couldn’t finish.’’

Swanson thinks the Eagles have weeded out players who didn’t want to commit to the program fully. “Now we’ve got people willing to work hard and stay in the weight room every day,’’ he said.

Swanson feels spring practice has gone well for the Eagles and hopes it translates into a better season this fall.

“We didn’t put up a lot of points because teams were bigger and stronger than us,’’ he said. “We’ll put the offense to the test and try to score more points than we did last year.’’

Photo: Bryheem Swanson will be a senior defensive back for Byrd this season.

Christian 107.3 loves new artists. We love beefing up our playlists, keeping them as fresh as possible — adding new music weekly, peppering in independent artists, all while playing the hits you know and love. 

Nestled among well-known artists is recently-debuted 17-year-old Tori Harper, based in Nashville,Tennessee. 

This singer/songwriter is exceptionally wise for such a young mind, as evident in her premier single, “After Dark.” Her hauntingly sweet voice is matched with passion and vigor, pouring out wisdom beyond her years as she lovingly offers comfort and hope to a friend in need in this new tune. 

In September of last year, Tori’s friend confided in her that his family discovered his sister was dealing with a severe eating disorder. Tori couldn’t believe it. This girl she knew was so joyful and beautiful. How could someone who seemed so happy be living under such a heavy weight?

 Then it hit her. Her friend’s pain was her pain. Tori had also been through dark times over the past couple of years, searching for acceptance and love. She had made some bad choices and found herself very hurt and in deep pain from rejection. 

“I just felt alone, like no one saw me — but, especially, I felt like God didn’t see me,” she said. “I knew He existed, and I believed He was working in other people’s lives. I just felt like I’d come to this place where He didn’t want to have anything to do with my life.” 

That night, Tori got out her journal and poured out her heart for her friend. She considered how we all wear masks, hiding the pain that’s right beneath the surface. Tori’s journal entry became the lyrics to “After Dark,” where she compared what God said is true to the lies her friend believed about herself. 

Tori heard recently that her generation is one of the most stressed, anxiety-ridden, addicted generations ever seen. She believes when lies and dark places cloud God’s truth, we must speak the word of God over our lives and declare who He says we are — that He has created us uniquely in His image, and can help others to see the same in themselves. 

Tori wrote “After Dark” to remind her friend and herself that “There is life after sadness/There is hope after madness/There is joy after a broken heart/ and there’s light after the dark.”

Want to hear this song? Give us a call at (910) 764-1073 and make your request, or submit it online at Christian107.com. 

Fayetteville Technical Community College is an industry leader in awarding college credit for prior learning experiences including military training. 

With over 200 military career evaluations and 250+ programs of study, FTCC offers members of the U.S. Armed Forces and veterans the opportunity to pursue a higher education degree while utilizing the training they completed as part of their military career. FTCC recognizes the fact that service members train hard to achieve and maintain a standard of excellence and that their efforts deserve recognition in the civilian world. Awarding college credit for military training also serves our veterans as they make the transition from active duty to civilian life. FTCC places these students on the “fast track” to earning a degree and being prepared for a competitive work environment. 

Whether advancing within the military or transitioning to the civilian workforce, military students and veterans will find that FTCC is committed to their success. As the leader in Credit for Prior Learning, FTCC specializes in translating military training to college-level learning and credit. 

FTCC’s most popular and most flexible degree is the Associate in General Education, which allows students to capitalize on credits earned through military training and transfer with ease to one of FTCC’s partner institutions for an advanced degree. 

The Associate’s in General Education degree consists of 64 total semester hours, 48 of which may be applied from other colleges and institutions as well as from military training. To earn an AGE degree at FTCC, students must take a minimum of 16 semester hours at our institution, either online or in person. Often, military students and veterans pursuing an AGE only need to complete the general education courses such as English, math and social science to complete the degree. 

FTCC awards credit for military training based on recommendations provided by the American Council on Education, a major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities. The institution specializes in the assessment of nontraditional learning experiences. 

In cooperation with the U.S. military, a team of expert evaluators employed by the American Council on Education conducts extensive research regarding military training and recommends credit for specific college-level courses based on the results of their findings. The evaluators at FTCC then review these recommendations and equate the ACE’s recommended courses to FTCC courses. The results of these coordinated efforts are encouraging for military students and help to ensure success in their careers and beyond. 

On a case-by-case basis, FTCC evaluators also evaluate credits for additional training from military schools and other learning opportunities which may not have been evaluated by ACE. These credits must be approved by curriculum subject-matter-experts. This practice ensures the integrity of FTCC programs and provides the reassurance that FTCC is serving students with the highest standards.

Students who wish to have their military training converted to college credit can submit the Joint Services Transcript to FTCC by logging in at https://jst.doded.mil and following the prompts for submitting an official transcript. Email johnsontr@faytechcc.edu or call (910) 678-0166 for more information. Students can sign up now for fall clases. 

The Vision Resource Center is set to host its Second Annual “Out of Sight” Wing Fling Fundraiser and Cook-off, with 10 times more chicken wings than before. 

The VRC, as a United Way agency in association with the Department of Social Services, provides practical skills education and advocacy for the blind and visually impaired in
Cumberland County.

On June 24, the center will fill Festival Park with food trucks, live music and activities from 3-8 p.m. as 10 teams compete for the best chicken wings
in town. 

Each team will receive 1,000 wings to impress the judges and wing-tasting participants. All farm-fresh chicken wings will be brought, as a donation, on a chilled 18-wheeler.

“Mountaire Farms stepped up, and they are rocking it out and giving us 10,000 chicken wings for this,” said Alicia Cope, Wing Fling co-chair and VRC board member. “They are a huge sponsor and supporter of us.”  

Admission is $5 with an additional $5 cost to be a wing taster. Due to the limited number of chicken wings, only 1,000 wing-tasting tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. 

As an added level of blind competition, tasters will have the option to be blindfolded while tasting. 

“This is going to be fun. If you want to truly taste it blind … you can put on the blindfolds and do that, as well,” Cope said. “We’ll have those available. They’re not required.”

Teams will be competing to win the “Judge’s Choice” or “People’s Choice” awards. A $500 prize follows both awards. 

The judges include Judge Tiffany Whitfield; Sheriff Ennis Wright; Joey “Porky” Newcomb, a Cape Beard member; AnneMarie Ziegler, ARRAY Magazine Publisher; and Al Florez, CFO of the Walker-Florez Consulting Group. 

J.P. Riddle Stadium housed the 2016 Wing Fling. This year, Cope said, there’s excitement around the more central location of Festival Park. 

Alicia Spease attended the cook-off last year with her family, including her 2-year-old son. She said the whole family enjoyed it even though the team they voted for wasn’t victorious. She said she plans to attend again this year.  

“I do plan on going,” Spease said. “It’s on the day I get back from vacation, and I’ll be dragging my family.” 

There will be many activities for the community, Cope said. Systel is sponsoring a $40 VIP tent, which will have access to shade, seating, drinks, a private bathroom and catered food. 

Other activities include a kid zone with inflatables; an EyeQ zone where you can learn about the blind and visually impaired community and participate in a blindfolded obstacle course; a volunteer informational table; and a raffle where you can enter to win an Amazon Echo, two CrossFit 910 memberships and a signed Carolina Panthers football. Additionally, expect to hear music or spoken word from The Guy Unger Band, That Nation, LeJuane Bowens, DJ “Q” and Autumn Nicholas. The Black Daggers will also put on a parachute show.

All profits will be used to support the Vision Resource Center, according to its website. “We’re a well-kept secret in Cumberland County, even though we’ve been in existence for 80 years,” Cope said. “But it’s a little part of the population that people don’t see, and they don’t see them because vision loss isolates. And so we’re trying to get them back out to be seen and to be part of our community.” 

Terri Thomas, VRC executive director, said the center’s largest costs are for transportation and independent living skills educators. 

Thomas said they plan outings outside the VRC walls, but some people care more about in-home support. 

Independent living skills lessons, often the most expensive type of support, are “a way to reach those who may not be social butterflies,” Thomas said.

You can buy tickets at the door to support the VRC or in advance at outofsightwingfling.com. 

The Givens Performing Arts Center presents “Strike at the Wind” Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24, at the Givens Performing Arts Center at UNC Pembroke. Showtime for both days is 7:30 p.m.  

“This is a legendary performance that has been performed at Pembroke since 1976,” said James Bass, executive director of Givens Performing Arts Center. “It was an outdoor amphitheater drama that went away in 1996 and came back in 1999.” 

Bass added that ultimately, Givens has had some ups and downs and the last performance of the play was in 2007. So the performance has been dormant for about 10 years. This year the play will be performed on a stage instead of outdoors.        

The return of the performance is a joint effort between The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Recently the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina acquired the rights to the play for three years. “Strike at the Wind” is a story about Henry Berry Lowry, who was considered to be the local Robin Hood that stole from the rich and gave back to the poor. 

This dates back into the late 1800s toward the end of the Civil War. “The play is kind of a local legend around here, and for years everybody attended to see it,” said Bass. “It is one of those things that has been a part of Lumbee Homecoming and every year many people were committed to it and would come to see it over and over again.” 

Bass added that the Givens director of theater, Dr. Jonathan Drahos, will direct the performance.

In the Depression and in the 1920s, many farmers in Robeson County suffered financial damage. A number of them went to Washington, D.C. to petition for help. “One of the things that came about was the government gave the Lumbee people money to produce a historical pageant,” said Bass. “This was a venue for them to share their heritage and the history of the Lumbee Indians.”

Bass added that there were a lot of people who believed the Lumbee Indians were descendants of Sir Walter Raleigh’s Lost Colony. This has been disputed since then. 

In 1968, a Historical Drama Association was put together in Robeson County to present a drama or historical pageant about the history of the people. 

In 1976 “Strike at the Wind” debuted. It was highly successful and the first summer 18,000 people attended the performance. For years, the play was performed every summer.                  

“There is a lot of excitement about the play, and this is something that has been embraced by the community here,” said Bass. “We look forward to a huge turnout for the performance.”               

Ticket cost is $25 in advance and $30 at the door. For more information, call (910) 521-6361. 

City Manager Doug Hewett hopes to name Fayetteville’s eighth Chief of Police at the June 26 City Council meeting. Hewett whittled a field of more than 30 candidates to succeed retired Chief Harold Medlock to six and then to three finalists. They are Interim Fayetteville Police Chief Anthony Kelly; Clayton County, Georgia Deputy Chief Gina Hawkins; and Greensboro Deputy Police Chief James Hinson Jr. 

“We have conducted a very thorough search process to identify the best person to be our next police chief in Fayetteville, and I believe the three finalists we have selected are all highly qualified and capable of leading our police department,” Hewett said. 

Kelly, who has served as Fayetteville’s interim chief since October 2016, is a Fayetteville native. Former Chief Medlock appointed Kelly as Assistant Chief of Police. Kelly grew up off Strickland Bridge Road in 71st Township. He is a 22-year veteran of the department and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Fayetteville State University. He graduated from the West Point Leadership Program at Methodist University and the FBI National Academy. 

Hawkins supervises the Field Operations and Support Services Commands of the Clayton County, Georgia, Police Department. Hewett described her as a multifaceted criminal justice professional with 28 years of experience. Hawkins reports directly to the Police Chief and assists in planning, organizing, directing and overseeing all operations of the Police Department. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree at Georgia State University and a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University. She too is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. 

Hinson serves as the Greensboro Police Department’s Patrol Bureau Commander, having joined Greensboro PD in 1991. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from North Carolina A&T University and a Master’s from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University.

“These candidates have been put through the wringer,” said Hewett of the evaluation process. They withstood numerous interviews plus a rigorous assessment center as recently as last month. The FPD’s annual budget is $52 million in support of 433 sworn officers and approximately 180 civilian employees. It serves a city of 210,000 residents and a geographic area of 148 square miles, larger than the cities of Durham, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Fayetteville is the sixth largest city in North Carolina.

Hewett decided to launch a national search for a successor to Medlock three months ago, and retained a firm specializing in law enforcement career development in February.

Photo, from left to right: Interim Fayetteville Police Chief Anthony Kelly; Clayton County, Georgia Deputy Chief Gina Hawkins; and Greensboro Deputy Police Chief James Hinson Jr.

At the suggestion of City Councilman Chalmers McDougald, the City of Fayetteville is asking the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to examine the fire department’s hiring practices. City Manager Doug Hewett told City Council he has asked the Raleigh office of the EEOC to look into concerns that the department has been unable to attract, recruit and hire minority firefighters. 

McDougald took the lead among African-American council members in determining why only a few of the city’s 300 firefighters are black or another minority. “If there’s something we can do better, we will do it,” Hewett told Council during a work session that attracted several dozen minority residents.

This is the first time the EEOC has been asked to intervene in city minority hiring practices since a similar examination of the police department was undertaken 20 years ago. Little has changed in the diversity of either public safety department in the two decades since. 

Of the city’s 433 police officers, only 80, or 19 percent, are black, according to Acting Chief Anthony Kelley. There are fewer than a dozen African-American members of the fire department. Ironically, the chiefs of both departments are black. 

Hewett received City Council’s permission to make an exception in state law allowing him to release personnel information that is normally kept private. In the most recent hiring process, 693 applications were received. Four hundred sixteen were white males. One hundred thirty were African-American men. For the convenience of applicants, they were told to schedule themselves to take the initial written exam. 

Only 70 of the black applicants made appointments, according to information provided by Fire Chief Ben Major. Of that number, 53 showed up to take the test; 27 of them passed the exam and qualified for the physical exam. 

In response to questions from Council members, Chief Major said the written test is fair and measures math and reading comprehension at a 10th-grade level. About the same percentage of white applicants took the initial test; 141 of the 416 applicants passed the written test. But a significantly larger number of white applicants advanced to take the
PT test.  

Speaking on the lack of diversity, “We know we are nowhere where we want to be,” Major said. Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Colvin wanted to know when he could expect to see some results of EEOC findings designed to increase minority participation. Hewett said if the EEOC declines to do a review, the city will hire a consultant specializing in the field to do a similar probe. 

For his part, Councilman McDougald said he was glad the city would seek an independent review. “That means we are taking constructive action on our own to make this right,” McDougald said. He said he decided to back off from his initial determination to take the administration to task. 

He’s one of two church pastors on Council. All four black members of council, including Bill Crisp and Larry Wright, made comments during the hour-long meeting.                        

Hundreds of New Jobs Possible Locally

Fayetteville is being considered by a well-known direct-to-consumer distribution firm as the location for a large distribution center to handle internet orders. The un-named e-commerce center would hire hundreds of full-time and permanent part-time workers. “They would also need hundreds of additional full- and part-time seasonal workers each year,” said Robert Van Geons, CEO of the Fayetteville/Cumberland Economic Development Corporation. 

The building would be fully air-conditioned and use modern material handling technology. A variety of shifts and work schedules would be offered, providing employees with a flexible work environment. “We are asking that everyone who might be interested in employment with this company complete an online survey,” Van Geons said. The survey is available at www.fayettevilleworks.com. The company will pay competitive wages if Fayetteville is selected. 

Racial Gerrymandering Struck Down

Years of court battles resulting from Republican redistricting of the state legislature in 2011 came to an end this month when The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court finding that 28 of North Carolina’s statehouse and Senate districts were illegally gerrymandered based on the race of their voters. 

In August 2016, a panel of three federal judges found the districts in question were unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. State lawmakers appealed the decision in late 2016. While upholding the lower court’s ruling, the Supreme Court was critical of the way it came to its decision to require new district maps and special elections. 

The high court said it’s up to the lower court to decide on new elections. Cumberland County Senate District 19, held by Republican Wesley Meredith, will likely be changed. Cumberland County House Districts 42 and 43, held by Democrats, will likely be changed. House districts represented by Elmer Floyd and Marvin Lucas will be redrawn, and will likely affect District 41, held by Democrat Billy Richardson, and District 45, held by Republican John Szoka.

Fayetteville Fire Department Promotions

Fayetteville Fire Chief Ben Major has filled two command staff vacancies created by the recent retirement of Assistant Fire Chiefs Richard Bradshaw and Nixon Spell. 

Moisbiell Alvarez has been promoted to Assistant Chief of Logistics and Strategic Planning. Ronnie Willet is Assistant Chief of Training and Professional
Development. 

Alvarez is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and joined the Fayetteville Fire Department in 1995 following a career in the U.S. Coast Guard. He is an alumnus of Western Carolina University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Disaster and Emergency Management. Alvarez is studying to complete his Masters’ Degree. Chief Willet is a 19-year veteran of the Fayetteville Fire Department. He holds an Associate Degree from Fayetteville Technical Community College and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Fayetteville State University. Willet earned an MBA in Public Administration from American Military University. He has been active in nearly every phase of fire service administration.

Tyson Announces Candidacy for Fayetteville City Council District 5 Open Seat

Henry C. Tyson, a local businessman and Fayetteville native, announced his candidacy to seek the open District 5 Seat on Fayetteville City Council Wednesday. Tyson will appear on ballots for the primary election, scheduled for October 10, with municipal general elections scheduled for November 7. 

“Fayetteville is the city that has given me and my family immense opportunity, and it is a place with unlimited potential that is rapidly growing,” Tyson said. “After careful thought, prayer and discussion with family and friends, I’ve decided I want to play a bigger role in addressing the challenges Fayetteville faces, and securing a better future for our city.”

“I want to thank our current Fayetteville City Councilman for District 5, Mr. Bobby Hurst for his service to the community and the citizens of Fayetteville.”

Tyson, a lifelong Fayetteville resident, graduated from Campbell University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government.

He was named in July, 2016 by Mayor Nat Robertson and the Fayetteville City Council to serve on the city’s joint sign ordinance review task force, which successfully revised the city’s sign ordinances for the first time in 19 years. He is also a member of the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club and the city’s Historic Resources Commission, which helps guide the architectural character of Historic Downtown Fayetteville.

Tyson currently serves as a commercial real estate broker and co-owner of Tyson Commercial Properties in downtown Fayetteville.

More Storm Relief for Local Homeowners

Local government and two nonprofit agencies have been awarded state community development grants to assist homeowners in their recovery from Hurricane Matthew. Cumberland County and City of Fayetteville Community Development Departments each received $150,000 from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. Also receiving $150,000 each were Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity and the N.C. Conference, United Methodist Church. 

Rep. John Szoka (R-Cumberland) presented the checks. The money will help with the rehabilitation of owner-occupied homes. In December, the General Assembly appropriated $20 million to the Housing Trust Fund as part of the Disaster Recovery Act of 2016. Homeowners receive the assistance as interest-free, forgivable loans up to a maximum of $40,000, depending on the scope of work necessary.

Public Health Award Winner

Cumberland County Health Department educator Phyllis McLymore received the 2017 Caressa White Education and Program Development Award at the annual Red Ribbon Community Service Awards ceremony in Durham. 

The Caressa White award recognizes individuals who educate the community on HIV/AIDS awareness. The Red Ribbon Community Service Awards recognize work by people committed to helping those in the HIV/AIDS community in North Carolina. 

McLymore plans, organizes, implements and evaluates education programs for the prevention of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections in Cumberland County. She has served as chairperson of the Cumberland County HIV Task Force Executive Board and has been recognized for her efforts
to serve high-risk populations including the homeless.        

President Trump has released his budget plan for the Veteran Affairs. While it does propose a significant overall budget increase, there are quite a few changes individual veterans need to be aware of. One significant change will affect veterans currently receiving benefits under the Individual Unemployability Program.  

The IUP is part of the Veterans Affairs’s disability compensation program. It allows certain veterans to be compensated at a 100 percent disability rate, even if their Veterans Affairs disability rating is lower than 100 percent. 

To qualify for this program, a veteran must have a disability rating of at least 60 percent or a combined rating of at least 70 percent. These disabilities must prevent the veteran from obtaining full-time work above the poverty level. Once a veteran enrolls in this program, they are compensated by
the Veterans Affairs at 100 percent disability. 

Under the new Veterans Affairs budget, this program will no longer exist. This means approximately 225,000 veterans who currently use the program will need to transition to either Social Security benefits or find another way to compensate for this loss of income. 

The policy argument behind the transition is that by doing this, the Veterans Affairs will save $20 million in Fiscal Year 2018 and the harm to veterans is minor given that veterans can apply for Social Security benefits. The practicalities of this transition, however, are a different story. 

While veterans can apply for Social Security benefits, it is unlikely that all veterans enrolled in the unemployability program will actually qualify for Social Security. The qualifications for the programs are very different, with the Veterans Affairs program having less stringent qualifications. 

The good news is that for totally disabled veterans, the average success rate of a Social Security claim is higher than the general population. 

The issue will be the gap between what the Veterans Affairs program rated 100 percent and what Social Security will consider rated disability. The truth is, we won’t know the reality of this impact until we see whether these veterans are actually getting Social Security. 

If you are a veteran currently receiving benefits under the IUP, seek out a veterans law or disability lawyer to help you file a claim. Your Veterans Affairs benefits may be on a
short timeline.

God called you into ministry. You need preparation to follow that call. For some, that preparation requires biblical and theological preparation. For others, preparation involves leadership skills. 

Many Christians have the idea that all they need is Bible study. Besides, the Holy Spirit will give me everything I need to do the work of ministry. Right? Yes and no. It is true that the Holy Spirit will lead and guide you in ministry. But that truth does not mean you should not prepare! 

Everyone God calls into ministry should be involved in regular Bible study. This fact is a given. But a question must be asked: How do I properly study the Bible? This is where a Bible college or seminary plays an important role.

What is a Bible college?

Bible colleges are undergraduate programs that have a unique focus on the Bible and a biblical worldview to their general education studies. In other words, you can get an Associate degree or bachelor’s degree at a Bible college.

While you can often major in nursing, criminal justice, etc., the major focus of most Bible colleges is studying the Bible, doctrine, and professional skills needed in ministry. Courses include Old Testament Survey, New Testament Survey, Doctrine, Life of Christ, Greek, Hebrew and basic general education courses.

Bible colleges serve an important role in higher education. Obviously, you get the foundational teachings in Bible, doctrine and ministry. But you also study grammar, history and philosophy from a biblical worldview. 

Many students will attend a Bible college for their first two years (associate degree) to get a biblical foundation before transferring to a university that trains them in a field, such as engineering, medicine or biology. The advantage is that a Bible college is often significantly more affordable than a state university or private college.

What is a seminary?

Bible colleges and seminaries are similar yet different. They both focus on Bible, Christian ministry and doctrine. However, Bible colleges are designed as undergraduate programs (associate, bachelor’s) whereas seminaries are graduate level (master’s, doctoral).

The other major difference is that seminaries normally focus more on leadership roles within ministry, like pastors, worship leaders and missionaries. Some students attend seminary before moving into a doctoral program to teach in biblical higher education.

What’s the Difference Between Bible College and Seminary?

Bible colleges require a high school diploma (or equivalent) for entry. Seminaries require a bachelor’s degree. Therefore, some students attend Bible college to go on to pursue greater studies at the seminary.When this happens, they often get credit for courses already taken.

If you believe God has called you into ministry, then attending a Bible college and/or seminary is an important part of your preparation. While you could attend one and not the other, you may find a greater depth by attending both.

Much of that decision depends on what is required for the job or ministry you are pursuing. To be a pastor in your denomination, does it require a degree? If so, what kind? Are you preparing for ordination and need a better foundation?

The difference between Bible college and seminary may be summarized in one word: purpose. What’s the purpose behind your education?

Why Should I Attend a Bible College?

It’s been said that the foundation is key to everything. Consider a house. If the foundation is strong, the house is strong. But a weak foundation leads to issues all throughout the house. Attending Bible college is like building a solid educational foundation.

At Carolina College of Biblical Studies, our mission is to disciple Christ-followers, through biblical higher education, for a lifetime of effective servant leadership. If we can help you reach your ministry goals, let us know.

To learn more about Bible colleges, download our “9 Answers to Your Questions About Biblical Education” from our website at www.ccbs.edu.

While doing research for a recent column titled “Racial Diversity in the Fayetteville Fire Department: The Rest of the Story,” I gained a far more detailed understanding of the Cumberland County Schools Fire Academy. What follows is some of that detailed understanding, coupled with my profound respect and appreciation for this effort.

The Academy is conducted at E.E. Smith High School but is open to students from high schools throughout the county. A line from the Academy Handbook’s welcome letter states the program vision with clarity: “The goal is to help our students in preparing for post-secondary education which will lead to a career in the Fire Service and produce competitive employees for the 21st-century global job market.” 

Under “Mission,” in part, the handbook states: “The curriculum in this course of study introduces students to varied careers in the Fire Service, assists students in identifying their interests and aptitudes, and provides them with the knowledge and skills necessary for post-secondary education leading to jobs in these careers.”

Starting in ninth grade, students spend a half-day, five days a week, engaged in course work, field trips and hands-on training that very substantially move them toward satisfying requirements for a career in firefighting. Those students who complete the first three years of the four-year program are eligible to study in a Fire Science program at Fayetteville Technical Community College during their senior year of high school and earn college credits along with additional necessary certifications required for employment in firefighting. 

This path can lead to an associate degree from FTCC, followed by a baccalaureate degree through Fayetteville State University. All of this is made possible through a unique partnership between FTCC, FSU, Western Carolina University, The City of Fayetteville Fire Department, Cumberland County Fire Department, Fort Bragg and E.E. Smith
High School. 

Patricia Strahan, Director of the Cumberland County Schools Fire Academy, is a veteran of over 30 years in the Fire Service. When talking about the academy, she explained the academics and related requirements but moved with passion to another point of emphasis. She talked about leading students to see the importance of helping others and then knowing the satisfaction, the joy, which comes with helping others. 

This is an endeavor that addresses the whole person. The “whole person” approach is reflected in having a dress code, requiring parental involvement and employing rules that are stated and enforced. Students in 10th through 12th grades are required to complete a minimum of 50 community service hours per year. There is an Advisory Board made up of educators, representatives of partner organizations, fire service professionals, Academy participants and a parent. 

Those are some of the key details of the Academy. I find it to be a program of immense worth that provides a tremendous opportunity for students to enter and excel in a profession (firefighting) that is critical to our society. Yes, I was encouraged by the details. But I was even more encouraged and hopeful after spending time with several of the students in this program. Following is some of what I experienced that prompted this encouragement and hopefulness regarding young people and the future of
our country.

My first interaction with students from the academy came when I went to the Fayetteville Fire Department’s Fire Training Center on Radar Road. A group of students was learning how to exit a building through a window when fire conditions dictate such an escape. 

I watched as these young people received instructions and, to a person, resolutely prepared to execute the maneuver that day … not at some point in the future. That same day, I talked with four young men about their reasons for being in the academy. 

They were Ethan Bolger, Daiyvon Harvey, Elijah Beyer and Daniel Stedman. 

A friend of Ethan’s who knew Ethan wanted to be a firefighter told him the academy would help him achieve that dream. Daiyvon always wanted to be a firefighter and was attracted by a desire to help others. Elijah will be a third-generation firefighter. Daniel said his father is a firefighter who loves what he does. Without Daniel feeling pressured, his father’s love of his profession inspired Daniel. 

Like others in the program, commitment to and love of what they have chosen as a life work shine in these young men. Daiyvon closed our discussion by explaining that some students don’t have good family situations, but those in the academy are like a wonderful family. He said, “We have one another’s back.”

On another day, I visited the Academy space at E.E. Smith and talked with a larger group of students. I heard much of the same excitement, a sense of having found their place, a level of commitment and pure desire for achievement that is rare in our time. 

The conversation turned to the question of why there are so few women firefighters. Along with others, Celia Casiano and Yakira Sexton talked passionately about the importance of a right attitude for taking on and succeeding at what is difficult in life. I was amazed by the civility and thoughtfulness demonstrated in that discussion. 

This is only an overview of what was, for me, a tremendously encouraging and hope-inspiring experience. These young people have great promise and, if they can navigate the destructive forces of our world, will help us find our way to being a far better nation and world. 

Photo: The Academy is conducted at E.E. Smith High School but is open to students from high schools throughout the county.

I recently read Nashville writer Ann Patchett’s latest novel, “Commonwealth,” an elegantly rendered tale of two Greatest Generation couples whose marriages explode in midcentury suburban California. 

The story chronicles the fallout that rains down upon the six baby boomer children shared by the four parents. It was a confusing read at the beginning with so many characters to sort out, but by the final page I knew them well and fondly, and I hated to see them go.

At the very end of “Commonwealth,” one of the daughters, by then in her 50s, speculates about their lives. What if the parents had not divorced? What if the newly recoupled pair had not moved to Virginia? What if one of the Baby Boomers had not died as a teenager in front of the other five Boomers? 

What if she had figured out what to do with her life instead of hiding out in Europe? What if…? What if..? What if…?

I suspect we all have our own “what ifs.” 

What if we had not married the person we did? 

Maybe we would have had children, but they would not have been the same children. The ones we had in reality would not have existed. 

What if we never married?

So many in our community have come from other places. But what if we never left our home community and lived out our days in the same place we were born? 

What if we never saw much of our own nation, much less any others? Conversely, what if we traveled the world but never really found a spot to
call home?

What if we had gone to a different college, a small one instead of a large university or vice versa? What if we attended one in a different part of the country or abroad? How would those early experiences have changed the way we lived our adult lives or would they have changed that at all?

What if we had not gone to college? Would our lives have been appreciably better or worse or about the same?

We all have successes and failures, joys and sadness — even traumas, in our lives. How did they affect us? Did we welcome the good times with humility and grace, and did we weather the bad times or did they flatten us? What made us the way we are today, for better or for worse?

We have all allowed family and friends to fall from our lives for one reason or another, sometimes simply time and distance. What if we renewed those ties that once meant something to us? Is that desirable or even possible after we have gone our separate ways for so long?

Each of us has our own “what ifs,” and ours may not be the same at all. We all control parts of our lives with our decisions, and parts of our lives are determined by events that happen around and to us. 

I had always planned to work in a big city, either New York or Washington D.C., early in my career, but the illness and subsequent death of my mother brought me back to Fayetteville when I was 25. It was the right thing for me to do, but that particular “what if” has always haunted me.

Truth be told, every decision we make to embrace one part of life and let go of another is both the opening and closing of different doors. Some of those can be reversed, but some cannot. 

Our lives are rarely the result of one single decision — or in some cases no decision at all — but almost always the accumulation of thousands of small choices and some large ones coupled with forces and events beyond our control.

I have told the Precious Jewels that no decision is a decision. If you do not take action one way or another, the decision becomes just to coast along. I have told them that decision-making does close some doors, but it opens others, and it is the only way to move forward in life.

And, I have quoted Eleanor Roosevelt and told them that fear cannot stop you from living. “You must do the thing you think you cannot do,” she counseled, and she was right.

I doubt I will ever live, much less work, in New York or Washington D.C. But, thankfully, I can and do visit both. And, like Ann Patchett’s collection of fictional baby boomer adults, I still wonder — “What if?”

I am encouraged by our young people today. I know we don’t hear much about the good things they do. In fact, we hear way too much about the negative things attributed to them. 

But look around. Here in Fayetteville there is a rising tide of inspiring young men and women willing to face the challenges, responsibilities and leadership opportunities that adulthood has promised. 

What young people need most now is willing mentors and much encouragement. Recently, I addressed a group of Fayetteville’s Young Professionals at their monthly professional development luncheon. I’ll admit, I’m not usually the nervous type when it comes to public speaking, but this group made me quiver. They would be looking at me as if I were their father — or even worse, their grandfather. 

I panicked. It was sheer desperation that drove me to Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop (a fun retro candy and novelty store). 

Once there, I consulted with owner Ann Sims. Being sympathetic to my cause, she readily assembled a rare assortment of retro candies that were older than I am: Necco Wafers, Mary Janes, Sugar Babies, Goo Goo Bars and more. It was a confectionery “blast from the past.” 

I used the candy to make a point with this impressive group of young professionals. I asked them what they thought a successful and rewarding career would have in common with these popular candies that have survived five decades. 

They were stumped! The answer is simple: Good things last! 

I assured them that they, and they alone, are the architects of their future successes, and like the basket filled with candy, “good things last.” The message was received well. These young people get it! 

Expect their involvement in future business, civic and governmental issues affecting their lives and the Fayetteville community. Don’t think for one moment these young people are disengaged. 

They have vision and goals. They want the good life. They want clean and safe communities, and most of all they want to see real leadership in action — leadership that demonstrates vision and produces measurable and tangible results. 

Young people are not impressed with terms like “revenue neutral” when taxes and fees continue to increase, the unemployment rate hovers at 6 percent and our county population is dwindling. 

Here’s a warning to the old guard of our city and county: Don’t think you are going to shore up your old-school political ranks by using naive, enthusiastic young professionals. These upstarts have independent thoughts, dreams and aspirations of their own. More importantly, they have no political baggage and a determination to make a difference. How refreshing!

Keep your eyes on this aggressive and talented group of young people. Like all good things, they’ll be around for a long time. 

Photo: Learn more about Fayetteville Young Professionals by visiting www.fayyp.org.