There is a play being set upon a stage, and on those planks, there is a fire that glows hot and unyielding.  The play is Henry V and it is the final show for Cape Fear Regional Theatre Artistic Director Tom Quaintance who is moving on to the position of artistic director at the Virginia Stage Company.  The show, directed by Quaintance, delivers a lesson that is in many ways recognizable in this community - no matter how much we might say we do not understand the words and stories that were penned and delivered with such stylistic flair by William Shakespeare.

The story of war, leadership, love and brotherhood that is so prevalent and understood in our military community can be visualized and appreciated in this production. Montgomery Sutton, who plays Henry, rallies and rouses not only his army on stage, but also his army of an audience.  

On opening night, Sutton delivered the lines of the great Henry with an ease and attitude that bring to mind many great leaders; for that is what Henry was, a fierce leader.  He led by example.  He physically situated himself amongst his troops, as opposed to the French army he was fighting against whose leaders were shouting out commands from the front lines with the soldiers behind them.  Great battles have been led not by leaders who charge by the front, but by leaders who are willing to get their hands dirty and fight side by side with their brothers.  Sutton shows us this side of Henry with bombastic servitude that shakes the stage to its foundations.  

The following lines from the play were given by Sutton in almost religious fervor: “That he which hath no stomach to this fight, let him depart; his passport shall be made and crowns for convoy put into his purse.  We would not die in that man’s company that fears his fellowship to die with us.”  When delivered with such passion, can there be a more inspirational war-cry than this? 

 Now also bring in the hair-raising performances of the ensemble cast that marches and fights with Henry in this show and you are set to see the battle of ages on the stage.

There were actors playing multiple characters with great style and ease. Local actors Michael Carney, John Doerner, Denver McCullough and Robyne Parrish did outstanding work. Actor Josh Innerst filled the house with moments of intensity. Jeremy Fiebig plays the narrator who is adeptly named “Chorus.” Fiebig played well by setting up certain scenes that would settle better in our minds and stomachs with his eloquant delivery of the plays verses.  

Wallis Quaintance played the queen, Katharine, beautifully.  Striking the stage with startling presence and delivering her lines in her exquisite French, we come to understand her relationship with Henry.  There are comedic twists at many moments in this play that Shakespeare has planted, and they bloom largely when delivered well in this cast.

Quaintance stretched the set on the stage all the way to the very back-wall of the theatre.  Seasoned theatre-goers to CFRT will appreciate the ingenious work of the artistic staff.  The icing on the cake is the fact that there are seats on the stage for audience attendees to sit in for this production... talk about being intimate with the actors.  

Get ready to dig your heels into the floor like the hounds that are leashed in at the heels of Henry.  Quaintance asks us to listen like in prayer and to judge this play.  It only then seems fitting to leave the readers with the most rousing and spiritual words in the play the war-like Henry gives us.  I know these words have been used in a motivational speech or two by great leaders, as we see, Henry was giving his troops the intestinal fortitude that is far greater than the meek will ever know. “ From this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remember’d; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that shed his blood with me shall be my brother.” 

 Henry Vplays until Nov. 13 at the Cape Fear Regional Theatre.  It is truly the inspirational show this season that will motivate you to keep coming back to find the strength to carry on in all the daily wars we wage.

Fayetteville City Council has taken the first of many steps to build a multi-million-dollar minor league baseball stadium in downtown Fayetteville. It’ll take a year-and-a-half, and it will be much more than a ballpark. The venue is officially described as a multi-use outdoor sports stadium/entertainment facility designed for baseball, soccer and perhaps even football, as well as outdoor concerts and festivals. Its presence behind the former Prince Charles Hotel off Hay Street is expected to be a catalyst for millions of dollars of economic development projects. Renovation of the old hotel will include 60 apartments, a luxury penthouse, a ground floor restaurant and retail spaces.

City Council agreed to hire a pair of architectural firms. One of them is a well-known local group, Slf+a. The other is Populous, which has designed athletic stadiums, arenas and convention centers around the world. In its solicitation of architects for the project, the city said it is interested in “negotiating a master development agreement that will leverage public investments in amenities and infrastructure to induce private sector investment in downtown.” Council appropriated up to $3 million for the undertaking. It sets out five core elements: the stadium itself; private re-development of the former Prince Charles Hotel into a mixed-use building, a ground level apartment and retail building; private development of a new hotel to be integrated with the venue providing public parking to be owned by the city; and a private partnership to provide public open space for a park or square on the Hay Street side of the stadium. 

In its proposal, the City of Fayetteville states that a market study concluded the project development should attract as many as 300,000 visitors per year. The budget anticipates $33 million in hard costs for venue construction. It must be constructed to facilitate diverse year-round use for purposes to be defined during the conceptual design process. 

The architectural proposal gives a hint, on paper at least, what the ballpark will look like. First and foremost, it must meet minor league baseball standards and include fixed seating, outfield berm seating and other general admission areas to comfortably accommodate approximately 4,500 fans. A limited number of luxury and club suites will include all finishes, furniture, fixtures and equipment. Concession facilities will include specialty cooking and vending areas, general commissary and point-of-sale vending locations. 

Also outlined are team facilities including locker rooms, training areas, a “green room” or secondary locker room area for other types of events as well as team store(s), merchandising, concessions and box office facilities. Press access includes facilities for print media, radio and television broadcasts as well as in-house public address and audio/visual equipment. Scoreboard and video board design including facilities for video production are to be provided.  Construction is expected to begin in July with completion anticipated by January 2019. 

Residents of the Rayconda neighborhood in West Fayetteville have not gotten along particularly well with the City of Fayetteville since their annexation by the city 10 years ago. Like other suburban residents on the west side, the so-called big bang annexation became a bone of contention. But now, residents are beginning to appreciate the city services they receive. When the neighborhood was subdivided, county government standards allowed a single roadway, Siple Avenue,  in and out of the community. Siple Avenue crosses an earthen dam that splits Keith lake into two sections. The dam was heavily damaged last month when a utility culvert beneath the street ruptured during Hurricane Matthew.  The road was closed because of the damage beneath it. The city had assumed responsibility for the street, but as is often the case with dams, it belongs to and is therefore the responsibility of the homeowners association. For three weeks, residents were cut off from the rest of the city. “This is a mess,” said Freddy Rivera, president of the homeowners association. 

The city and its contractor worked seven days a week to make repairs to Siple Avenue, which reopened for all traffic on Oct. 28., two weeks ahead of schedule.  But for the lake to be fully impounded, the levee must be replaced by a more structurally sound dam, which isn’t likely to occur anytime soon, if at all. A new road at a different location is the only permanent solution to the problem facing the more than 230 residents of Rayconda.  

That’s something the city became aware of sometime ago. Design work on the new street into the neighborhood was all but complete when the city had to turn its attention to Siple Avenue following the hurricane. With repairs finished there, work has resumed on development of a 1,000-foot city street at the other end of the neighborhood. It will connect Rayconda directly to Raeford Road at the traffic light near the VA Healthcare Center. It will link up to Pinewood Terrace, said City Engineering and Infrastructure Director Rob Stone. But land clearing and construction could easily take a year or so, said Stone. For now, Siple Avenue will continue to be Rayconda’s life-line to the rest of the community.

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has ordered the Pentagon to stop the National Guard Bureau from aggressively collecting enlistment bonuses paid to thousands of Guardsmen in California, even as the Pentagon says the number of soldiers affected was smaller than first believed. The White House said President Obama has warned the Defense Department not to “nickel and dime” service members who were victims of fraud by overzealous recruiters.   

  The Los Angeles Timesfirst reported that the Pentagon had demanded that some soldiers repay their enlistment bonuses after audits revealed overpayments by the California National Guard. Recruiters under pressure to fill ranks and hit enlistment goals at the height of the two wars improperly offered bonuses of $15,000 or more to soldiers who re-enlisted, the newspaper reported. That number is lower than a widely reported figure of nearly 10,000 soldiers who were told to pay back their bonuses. The Pentagon now says it told at most 6,500 California Guard soldiers to repay the bonuses. 

Defense Department spokesman Maj. Jamie Davis said an audit more than five years in the making concluded last month that 1,100 soldiers improperly received bonuses for which they were ineligible. Another 5,400 soldiers had erroneous paperwork that could have made them ineligible. The California Guard said it has collected about $22 million from fewer than 2,000 soldiers who improperly received bonuses and student loan aid. A defense authorization bill passed by the House would establish a statute of limitations on the military’s ability to recover future overpayments and scrutinize existing cases of service member debt. House and Senate negotiators are trying to finalize the defense bill and pass it during the post-election, lame-duck session. 

The California National Guard told the state’s congressional delegation two years ago that the Pentagon was trying to take back enlistment bonuses from thousands of soldiers. But Congress took no action then, said a senior National Guard official. The official added that what may have been ill-advised bonuses had been paid to National Guard members in every state. Attention was focused on California because it was “the only state that audited” bonus payments at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he added. The Pentagon acknowledged that the problem likely extends beyond California. So far no instances have surfaced in North Carolina. 

Many of the veterans were enticed to enlist with bonuses topping $10,000, and later served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. “These bonuses were used to keep people in,” said Christopher Van Meter, a 42-year-old former Army captain and Iraq veteran from Manteca, Calif., who says he had to refinance his home mortgage to repay $25,000 in reenlistment bonuses and $21,000 in student loan repayments that the Army says he should not have received. “People like me just got screwed.” The likelihood that hundreds of soldiers must repay large bonuses which were paid years ago when the Pentagon relied heavily on the Guard to supply troops for two wars may increase pressure on Congress to act. 

Fayetteville City Council continues efforts to revise its Community Development Annual Action Plan to devote nearly a million dollars to Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts. Council unanimously agreed to reallocate $900,000 budgeted for neighborhood improvement projects to individual owner/occupied housing grants. Other funds would be devoted to assist tenants of rental properties. The money would be used to supplement expenses not covered by private insurance or FEMA, said Victor Sharp, Fayetteville Community Development Director. Sharpe told the council that federal Housing and Urban Development guidelines must be followed, but that some requirements can be waived to speed up the assistance project. Sharp said 90 $10,000 grants could be made available to residents on a first come, first served basis.

 

 

Recovery Housing Available

The City of Fayetteville’s Community Development Department has a list of affordable rental properties available to families displaced by Hurricane Matthew. Persons needing short-term housing options should call Adolph Thomas at 433-1935 or email him at athomas@ci.fay.nc.us for the current list. Property management agencies that would like to be added to the list may go to Fayettevillenc.gov. Click on Government, City Departments and then Community Development. Once there, click on the Hurricane Matthew link. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disaster Relief Grants

The Cumberland Community Foundation is matching the first $100,000 in gifts for Hurricane Matthew relief and recovery. That money is being made available by the Foundation and the William R. Kenan Charitable Trust. The 15 members of the Fayetteville New Car Dealers Association wasted no time making a major contribution. “They’ve given $30,000 to help local people recover from the hurricane,” said Foundation Executive Director Mary Holmes. “I’m glad we’re able to do it,” added Eason Bryan, president of the car dealers group. Other sizeable contributions were received subsequently, taking the challenge well over the top. One hundred percent of the money raised will go to local nonprofit organizations in support of Hurricane Matthew victims, said Holmes. The disbursements will be coordinated by the Cumberland Disaster Recovery Coalition.

 

 

 

 

Salute to Veterans

Fayetteville’s Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation will host the eighth annual Salute to Veterans on Saturday, Nov. 5, through Monday, Nov. 14 at the museum. The public can purchase flags for $5 in honor or in memory of a veteran by calling the museum at 643-2778 or visiting the website at www.asomf.org. Flags can also be purchased in the museum’s gift shop. Each flag will be placed on the museum grounds. “This is a wonderful way to show your support and gratitude to those who have served and those who are serving now,” said Paul Galloway, Executive Director of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation. “We hope to have more than 1,000 flags on display, showing the true patriotism of all citizens of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and beyond,” added Galloway. An Opening Ceremony for the Salute to Veterans will be held Nov. 5, at 1:30 p.m. at the museum. Guest speaker will be World War II veteran Vincent Speranza. Immediately following the ceremony will be a book signing with Speranza, author of Nuts! A 101st Airborne Division Machine Gunner at Bastogne. This is Vince’s life story including his participation in the Battle of the Bulge. Books are available in the museum’s Gift Shop. The ceremony is free and open to the public. 

 

Fayetteville Outer Loop Improvements

Fulcher Electric of Fayetteville will install dynamic message signs and traffic cameras along Fayetteville’s Outer Loop (N.C. 295) from the All-American Expressway interchange to Interstate 95, thanks to a $1.5 million contract awarded by the Department of Transportation. The route will eventually be designated I-295. Work can begin as early as Oct. 31 and will be complete by Aug. 1, 2017. This was one of six road and bridge projects recently awarded by the N.C. Department of Transportation. The contracts were awarded to the lowest qualified bidders, as required by state law.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solid Waste Manager Named

Cumberland County Manager Amy Cannon has hired Jerod A. Roberts as Cumberland County’s new Solid Waste Management Director. Roberts had been Superintendent of Waste Collections for the City of Virginia Beach, Va., since December 2013. Roberts begins work in Cumberland County on Nov. 28. A native of Portsmouth, Va., Roberts spent four years in the Marine Corps. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Strayer University in Chesapeake, Va. “We are very pleased that Mr. Roberts will be joining our Leadership Team and look forward to working with him as he guides our Solid Waste Management Department,” Cannon said. Roberts was hired following as assessment conducted by Developmental Associates. He succeeds Bobby Howard who retired in December of last year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are in the throes of a painful 2016 presidential election. This is an election where Americans must be careful and give detailed thought to how we should individually respond in this situation. My wife and I recently spent a weekend visiting with a 2-year-old and her mother. The father, the mother’s husband, was not with us due to his work schedule. As I watched this little girl move about in freedom, filled with excitement and expectation, I was saddened to realize she might not get to grow up in the great America that I have experienced. This election could result in a country that my generation would not recognize and over which we would despair and even cry.

That possibility exists because our choice for president is between two people who offer very different courses into the future. They are Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Our choosing one over the other is complicated and is challenged by questionable comments and alleged unacceptable actions by these candidates. In the haze of this situation, it is very difficult to slow down, examine the facts and thoughtfully decide how to vote or even if one will vote.

Recently, an audio tape was released in which Donald Trump, some eleven years ago, made comments about being able to grope and otherwise inappropriately touch women. This being possible, he indicated, because of his status in the world of business and entertainment. He also recounted his efforts to seduce a married woman. Let the record be clear, I find his comments far beyond the pale and reflecting an attitude that is disgusting. A few days later, several women came forward accusing Trump of unwelcomed touching and kissing, one from 30 years ago. The question is do we choose the Hillary course based solely on Trump’s totally unacceptable comments and alleged actions toward some women. I contend if that 2-year-old could look into the future and see the calamity that such a choice on our part would bring, she would cry out, “Please, do not put my future and that of others like me in the hands of Hillary Clinton.”

What follows are a few of the considerations that cause me to conclude Hillary Clinton is by far the wrong choice for president. Start with Supreme Court appointments. There is one vacancy now, and given the advanced ages of some justices, more vacancies are likely over the next four years. In an article titled “Hillary Clinton Has a Vision for the Supreme Court, and It Looks like Sonia Sotomayor,” Cristian Farias writes that when asked during the Oct. 9 debate how she would go about selecting justices, Clinton said, “‘I want to appoint Supreme Court justices who understand the way the world really works, who have real-life experience, who have not just been in a big law firm and maybe clerked for a judge and then gotten on the bench, but maybe they tried more cases’” I read this statement to mean Hillary Clinton wants justices who will legislate from the bench. I watched the second presidential debate and in talking about these appointments, not one time did she mention upholding the Constitution. On the other hand, Trump’s response addressed upholding the Constitution.

Clinton makes attractive promises regarding free college, government investment in infrastructure that will produce jobs, along with a myriad of other government spending programs. She proposes to pay for this additional spending by increasing taxes on the wealthy. As does Barack Obama, she argues that the wealthy must pay their “fair share.” The question Obama and Clinton never answer is what is a fair share for the wealthy? The Summary of the Latest Federal Income Tax Data, 2015 Update says:

“In 2013, the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers (those with AGIs below $36,841) earned 11.49 percent of total AGI. This group of taxpayers paid approximately $34 billion in taxes, or 2.78 percent of all income taxes in 2013.

”In contrast, the top 1 percent of all taxpayers (taxpayers with AGIs of $428,713 and above), earned 19.04 percent of all AGI in 2013, but paid 37.80 percent of all federal income taxes.”

Is widening the spread above fair or even productive? The national debt is approaching 20 trillion dollars and Clinton wants to spend more. Trump proposes reducing taxes. This approach has a record of stimulating economic growth. 

Then there is the matter of religion in America. In an article titled “Hillary Clinton Is a Threat to Religious Liberty,” Marc A. Thiessen writes:

“In a speech not long before she launched her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton made a stunning declaration of war on religious Americans. Speaking to the 2015 Women in the World Summit, Clinton declared that ‘deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.’” 

Couple this with emails among various Clinton staff persons where they disparage Catholics and Evangelicals and a picture of war against religion is clear. The emails were released by WikiLeaks along with thousands of others that reflect badly on Hillary Clinton. 

An article by Pamela Engel titled “Leaked Emails Show State Department Gave Special Attention to Bill Clinton’s Friends after Haiti Earthquake” adds another item for thought. The article’s title states a conclusion. Engel supports that conclusion by quoting from various emails, especially those of Caitlin Klevorick, who was one of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s senior aides.

In one email, Klevorick wrote, ‘“Need you to flag when people are friends of WJC,” referring to William Jefferson Clinton. “Most I can probably ID but not all.” 

She wrote in another email: ‘Is this a FOB [Friend of Bill]! If not, she should go to cidi.org,” “referring to a general government website.” 

The person was emailing to offer medical supplies in the wake of the earthquake.

Beyond special attention to some people is Clinton’s use of a private server at her home instead of using the State Department’s email system as required by Department rules and with all the associated security risks. Emails were destroyed after a Congressional subpoena had been issued for those emails. Then she changed her message to fit the audience, saying one thing before wealthy donors and something different to other groups. 

These negative revelations continue to flow from WikiLeaks and other sources. There were reports on Oct. 17 of another disturbing incident. Budhaditya Bhattacharjee writes following in an article titled “Patrick Kennedy ‘Quid Pro Quo’: Facts to Know.”

“Documents released on Monday show that the State Department official tried to make the FBI back down on classifying the contents of an email from Hillary Clinton’s private email server. He offered a ‘quid pro quo’ to the FBI while trying to get the Bureau to shift a single classified email to “unclassified.” However, the FBI claimed that it refused the request.” 

There is disagreement regarding who between State and the FBI proposed the quid pro quo. No matter who proposed it, this is not reassuring behavior. 

An article by Right Rally News titled “Hillary Clinton Favors ‘Open Trade and Open Borders’” quotes Clinton as saying the following in a speech for which the transcript was released by WikiLeaks. The speech was given Brazilian bank in 2013.

“‘My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere.”’

She dreams of an America with no borders and trade that flows freely. Donald Trump says, “A nation without borders is not a nation.” This is a point on which the difference between these two candidates could not be clearer.

What I have presented is miniscule when compared with the totality of negatives regarding Hillary Clinton. What is equally dangerous is that the vast majority of media outlets give little attention to Clinton’s negatives while religiously focusing on every possible negative of Donald Trump. We must be careful, America…think, then vote. While thinking, remember that 2-year-old and the millions of others like her.

Driving on an interstate recently, I tuned into to Terry Gross’ excellent interview show on National Public
Radio. Her guest, a national journalist with a conservative bent, had offended a nebulous group with white nationalist leanings called the “alt right.” The next thing he knew, his Twitter account exploded with racist, sexist and personally threatening tweets, including depictions of his wife and 7-year-old daughter in pornographic scenes. The journalist said he worked with law enforcement authorities to protect himself and his family and bemoaned the reality that the ugly undersides of Twitter and other social media are now part of our international fabric. 

While the journalist and his family endured their ordeal, all of us have been living through the worst election year in recent memory. We have all heard Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump insult women generally and specifically, minorities and anyone who dares criticize him in any way. No lesser institution than the New York Timesrecently published a two-page spread of Trump’s 282 insults of people, places, and things. We know his feelings about Hillary Clinton and Rosie O’Donnell, but Trump also has negative opinions of major league baseball — “so ridiculous,” other Republican candidates — “mere puppets,” Amazon — “a no profit company,” the State of the Union address — “very hard to watch,” and T-Mobile — “I think the service is terrible.”

I know no one in Trump’s league when it comes to insulting tweets or insults in general, but he is not alone in spewing ugliness.

Hillary Clinton labeled half of Trump’s supporters “deplorables,” and talking heads of all political persuasions are slinging mud of their own.

Saturday Night Live and a raft of other comedic shows skewer widely and not always kindly, but at least we get a chuckle. 

My question is when did all of this become OK? When did it become acceptable to call other people names, to demean someone’s physical appearance, intelligence and character? How did we become desensitized to personal insults? How did we come to embrace and enjoy them?

Clearly, I am not the only person put off by political incivility. A quick Google search brings up a plethora articles on the topic as well as scholarly research on the topic. These include an article in Commentary magazine entitled “Politics of Incivility: Where Discourtesy Meets Democracy in Modern American Life,” a Huffington Post piece asking “Is There an Incivility Ceiling for Women?”—apparently, we tolerate rude behavior a lot less than men do, and research from the University of Arizona’s National Institute for Civil Discourse (who knew that existed?) and KRC Research, both looking at how much of this vicious incivility we are willing to take.

Truth be told, American politics has always been rough and tumble, to put it politely. George Washington seems to have been most everyone’s choice as our first president, but by his second term political parties were taking hold. Along with partisan politics came rough campaigning, including allegations of sexual misconduct going all the way back to our Founding Fathers. Think Thomas Jefferson.

It seems to me that the difference between then and now is not the ugliness of the incivility, but that it is with us 24/7. It took weeks and longer for political news and campaign rhetoric to travel to the hinterlands, and some voters — all white, landowning men in our early years — probably did not get a full dose of messaging until after the election was over. Some may not have known there was an election.

Contrast that with our Election 2016 experience. 

As I write this column, CNN plays on a television in my office. I have seen Donald Trump snarling from Ohio, and Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama hugging in Winston Salem. An endless stream of talking heads has weighed in on what we viewers should think about all this, both pro and con, and prognosticating about the rapidly approaching outcome. I flick through channels, and every channel that covers “news” is full of campaigning, even though most people in our country and around the world are going about our lives totally outside campaigning. In short, for early Americans — whatever their politics — campaigning was not in their faces all day, every day. Incivility might have reigned, but without television, radio, internet, social media and the U.S. Postal Service, they did not have their noses rubbed in it.

I am no Pollyanna about any of this, having been around the political block a few times myself. On one of those trips, I was even portrayed as a hooker, though if that had been my chosen profession, I should have started decades earlier. I suspect the Twitter-afflicted journalist feels the same way.

That said, I have thought of one of my mother’s favorite sayings most” days of 2016. “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

 

In less than one week it will be election day. Yes, in less than seven days all this political madness will be over. The horrendous barbaric TV and radio attack ads will end, the talking heads will cease their partisan screeching, the thousands of Constant Contact emails begging for money and clogging your inbox will stop – as will the tons of political junk mail now overflowing in your trash can. 

Yes, it will all be over soon. And for many, the end cannot come soon enough. 

Patriotic Americans are vastly disgusted and disappointed with our leadership in government. It makes no difference whether you are a registered Democrat, Republican or Independent. The political shenanigans, disgusting behavior and distasteful antics we are witnessing during this election are proof positive that “America, we’ve got a problem.” And that problem is not about immigration, Constitutional rights, gun control, black lives, white lives, Trump or Hillary. The problem is: Our government is broken. For the most part, it lacks honesty and integrity from those in power on both sides of the aisle. “What’s in it for me?” has become the battle cry of these bureaucrats at all levels. Greed and power drive this fanatic nastiness – with no end in sight. 

Oh, well. At least we still get to vote. Here is the sunny side of this pathetic situation: After the election, all the participants will be exposed for what they are and what they stand for. Then the average American can examine his or her own conscience and ask him or herself, “Did I sell myself out? Did I compromise my own values? Did I actually endorsed and enable such deplorable behavior?” 

Sorry, but at this point, it may be too little, too late. We have created and nurtured a government of self-indulgent politicians who care only about personal power and wealth and what they can game from the system. They are not looking out for their constituents. Sad. However, there is one thing that you can be sure of: We will end up with the government we deserve. 

So, vote! Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

October is Blindness Awareness Month. In Cumberland County there are more than 600 blind and visually impaired adults and children, so that is why the Vision Resource Center presents its fifth annual Out of Sight Dining event on Friday, November 11, from 6 – 10 p.m. at the Hellenic Center. 

“The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of what it is like to be visually impaired in our community and for people to get why the Vision Resource Center is here,” said Terri Thomas, executive director of the Vision Resource Center. “Unless you walk a mile in a visually impaired person’s shoes, you don’t get it until you actually experience it.” 

At the event participants will place a blindfold on their eyes as they eat dinner. This is a firsthand experience about how challenging it can be to eat a meal that you cannot see. “So many people do not want to come to the event because they don’t want to be blindfolded while they are eating,” said Thomas. “My own relatives will not come because they refuse to put the blindfold on.”

Thomas asks people to just think about the visually impaired who live this every day and can’t take the blindfold off. 

 The Vision Resource Center enhances the lives of adults and children from the ages of 6 to 86 by making sure they have the most fruitful life possible. “We want to make sure they are independent and socializing,” said Thomas. “Being visually impaired can easily happen to anyone via diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, a brain tumor and other medical conditions.” Thomas added that visually impaired adults often feel nonexistent and will isolate themselves from the world. 

 The proceeds will be used to reach the people who don’t necessarily come into the center by helping them with the accessories needed, which will help them cook more safely and move around the house easier. 

“They need help with getting to their doctor’s appointments and the grocery store along with other daily living skills,” said Thomas. “People want the skills based on their sight levels that are deteriorating and they need to know what to do now.” Thomas added they plan to purchase the apparatus, Amazon Echo, that reads to the visually impaired person, tells them the weather and time and plays music. Electric skillets will be purchased for them as well as offering an independent cooking class that teaches them how to use the skillet. 

 “We have been blessed with a vision rehab specialist,” said Thomas. “They go into the homes and show the visually impaired how to set up their home to make it more user friendly and do orientation mobility.” Thomas added that the specialist teaches them the number of steps to take and how to navigate around your home without help. 

 Live entertainment and a silent auction will take place at the event. Tickets are $75 per person and $125 per couple. The Hellenic Center is located at 614 Oakridge Avenue. For more information call 483-2719. 

From the decorations to the vendors to the hum of anticipation in the ticket line, it is obvious that the Junior League’s Holly Day Fair committee is passionate about the annual show. This year, the Holly Day Fair is Nov. 3-6. The fact that it is the 50th Holly Day Fair makes it that much more special — on several levels. 

Jami McLaughlin is the chairperson this year, but she’s served on the committee for several years. “It is so rare that a fundraiser lasts for 50 years. The fact that we are still doing this and it is still going strong is an honor for all of us,” she said. “We will definitely be rolling out the red carpet.”

This year’s presenting sponsor is Carolina Pottery, bringing so much inventory that the event organizers have set aside and entire space just for them. “Carolina Pottery will have a huge space outside our normal foot print. They really know how to do Christmas right and will be bringing all kinds of things that our shoppers will just love,” said McLaughlin. “We are excited about them coming and especially about their level and quality of items. They will help decorate the lobby, too.  I think our shoppers will be impressed.”

The main shopping gallery is already filled to overflowing with 165 vendors, including returning favorites as well as some new vendors. Quality and variety are key when it comes to selling here. And with an impressive track record for success, the Holly Day Fair is a show vendors want to attend. Unique clothes for adults and children, home accents, gift items, food related items, accessories, sports-related items are just a few of the treasures available at the Holly Day Fair. “We try diversify and make sure we have something for everyone. We love our vendors. Over the years so many of them have become like family. We look forward to seeing them every year and watching how much shoppers enjoy the products they bring to the show,” said McLaughlin. “And our vendors look out for us, too. Many of them are professionals and make a living at shows like this. So it is not unusual for a vendor to call and say ‘Hey, listen, I was just at a show and there was a vendor there selling X,Y,Z, and they had a line down the aisle. You may want to give them a call.’” 

Researching new vendors is responsibility the committee takes seriously. Before opening vendor applications online, the committee visits shows in places like Raleigh, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and even Richmond, Virginia. “Recruiting and selecting the best vendors is an important part of the show,” said McLaughlin.

By any standard, the Holly Day Fair is a successful show. The fact that the Holly Day Fair is celebrating 50 years is just one way to measure its success. The 50/50 raffle that lands the winner a five-figure prize is a sure sign of the size and scope of the Holly Day Fair. The more than 22,000 shoppers that come every year — that’s a successful show by anyone’s standards. The more than $250,000 this event raises each year and that the Junior League returns to the community — for a total of more than $5 million to date … also a huge success. But when a group like the Junior League of Fayetteville’s volunteers invest in something like this, it is about more than numbers. “One of the parts that is very heartwarming is when you see the Holly Day Fair actually happening. When you see the vendors that return year after year, when you experience the camaraderie with the other volunteers, when you see the shoppers get so excited when they come through the doors and when you see how happy they are with their purchases when they leave — things they won’t be able to find anywhere else … it is just a happy time,” said McLaughlin. “Because the Holly Day Fair has been around for 50 years, we have generations of shoppers that come and shop together. Grandmothers who started coming years ago — now they bring their daughters and granddaughters and it is part of their family holiday tradition. We have shoppers that come from as far away as Ohio and Virginia and South Carolina every year. There is one group that comes from South Carolina that makes T-shirts for their trip to the Holly Day Fair. It is their girl’s weekend. It is always so much fun to see them and watch them enjoying themselves.” 

For the volunteers, that’s success.

On Oct. 28, the streets of downtown Fayetteville will be flooded with zombies. This month the official theme of 4th Friday is the Zombie Walk. 

This event is an annual family-friendly event that allows for the people of Fayetteville to transform into a remarkably friendly hoard of zombies. Zombies, ghouls and the occasional zombie hunter should begin gathering at the Headquarters Library (300 Maiden Lane) at 6 p.m. for the pre-party and preparation. The walk to downtown will begin at 8 p.m.

Headquarters Library, the initial gathering spot for the hoard, will join in on the ghoulish fun. Free family-friendly games are planned on the front porch from 4 until 7 p.m. Even the youngest of zombies can join in. From 7 until 9 p.m., storytellers will present frightening local legends, scary fictional stories and classic ghost stories. This is also a free event, though it may not be entirely suitable for young children. 

In addition to roaming ghouls, 4th Friday also features incredible local art. The Arts Council, located at 301 Hay Street, will host the opening of Recycle: The Art of Transformation. This installation features local artists taking discarded materials and recycling and reusing them to create incredible and beautiful pieces of artwork. The exhibit is open and free to the public from 7 until 9 p.m. The exhibit is presented with The City of Fayetteville’s Environmental Services Department.

Fascinate-U Children’s Museum is designed specifically to engage children in fun and safe learning. Exhibits mimic real life situations like broadcasting studios and stores, and are intended to be touched and played with to stimulate exploration and learning. Fascinate-U will also offer a free creative craft. From 7 until 9 p.m., children are invited to make a cute cat and enjoy free admission in the museum, which is located at 116 Green Street.

Cape Fear Studios is hosting a gallery opening on Oct. 28, 6-8 p.m.  The exhibit is the 20th Annual Nellie Allen Smith Pottery Competition. This competition has grown from a local to a national competition, but it has always maintained the core goal of giving clay artists the opportunity to compete with peers. This year the juror is potter Simon Leach, who comes from a family of potters. His work is influenced by his fathers and grandfathers work as well as by Japanese and Korean art. He will also  attend the opening reception and the exhibit will run until Nov. 23.  

The Fayetteville Transportation Museum offers the perfect place to explore local history on a crisp October evening in Downtown Fayetteville. Located at 325 Franklin Street, the museum is open and free from 6-8:30 p.m.  The current exhibit is called Cumberland County Goes to War. It focuses on the areas involvement in the Civil War both on the battlefield and at home. The Market House also focuses on area history. From 6 until 10 p.m., 4th Friday participants can visit the Market House and see Post Cards of Fayetteville and the permanent exhibit A View from the Square: A History of Downtown Fayetteville. 

To learn more about 4th Friday, call 323-1776.

On Oct. 28, the streets of downtown Fayetteville will be flooded with zombies. This month the official theme of 4th Friday is the Zombie Walk. 

This event is an annual family-friendly event that allows for the people of Fayetteville to transform into a remarkably friendly hoard of zombies. Zombies, ghouls and the occasional zombie hunter should begin gathering at the Headquarters Library (300 Maiden Lane) at 6 p.m. for the pre-party and preparation. The walk to downtown will begin at 8 p.m.

Headquarters Library, the initial gathering spot for the hoard, will join in on the ghoulish fun. Free family-friendly games are planned on the front porch from 4 until 7 p.m. Even the youngest of zombies can join in. From 7 until 9 p.m., storytellers will present frightening local legends, scary fictional stories and classic ghost stories. This is also a free event, though it may not be entirely suitable for young children. 

In addition to roaming ghouls, 4th Friday also features incredible local art. The Arts Council, located at 301 Hay Street, will host the opening of Recycle: The Art of Transformation. This installation features local artists taking discarded materials and recycling and reusing them to create incredible and beautiful pieces of artwork. The exhibit is open and free to the public from 7 until 9 p.m. The exhibit is presented with The City of Fayetteville’s Environmental Services Department.

Fascinate-U Children’s Museum is designed specifically to engage children in fun and safe learning. Exhibits mimic real life situations like broadcasting studios and stores, and are intended to be touched and played with to stimulate exploration and learning. Fascinate-U will also offer a free creative craft. From 7 until 9 p.m., children are invited to make a cute cat and enjoy free admission in the museum, which is located at 116 Green Street.

Cape Fear Studios is hosting a gallery opening on Oct. 28, 6-8 p.m.  The exhibit is the 20th Annual Nellie Allen Smith Pottery Competition. This competition has grown from a local to a national competition, but it has always maintained the core goal of giving clay artists the opportunity to compete with peers. This year the juror is potter Simon Leach, who comes from a family of potters. His work is influenced by his fathers and grandfathers work as well as by Japanese and Korean art. He will also  attend the opening reception and the exhibit will run until Nov. 23.  

The Fayetteville Transportation Museum offers the perfect place to explore local history on a crisp October evening in Downtown Fayetteville. Located at 325 Franklin Street, the museum is open and free from 6-8:30 p.m.  The current exhibit is called Cumberland County Goes to War. It focuses on the areas involvement in the Civil War both on the battlefield and at home. The Market House also focuses on area history. From 6 until 10 p.m., 4th Friday participants can visit the Market House and see Post Cards of Fayetteville and the permanent exhibit A View from the Square: A History of Downtown Fayetteville. 

To learn more about 4th Friday, call 323-1776.

On Oct. 28, the streets of downtown Fayetteville will be flooded with zombies. This month the official theme of 4th Friday is the Zombie Walk. 

This event is an annual family-friendly event that allows for the people of Fayetteville to transform into a remarkably friendly hoard of zombies. Zombies, ghouls and the occasional zombie hunter should begin gathering at the Headquarters Library (300 Maiden Lane) at 6 p.m. for the pre-party and preparation. The walk to downtown will begin at 8 p.m.

Headquarters Library, the initial gathering spot for the hoard, will join in on the ghoulish fun. Free family-friendly games are planned on the front porch from 4 until 7 p.m. Even the youngest of zombies can join in. From 7 until 9 p.m., storytellers will present frightening local legends, scary fictional stories and classic ghost stories. This is also a free event, though it may not be entirely suitable for young children. 

In addition to roaming ghouls, 4th Friday also features incredible local art. The Arts Council, located at 301 Hay Street, will host the opening of Recycle: The Art of Transformation. This installation features local artists taking discarded materials and recycling and reusing them to create incredible and beautiful pieces of artwork. The exhibit is open and free to the public from 7 until 9 p.m. The exhibit is presented with The City of Fayetteville’s Environmental Services Department.

Fascinate-U Children’s Museum is designed specifically to engage children in fun and safe learning. Exhibits mimic real life situations like broadcasting studios and stores, and are intended to be touched and played with to stimulate exploration and learning. Fascinate-U will also offer a free creative craft. From 7 until 9 p.m., children are invited to make a cute cat and enjoy free admission in the museum, which is located at 116 Green Street.

Cape Fear Studios is hosting a gallery opening on Oct. 28, 6-8 p.m.  The exhibit is the 20th Annual Nellie Allen Smith Pottery Competition. This competition has grown from a local to a national competition, but it has always maintained the core goal of giving clay artists the opportunity to compete with peers. This year the juror is potter Simon Leach, who comes from a family of potters. His work is influenced by his fathers and grandfathers work as well as by Japanese and Korean art. He will also  attend the opening reception and the exhibit will run until Nov. 23.  

The Fayetteville Transportation Museum offers the perfect place to explore local history on a crisp October evening in Downtown Fayetteville. Located at 325 Franklin Street, the museum is open and free from 6-8:30 p.m.  The current exhibit is called Cumberland County Goes to War. It focuses on the areas involvement in the Civil War both on the battlefield and at home. The Market House also focuses on area history. From 6 until 10 p.m., 4th Friday participants can visit the Market House and see Post Cards of Fayetteville and the permanent exhibit A View from the Square: A History of Downtown Fayetteville. 

To learn more about 4th Friday, call 323-1776.

On Oct. 28, the streets of downtown Fayetteville will be flooded with zombies. This month the official theme of 4th Friday is the Zombie Walk. 

This event is an annual family-friendly event that allows for the people of Fayetteville to transform into a remarkably friendly hoard of zombies. Zombies, ghouls and the occasional zombie hunter should begin gathering at the Headquarters Library (300 Maiden Lane) at 6 p.m. for the pre-party and preparation. The walk to downtown will begin at 8 p.m.

Headquarters Library, the initial gathering spot for the hoard, will join in on the ghoulish fun. Free family-friendly games are planned on the front porch from 4 until 7 p.m. Even the youngest of zombies can join in. From 7 until 9 p.m., storytellers will present frightening local legends, scary fictional stories and classic ghost stories. This is also a free event, though it may not be entirely suitable for young children. 

In addition to roaming ghouls, 4th Friday also features incredible local art. The Arts Council, located at 301 Hay Street, will host the opening of Recycle: The Art of Transformation. This installation features local artists taking discarded materials and recycling and reusing them to create incredible and beautiful pieces of artwork. The exhibit is open and free to the public from 7 until 9 p.m. The exhibit is presented with The City of Fayetteville’s Environmental Services Department.

Fascinate-U Children’s Museum is designed specifically to engage children in fun and safe learning. Exhibits mimic real life situations like broadcasting studios and stores, and are intended to be touched and played with to stimulate exploration and learning. Fascinate-U will also offer a free creative craft. From 7 until 9 p.m., children are invited to make a cute cat and enjoy free admission in the museum, which is located at 116 Green Street.

Cape Fear Studios is hosting a gallery opening on Oct. 28, 6-8 p.m.  The exhibit is the 20th Annual Nellie Allen Smith Pottery Competition. This competition has grown from a local to a national competition, but it has always maintained the core goal of giving clay artists the opportunity to compete with peers. This year the juror is potter Simon Leach, who comes from a family of potters. His work is influenced by his fathers and grandfathers work as well as by Japanese and Korean art. He will also  attend the opening reception and the exhibit will run until Nov. 23.  

The Fayetteville Transportation Museum offers the perfect place to explore local history on a crisp October evening in Downtown Fayetteville. Located at 325 Franklin Street, the museum is open and free from 6-8:30 p.m.  The current exhibit is called Cumberland County Goes to War. It focuses on the areas involvement in the Civil War both on the battlefield and at home. The Market House also focuses on area history. From 6 until 10 p.m., 4th Friday participants can visit the Market House and see Post Cards of Fayetteville and the permanent exhibit A View from the Square: A History of Downtown Fayetteville. 

To learn more about 4th Friday, call 323-1776.

What do murder, a séance and Edgar Allen Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart have in common? Heritage Square. On Oct. 27, 29 and 30, the Woman’s Club of Fayetteville invites the public to Historic Hauntings for a peek into the macabre past of the Oval Ballroom on Dick Street followed by a basement performance of Edgar Allen Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart. Led by Dr. Gail Morfesis, Historic Hauntings is nothing like other local Halloween haunts and trails. 

In 1849, Ann Simpson and her husband, Alexander, lived in Fayetteville. They dined in what is now the Oval Ballroom at Heritage Square. By 1850, Alexander was dead and Ann stood accused of poisoning her husband.  She was the first Fayetteville woman accused of murder. It’s said she was encouraged, maybe even coached by her friend and soothsayer Polly Rising. Historic Haunting at Heritage Square delves into the case of Ann Simpson with Morfesis’ production of Arsenic and Old Fayetteville. The piece includes local thespians Staci Graybill, Claudia Warga, Gary Clayton and Stanley Seay.

“The property lends itself very well to that time period and to the time of this murder,” said Morfesis. “The murder took place in the ballroom, so we do a scene there. We go upstairs and have a story time and talk about the Harvard transcripts that document the case, then we have a séance.   Polly Rising was a fortuneteller in this story and many say she encouraged Ann to kill her husband, so we call her forth and hear more about the details of the murder.”

After the séance, the production moves to the basement for a performance of Edgar Allen Poe’s A Tell-Tale Heart. It’s a one-man show and Stanley Seay is the sole performer. 

“I’m a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe. My English teacher in eighth grade requested I do a dramatic reading of one of Poe’s works and that is where I got into it. He did some fantastic writing. I thought it would be a fun cool show to do,” he said.

While Seay doesn’t change the words in Poe’s work, he says this performance is “interesting and a little different.” The setting itself makes it the perfect place for a performance like this. 

“The house is phenomenal. Anybody that likes Edgar Allen Poe, Halloween, tales of the macabre, this is something they will enjoy. Even Steven King fans can easily relate to this as well as — Goosebumps fans.”

While Historic Hauntings at Heritage Square is family-friendly, Seay noted that younger children may find it overwhelming.

Proceeds from this event benefit Heritage Square. 

“Over the years, the Woman’s Club has worked very hard to raise funds to support these three buildings that make up Heritage Square,” said Morfesis. “The buildings are more than 200 years old. It takes a lot of money to maintain the properties and they do it mainly by fundraising. We did A Christmas Carol Revisited last year during the holiday season and will have it again on Nov. 18-20 this year.”

Historic Haunting at Heritage Square is on Oct. 27, 29 and 30 at Heritage Square. Admission is $10. Tickets are available at the door or at the Pilgrim in Westwood Shopping Center. For more information, call 483-6009.

On Nov. 5, Fayetteville State University will host Cotton Club II, which is a jazz-inspired performance by Fayetteville State University students who are part of the Department of Performing and Fine Arts. Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications Jeffrey Womble is looking forward to the performance. “Singers, dancers, artists and theater students will provide entertainment of the highest quality. A live jazz band consisting of FSU students and musicians from the Performing and Fine Arts Department is slated to perform. We had a similar event last year that featured actress Jasmine Guy and it was such a hit, we decided to do it again, but this time put the spotlight on the many talented students we have at Fayetteville State University.”

The name of the event is inspired by the famous Cotton Club in Harlem in the 1920s. The students, inspired by the incredible jazz music of the era, will capture the electric atmosphere of creativity that emerged in the Cotton Club. “Men attending the club wore zoot suits, wide-brimmed hats and wing-tipped shoes. Gold chains dangled from their pockets. The women donned flapper dresses made of fringe and sequins and bell-shaped hats. In its heyday, The Cotton Club was the spot to be and be seen. The venue featured singers and dancers, and it helped launch the career of many artists to include Duke Ellington, whose orchestra was the house band there for four years,” Womble explained. “Cab Calloway and Dorothy Dandridge were regulars. We are going to recreate that entire scene at The FSU Cotton Club II on Nov. 5 with singing, dancing, champagne and great food.”

Cotton Club II has been billed as a tribute to Duke Ellington and celebrates his classic songs and style, but the performances are truly a tribute to jazz and to the era. “Music featuring other jazz artists from the Harlem Renaissance era is also on tap. You just might hear some Ella Fitzgerald, some Dorothy Dandridge or Cab Calloway. There’s going to be something for the jazz lover in everyone,” Womble said.

The event is in part a fundraiser. 

“It is part of First Lady Nancy Anderson’s initiative to raise money for the Department of Performing and Fine Arts at Fayetteville State University,” Womble said. “Proceeds from the event will provide scholarships and other needed support for the department.” 

Nationally, arts programs have been struggling fiscally, but the arts are an important aspect of having a prosperous and healthy community. This event allows the region to support their local students and the artistic future of the area. 

“This is a community effort and it’s for the community. While we have many university employees involved in the planning and execution, much of the work is being coordinated by Nancy Anderson and a committee consisting of community leaders and friends who want to see the performing and fine arts at FSU flourish and provide quality programs for the citizens of this region,” Womble said. “Great food, incredible music and the champagne will flow. Attendees are encouraged to dress in attire reminiscent of the Harlem Renaissance era and come help us bring The Cotton Club II to life. This is an event that you don’t want to miss.”

For tickets and information, visit the website at www.uncfsu.edu/arts.

Three people died in Cumberland County during Hurricane Matthew which struck Fayetteville on Saturday, Oct.  8.  Throughout the day, 14 inches of rain fell, followed by another eight inches Sunday, Oct. 9. The previous weekend, an eight-inch rainfall had already inundated Greater Fayetteville. 

The damage it caused was catastrophic. Six hundred homes in King’s Grant on Fayetteville’s north side were cut off from the rest of Fayetteville when a utility culvert beneath Shawcroft Road blew out causing the roadway itself to collapse. It’s the only city street providing King’s Grant residents ingress and egress to the subdivision. Fayetteville Engineering and Infrastructure Director Rob Stone estimates it will take six months to make repairs. Meanwhile a temporary access road has been created by extending Cottage Way to Shawcroft. It crosses private property owned by Cedar Falls Baptist Church and the Kings Grant Home Owners Association. 

The Cedar Falls Church parking lot became a marshaling area for the Red Cross and North Carolina Baptist Men disaster relief organizations. The Red Cross at one time had 400 volunteers working in Fayetteville from across the state and as far away as New York. 

Rayconda is another community hard hit by Matthew. The earthen dam beneath Siple Avenue partially collapsed and more than 200 homes were cut off from Raeford Road. A contractor hired by the City of Fayetteville and city crews repaired the roadway and reopened it for emergencies only on Oct. 20. Full-size fire engines and ambulances now have access to Rayconda. Siple Avenue is expected to be opened to all traffic by Oct. 28, which is two weeks ahead of the original schedule. 

The Mirror Lake Drive dam in Van Story Hills washed out, again. The first time was when Hurricane Fran washed it out in 1996. In Aaran Lakes, the dam at Greenoch Drive was blown out as was a dam on Sykes Pond Road.

Across the county, 40 homes were destroyed. In all, 900 structures were damaged, said Cumberland County Manager Amy Cannon. Initial estimates include residential property losses totaled $30 million. Other areas of significant damage included Veterans State Park on Bragg Boulevard. Underground electric pumps were destroyed. Recreation and Parks Director Michael Gibson reported three feet of water in the building. The basement of the headquarters library downtown was flooded. One building on the Public Works campus off Wilmington Road had 12 inches of water in it at one point, according to PWC General Manager David Trego. Three city owned buildings on Alexander Street were damaged by high water. They housed traffic services and engineering departments. Forty thousand homes on the PWC system were without power during the height of the hurricane. Efforts to restore power were completed by late Tuesday, Oct 11. 

Associate School Superintendent Tim Kinlaw said 38 of the county’s 86 schools suffered temporary power outages, but none had significant damage. Eight county vehicles including sheriff’s patrol cars were damaged in the storm. Seventy-one city vehicles were damaged, 20 of them seriously. Twenty PWC vehicles were damaged.

The City of Fayetteville is experiencing an unprecedented increase in homicides this year, and is on track to set an all-time high record. The current total is 28 with two months to go in the year. The city’s worst murder count was in 1993 when the number hit 30, but it was an anomaly. In August of that year four people were killed and eight others wounded in a mass shooting at Luigi’s Italian Restaurant. Fort Bragg solider Kenneth French Jr., was tried and convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

This year’s increase follows a significant decline in murders in 2015 with only 19 which makes the turnaround more baffling.  Police officials say it’s difficult to attribute reasons for the annual ups and downs of killings. 

“Law enforcement cannot predict when a son will murder his parents, why a husband kills his wife and then himself, why individuals recently released from long prison sentences become victims or suspects in homicides,” said Interim Police Chief Anthony Kelly. These are actual cases this year. 

The police department, adds Kelly, is committed to programs designed to reduce violent crimes, but they may not show results for years to come. They include the EKG program (Educating Kids on Gun Violence), the LEAD program (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) for low-level drug offenders, and the newly created Misdemeanor Diversion Program intended to keep 16- and 17-year-olds from being put in a system that could have the unintended consequence of life-long involvement in criminal activity. The Police Activity League and Operation Ceasefire are other programs designed to help combat crime. 

Kelly notes homicides have increased nationally this year, but police professionals don’t entirely understand why. Major cities across the U.S. have experienced a surge in homicides. Murders are up in roughly 30 big cities so far in 2016, according to data released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Kelly says the FPD evaluates each murder and reaches out to the families of victims and suspects in efforts to understand the whys and wherefores as well as to reduce additional violence. Fayetteville Police records show that all of this year’s murder cases have been cleared with arrests.

How can police and local leaders mobilize the citizenry to stop the killing in their communities? Police chiefs generally agree that homicide is a community problem with solutions present in the community. Washington, D.C.’s recently retired Chief of Police Cathy L. Lanier, pointed out after a rash of homicides that there is a limit to what law enforcement alone can do to prevent killings.* Chief Kelly, a 22-year veteran of law enforcement, agrees that fighting crime is a shared societal responsibility. 

“Social and economic issues related to the lack of educational opportunities, affordable housing, limited job opportunities, substance abuse and mental health issues contribute to crime,” he says. “Everyone plays a role in keeping the community safe, and we endeavor to do everything we can to continue our efforts to reduce violent crime.”  

* “Another Shooting Adds to District’s Deadly Weekend,” The Washington Post, Metro Section, Monday June 2, 2008.

 

Creating a brand and building an image for a new minor league baseball team is not something that concerns the Fayetteville City Council. At least that’s the belief of Council’s baseball committee chaired by Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Colvin. In Colvin’s eyes, that’s up to the owners of the franchise. 

By the end of this month the City expects to finalize a binding contract with the Houston Astros to host a Carolina League Single A minor league ball club. The City has chosen the site behind the former Prince Charles Hotel downtown for a $33 million stadium to be patterned after a Triple A stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. The city owns the property, which represents a significant saving.

If the project remains on schedule, the City hopes to begin construction of the ball park in July. Mayor Pro Tem Colvin points out that their obligation is to provide the ball park. The Astros will manage the team and operate the stadium under a $250,000 annual lease with Fayetteville. 

“The city is not involved in the operation of the team and their decisions,” he said. 

A question under consideration is where will the Fayetteville team play while the stadium is under construction? That decision is the province of the parent organization. But it appears that team won’t be playing in Fayetteville. 

“I am certain we will begin to see more activity in the days to come by the Astros,” Colvin added.

J.P. Riddle Stadium on Legion Road has been considered as a temporary home for the team. It hosted previous minor league teams — the Fayetteville Generals and Cape Fear Crocs. County government, which owns the stadium, was asked by Minor League Baseball to upgrade the facility to help boost sagging attendance. The county declined. The Crocs were sold in 2000, and moved to New Jersey. For the last 15 years, the college summer league Swamp Dogs have called Riddle Stadium home. Colvin tells Up & Coming Weekly that an unnamed county commissioner said he “did not believe the Swamp Dogs were interested in subleasing their stadium to the Astros Minor League team.”

An option that the Astros organization may consider is playing at Jim Perry Stadium at Campbell University. According to Campbell’s website, the park’s refurbished grandstand seats 630 fans. It’s 35 miles from Fayetteville in Harnett County. Colvin doesn’t see that as an impediment to developing support for the new team.  “I am confident in the ability of this professional organization to engage and get the support of the local community,” he said.  

When asked whether his committee has given any thought to playing at Methodist University or Fayetteville State University? Colvin said “I do not have an answer on Methodist University’s field, and I am not aware of FSU having a viable baseball stadium that would accommodate the new team,” noting again that it was the City’s job to build the stadium and The Astros make decisions concerning the team’s operations.

“Fayetteville and Cumberland County have suffered enough,” said Interim Police Chief Anthony Kelly. 

He joined Mayor Nat Robertson and District Attorney Billy West in cautioning residents to beware of scammers in the wake of Hurricane Matthew. 

“We will not tolerate re-victimization of our citizens,” said West. 

Fraudulent solicitation of people in need of help carries jail terms and financial restitution, West added. Most commonly, predators approach elderly and poor residents offering to make home repairs. They often require some money up front to purchase supplies. That’s part of the scam. Legitimate contractors do not require down payments or deposits. Robertson was unable to cite local instances of scam artists at work in Greater Fayetteville. West hopes to keep it that way by alerting the public to illicit contractors saying North Carolina district attorneys have teams of financial prosecutors who are prepared to take rip-off artists to court. Officials say home owners should get two or three repair estimates before hiring a contractor.

 

PWC Water is Flowing

Fayetteville’s Public Works Commission doesn’t say how much water was saved in the wake of Hurricane Matthew when a pair of conservation measures were put in place after two water treatment plants failed during the storm. 

Emergency generators kicked in at both, but broken water mains prevented maintaining pressure in the system, PWC spokesperson Carolyn Justice-Hinson said. 

Mayor Nat Robertson declared a Stage IV water crisis the day after the hurricane struck. It was followed three days later by  Stage I voluntary conservation measures as conditions improved in the water system and at the water treatment plants. 

“The emergency declaration was in response to the need to rebuild acceptable water pressure levels in the PWC system,” said Justice-Hinson. She said at the time there was a temporary loss of water pressure because electrical power was lost at the plants and water mains in the distribution system had burst. 

“The plants were able to pump enough water to refill all the storage tanks while crews checked 2,400 miles of water lines for any problem areas which were not immediately identified after the storm,” Justice-Hinson added.  

 

New Rowan Street Bridge 

The State Department of Transportation says construction on the new multi-million dollar Rowan Street Bridge is expected to get underway as soon as Nov. 1.  Construction of the six-lane dual span bridge and realignment of Bragg Boulevard, Murchison Road and Rowan Street is expected to take three and a half years. A $24 million contact has been awarded to S.T. Wooten Corporation of Wilson.  The new structure will be built adjacent to the existing bridge which dates back to 1956. It will be demolished once the new overpasses are up and running. Motorists can expect periodic detours throughout construction. Project completion is slated for May of 2020. This was one of six road and bridge projects recently awarded by N.C. DOT. They came in at about $95.5 million, which was $5.8 million under the estimated budget.  Photo credit: N.C. DOT.

 

 

 

 

Military Job Fair

CivilianJobs.com, where America’s military connects with civilian careers, will conduct 35 job fairs across the country in November. One of them is at Fort Bragg. 

The company offers recruiting and staffing services. “Military job fairs not only connect companies with the sought-after talent they’re looking for, they put candidates face-to-face with companies excited about hiring military,” said Jake Hutchings, general manager, CivilianJobs.com. The local event is Tuesday and Wednesday Nov. 8-9, at Fort Bragg’s Conference and Catering Center at 2658 Reilly Road from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Major employers will offer both local and national job opportunities. 

The event is open to all active duty soldiers, veterans, retirees and reservists as well as spouses, dependents and civilians. Active duty and prior military can pre-register at www.civilianjobs.com.

 

 

 

Fort Bragg Medics Graduate

Fayetteville Technical Community College’s first class of Army paramedics graduated last week and are now eligible to take state and federal paramedic license exams. FTCC’s program was started with the encouragement and cooperation of Womack Army Medical Center. The class began in January with 28 active duty combat medics and two employees of Fort Bragg EMS. The course consisted of 600 hours of classroom instruction and 600 hours of internship. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am living for Nov. 9.

That is the day after Nov. 8, Election Day 2016.  On the ninth, we will know who our next president, our next governor, our next U.S. senator, and a host of other honorables will be for at least the next two years and some up to eight years.  I have been confused by much of what has occurred during this election season, words and behaviors of both candidates and their supporters, and it is clear that we are a nation deeply divided in many ways.

It is also clear that a dialogue has opened about American women, who we are, what we are doing with our lives and how society regards us.  Love her or loathe her, Hillary Clinton is the first woman in our nation’s 238-year history to head the ticket of a major political party, despite the fact that women make up about 51 percent of our population.  And, love her or loathe her, her candidacy is a major American historical benchmark.  If North Carolina elects a woman senator this year, she will become one of fewer than 40 women elected to the Senate over that same time period.  It is also clear that much of this year’s campaign rhetoric revolved less around the accomplishments of American women than about our physical appearances in the workplace and elsewhere.  And, it is crystal clear that a distressing conversation has begun about what is acceptable touching between men and women, but it is a conversation we need to have as a nation.

The Dicksons made it a priority to teach respect for all people to the Precious Jewels, and if they are so blessed, I hope they will do the same with their children.

To that end, I am sharing with them some advice from US. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, known fondly as the “Notorious RBG.”  The justice has written a new book, My Own Words, and she shared some thoughts with Bill Murphy writing in the New York Timesin advance of her book’s publication.  Ginsburg’s advice applies to everyone, but she is aiming her words at parents who want their daughters to become confident, competent, and high-achieving women.

Here is part of what she prescribes.

Nurture a love of reading.

Reading is the tool that opens the door to the entire world.   It allows us to explore any topic that grabs our interest, and it does not matter whether we are rich or poor or in what part of the world we live.  If we can read, we can go anywhere.  Reading enlarges our thinking and trains us to want more knowledge.  And knowledge, once we have it, is ours forever.

Teach them to be independent.

If nothing else, election year 2016 has shown us all how many directions we can be pulled in and how much diversity — both positive and negative — is competing for our attention.  If we learn to know ourselves, trust ourselves and enjoy our own company, we are less likely to be led astray.  Independence is the way we stay true to ourselves and our own values.

Encourage them to seek excellent teachers and mentors.

I can count on one hand the teachers who really made a difference in my life, beginning with my third grade teacher all the way through graduate school.  Ditto for people who guided me in my professional life.  It makes all the difference when a young person knows she has people to turn to for advice and counsel.

Help them learn to ignore from time to time.

Successful people know that sometimes it is better not to react to some slight, some offense, some unkindness whether they come in the workplace or in a relationship.  Put simply, not everything deserves a response — or in our era, a Tweet.  Ginsburg’s mother-in-law advised her new daughter-in-law that sometimes it is helpful “to be a little deaf.”  She was right.

Encourage them to focus on achievement, not on the barriers to it.

Barriers always exist and certainly did for women when Ginsburg, now 83, was establishing her career and had a young family.  She plowed through the days when it was legal to pay women less than men for the same work and when she could not get a credit card without her husband’s signature.  She persevered.

Akin to that advice is this.  Teach them that they can create their own luck.

Circumstances outside our control always affect us, but it is largely our reaction to those circumstances that determines our outcomes.  This may be perseverance as well.

And finally, keep your fingers crossed that they marry the right person.

Handsome, wealthy, and charming are wonderful attributes, but a supportive partner willing to go the distance with us is the goal.

The Notorious RBG looks nothing like a supermodel, but she makes a perfect role model for our young women.

Friday evening, several weeks ago, I attended a special event in downtown Fayetteville at the Cameo Art House Theater. Afterwards, around 9:30 p.m., I had only two blocks to walk to the reception held at SkyView on Hay. In these two short city blocks, I was approached three times by panhandler’s and vagrants. 

I was brought up to be compassionate, kind and generous and cannot remember when I have failed to offer assistance to someone truly in need... “By the grace of God go I.” However, if you live or work in Downtown Fayetteville your nerves, resources and patience are probably being tested by what seems to be this ever growing influx of vagrants and panhandlers. 

I’m not going to use the word “homeless” because our community has yet to define that term. However, the problem is real and getting worse as Downtown Fayetteville becomes their preferred sanctuary. A shameful circumstance that quickly turns sympathy, generosity and empathy into fear, apprehension and frustration. Fear, initially from the abrupt unknown approach. “What is going to happen next?” Apprehension from our crazy, unpredictable and erratic judicial system that puts in question what rights we actually have to defend ourselves should this panhandler or vagrant become overly aggressive or violent. These concerns are real. Will I be sued or go to jail for defending myself from this derelict? Or, maybe I’ll be accused of violating his human rights. 

The frustration comes from thinking about the impression we are making on first time visitors to Fayetteville or on someone who has just moved into one of the lovely apartments or condos downtown or recently set up business downtown. Frustration also comes from knowing it doesn’t have to be this way. All that is needed is a show of “law and order,” an increased police presence, enforcement of existing laws and an inclination to address the problem. It’s doable.

Without punity these vagrant and panhandling intruders use our bushes and landscapes as camp sites, our back doors, parking lots and alley ways as toilets and downtown pedestrians as a revenue source. Those worried about the new downtown Transportation Hub attracting and harboring these undesirables have a legitimate concern, which I believe is soon to become a reality. 

The city bureaucrats who claim we have no money to address this situation also have no idea what the real cost to the city will be if the problem is not addressed. New stadium, new baseball team, innovative arts and entertainment district. Now is the time to address this issue, not later. Continued denial is not an option. Agree? 

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

In 1991, music lovers around the world commemorated the 200th anniversary of Mozart’s death. In Fayetteville, Alan Porter gathered a group of community members to perform Mozart’s Requiem. 

“It remains as ‘the’ moment that began this organization,” said Cumberland Oratorio Singers Director Michael Martin. To celebrate the organization’s 25th anniversary, Alan Porter returns to conduct a portion of the season’s first concert, which is set for Oct. 29, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. The COS is also inviting past members for recognition at the event as well.

In a nod to the group’s history, this first concert features a performance of “Requiem”, along with another collaboration with the Methodist University Chorale. “Alan was the original director of the COS,” said Martin. “He was the face of choral music in Fayetteville from his hiring in the earliest days of Methodist (College) University in the early 1960s until ending his time in Fayetteville choral music in 2008. He has also been a big supporter of mine and a person I am grateful to call my friend. For well over 40 years, he forged many relationships with people all for the sake of music and singing. It is no wonder that he still lives in the hearts of many people here in Fayetteville and all the students that passed through Methodist’s doors.”

For Martin, it is only natural to recognize Porter’s efforts, even if it means breaking a few rules. “I am breaking concert protocol to make sure that Alan gets the opportunity to conduct the “Requiem”. Generally, large multi-movement pieces are conceived to have no applause between the movements, primarily because they are all part of the same work,” said Martin. “However, this time, I intend to stop the “Requiem” before we perform “Lacrimosa”, have Alan conduct this one part, and take his community bow at that point. For a man who has done so much for so many, this is something I am excited to assure for him.”

There are three other performances this season. December 17 at 7:30 p.m., St. Ann Catholic Church hosts the annual “Messiah Sing,” which is a free concert. This is what the COS calls its “gift to the community.” The concert includes Lord of the Rings soloist Kaitlyn Lusk and Joshua Conyers of Piedmont Opera. March 24, at 7:30 p.m., at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church is a concert called “The Student and the Teacher,” featuring the music of Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughn Williams. Britten was a student at the Royal College of Music while Vaughn Williams was a teacher there. The last concert of the year is called “The Trumpets Shall Sound,” and features choral music accompanied by brass, percussion and organ. This concert is on May 19 at 7:30 p.m., at Haymount United Methodist Church.

While COS is about music, it is also about community. In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, the board decided to donate $5 from every ticket sold to Second Harvest Food Bank to support their efforts with hurricane relief. The concert is at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. For more information, visit: www.singwithcos.org.

The Department of Performing and Fine Arts at Fayetteville State University would like to invite the public to join more than 100 visitors arriving from six states to attend a distinctive gallery crawl on Nov. 4. 

The exhibits are the direct result of the indirect support of two national conferences taking place at FSU on Nov. 4-5, the 16th National Alliance of Artists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the National Conference of Artists, an organization of African-American artists and educators that has been in existence since 1959. 

Although there is a small fee to attend the conference, it is an historic event on the campus of Fayetteville State University and for the community; the conferences have been committed to the works of African-American artists and their canon in the history of art. During the past five decades the NCA has counted among its membership some of the leading African-American artists and historians of the 20th century. Through its annual meetings and related exhibitions, it has been in a position to monitor the evolution of African-American artists throughout that period as well as assess the work of their African-American forebears. 

Six galleries are participating in the gallery crawl on Friday, Nov. 4, between 3 and 8 p.m. Students from many historically black college/universities and their professors/alumni will be exhibiting in local galleries; while other galleries are involved by hosting exhibitions that include significant contemporary or historical African-American artists. 

Rosenthal Gallery on the campus of Fayetteville State University is hosting the faculty and alumni from the NAAHBCU and organization of historically black colleges and universities. Many of the artists exhibiting are historically significant and have contributed to the history of the African American canon in art.

Ellington White Contemporary Gallery is hosting the Charles White Sketchbook exhibit. The exhibit features 17 sketchbook drawings and watercolors by one of America’s most historically important and recognized African-American and Social Realist artists. His work is included in the Smithsonian, Metropolitan Museum, the Whitney Museum and many more well respected institutions. 

The Arts Council of Fayetteville and Cumberland County has included several African-American artists who use recycled materials in their annual recycle exhibit titled Recycle: The Art of Transformation. The student exhibits are in three gallery spaces: Gallery 208, Gallery 116 and the Rudolf Jones Student Center at Fayetteville State University. 

Schedule of Gallery Crawl Openings on Friday, Nov. 4:

Rudolph Jones Student Center at FSU (Student Exhibit, FSU): 3:30-5:30 p.m. 

Rosenthal Gallery, FSU   (HBCU Faculty and Alumni Exhibit, FSU): 4:30 - 8 p.m. 

Gallery 208 (Student Exhibit, 208 Rowan Street): 5:30 - 8 p.m. 

Gallery 116 (Student Exhibit, 116 Anderson Street): 5:30 - 8 p.m. 

Arts Council of Fayetteville and Cumberland County (301 Hay Street, Recycle: the Art of Transformation includes several African-American artists who recycle): 5:30 – 8 p.m. 

Ellington White Contemporary Gallery (113 Gillespie Street, Charles White Sketchbook Exhibit): 5:30 - 8 p.m.  

The gallery openings are free to everyone, but there is a $50 fee to attend the 16th NAAHBCU and 54th NCA conferences. The theme for the conference and its presenters at Fayetteville State University is Into the New Millennium: New Media Abstractions and Identity Politics.

Conference events begin in the FSU Rudolph Jones Student Center on Friday, Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and continue on Saturday, Nov. 5, in Seabrook Auditorium and FSU Rosenthal Building (classrooms and the recital hall) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The featured conference speakers will include: 

Dr. Regenia A. Perry, a retired Virginia Commonwealth University Professor of African-American Art History, is the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in Art History. She is also the foremost expert in African-American folk art. 

Lisa Farrington, chair of the Art Department at John Jay College CUNY and is a curator, author and art historian specializing in Haitian, African-American and women’s art. She has published widely, including Common Goals, Common Struggles: Women of the Harlem Renaissance (University of Mississippi, forthcoming), Creating Their Own Image: the History of African-American Women Artists(Oxford University, 2005), and two monographs on artist Faith Ringgold. 

Dr. Jeffery C. Stewart, a Professor in the Black Studies Department at the University of California at Santa Barbara, has an extensive list of publications and essays. His most important research has been on the Harlem Renaissance, the black arts movement of the 1920s, and his specialty has been the work of black philosopher Alain Locke. 

Willis “Bing” Davis, is the Founder and Director of the EbonNia Gallery in Dayton, Ohio. He has served as past President of the National Conference of Artists and has had a distinguished career as a curator and an artist who exhibits in galleries and museums in America, as well as West Africa and Germany.

Dr. Leo Twiggs, is widely seen as the country’s main pioneer of batik as a modern art form. He is an important and noted South Carolinian artist since the 1960s. The subject of his art is about issues and people close to his Southern upbringing. 

Although all the exhibits will be up a month, the night of the official opening is a gallery crawl to visit each Fayetteville gallery participating in the exhibition as part of the conference between the hours of 3:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, and the public is invited. For information on the conference events and times, contact the conference coordinator: Dwight Smith, Assistant Professor of Art, at 672-1795. 

For conference details and events, go to the FSU Department of Performing and Fine Arts, click on Fine Arts Series website: http://fsuarts.com/event/national-alliance-of-artists-from-hbcus-exhibition/

Sustainable Sandhills presents the viewing of the 1973 film Soylent Green on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 11 a.m. at the Cameo Art House Theatre in downtown Fayetteville.  

The purpose of this event is to start a dialogue on climate resiliency in Fayetteville. The film is a part of the Sustainable Saturdays film series and the plot entails the year 2022. Food rations are short, global warming has taken effect and the earth is overheating. Investigator Robert Thorn, from the New York Police Department, investigates the death of an executive at the company that makes the food ration Soylent Green. 

“The film was produced in the early ‘70s and people are rioting and the government is trying to control the riots,” said Denise Bruce, environmental outreach manager for Sustainable Sandhills. 

“We chose this film because it is actually one of the first films that Hollywood produced that references climate change,” said Bruce, adding that although they use the term global warming, Hollywood in the ‘70s took a look at what could happen if the population on Earth continued to grow and they wanted to take a look at what would happen if global warming continued. 

“At the end of the film we are going to have a discussion about climate change, where science is now on climate change and the UN’s climate talks,” said Bruce. “We are also going to talk about the Fayetteville-Cumberland County climate change action plan.” Sustainable Sandhills and many partners throughout the county created a climate change resiliency plan for whenever we have major climate events such as a major hurricane, heatwave or flooding. How do we not lose people at the hands of a climate event in our area?

Sustainable Saturdays feature documentaries that have generated lively discussions among the group. 

“We try to put forth a topic that creates a dialogue,” said Bruce. “We understand that some of the issues that we work on can be very political and polarizing.” 

Bruce added that rather than hammering away on that side of it, we look at what the real solutions can be.  

Donations are strongly encouraged. Doors open at 10:45 a.m. For more information, email Bruce at greenaction@sustainablesandhills.org.