KENNARD: Harvest time signals change in the seasons  

I was out in the country earlier this week enjoying the “cooler” weather, driving with my windows down and the radio turned up when I found myself in the middle of a small dust storm — well sort of.

A corn harvester was working through a section of field corn and had made a turn just as Neil Diamond and I happened along.

I realized it must be harvest season — again, sort of.

Harvest season really depends on what’s growing at any given time around here. The wheat harvest is all pretty much done by now. Soybean fields are still looking pretty green and won’t start coming in until October; cotton and peanuts, too.

Tobacco, which has a rich history in North Carolina, began its harvest in July and will last through September depending on the weather.

Speaking of tobacco, when I was compiling the “Our History” column this week I found a fun little story about the once very lucrative tobacco crop. You can find it on page 3A today.

It seems that in 1922 — that’s 100 years ago — a kid from Washington D.C., heard about North Carolina and the money being made in tobacco. He put on his walking shoes and headed south with enough money to rent three acres of farmland. A few months later, he harvested his crop and made a small fortune; at least enough that the 19-year-old farmer didn’t have to walk all the way back to D.C.

Years ago when our family of six was just a family of four and I was just a baby journalist, we rented a little white cinder block house in the middle of a corn field in central Washington. The man we rented from used the building as housing for migrant labor — which I supposed we were since we lived there less than a year until we could find a home with few bugs and dependable plumbing.

Despite what my wife called primitive living, I enjoyed the place for its simplicity, the smell of rain as it fell on the dirt roads, the sound of distant farm equipment working the fields, even mowing the grass in the small yard that was shaded from the hot summer sun by tall poplar trees.

More than once during our stay, we’d wake to the roar of aerial applicators (crop dusters) seemingly dive bombing our little home in the country.

The kids would watch as they’d circle around, then come in fast, diving under the powerlines and letting loose with the pesticide spray or fertilizer or whatever it was the corn needed.

Just inches above the field crop, those pilots flew in fast toward our little white shack, then pulled up just in time to miss the tallest branches of the poplars that stood like centuries around our home.

Over the years, I’ve wondered just what kind of lasting health effects we might have from whatever spray may have drifted over home. But now that my two youngest are fully grown and living full lives, I can only surmise that it must have been good for both us and the sweet corn.

Nowadays, on my drive in to work, I’ll occasionally get stuck behind a tractor or some other piece of farm equipment. But I’ve found it doesn’t bother me so much; it gives me time to look out over the fields and appreciate the annual change in season from an agricultural point of view.

David Kennard is the executive editor of the Robesonian. Contact him at dkennard@robesonian.com.

EDITOR'S NOTES: Odds are hurricanes headed our way  

Hurricane Matthew in the fall of 2016 was my first hurricane.

I know, worse storms have pounded the East Coast, but we had just moved to the Charleston, South Carolina, area the previous year and seemed to have missed any of the “big ones.”

Then Matthew came along.

As a journalist, I was “exempt” from any evacuation orders. That’s in quotation marks because I was only exempt depending on which law enforcement agency I happened to encounter.

I always get a kick out of watching broadcast news folks standing out in the storm as they get battered by cats-and-dog rain. That may make for great TV, but as a newsroom manager, I want my team far away from danger.

As a relative newcomer to the area — and a recent single-wide community resident — I’ve been keeping a close watch on Atlantic weather forecasts. A few times a day I pop onto the National Hurricane Center’s website just to see what may be brewing out there in the Atlantic.

So far, there have been a few tropical waves, which has nothing to do with ocean waves, but is a weather phenomenon considered to be the earliest state of tropical storms. When tropical storms develop at sea, there is a chance they could develop into a hurricane — assuming all other conditions are right.

Earlier this month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) acknowledged that “oceanic conditions still favor an above-normal 2022 Atlantic hurricane season,” according to NOAA’s annual mid-season update issued on Aug. 4.

NOAA forecasters are calling for 14-20 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes and 3-5 major hurricanes.

Here is another fun fact: North Carolina has been hit by more than 50 hurricanes since the mid-1800s, making it the third most hurricane-prone state in the Country. And while it’s anyone’s guess what we can expect from this season, history shows we’re likely to be a target this year as well.

“I urge everyone to remain vigilant as we enter the peak months of hurricane season,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The experts at NOAA will continue to provide the science, data and services needed to help communities become hurricane resilient and climate-ready for the remainder of hurricane season and beyond.”

While we are now 10 weeks into hurricane season without any hurricane threats, we are far from making it through the end of November unscathed.

With that in mind, and the fact that I now live in a home that may or may not float, I’d urge that we get ready, you know, just in case.

A good place to start is a list provided by the Red Cross. I’ve shared this before, and you’ll probably see this list again in one form or another here in The Robesonian.

Here is their short list:

• Build an emergency kit that will last everyone in your family at least three days.

• Talk with household members and create an evacuation plan and practice it.

• Learn about the community’s hurricane response plan.

Here are a few that I’ll add from experience.

• Know where you’re going to go when the evacuation order comes.

• Get the car tuned up and keep it full of gas and ready to go.

• Have enough cash on hand to get you wherever you need to go to find high ground and shelter.

• If you plan to stick around, fill your outdoor grill’s propane tanks now. And maybe pick up an extra tank now before they disappear.

• Put up three days worth - or more - of drinking water. We use those clear 5 gallon jugs and keep them in an out-of-the-way closet.

Stay safe this season.

David Kennard, who plans to bug out when the weather turns blustery, is the executive editor of The Robesonian. Contact him at dkennard@robesonian.com. 

EDITOR'S NOTES: Deer season is just weeks away  

When the late summer nights start to feel cool again, I know deer season is right around the corner.

If you plan to be outside on any public land, you’ll want to keep the following dates in mind.

In North Carolina, hunting season begins on Sept. 11 for bow hunters only. Muzzelloader/black powder hunters can head out on Oct. 2 and rifle season (technically called “Firearm” season) begins on Oct. 16.

Although I’m a relative newcomer to the area, I always get a little nostalgic when I start to see ads for blaze orange clothing, ammunition and other hunting gear.

I’ve got an overnight hiking trip planned into North Carolina’s backcountry in a couple of weeks, and I am sure that once I step off the blacktop, I’ll encounter a hunter or two, at least it’s a very real possibility.

Hikers and backcountry enthusiasts — some of the friendliest folks you’ll ever run into — sometimes are disturbed when they see rifle toting hunters on their beloved trails and wandering through their unspoiled forests.

Most of my hunting these days is done with a telephoto camera lens, and most of the wild food I bring home has been handed to me through the window of a Wendy’s drive-thru.

But I’ve found over the years that there’s plenty of room for everyone in the woods, whether you’re hunting with a long lens or a long gun.

When I was still in my teens living out West, my Boy Scout troop decided we would all go get hunting licenses and see if we could bring home a deer or two.

Five of us boys, including one of my best friends, Evan Jackson, his dad and our Scout leader Dennis Scott ended up in Mr. Jackson’s 1975 Chevy station headed for Craig, Colorado. After a couple of days of walking, scoping and walking, we packed up for home.

It was late in the day when we set out on the rural state highway headed for home. It wasn’t long before I heard Mr. Jackson say, “Now what’s all this?”

I looked up to see what I thought was a small fog bank ahead and a car with its flashers pulled over on the side of the road. It was cool out, so it made sense that there might be some patchy fog, but then I saw the huge deer on the side of the road and realized what had happened.

All that fog was a bunch of deer hair. That stupid buck had decided to cross the road at the exact same time as the car ahead of us was traveling along that backroad highway in the middle of nowhere.

We pulled over as well, just to make sure everything was OK. When it finally got to its feet, the deer took off down the highway, broken legs and all.

Three of us quickly found the guns from the back of the station wagon, dug out the ammo from the trailer and began jogging down the side of the road.

Mr. Scott was the first to shoot. Miss. Between the three of us we got about four shots off before the animal finally dropped.

It was a memorable trip for us young hunters, but I have to say one of the best parts of the trip was driving through the Wendy’s restaurant on the way home. And so a tradition was born.

Every year I enjoy the start of the deer season, and I have no doubt that beginning with North Carolina’s Youth Hunt on Sept. 25, many more memories and traditions will be born that are every bit as rich as mine.

David Kennard is the executive editor of The Robesonian. Contact him at dkennard@robesonian.com. 

Editor's Notes: There’s still plenty of time to visit our national forests  

By David Kennard

The Robesonian

Our country’s national forests are gems; each one with a unique personality, from the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest that borders Canada, to Long Key State Park in the Florida Keys.

Depending on your philosophic level, you may agree or disagree that our federally protected lands need more protection from development.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit many national forests and each time, I have come away enriched.

North Carolina is home to four national forests that span our state’s vast landscape from the Appalachian Mountains on the west side of the state to the Outer Banks that stretch into the Atlantic Ocean.

As a relative newcomer to the area I’ve had the opportunity to visit the Nantahala National Forest, but only briefly as I passed through. I look forward to spending more time there on a future visit.

The Pisgah National Forest, also on the west side of the state, is one of the most visited forests in North Carolina thanks to its location near the population center of Charlotte.

Uwharrie National Forest is one of the smallest National Forests in the country, but it offers an abundance of forest wilderness and varied uses.

Croatan National Forest is what some call the gateway to the Outer Banks. It’s a coastal pine forest that includes saltwater estuaries and low lying bogs, as well as wilderness galore if you stop, listen and watch.

Most recently, I’ve enjoyed exploring our outdoor world with my youngest child — and first mate — Sam.

Sam’s middle name is Christian — which comes from my love of the book “Mutiny on the Bounty.” Around our house when I need something from my first mate, I’ll frequently bellow in my best Capt. Bligh voice, “MIS-TER CHRIS-CHUN! The garbage needs to go out.”

A while back, my Sam — who incidentally just graduated from college — began a weekend trek to ride our mountain bikes through part of the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina.

The Swamp Fox Passage of the Palmetto State Trail proved to be formidable. We had hoped to complete most of the 47-mile trail in a weekend, but our excursion ended miserably when we were chased away by clouds of bloodthirsty mosquitoes that were unfazed by our layers of Deet.

Years ago I took a trip with a forest ranger who worked in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest in northern California. You’ve not been on a hike until you’ve hiked (and by hike I mean jog) with a forest ranger.

Forest rangers know everything about the forests they manage. The plants, animals, trees and streams are their front yard. I learned a lot from my forest ranger friend that day, including that one of the original purposes of the U.S. Forest Service was to manage our forests to maintain an inventory of trees for lumber.

Sam, er, Mr. Christian and I saw first hand how some of the management is carried out as we inched our way through Francis Marion’s flatland forest.

Large sections of the forest had been purposely cleared and burned to weed out invasive plants and dead trees that prohibit healthy tree growth.

I’m not too concerned that we may never complete the last few miles of our original 47-mile trek, especially when there are so many more trails to wander in the wonderful national forests we have nearby.

David Kennard is the executive editor of The Robesonian. Contact him at dkennard@robesonian.com.

Editor's Notes: Robesonian makes good companion for summer swingout  

I was looking through some back editions of the paper this week and stumbled across a fun little feature.

The series of articles featured local folks holding up an edition of the paper at exotic locations all around the world.

It was fun to see the community paper in places like Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Africa; or spread out across the Great Wall of China. One picture showed a woman holding up local news in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Another reader carried her edition to the wilds of Asheville, North Carolina.

I got a kick out of that.

Here at the Robesonian we’re all about local people and local news, so if you’re planning on taking a trip anywhere in the next little while, throw your Robesonian in your bag and snap a picture while you’re fuming over your canceled flight or taking out a loan for your next gas fillup. You can send me your picture at dkennard@robesonian.com. You can also go to https://www.robesonian.com/community-photo-gallery#/. I’ll find a place for you in the next edition of our Community Photos feature.

Speaking of vacations, it’s about time to get out of town before things start to cool down. I’ve been lucky enough to explore some fun places around our great country so here is my short list of recommended stops that you can drive to this spring or summer if you have a day or a week.

Professor Hacker’s Lost Treasure Golf. Drive time: 1.5 hours. 843-272-5467. We loved this place. After gorging yourself on any of the 100 or so seafood buffets in Myrtle Beach, head on over to Professor Hackers for a fun train ride to the top of a small mountain — you can see the beach from there. Work your way down the path of miniature golf holes that take you over streams, around waterfalls and through scary mining caverns.

Jungle Jim’s - River Safari Water Park. Drive time: 7.5 hours. 302-227-8444. Go for the golf, stay for the water park. This is a great destination for anyone afraid of swimming in the Atlantic Ocean at nearby Rehoboth Beach. Your journey will take you through the congested metropolis of Washington, D.C. Be alert for gangs of protest marchers and discarded political placards.

Boondocks Grill, Draft House and Miniature Golf. Drivetime: 15.5 hours. 305-872-4094. This is one I’ve not actually been to, however I have visited other Boondocks locations, so I can’t imagine it’s much different — I mean other than you are in Key West, Florida. And since you are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by convertible sports cars and marinas, you might as well play a round or two on the really miniature, miniature golf course. (It’s a small course.)

Dinosaur Adventure Golf. Drive time: 12, 15 minutes hours. 1-905-358-3676. Bring your passport if you want to get home. This excellent course is located on the banks of the Niagara River in Canada. A nearby waterfall is a serious distraction and you may need a rain poncho if the wind is blowing the mist your direction.

Cody City Park Miniature Golf Course. Drive time: 32 hours. 307-587-3685. This is actually a pretty crappy little golf course, so you’re better off skipping this tourist attraction and taking a short drive into Yellowstone National Park. You are guaranteed to see some Rocky Mountain bison — the kids and I did when we were there — and perhaps a moose if you are quiet. Old Faithful, which isn’t all that faithful anymore erupts about every hour or so depending on how big the last eruption was.

Zion Ponderosa Mini Golf Course. Drive time: 33 hours.800-293-5444. This course is built on the slope of a Ponderosa Pine populated hillside in southern Utah. If you plan to stay the night, book ahead to bed down in one of the many log cabins, which range in size from covered wagon to multi-room western ranch house. We stayed in one of the Cowboy cabins and loved it. It was just a short drive to nearby Zion National Park, one of the most popular parks in the country - again, call ahead, rock slides have been known to close highways in and out of Zion NP. You are guaranteed to see herds of deer, bighorn sheep and flocks of smelly hippies hitchhiking across the West — go ahead, pick them up, they don’t bite and imagine the great photo memories.

If you’re not a miniature golf fan, there are other fun things to do in or around most of these great destinations.

And remember, if you make it to these or other fun places, bring along your Robesonian.

Editor's Notes: Independence Day significant in Robeson County 

 I knew something wasn’t right a few years ago on the Fourth of July when my daughter quietly walked into the living room and declared, “Um, Dad, there’s been an incident.” 

She and her college-aged friends were out on the street in front of the house celebrating with fireworks. I know this because the TV show I was trying to watch was interrupted every few seconds by artillery fire that she and everyone else in the neighborhood were blasting well into the night. 

No blood was drawn, but the neighbor’s cedar fence had a sulfur burn, as did the neighbor’s garage door across the street, as did the neighbor’s rose bushes around the corner. In fact the errant aerial sent blasts everywhere except into the air. 

Everyone was a little shook up, but otherwise OK. 

My garden hose put a quick end to the fireworks for the night. Friends went home and my daughter reluctantly went to each neighbor to apologize for “the incident.” 

The Fourth of July has been a day to celebrate since the earliest days of our nation, but like many of our holidays, the reason we celebrate has been diluted amongst the many celebrations. 

Here in southeast North Carolina, we have a connection to the Revolutionary War and the cause of independence that many of our fellow Americans enjoy only by proxy. 

As one of the 13 original colonies, North Carolina was the first to vote for independence from Great Britain during the Continental Congress. 

As a relative newcomer to North Carolina, I’ve come to understand the significant role our state played in the formation of our nation. 

In that regard, one of the things I enjoy here in Robeson County is the collection of the weekly history features that you enjoy in the weekend edition. The ongoing series takes a look at historical sites in the greater Robeson County area, a large number of which reference events centered on the Revolutionary War. 

Places like McPhaul’s Mill, which was a rendezvous point for local Tories. During the American Revolution, McPhaul’s (McFall’s) Mill served as a Tory stronghold. Neill McPhaul was one of the leading Loyalists in the county, and often operated under the command of David Fanning. In July 1781, Fanning encamped at the mill with the prisoners taken in the attack on Chatham Courthouse, and in late September he bivouacked there with individuals captured in the attack on Hillsborough. 

Closer to Lumbertain you can find a stone monument that honors those who were a part of establishing the town back in the late 1700s, a time when the country of America had yet to establish its full identity. 

That monument, which stands on North Water Street just north of West Fifth Street, reads in part “On August 14, 1787, John Willis deeded to the Lumberton Lottery Managers 170 acres of land, being well known as Red Bluff where the courts are held.” 

A month later on Sept. 17, 1787, delegates signed a new document known as the Constitution of the United States of America. 

The founding of Lumberton and the United States share the same history in many regards. 

In fact, it’s my feeling that settlers to Robeson County came to this area to find freedom, prosperity and opportunity. And despite the blighted history of slavery in the new country, it’s more significant now than ever that we should honor the vision and sacrifices of our city’s earliest forefathers. To them, celebrating the cause of freedom was much more “than a fireworks incident.” 

Enjoy a safe Fourth of July holiday. 

Editor's Notes: If disaster strikes keep Pop Tarts in your go bag

As a habit, I regularly check in with the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center to see what’s on the horizon.

For instance, on Friday, the National Hurricane Center, together with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, were tracking a weather event which may be important for the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

“A tropical wave located over the eastern tropical Atlantic continues to produce a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms,” forecasters reported. “Environmental conditions appear conducive for development of this system over the next few days, and a tropical depression could form during the early to middle part of next week while it moves westward at around 15 mph over the tropical Atlantic and approaches the Windward Islands.”

So far it seems unlikely that this event will have any impact on North Carolina. However, we’ve seen plenty similar storms become very dangerous - even life threatening.

Anytime something like this comes up, I start mentally preparing for a possible disaster.

Like the rest of Lumberton and Robeson County residents, I’ll continue watching the forecast until it becomes possible for the storm to cross our path. When that happens I make sure the car has a full tank of gas, make sure that we have several days’ worth of water stored and ensure that our pantry has an ample supply of Dinty Moore Stew and ramen noodles.

While I’m still a relative newcomer here, I’ve been through a few of hurricanes, at least enough to make sure my provisions here at the office are well stocked, too. Don’t tell my wife — or my doctor, but my provisions at the office include a box of Girl Scout Cookies, a box of strawberry Pop Tarts and a six pack of Diet Cherry Pepsi.

I’ve carefully prepared this list based on the number of natural disasters that I’ve lived through. While they’ve all been scary, the family and I have — in most cases — prepared for the worst.

As a child growing up in Colorado, I had similar feelings when a big snow storm would blow through – because it meant no school and days filled with sledding.

In 1982, when I was still a teen, Denver got walloped by a blizzard that froze the city solid for more than a week. Find pictures here: https://dpo.st/3A1CFGR.

I was in high school in 1980, when another disaster struck the country. Up in the Northwest, Mount St. Helens blew its top and sent ash to several states to the east. We saw a little ash fall where we lived out West, but otherwise it had little effect. My wife grew up in the Puget Sound area and remembers the disastrous impact of Mount St. Helens had to her and communities around there.

Even, 10 years after than, when I began working for a newspaper in central Washington, I remember cleaning ash out of photo and printing equipment from time to time.

As disasters go, though, I suppose the most frightening experience we had as a family was several tornadoes that blew through the area we lived in near Dayton, Ohio.

The first time it happened, my wife called me at work one day and said, “The tornado sirens are going off, what should we do.”

I said, “Take the kids and go to the basement.”

She did, the children actually had a great time making beds on the floor of our unfinished basement.

The storm passed and everyone was OK.

Several years later, another big storm known as a derecho blew through Ohio knocking down trees and power lines. We suffered more than a week during a very hot July with no power – and since we were on well water, that meant no running water.

My children still give me a hard time for running a hose down the hill so we could steal water from the chicken house, where I had built a rainwater collection system. Find a short video on that event: http://bit.ly/2c80bEt.

Another “disaster” struck when we lived in Boise, Idaho. I was working as an early morning editor and was the first into the office every morning. One day as I sat down in front of my computer to begin uploading stories, I felt a little dizzy. I brushed it off as being tired, but moments later I got a call by my environmental reporter.

“Dave,” he said in an almost panicked voice. “I think we just had an earthquake.” Indeed we did. It was small. A few people reported cracked foundations and broken dishes.

Through all these rather minor disasters, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of being prepared and remaining calm.

As I check the weather forecast every day, I’ll be looking for the big one. And in the meantime, I’ll keep my provisions of Pop Tarts and Diet Pepsi well stocked.

EDITOR'S NOTES: Context adds meaning to hike in the woods

The argument surrounding the Confederate soldier standing in front of the Robeson County Courthouse continues. 

So far pretty much everyone seems to agree that the statue needs to come down.

The question still remains on what to do with it once it is removed. As a relative newcomer to Robeson County, I don’t know that I can intelligently argue about the statue’s ultimate demise.

However, as the great, great, great-grandson of a Civil War soldier, I can understand the feelings stirred by what the monument stands for. 

David Kennard

My grandfather survived the war and eventually migrated to the West. I was reminded of grandpa Leonidas Hamlin Kennard Sr. during a walk in the woods I made not too long ago.

During my small trek I stumbled across a piece of history. Sitting on the banks of the Santee River about an hour’s drive from Charleston, South Carolina, is a Civil War site managed by the National Forest Service.

The site is quiet now, disturbed only by the gurgle of the slow moving water pushing along the shores and an occasional hoot owl somewhere in the thick grove of longleaf pines that surround the site. 

Battery Warren is a collection of earthen mounds that once concealed cannons and other guns used by Confederate forces to protect a railroad bridge that crossed the Santee.

There’s not much left of the structure now.

Tall pines and thick hardwood trees have grown up between many of the former structures, but it is still relatively easy to see the layout of the old fort.

An informational plaque at the site explains that slaves built most of the structure that is named after Colonel Samuel Warren, a Revolutionary War hero, who once owned the land where the fort is located. Sitting in a remote part of the Francis Marion National Forest, my guess is the site is preserved in an environment very much like it was when soldiers lived and worked there more than 150 years ago.

The visible history of the area, although almost reclaimed by the forest, added significance to my Saturday afternoon hike.

As I’ve mentioned before, the journalist in me seeks historical context of people, places and things I write about. 

The context of this almost forgotten fort still intrigues me.

You’ll notice that most news stories that we write here in the paper contain some piece of history to them. Sometimes the history makes up the bulk of the story.

And, quite often, the history is the most important part of the story. For instance, you may recall a couple months ago, I launched a series of historical features titled “Our History.”

You can find the latest column on page 3A of today’s Robesonian. Together, with information about one of dozens of historical markers that dot our county, I’ve enjoyed learning about Robeson County’s history.

And similar to my find while hiking through the Francis Marion National Forest, I’ve found a collection of historical markers that point to Revolutionary War sites here in Robeson County. 

For instance, In northern Robeson County you can find two historical markers a few miles from each other. 

The Raft Swamp Marker, two miles south of Red Springs tells about a Tory victory in October 1781.

You can find more information about that here: https://bit.ly/3rv9nv4. “After the Tory victory at McPhaul’s Mill, the Whigs routed the Tories near here on Oct. 15, 1781, and broke their resistance in this area,” the marker reads. 

 Another marker, this one about 5 miles north of Red Springs, tells an abbreviated story about the battle of McPhaul’s Mill in September 1781. You can find more about that marker here: https://bit.ly/3EfWF8Q.

 The markers provide only a peek into the stories that played out there and without the context, they’d be meaningless.

You can find a map that includes all of Robeson County’s historical markers here: https://bit.ly/37hUIwG.

 I’ve researched about a fourth of them here in Robeson County, but it’s an ongoing process as I visit and learn the history of these locations.

 Likewise, visitors to Warren Battery have little idea what those strange mounds of dirt are along the high banks of the Santee River. Years ago however, they meant a lot.

The threat of advancing Union forces up the Santee kept the soldiers at the fort on their toes.

The toil of the slaves that built most of the structure will likely never be known, but a visit to the site will testify to the effort they made.

 As the great, great, great grandson of a Civil War soldier, I can appreciate better now the conditions that must have existed during that time period. That context added meaning to my short hike in the woods.

 You can see my latest discovery, a historical marker dedicated to Hector MacLean, one of Lumberton’s most outstanding leaders, on page 3A of today’s Robesonian.

Dillon Heath works with customers at the Headquarters Branch of the Cumberland County Public Library. (David Kennard/Greater Fayetteville Business Journal) 

Library grant to provide online access throughout community

By David Kennard

Greater Fayetteville Business Journal

Cumberland County Commissioners accepted a State Library of North Carolina (SLNC) grant in the amount of $95,846 that will be used to pay for two digital navigators at the Cumberland County Public Library.

Faith Phillips, the Cumberland County Public Library director, said the one full-time and one part-time position represents the next phase in a series of moves she hopes will provide community access to an ever growing digital world.

“At the library we’ve had a number of customers who need help with these types of items — and of course we help them, always — but oftentimes the library staff member is on the desk helping other people,” Phillips said.

The two digital navigator positions will provide the needed help both in the public library, but also throughout the community wherever digital access is needed.

“Navigators will go into the community and help people who cannot come to the library,” Phillips said. “Navigators will be able to instill in community members the skills and confidence needed to be successful in the digital sphere so they can have truly equitable access.”

The grant, which is part of the $1.6 million SLNC Adapts Library Services and Technology Act, is one of 45 grants doled out by the state library. The state library grants were made possible by funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, Public Law 117-2 (ARPA).

According to information provided by the SLNC, the money was earmarked to “support local library projects that target high-need communities to address digital inclusion, expand digital network access, purchase internet-accessible devices, provide related technical support in response to the coronavirus, and support community needs.”

Locally, the two new positions will be used to connect “the last mile digital inclusion and navigation at the Cumberland County Public Library,” according to the commissioners’ agenda item.

Phillips said the grant will pay for the two new positions for one budget cycle, but she said she hopes to include the positions in the next fiscal year’s budget, planning of which begins in September.

Regarding boots-on-the-ground applications, the grant includes funding for 15 laptop computers that will be used at planned outreach events throughout the community.

Ideally, Phillips said she hopes to partner with local businesses to provide access in visible areas such as business parking lots, schools, community centers, public spaces, even laundromats or other places where people naturally gather.

According to Phillips, the recent acquisition of mobile hotspots represented the first phase of the library’s digital access plan. The library’s new navigators will provide the needed help for library customers searching an array of information such as seeking job information, resume coaching or even help with launching a business.

Looking forward, Phillips said she hopes to apply the “Bookmobile” model to remote internet access — which would include a mobile bus-like vehicle that can be set up on school campuses, veteran service centers or job fairs throughout the county.

“This is crucial in ensuring equal access to the digital world,” Phillips said. “While providing access to technology like hotspots and computers as well as the internet. It’s crucial for our community, but that access means nothing if a community member does not know how to access the digital ecosystem.”

Editor’s Notes: Climate change or not, it’s hot out there

By David Kennard
Greater Fayetteville Business Journal

Anyone who has spent time outside during the summer understands that it can get hot, really hot — which is good for business for sellers of sunscreen, sunglasses, sandals and sun hats.

As the high heat of August continues to cook our part of the world, entrepreneurs are dreaming up ideas on how to make a buck from climate change.

David Kennard

We had a chance last week to visit with Karen Goble, director of continuing medical education for Southern Regional, Area Health Education Centers.

You can find Scott Nunn’s story on page 3 of this edition of the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal.

According to Karen Goble, director of continuing medical education for Southern Regional, Area Health Education Centers, our region “already experiences health and community challenges posed by increasing heat and storms.”

“We have the highest incidence of heat-related illness in North Carolina,” Goble told us. “Health care workers, employee health staff, and all in the region need to consider how we adapt, such as providing counseling for persons taking commonly prescribed medications that increase risk for heat related illness.”

Stick with me for a minute; this is not another news piece promoting the idea of global warming. That said, we are experiencing a trend that seems to support the idea of climate change, at least in the short term. 

And regardless of your stance on the subject, Goble and others are focusing on the practicality of increased numbers of people showing up in hospitals and doctors offices with health issues related to the heat.

In Nunn’s story, you’ll find information about the Sandhills Climate and Health Symposium 2021. There Goble will speak on the subject of health concerns related to climate factors.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has stolen the spotlight in the last year, but it’s not the only health threat out there — hurricanes, for instance, continue to plague the Southeast year after year.

Health experts, government leaders and even regular folks like me and you usually have time to prepare for the destructive forces of these big storms.

But, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention our region “is especially vulnerable to extreme heat and wildfires. However certain populations, such as farmworkers and diabetics, face a high risk of spending too much time in the sun — which .

According to Nunn’s story, the subject of heat effects on the human body will be addressed at the Sandhills Climate and Health Symposium 2021, set for Aug. 13 at the Southern Regional Area Health Education Center (SR-AHEC), 1601 Owen Drive, Fayetteville.

Years ago, I spent a couple of summers running the aquatics program at a Boy Scout camp in southern Colorado. For five weeks in a row I’d wake up everyday, shave and apply zinc oxide (white stuff) to my nose. 

On my staff of lifeguards and sailing instructors was a young man named Randy, who had a girlfriend named Kim back home. Each day as the lakefront staff began their daily tasks, Randy would get one of the guys to reapply a thick coating of zinc oxide to his back, spelling out the name, “Kim” — you know, so when he took his shirt off he’d have a sun tattoo spelling out his girl’s name.

Time passed, and not too surprisingly, Randy and Kim went their separate ways, leaving Randy with a large sun tattoo of this young woman’s name still on his back. The day after the breakup Randy said he had come up with a solution. For the last couple of weeks Randy skipped the zinc oxide application and let Kim burn.

So, climate change or not, Kim or not, we feel the heat of summer every year. And anyone who spends any amount of time working outdoors understands the power of the sun’s heat. That and other climate-related issues is what the upcoming symposium will address.

“It will be important to consider preventative measures for those working outdoors — such as in construction or farmworkers — and engaged in outdoor sports activities,” Goble said.

The takeaway from the symposium is that our region and others must prepare for the rising number of people with conditions caused by environmental hazards.

David Kennard is the executive editor of the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal. Contact him at 910-240-9697, Ext. 104.

Cumberland County has sold the Cedar Creek Business Park, according to an announcement today. (File photo)

Cumberland County seals deal with SkyREM on Cedar Creek Business Center

By David Kennard

Greater Fayetteville Business Journal

SkyREM LLC has closed on the purchase of Cumberland County’s Cedar Creek Industrial Park, which includes about 360 acres in Fayetteville.

The $3,559,600 deal represents a major milestone for Cumberland County, with 100 percent of the park in private-sector hands, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation (FCDEC).

“When our county invested in this park, the goal was to attract private-sector investment and create jobs for our citizens,” said County Commission Chairman Charles Evans. “Considering the company’s aggressive construction timeline, our community is well-positioned to compete for and win transformative economic development projects.” 

Tuesday’s sale was the “first of two proposed acquisitions by the company,” according to a prepared statement from FCDEC.

Earlier this year, Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved the sale of a 159-acre tract in the Cumberland Industrial Center. As a condition of the sale, SkyREM agreed to construct a new industrial product within three years of purchase, with the potential for upwards of 1.6 million square feet of Class A industrial space, adding much needed inventory. 

With an industrial vacancy rate of 5.1 percent, the demand for available, quality industrial space is higher than it has been at any time in the last 15 years according to data from CoStar Analytics, 2021. 

SkyREM, a privately funded real estate company with offices in Philadelphia and New York City, “is actively acquiring throughout the East Coast,” according to information made available to the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal.

The sale marks the “third significant investment” in Cumberland County, according to the FCDEC. Other acquisitions include property off 107 Tom Starling Road. (927,000 square feet) in 2018 and 880 Technology Drive (182,000 square feet) earlier this year. 

“SkyREM is excited to invest further in the Cumberland County market,” said Alex Dembitzer, SkyREM founder. “We currently own and manage approximately 1.2 million square feet in Fayetteville and look forward to rapidly developing multiple state-of-the-art, best-in-class manufacturing, distribution and logistics facilities.”

Tuesday’s acquired property is located in the much desired land with easy access to Interstate 95, which, according to the company, puts 80 percent of the country’s population within one day or less.

Marketing to manufacturing and light industrial companies, SkyREM pointed to Cumberland County and Fayetteville as ideal locations. Tuesday’s announcement included language touting benefits that included existing “road and utility infrastructure,” and the ability for “creating multiple ready-to-build sites within minutes of I-95.” Additionally, Tuesday’s statement pointed to a new Campbell’s Soup Distribution Center located within the Cedar Creek Industrial Park. 

“We would like to thank Robert Van Geons, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, and the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation for giving SkyREM the opportunity to further invest in the Fayetteville market and look forward to working alongside the local government bringing new businesses, and more importantly, new jobs to the area,” Dembitzer said.

Likewise, Van Geons offered praise to Cumberland County officials.

“We would like to congratulate the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on the completion of this sale, which would not have been possible without the dedicated work of County Attorney Rick Moorefield and County Manager Amy Cannon,” Van Geons said. “We are grateful to the City of Fayetteville for supporting utility extensions and our marketing efforts, as well as the North Carolina Department of Transportation and South River Electric Membership Corporation who provided funding for road and electrical improvements. This is an exciting project for Fayetteville and Cumberland County, and we look forward to our continued collaboration with SkyREM.”

Fayetteville Technical Community College has filled its current courses training CDL drivers, a trend seen regionally and across the country. (Photo published with permission from FTCC)

Demand for truck drivers fosters creative responses

By David Kennard

Truck drivers are in short supply according to sources keeping an eye on the commercial transportation industry.

Fleet Advantage, with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, released information Thursday, showing that the trucking industry nationwide is anticipating a shortage of 100,000 drivers by 2023.

That’s a number that will no doubt impact buyers and sellers alike — especially with the holiday shopping season approaching.

Cumberland County and its host of distribution centers may feel the impact more than most areas, but the region is certainly not alone in its concern over the kink in the American supply chain.

According to a CNN report on Thursday, “US ports, railroads, trucks, delivery services, warehouses and the many people who run them — is overwhelmed.”

Of course, the silver lining, if there is one, is that demand for consumer goods is an indicator of a recovering economy. Walking the line between supply and demand is business as usual for manufacturers, but the common thread between sellers and buyers often includes the transportation factor.

While qualified drivers are in short supply, educators and transportation industry officials are working on the solution.

Locally, Fayetteville Technical Community College’s trucking program is full to capacity. The college has a steady demand for training thanks to its relationship with Fort Bragg. 

“Transitioning service members do enroll in our CDL program,” said Catherine Pritchard, from the school’s Office of Marketing & Public Relations. “We are also a registered CSP (Career Skills Program) through SFL Tap (Soldier for Life – Transition Assistance Program) at Fort Bragg.”

The industry has also seen a push for non-traditional employees — women as drivers and the plethora of other jobs in the supply chain.

“Facing a decades-old struggle to retain drivers—and a pandemic that’s cranked up demand for shipping—fleets long staffed by mostly male drivers are now looking to get more women behind the wheel,” according to a prepared statement from Fleet Advantage. “With the trucking industry anticipating a shortage…recruitment efforts directed at women are becoming increasingly common.”. 

That’s a trend FTCC is seeing as well. 

“There are 12 people in [the] class, all male at this time, but we've had women come through,” Pritchard said.

Around the country, other creative options are playing out as well.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, Centerline Drivers, a recruiting firm in Burbank, Calif., specializes in placing truck drivers in high demand areas, even if it means flying them across the country. 

"Our team looked around and found we had drivers available locally and came up with the idea to fly them [to a remote region of the upper Midwest], put them up and have them work until the job was done," said Shane Keller, Centerline's managing director of recruitment. "The drivers were dedicated to that company, and for six weeks moved the products the company needed to move."

A large airtanker makes a water drop on the Summit Trail Fire in Washington. (Photos used with permission from the Colville Agency, BIA National Interagency Fire Center.)

Western states fires spark Air Quality Alert in Fayetteville area — WITH VIDEO

By David Kennard

Greater Fayetteville Business Journal

Fires burning in the West have sparked an An Air Quality Alert for residents and businesses that have employees working outside throughout the Greater Fayetteville area.

Local National Weather Service officials issued the alert for Cumberland, Hoke, Sampson and Scotland counties, including the cities of Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Clinton, Camp Mackall, Laurinburg, Raeford, Wagram and Roseboro.

The alert will remain in effect until midnight Thursday, according to NWS information released Thursday.

According to weather officials, the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources in Raleigh has issued a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day for fine particulates. The Code Orange alert means concentrations within the region may approach or exceed unhealthy standards.

Workers and residents who are sensitive to poor air quality — especially those with heart or lung disease, such as asthma — are encouraged to limit prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. In a statement released to local media on Thursday, Environmental Resources officials said children, active people and older adults should also limit time spent outdoors.

“Wildfires continue to burn actively across 13 states where 78 large fires and complexes have burned 1,346,736 acres,” according to a statement released Wednesday by the National Interagency Fire Center. “More than 20,700 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents. New large fires [on Wednesday] were reported in California, Montana and Wyoming.”