Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1071566
8 UCW JANUARY 16-22, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Fayetteville City Councilman Johnny Dawkins is on the mend at home following heart surgery. He is recovering from quadruple heart bypass surgery that took place at Duke Heart Center in Durham Dec. 28. He returned home New Year's Day. e surgery, he said, took five hours. "ey gave me four new coronary artery bypass grafts," he said. Dawkins added that he has no inten- tion of resigning from City Council. He said Dr. Jacob Schroder, a thoracic surgeon who practices at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, performed the surgery. Doctors discovered arterial blockages after he had a cardiac catheteriza- tion — a procedure that took place after he contin- ued to have jaw pain while exercising on an elliptical machine. Dawkins is a member of the Duke Cancer Insti- tute's Brain Tumor Board of Advisors. He served on City Council from 2003 to 2005 and ran again suc- cessfully in 2016. Local hospital official resigns Arkansas Children's Hospital has hired Brent ompson to lead its legal services division as senior vice president and chief legal officer. ompson currently serves as chief legal officer for Cape Fear Valley Health System in Fayetteville, a system with more than 900 licensed beds and 6,000 employees. "Brent was drawn to our mission of championing children because one of his two sons spent several days in an NICU right after birth," said Arkansas Children's President and CEO Marcy Doderer. ompson earned a law degree at the University of Tulsa College of Law and is also an alumnus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. He has extensive experience in litigation, hospital poli- cies and procedures and hospital compliance with federal laws. Human Trafficking Awareness Month January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Fayetteville's Child Advocacy Center, the Fayetteville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma eta Sorority, and the Methodist University social work department are co-sponsoring three presentations on the sub- ject. Russell G. Wilson, an expert in human traffick- ing, will make the presentations. Wilson graduated from the University of Califor- nia, Berkeley, and completed his first research proj- ect in Cambodia looking at the factors of resiliency for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation. His first session will be ursday, Jan. 24, from 2-4 p.m., at Lafayette Baptist Church, 501 Hope Mills Rd. e intended audience is law enforcement, social workers and mental health professionals. at eve- ning, from 6:30-8 p.m., Wilson will give an address at the Kiwanis Recreation Center, 352 Devers St. e intended audience is the community at large. Friday, Jan. 25, from 10 a.m.-noon, the final ses- sion will be at Fayetteville State University's Shaw Auditorium, 1200 Murchison St. Faculty and stu- dents are encouraged to attend. e programs are offered free of charge, but reg- istration is required at the Child Advocacy website. For more details or to register, visit CACFayNC.org. Flick your BIC BIC USA is observing its 60th anniversary and has allocated $60,000 of an original $100,000 donation in 2018 to DonorsChoose.org to fund in-school handwriting projects and classroom requests. e company said the money will reach nearly 800 elementary and middle school students in under- served areas, including a school in Fayetteville. "At BIC, we are committed to education and serv- ing our communities," said Linda Palladino, senior brand manager of BIC Consumer Products. DonorsChoose.org is a nonprofit organization that considers teacher requests and allows individu- als and companies to donate directly to classroom projects. Funding from BIC USA and DonorsChoose. org will help students in Cumberland and six other North Carolina counties to learn the art of hand- writing and develop skills to become better readers through projects designed to spark their creativity. Specific projects supported in North Carolina include "Essential Learning with Play-Dough" at Cumberland Road Elementary School in Fayetteville. "According to Hanover Research, 15 minutes of daily writing promotes individuality, enhances motor skills and improves cognitive development," said Linda Palladino, senior brand manager for BIC Consumer Products USA. Fayetteville Minor League Baseball Fayetteville's downtown baseball stadium is one of three brand-new minor league ballparks open- ing this coming season. According to BallparkDi- gest.com, inaugural Minor League Baseball games have been announced for all three ballparks. ey include home openers for the Fayetteville Wood- peckers (High A; Carolina League), Amarillo Sod Poodles (Class AA; Texas League) and the Las Vegas Aviators (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). After beginning the season on the road, the Wood- peckers will open their ballpark with an April 18 matchup against the Carolina Mudcats. e Woodpeckers spent the past two seasons at Campbell University's Jim Perry Stadium. e new stadium in Fayetteville will also host several events in addition to Woodpeckers' games. It has already been announced as the home of the annual Big South Conference baseball tourna- ment from 2019-2021. In both Amarillo, Texas, and Fayetteville, affiliated Minor League Baseball action returns after a considerable absence. Fayetteville has not had a Minor League Base- ball club since the Cape Fear Crocs (Low A; Sally League) moved to Lakewood, New Jersey, after the 2000 campaign. e Sod Poodles are the first Amarillo-based affiliated minor league team since the Texas League's Gold Sox relocated to Beau- mont, Texas, after the 1982 season. City official has heart surgery a STAFF REPORT NEWS DIGEST Fayetteville City Councilman Johnny Dawkins Brent Thompson