The Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce lunch coming soon will be held on Tuesday, November 19th at 12:00 noon, according to Chamber President, Mrs. Jennifer Leggett. The new New Executive Director, Terri Dennison will be the guest speaker for the monthly lunch and learn held at the Cape Fear Farmer’s Market.
Mrs. Leggett added, “Please join us to meet and learn about our New Executive Director, Terri Dennison!”
The 2019 municipal elections were held Tuesday this week, however the outcomes are not official yet. There must be a local canvass and then the State of North Carolina must certify the elections before the outcomes calculated are made official.
“We have a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 2019. Also we will canvass on Nov 15th, 2019 at 11:00,” Mr. Christopher L. Williams, Director of Bladen County Board of Elections announced on Friday. The meeting and canvass are both open to the public.
The meetings will be held at the elections office located at 301 S. Cypress Street in Elizabethtown. If you have any questions please call, 910-862-6782 office.
The beloved Lock and Dam No. 2 on the Cape Fear River near Elizabethtown has been reopened as of Friday, November 8, 2019, according to Terri Dennison with the Town of Elizabethtown. The Lock and Dam has been closed for over two years due to hurricanes and high waters.
The project first objective was to fill a scour hole at the William O. Huske Lock and Dam No. 2 created during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. However, the repairs were plagued with numerous delays due to high water on the Cape Fear River. The Lock and Dam No. 2 and its recreational area has been closed to the public while work was taking place for more two years. In 2017, there was a Rebuild NC Plan made for Bladen County which included plans for the repairs to Lock and Dam No. 2.
Ariel view of Dam at Lock and Dam # 2 during construction
On November 6, 2017 the officials of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District announced the plans to close the recreational area at Lock and Dam 2. The plans were for the recreation area to remain closed to the public until sometime later in the summer of 2018.
However, a year ago in November of 2018 Lisa Parker, a spokesperson with the US Army Corps of Engineers, announced the project had been shut down for several weeks due to high water on the Cape Fear River from Hurricane Florence.
Elizabethtown Assistant Town Manager Pat DeVane reported the high water in the river was causing the contractor not operate and the equipment on the job was flooded during Hurricane Florence.
DeVane said there was a lot of damage to the equipment being used to work on the project including a barge that was lost.
The scour hole was a dam safety-related repair that had to be completed to ensure the integrity of the dam. Now, all areas affected by the closure are open including the picnic shelter, fishing pier, boat ramp, and both parking areas.
A re-opening ceremony for both the Lock and Dam No. 2 and the fishing pier at Tory Hole Park will be scheduled a later date.
Bladen County high school football results
East Bladen 42 – West Bladen 6
East Bladen soccer team plays at North Johnston today, 2nd round of state playoffs … 6 p.m.
Elf Angels annual event underway in Clarkton for the entire area. Debbie Heustess has hosted the local event for the past 12 to 13 years. Many local youngsters will have a Christmas this year because of her efforts Elf Angels provides new gifts for underprivileged youngsters in the area. Donations may be sent to Debbie Heustess, PO Box 746, Clarkton, NC 28433 … a worthy effort.
A reminder of the 60th Annual meeting of Star Telephone member/owners … 10 a.m. today at Sampson Agri Center in Clinton. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and all attendees are invited to stay for lunch.
Had the pleasure of attending an event Friday at the site of the new Four County EMC building, being constructed off NC 242, near Bladen Gaskins, south of Elizabethtown. About 50 attended, many local contractors who will be involved in the construction and many dignitaries and leaders in the community, several local employees of the company and several longtime Four County consumers. Recently retired Four County VP Billy McGavock handled the introductions, hosted by Eddie and Jason Sutton who have been preparing the site for several weeks/months. A similar facility is being constructed in Rose Hill. Four County is the primary provider of electrical service for rural Bladen, Duplin, Pender and Sampson counties. They have served this area for many years out of their downtown Elizabethtown office. Their entire local operation will operate out of the new facility. Attendees enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Southern Smoke BBQ of Garland … mmmmm good.
US Lock & Dam #2 is open for business.
Columbus County’s Mackenzie Gore named the Minor League Baseball Pitcher of the Year. Congratulations!
Weather … cool … no, very cold this morning. …. Sunny with a high of 58 degrees later today … clear skies tonight, patchy frost and temps in the low 30s Sunday morning.
Recently shared one-liners….
When someone asks what I did over the weekend, I squint and ask…”Why, what did you hear?”
When you squat are your knees supposed to sound like a goat chewing on an aluminum can stuffed with celery?
I hate when a couple argues in public and I missed the beginning and don’t know whose side I’m on.
1821 – 1st US pharmacy college holds 1st classes, Philadelphia.
1857 – Atlantic Monthly magazine 1st published.
1872 – The Great Boston Fire of 1872. Close to 1,000 buildings destroyed.
1906 – Theodore Roosevelt is 1st US President to visit another country. (Puerto Rico and Panama)
1925 – Robert A. Millikan confirms the existence of cosmic rays from outer space in a speech to the National Academy of Sciences at Madison, Wisconsin.
1930 – 1st nonstop airplane flight from NY to Panama.
1936 – American fashion designer Ruth Harkness captures a panda cub (Su Lin) in China – becomes 1st live panda cub to enter the US.
1937 – St Louis Cards Triple Crown winner Joe Medwick is named MVP.
1946 – US President Harry Truman ends wage/price freeze.
1965 – Several U.S. states and parts of Canada are hit by a series of blackouts lasting up to 13 hours in the Northeast Blackout of 1965.
1967 – Surveyor 6 soft lands on Moon.
1969 – “Bridge over Troubled Water” single recorded by Simon & Garfunkel.
1976 – Oakland releases Billy Williams, ending his Hall of Fame career.
1982 – Sugar Ray Leonard retires for 1st time.
1984 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial (“3 Servicemen”) completed.
1998 – Brokerage houses are ordered to pay 1.03 billion USD to NASDAQ investors to compensate for price-fixing – largest civil settlement in US history.
2004 – Video game Halo 2 a first person shooter first released by Xbox by Bungie Studios.
2009 – Joe Cada becomes the youngest champion of the World Series of Poker’s main event.
2014 – United States lead air strikes in the northern Iraq city of Mosul against Islamic State (IS)
2015 – San Diego’s SeaWorld announces it will overhaul its killer whale show after controversy over the whales treatment.
2018 – Amid Californian forest fires US President Donald Trump accuses state forest management of “gross mismanagement”, threatens to withhold funding.
Larry Hammond started serving his country and his fellow man over 51 years ago, and he hasn’t stopped a day since then.
The Bladenboro native who now calls Clarkton home, Hammond served a little over 26 years in the United States Coast Guard, working his way up in the ranks from an enlisted man to an officer. Almost all officers are either Coast Guard Academy or civilian college graduates, but those who join as enlisted personnel and then work exceptionally hard have a very slim chance of being accepted into the officers’ program. These Coasties have been nicknamed “mustangs.”
“Yes, I’m a mustang,” Lieutenant Commander Hammond said, “and proud of it!”
A 1967 graduate of Bladenboro High School, he spent a year in college at Pembroke. He said that college was not right for him at that time in his life (though later the Coast Guard sent him to college and he did earn his bachelor’s degree).
A young Larry Hammond (far left) as a Coast Guard aircraft mechanic
“I wasn’t happy at Pembroke, but at 19, I knew I needed a career,” Commander Hammond said, “and I had always been fascinated by the work the Coast Guard did.” He added, however, that he had no idea of the vast myriad of jobs Coast Guardsmen did for the country until he joined. He went to talk to a recruiter but was told that, because it was during the Vietnam era, the Coast Guard was “kind of full.” He was offered the opportunity to take a skills test and did so well that he quickly got a call telling him the Coast Guard definitely had room for him after all.
The young Hammond joined the military on May 10, 1968, and said he planned to serve for four years and then do something else with his life. “But, I found a home in the Coast Guard,” he said, “so I stayed a little longer than I had originally planned.”
During his military service, Commander Hammond served in the aviation branch (as an aircraft mechanic), participated in many “search and rescue” missions, instructed new recruits in basic training, pulled a tour as a recruiter, headed up the communications aspect of the National Response Center, was a logistical planner to move military equipment from the east coast during Desert Storm, and was one of the few selected (though highly coveted) military personnel to serve on the Presidential Honor Guard. Commander Hammond is also one of a handful of non-Army military men to have “marched the mat” at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Though usually a smiling, light-hearted man, Commander Hammond’s demeanor changed dramatically when he spoke of participating in the honors ceremony of wreath laying at the national cemetery in Washington, D.C.
“Arlington…,” he said with the look of a man who has had his very soul humbled by an experience, “…well, Arlington is just absolutely hallowed ground!”
Lt. Commander Larry Hammond serving as Presidential Honor Guard
During his time in the military, Commander Hammond pulled tours of duty on the Great Lakes in Detroit (Michigan), Mobile (Alabama), Yorktown (Virginia), St. Petersburg (Florida), Washington, D.C. (three tours in the capital), and Wilmington. And through his service, he has traveled to hundreds of other places, including Australia, California, Alaska, and Antarctica.
Within a four-month period, Commander Hammond crossed the equator, the Arctic Circle, and the International Dateline. He has rescued people off ice and out of freezing waters, been on a cruise breaking ice that was 14 feet thick, commanded Coast Guard troops for the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan, served on ceremonial detail when the 52 hostages were returned to the United States from Iran, participated in the death watch for General of the Army Omar Bradley, served as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, worked with Elizabeth Dole when she was Secretary of the Treasury, served on ceremonial detail when President Reagan entertained many Heads of State, and (when in charge of communications for the National Response Center) made sure the computer and phone systems were working perfectly for 14 different federal agencies (including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Railway Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency).
During his stint at the National Response Center, he gave pertinent information about national emergencies to the Commandant of the Coast Guard who turned around and briefed the President.
Commander Hammond’s medals and awards are numerous, but he doesn’t talk about them much. He would rather talk about the other men with whom he served.
Larry Hammond (right) was named Coast Guard Recruiter of the Year
“The people I met in the Coast Guard were the best, brightest, and bravest individuals ever,” Commander Hammond stated. “They do everything they can possibly do — every day of their service — for other people. I am honored to say I’m a part of the Coast Guard.”
The commander has stayed in contact with many of the other Coast Guardsmen he served with — some going back as far as 50 years. “The other ‘coasties’ become your family,” he said. “And they stay your family — forever.”
Commander Hammond recalls the names, personalities, and ranks of every coastie he served under or who served under his command. The dates that their careers crossed paths remain etched in his memory.
The Coast Guard is the oldest continuing sea-going service in the country. Formed in 1790, the Coast Guard has been an integral part of our nation’s defense, life-saving, national security, and ceremonial history. One of the five branches of the military, the Coast Guard has participated in every major conflict this country has had. They are perhaps best known for their search-and-rescue, life-saving, and drug-interdiction missions.
Other branches of the military that perform law enforcement duties in international waters must have a Coast Guardsman on board. No search warrant is necessary — just a Coast Guardsman.
“The Coast Guard takes young recruits and teaches them to be servants to the people, rescuers of the lost at sea, and leaders in the areas of ethics and personal responsibility,” Commander Hammond said. “It is the finest, most unique organization ever formed.”
When the commander retired from active military service in 1993, his retirement ceremony was held on the deck of the USS North Carolina. Immediately after his retirement, Commander Hammond went to work as Bladen County’s Director of Veterans’ Services, Director of Elections, and Director of Geographic Systems and Enhanced 9-1-1. He wore all of these hats until 2011, when he retired from three of the agencies … but just couldn’t bring himself to leave his fellow veterans.
Commander Hammond remains Bladen County’s Director of Veterans’ Services to this day.
“I have such a passion for veterans,” he said. “These are the people who have given great service to our nation. These are the people who have sacrificed to make sure we, as Americans, have maintained our freedom. These are the ones who have been willing to put it all on the line to protect that freedom for every other American.”
The Department of Veterans’ Services is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until about 3 p.m. The office is located in the Bladen County Health Department. Commander Hammond doesn’t have a secretary, an adminstrative assistant, or a receptionist. He is a one-man department — and even answers his own phone.
Lt. Commander Larry Hammond (far right) on Honor Guard detail during President Reagan’s inauguration
“I have an office for assisting my veterans, and then I have a little waiting area. When one veteran leaves, I just call out, ‘Next.’ It’s kind of like a barbershop,” he added with a laugh.
At the Veterans’ Services office, the commander helps veterans, their spouses, and their families file claims for veterans’ benefits. He can’t always get the results that veterans think they’re entitled to, but he always gives it his best. “We have to follow the laws, but if I can help, I certainly do,” he said. He helps all veterans — not just the ones from Bladen County.
“A vet is a vet,” he said.
He uses lots of resources and his state-wide network of contacts with other veterans’ agencies to help as many as he can. When he can help a veteran get benefits (often that they never thought they would get), Commander Hammond said he feels great gratification. There is no compensation or financial reward for him personally when one of his veterans gets life-changing benefits, but he said that doesn’t matter one bit to him. “I have helped a veteran,” he said. “And that’s enough.”
As Veterans’ Services Director, Commander Hammond receives no retirement or health benefits from the county. He is also paid by the hour. “I have enough time to do what I need to do for the veterans,” he said, “but my position does not take advantage of the taxpayers.”
At 70, Commander Hammond said he has thought about retiring, but that thought never stays in his mind for long. “I’m still in good health, and I still enjoy working,” he said. “I think I still have something to offer.”
The commander’s wife, Beth, is also very supportive of his work and very compassionate towards veterans. “If I even mention it [retiring], Beth will say to me, ‘But what would your veterans do without you?’ so I stay on,” he added.
As Veterans’ Services Director, Commander Hammond received the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the state’s highest civilian award for those who have made significant contributions to the state and to their communities through exemplary service.
Commander Hammond and his wife have five grown children and one grandchild. He also has enjoyed umpiring high school and youth athletics for years. This past summer, he umpired in the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series, and he currently evaluates high school basketball and baseball officials.
While he loves sports, the commander’s main calling has always involved being of service to his country. “I’m a patriot,” he said. “I’ve done my part to serve my country, and I’m still doing my part to serve my brothers in uniform.”
A Bladen County Sheriff’s detective on Friday saved the life of man who accidentally shot himself in the leg.
The deputy’s name was not given in a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
“I am very proud of our detective who did an outstanding job saving the life of this man, Sheriff Jim McVicker said. “If it had not been for our detective’s quick thinking and applying the tourniquet to stop the bleeding, this gentleman could have died within five to 10 minutes.”
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a call was received about 12:30 p.m. Friday from a person in the Tar Heel area near Smithfield Packing that a man had accidentally shot himself in the leg.
A nearby detective responded and determined the man had more than likely shot himself in the femoral artery of the upper leg. He was bleeding profusely, according to the news release.
The detective believed the man was in shock. The officer applied direct pressure to the wound before applying a tourniquet, the Sheriff’s Office said.. The man was transported to Cape Fear Valley Hospital in Fayetteville where he was treated for the wound.
“The Sheriff’s Office put together these trauma kits for our officers after receiving guidance and advice from a retired Special Forces soldier,” McVicker said. “These kits include items such as tourniquets and quick clotting agents to help stop the bleeding in the event of a gunshot wound or other serious injury.”
McVicker said he plans on recognizing the detective with a commendation for his quick actions at their upcoming promotional ceremony on Tuesday.
“With Veterans Day coming up on Monday, here is an example of our detective, a former U.S. Army E-4 and our friend, a former U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier who helped us make this trauma kits, that have come together to save a life,” McVicker said. “God bless our veterans and the United States of America.”
ELIZABETHTOWN – Senior Lawson Hester celebrated ‘Senior Night’ scoring 4 touchdowns and totaling 183 yards of offense to lead East Bladen to a 42-6 Three Rivers Conference football victory over rival West Bladen Friday night.
Hester rushed for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns on 9 carries and caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tayshaun Berkeley. “Lawson played well,” said Eagle Coach Robby Priest. “He was due to have a good one.”
The Eagles opened the game with a 65-yard drive in 11 plays. Hester popped free for a 16-yard gain, and junior Rasean McKoy was the workhorse of the march with 33 yards on 5 rushes. Hester banged into the end zone from a yard out for a 6-0 East lead. A bobbled snap foiled the conversion attempt.
Rasean McKoy scooped up a partially blocked Knight punt and returned the ball 5 yards to the West Bladen 12 yard line. Three plays later Lawson Hester raced to the left pylon on a 5-yard touchdown run. Hester powered across the goal line on the 2-point conversion run to pad the Eagle lead to 14-0 at the 1:48 mark.
The Knights drove 35 yards on their next possession. Senior quarterback Tyre Boykin tossed a 12-yard pass to senior Andrew A. J. Brown. Sophmore Damarius Robinson picked up 10 yards, and Boykin darted 8 yards. However the drive was stopped on downs at the Eagle 45 yard line.
Lawson Hester bolted 35 yards on a counter-play, and Rasean McKoy dashed 20 yards for the touchdown. Senior Gabe Barber booted the extra point for a 21-0 East lead 8:31 before halftime.
After a Knight punt, the Eagles covered 57 yards in 2 plays. Senior Kasey Price charged through the line on a 37-yard run. Rasean McKoy sprinted 20 yards to the right pylon for another East TD. Barber tacked on the conversion for a 28-0 lead at the 6:01 mark.
The Eagles flew 77 yards in 5 plays on their next possession. Price ignited the march with runs of 6 and 9 yards. Rasean McKoy gained 10 yards, before Berkeley hurled the 31-yard TD pass to Lawson Hester. Barber added the point for a 35-0 lead.
Lawson Hester galloped 70 yards on the first Eagle snap of the second half to boost the margin to 42-0 after Barber’s extra point and by rule begin the continuous running clock.
Sophmore Javonta Matthews recovered the Eagle onside kick at the Knight 46 yard line, and the Knights ground out a 54-yard touchdown drive in 8 plays. Senior Tra’shawn Ballard caught a 6-yard pass from sophmore Devon Strange to pick up a first down then carried twice for 9 yards. Two plays later Ballard popped through the line and sped 31 yards up the middle for the West Bladen touchdown. The conversion run failed.
Junior Jackson Hoffman recovered the Knights’ onside kick at the Eagle 39 yard line. Three Ballard carries netted 14 yards, but West Bladen was stopped on downs at the East Bladen 26 yard line.
The Knights played the second half without Boykin who was held out with an injury. “He had a hip problem and some other injuries,” said Knight Coach Jon Sherman. “He cried when I told him because he wanted to play so bad, but with the score being what it was, I took the decision out of his hands. He has a future at the next level.”
Rasean McKoy rushed 10 times for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns. Price finished with 67 yards rushing on 5 attempts. The Eagles piled up 343 yards rushing and 374 total yards.
“With the bye week we had time to work some things out,” said Priest. “After two weeks of practice, our guys were ready and just tired of hitting each other.”
Sherman also praised the Eagles, “Give them credit. That is a very physical football team and having played Clinton and Wallace-Rose Hill they are battle-tested.”
About his team’s playoff chances with the brackets coming out Saturday, Priest said, “We will see tomorrow. Those first five games this season were tough, but this is a good group and are playing much better now.”
Ballard supplied the bulk of the Knight offense rushing for 66 yards and a touchdown and catching 2 passes for 9 yards.
“Tra’shawn is a senior and I just told him to go out there and run as hard as he could,” said Sherman. “This was a great atmosphere tonight. We have got to do more to have success and help develop the rivalry.”
The Knights concluded their season with a 2-6 record in the Three Rivers Conference and 2-8 overall while East Bladen finished 5-3 in league play and 5-5 overall and will wait on Saturday’s brackets to see if their season continues.
Here are Friday’s results from Three Rivers Conference and region high school football games played Friday, Nov. 8.
Three Rivers Conference
East Bladen 42, West Bladen 6
West Columbus 26, East Columbus 20
St. Pauls 24, Red Springs 7
Whiteville 49, South Columbus 0
Douglas Byrd 6, Fairmont 0
Other Area Scores
Clinton 49, Midway 3
Purnell Swett 24, Lumberton 21, Overtime
Wallace-Rose Hill 63, James Kenan 19
Richmond Senior 48, Scotland 13
West Brunswick 28, South Brunswick 0
Topsail 20, North Brunswick 13
E. E. Smith 43, Cape Fear 0
Terry Sanford 47, Pine Forest 18
Grays Creek 63, Westover 20
South View 52, Overhills 8
Hoke County 26, Pinecrest 10
Seventy First 27, Jack Britt 14
Wilmington New Hanover 30, Wilmington Hoggard 7
Wilmington Laney 14, Wilmington Ashley 6
Hobbton 36, North Duplin 34
Dixon 55, Heide Trask 6
East Duplin 26, Goldsboro 24
Pender 47, Lejeune 7
The Tuesday election has the Bladen County Board of Elections busy with confirming the outcomes. Bladen County Board of Elections Director, Christopher L. Williams confirmed on Friday evening, two of the three Tar Heel residents were elected to serve on the town council by write-in.
After the election board’s Supplemental Absentee meeting held on Friday at 5 p.m. Mr. Williams stated, “Just as promised, I have called Mayor Roy Dew and let him know that Freddie Underwood received 10 write-in votes and Angie Hall received six (6) write in votes.”
A write-in vote is a vote written in on an election ballot for a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot, but for whom voters may elect by writing the name on the ballot.
Tar Heel also elected Sam Allen with 13 votes. Allen filed for the town commissioner election and appeared on the ballot.
He added, “Mayor Dew will be in contact with them and the write in candidates will give me a call next week.”
Mr. Christopher L. Williams, Director of Bladen County Board of Elections
Mr. Williams also reported on Friday two (2) supplemental absentee votes were approved and 31 provisional ballots were presented to the board with 10 of the provisional ballots being approved.
He added, one (1) absentee ballot was approved at the last board meeting which was on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5th. The number of approved Absentee ballots now 34 for this election.
As a reminder, “Nothing is finalized until the canvass,” Mr. Williams stated. The board of elections will hold the canvass on November 15th at ll:00 a.m. Then the state will then need to certify the new elections.
The Bladen County Board of Elections meeting will be held at the elections office located at 301 S. Cypress Street in Elizabethtown and is open to the public. If you have any questions please call, 910-862-6782 office.
Growing up poor in tiny Clarkton, N.C., Glenn Batten didn’t think college was an option after high school
graduation in 1965.
So he enlisted in the Navy, eventually becoming yeoman to Admiral John McCain, father of U.S. Sen.
John McCain and then commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. That connection, coupled with hard
work, led Batten to more than just an escape from life in a small town. In 1970, he was back in North
Carolina, entering NC State to pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
Batten, who graduated in 1974, was one of the more than 260 students to attend NC State from the early
1960s to the late 1970s through the Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program. The program sent
active-duty sailors to college to pursue degrees in engineering, science or math.
“I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world,” says Batten, who retired from the military in 1989 as executive
officer of the Navy’s first hovercraft command and now lives in Kinston, N.C. “They gave me nothing. I
had to earn it. But, at the same time, the door was opened for me and I was just one of those that took
advantage of it and made it.”
After surviving a selective admission process, NESEP students promised to give at least 10 years to the
Navy — four in school and six years in active service. In exchange, the Navy paid their tuition. They also
received their full military salary, along with food and housing allowances. During the summer after their
junior year, they attend officer candidate school.
They also had to wear their uniforms once a week — with one exception. Because of protests about the
Vietnam War, Batten wasn’t allowed to wear his uniform during his first year there.
Batten worked as a photographer and writer for NC State’s agriculture department and also did some
work for the university alumni magazine. And he had a red 1953 Chevy pickup. “For football games, we
put the State flag up, piled into it and drove to the games,” he says.
A bothersome blister limited MacKenzie Gore to 16 starts in his full-season debut in 2018. Only an innings cap slowed the 20-year-old lefthander this year.
The No. 4 prospect—and top-ranked pitcher—in Baseball America’s latest Top 100 Prospects list, Gore finally stretched his legs in the Padres’ system and wound up finishing the year at Double-A Amarillo. In between, Gore struck out 130 batters in 99.1 innings, limited opposing hitters to a microscopic .166 average while walking just 27 batters.
He was also a California League all-star, represented the Padres in the Futures Game and would be front and center in the Sod Poodles’ playoff run if it weren’t for having already increased his workload by nearly 40 innings from a year ago.
In short, Gore showed everything the Padres hoped for, and more, when they signed him for a franchise-record $6.7 million as the No. 3 overall pick in 2017.
“One of the most exciting things this year and going forward with Mac,” Padres farm director Sam Geaney said, “is he had a tremendous season with a lot of success, but there’s definitely more ceiling there—and not at all in a negative way. I think he showed us what he’s capable of. It’s a rare thing when a guy is as talented as he is and has had as much success as he’s had and we can call agree—and most importantly he agrees—there’s still levels beyond what he is doing.”
Geaney can say that because Gore, finally able to stay in a regular rotation, began to learn precisely how his body recovers. His knack for attacking the day’s tasks—whether it was a start, a bullpen or simply running—drew comparisons to Chris Paddack. The life on his fastball also ticked up from last year’s stop-and-go-and-stop campaign, and all of his secondaries all showed above-average or better at times.
Many times—like when he twice exited five- and four-inning starts without giving up a hit, or when he fanned nine or more batters six times—Gore had it all going.
“2019 showed us that there is even more,” Geaney said, “which is pretty exciting.”
Jeffrey Bryan from Wilmington wrote on 11/08/2019 at 12:16 pm:
Today is the distribution day for the 6th Annual Roger`s Wish Project at the Bladen County Library on South Cypress Street in Elizabethtown.
Roger`s Wish is named after it`s founder,Roger Theodore Grunder, who lost his life in a car accident on August 30, 2013. Roger had just began collecting blankets for the drive about 3 weeks before losing his life. Roger lived as a homeless person on and off for the last 19 years of his life.He was well known around Elizabethtown for his thoughtfulness toward others and for his sense of humor,as well. Roger was often seen at the Bladen Crisis Thrift Shop where he worked as a volunteer. He also frequented the Bladen Journal office and the library where he loved visiting with friends.
Roger`s Wish was garnered with a second place award for best community project by a newspaper in a statewide competition back in 2014. Roger was memorialized earlier in the same year in the library gardens with a plaque and a rosemary plant by Rhea Hebert and this author. During 2015 the project received news coverage from both WWAY and WECT television stations out of Wilmington.
Roger`s Wish collected and distributed nearly 1,000 blankets and sleeping bags during it`s first 5 years.Some of the donations came from as far away as Florida and New York and New Jersey.
My sincere gratitude goes out to everyone who donated items this year to help the needy of the area to help stay warm. May God bless all of you.
Christmas brings out the needy, greedy, seedy, and unheedy. It is the best of times. It is the worst of times.
The needy. This is the time of year for giving to those who are less fortunate. The charities in this country are phenomenal, both national and local. Top charities include: Toys for Tots, Make a Wish Foundation, Operation Christmas Child, Angel Tree, Salvation Army. And myriad local nonprofit organizations that reach out with warm food, warm blankets, and warm hearts. Churches prepare meals for the homeless population and others in need of a celebratory dinner.
The greedy. Has Santa become the patron saint of greed? Gimme more—echoes in decorated homes and buy more—echoes in Tinseltown stores. “Hence Saint Nicholas slipped his Christian moorings and took on a life of his own, with his first appearance in a sledge being in the American literature of the early 19th century. Now Santa Claus was ready to become the unofficial patron saint of the pre-Christmas period, the seedy saint who hangs around in shopping centre grottoes, blessing our over-indulgence as generosity and bouncing poor innocent children up and down on his knee. As well as being a corporate stooge, this Santa is a creep,” declares a 2017 article in Gulf News.
Has consumer and corporate greed stolen Christmas? Yes! Yes! Yes! Deck the halls with a mountain of toys and debt.
Ho! Ho! No! Stop the frantic and frenzy shopping race and store stampedes caused by greedy shoppers fighting for gismos and gadgets on sale. Parents place children on Santa’s knee so they can ask for toys. Why not encourage kids to take a gift to Santa for girls and boys in poverty.
What kind of Christmas gift would Santa ask God for?
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” ― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The seedy. ‘Tis the season for crime and holiday hustlers. Nativity scene vandalism, stolen Christmas gifts, purse-snatchers. “Scams are very common during the holidays, when unsuspecting shoppers give money to a phony charity or enter a bogus sweepstakes. Scammers will tug at your heart strings and take advantage of your giving mood. They also prey on naïve and desperate people who are easily lured by deals that seem too good to be true,” according to an article at www.criminaljusticedegreesguide.com.?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss
The unheedy. Bah! Humbug! Grinch, Scrooge, and the holiday naysayer crowd fit into this contentious category. Grumblers that bemoan the annual holiday festivities instead of acknowledging fun with family and friends. Is there a grouchy green grinch at your gatherings?
What is the worst of times? Lonely people over the holidays due to death of a loved one, living away from relatives, or social isolation due to anxiety or depression. Individuals in the military. Individuals in prison. Individuals in hospitals.
What is the best of times? “Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ – the most important event in human history (along with the rest of Jesus’ life). Even if people fail to acknowledge its meaning, that doesn’t change its significance.” www.billygraham.org.?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss
Memories of Christmas past with my mother and grandmothers dance in my head like visions of sugar plums from the well-loved story, The Night Before Christmas. That was the best of times. Making memories of Christmas present with my daughter puts new pictures in the photo album of time. That is the best of times.
“And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans–and all that lives and move upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused–and to save us from our foolishness, from all our sins, He came down to earth and gave us Himself.” ―Sigrid Undset
Melissa Martin, Ph.D., is an author, columnist, educator, and therapist. She lives in Ohio. Contact her at melissamcolumnist@gmail.com.
1775 – The Second Continental Congress forms Continental Marines, precursor to the United States Marine Corps.
1885 – German engineer Gottlieb Daimler unveils the world’s first motorcycle.
1898 – Race riot in Wilmington, NC (8 blacks killed)
1908 – 1st Gideon Bible placed in a hotel room.
1911 – Andrew Carnegie forms Carnegie Corporation for scholarly and charitable works.
1920 – George Bernard Shaw’s “Heartbreak House” premieres in NYC.
1938 – Nobel Prize for Literature awarded to Pearly Buck (Good Earth)
1951 – 1st long distance telephone call without operator assistance.
1954 – “Marine Corps War Memorial” unveiled in Arlington County, Virginia, dedicated to US Marine Corps who died in defense of US since 1775 (inspired by 1945 Iwo Jima photo of servicemen raising US flag.
1971 – Joe Torre wins NL MVP, Vida Blue wins AL MVP.
1976 – Utah Supreme Court approves execution of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore.
1983 – US Federal government shut down.
1988 – Orel Hershiser (23-8) is a unanimous choice as NL Cy Young Award winner.
1989 – Word Perfect 5.1 is shipped.
1991 – Marty Glickman broadcasts his 1,000th football game.
1997 – Artist Peter Max pleads guilty to tax fraud & time served.
2012 – The final US presidential election results are declared after Barack Obama wins Florida to defeat Mitt Romney 332-206 in Electoral College votes.
2015 – Ethel Kennedy is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
2015 – 4th Republican presidential candidates debate, sponsored by “The Wall Street Journal”, held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Gardening: When you have to fix a divot or repair a ball mark
Grain: The direction in which the grass is growing on the greens; putts can be down grain, side grain
and/or against the grain all of which affect the roll of your golf ball. Not to be confused with that stuff in
your buddy’s flask.
Greenies: Hitting a green in regulation: One shot on a par 3, two shots on par 4, three shots on a Par 5.
Or the amount of Benjamins you win when you’re playing lights out.
Halve: In the match play format, when opponents tie a hole or a bet (front nine, back nine or overall), the
opponents split the point resulting in each side earning 1⁄2 point. Sharing sucks.
Inside the Leather: Refers to the imaginary distance that makes a putt a gimmie or not (it can vary
depending on how nice your golf buddies are). The more money you have on the line, the smaller the
circle of friendship.
James Joyce: A putt that’s nearly impossible to read.
Knockdown: A golf shot with a lower ball flight, usually played to keep it out of the wind.
Each Veterans Day, we as a nation pause to pay special tribute to the service and sacrifice of the millions of American men and women who have served our nation in uniform since our nation’s founding.
Approximately 730,000 of those veterans live in North Carolina today, and they continue to make vital contributions to our communities. Many are in the workforce. They serve as public officials, first responders, medical professionals and highly-skilled workers. They are entrepreneurs. More than 86,000 businesses in North Carolina are veteran-owned – more than 1 in 10 North Carolina companies. They put the skills they learned in the service of our nation to work for our communities right here at home.
But despite the incredible contributions our veterans have made in the service of our country, they don’t always receive the care and benefits they deserve. Up until recently, VA facilities across the nation were plagued by long wait times, poor service, excessive backlogs and outdated technology and facilities. Many still are — but many more are much improved.
It’s why I continue to make improving the quality of benefits our veterans receive a top priority while in Congress, and I’ve added talented members to my team who specialize in helping veterans navigate the complex VA bureaucracy. One of the first measures I authored that was signed into law was the Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act, which helps identify veterans that have been wrongly deprived of their full severance.
President Trump has made a similar commitment to overhaul the VA from top to bottom. His choice for V.A. Secretary, Robert Wilkie, is an advantageous one for North Carolina: Secretary Wilkie is a North Carolina native, attended Wake Forest and has a long and distinguished history of military service in addition to his many other years of public service in a variety of capacities.
This Administration and Congress have been working together — and we’ve made significant progress. The key signature bill of this past Congress was the VA MISSION Act, groundbreaking legislation approved last year that addresses a host of in-network and non-VA health care issues. It greatly expands a veteran’s ability to access community care, particularly if a VA facility is not easily accessible from the veteran’s home. It improves training for VA employees, eliminates wasteful and redundant programs, and provides more funding for VA facilities badly in need of upgrades.
Congress has also passed legislation that the President has signed into law making a number of other improvements to the VA infrastructure, including improving our ability to hold VA officials and doctors accountable for misconduct or poor performance. We’ve passed the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, which expands access to needed medical care for a broad category of veterans who served offshore during the Vietnam War. And we’ve passed a measure to make mortgages more affordable for veterans. Because of these measures, and the effective management of President Trump and Secretary Wilkie, we are seeing results. Wait times are down, backlogs have been reduced and the overall quality of care at the VA is improving around the nation.
But there is always more to do. For example, I recently authored bipartisan legislation that would help protect veterans’ credit histories. My staff has encountered an issue with a number of veterans we work with where the veteran gets their credit knocked when the VA fails to pay a private provider for emergency or other care. As a result, the veteran takes this a hit to their credit score often times without even knowing it until they need to buy a car or get a mortgage or apply for a credit card.
Every day, my staff works with veterans and their caregivers who are frustrated with the red tape and bureaucracy of the federal government. If you or a loved one are a resident of the 7th Congressional District who is having trouble with the VA, I encourage you to contact my office at (910) 395-0202 or visit my website at Rouzer.House.Gov.
As we take time in communities across North Carolina to honor our veterans this time of year, we continue to work to ensure the federal government gets better at fulfilling the promise it made to our veterans for their service to our nation.
