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    28MoreThanANameAs part of the commemoration of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial’s 35th anniversary, I was selected as a reader in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s Reading of the Names. This national event takes place in honor of the sacrifice and the last full measure of devotion to our great nation demonstrated by these service members. I am scheduled to read on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 7:04 p.m. I will read one page containing 30 names from the time period of Feb. 1-3, 1966, on Wall Panel/Line 4E, 129-135, in approximately a two-minute interval.

    In Washington, D.C., the reading of the names of 58,318 service members inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (commonly referred to as The Wall) will take place for 65 hours over a four-day period from November 7-10. The opening ceremony is Tuesday, Nov. 7, beginning at 3 p.m. The reading of the names will begin at 4 p.m. A large number of government officials and dignitaries will attend the opening ceremonies as speakers and continue as readers.

    The VVMF is hosting the Reading of the Names as part of the special activities planned this November to commemorate The Wall’s 35th anniversary. The Reading of the Names has taken place just five other times in The Wall’s history, with the last event occurring during the 30th anniversary in 2012.

    Based in Washington, D.C., the VVMF is the nonprofit organization authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1980 to build a national memorial dedicated to all who served with the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War. Incorporated on April 27, 1979, by a group of veterans led by Jan C. Scruggs, the organization sought a tangible symbol of recognition from the American people for those who served in the war. The result was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which has become one of the most visited memorials in Washington, D.C., with an estimated 4.5 million visitors annually.  

    It is quite the honor to participate in the commemoration of The Wall’s 35th anniversary. The names on The Wall are more than just names. They represent a family, just like our families. One example is U.S. Army nurse 1st Lt. Sharon Lane, one of eight women to die in Vietnam, and the only one to die from hostile fire. These brave men and women left behind friends, brothers, sisters and parents. They represent courage, sacrifice and devotion to duty and country. They are the true heroes of the Vietnam War. By reading their names, we will never forget them and their families that were changed forever.     

    I cannot express in words the personal honor and respect I deeply feel to be selected as a reader of the names during The Wall’s 35th Anniversary. I entered the U.S. Army in 1976, and all my military trainers were Vietnam veterans, including the military equipment for training. These combat veterans had a direct impact on my life and helped shape me into the 26-year career retired U.S. Army soldier, college instructor and active community citizen I am today.

    Please take the time and attend the Heroes Homecoming V, a nine-day (Nov. 4-12) ceremonious event to honor veterans and an annual celebration hosted by Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the communities of Cumberland County.

    This year, numerous events are dedicated to honor and acknowledge the sacrifices made by area Vietnam Veterans. These include, various Vietnam War exhibits, ceremonies and The Moving Wall dedication Nov. 11 at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum Parade Field. For a full list of calendar events, visit www.HeroesHomecoming.com.

    It is an honor to represent our community Vietnam veterans and their families during the commemoration of The Wall’s 35th Anniversary.

    Thank you for your service and sacrifice to our nation. May God bless you and continue to bless our great nation!

     

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    Up & Coming Weekly keeps the community informed about elections. As in years past, we’ve reached out to the candidates to give them an opportunity to make their case to you, the voter.

    In the following, you will find their responses. You will also find that not every candidate is represented. That was a choice by the candidate. The Fayetteville And Hope Mills candidates were all given the option to participate. Each candidate vying for similar office was asked the exact same set of questions. We have not altered or amended their answers.

    Because we believe so strongly in the privilege of voting, we wanted to ensure that you have all the information you need – not only about the candidates and the issues – but also about where, when and how you can vote.

    For Cumberland County voters:

    •  Early one-stop voting is ongoing.

    •  Saturday, Nov. 4, one-stop voting and same-day registration ends.

    •  Tuesday, Nov. 7, is the big day. Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

    Learn more: www.co.cumberland.nc.us/election_board/voter_info/guide.aspx

     

    Election 2017 Fayetteville Mayoral Candidates

     

    13NatRobertsonNat Robertson

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?

    Robertson: Soon after being elected as Mayor in 2013, recognizing there are many issues between the City and County that needed reconciling, I re-established the City/County Liaison Committee.  A contingency of City, County, School Board and Ft. Bragg representatives who can talk about and present ideas back to our respective Boards. We have discussed many common issues and problem solved on issues involving both bodies.  A couple of successes from this Committee have been; the creation of the Fayetteville/Cumberland Youth Council and the red light camera agreement.

    Both government bodies have different responsibilities, different chartered tasks and different missions to fulfill for our residents.  We come together and work toward a common goal when we can.  Often time, while best representing our own residents, our jurisdictional responsibilities don’t fit together. This may often appear that we are not able to get along, but that’s not true.  As two government bodies, I feel our relationship is as strong now as it has been in decades.  I look forward to continuing transparent and open discussions with the County Commissioners both on an individual personal level as well as collectively as governmental bodies.      

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Robertson: We have had many successes over the past couple of years with attracting jobs to Fayetteville.  Since being elected, we have lowered our unemployment rate from 8.9% to 5.6%.  This means more people are working and our local economy has picked up.  Good news!  But, we still have work to do…  I continue to work with the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation to court companies and industry to look at Fayetteville for their future home.  And for those business who are already here?  I continue my pledge to make our City a friendlier place for businesses to do business.  When our local businesses grow organically, we all win!

     

    14mitchColvinMitch Colvin

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?

    Colvin: A harmonious relationship between the governmental bodies is critical in any community. The problems of community are too large for any one  governing body to handle alone. In order for our city to be successful we must work together.

    During my four years on Council I have witnessed first hand the disconnect between the City and the county. As a result I have made this my number one platform issue during the campaign. If

    I am elected Mayor, I would propose a joint committee consisting of the leaders from the City Council, County Commission,School Board, Fayetteville State, Methodist College, Fayetteville Technical College, Cape Fear Valley Health system and Ft.Bragg to discuss the direction of our community.

    Furthermore, I would encourage Council to ask the County Commissioners and the School Board to Annual Joint strategic planning meetings. Areas like joint purchasing in our procurement and service consolidation could save tax payers Billions of dollars over time.

    This lack of coordination has and continues to cost our citizens millions of dollars in loss opportunities.

    Projects like Rooms To Go and Sanderson Farms have cost us thousands of Jobs.

    The divisive politics that has existed with some of our leaders has to stop. We must have leadership willing to build bridges not walls.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Colvin: To correct this problem we must use a comprehensive approach. We Must first begin by updating the 2012 Garner Report. This was an in depth analysis of our community highlighting our strengths and weaknesses. This report also tells us the areas and the industries that work best with our population’s skill set. We should begin to aggressively go after companies in these areas.

    At the same time I would convene a Work Force Summit to begin to strengthen our work force. Thai is critical in the recruitment of industry. Our steady supply of trained laborers from the military has not been marketed in an effective way.

    Also we have failed to take advantage of our location. We are only 83 miles from Wilmington. An inland terminal to distribute goods and cargo would provide a boost to our economy. For example, Atlanta/Savannah, Charleston/ Dillon, are a few examples.

    Furthermore, I would also advocate for an expansion in the cargo flights in our airport. The ability to move merchandise around is very attractive to large industry.

    Finally, the city must rebrand and redefine who we are regionally. All of our municipal peers have a regional identity. For instance, Charlotte/Mecklenburg is the Financial Hub, Raleigh/Durham Tech and Medical, etc. Once we define ourselves we promote the brand, nationally and internationally. After all we live in a Global economy. The Mayor should be on the front lines with our economic development team as an ambassador for our city. Let’s get started.

     

    Election 2017 Fayetteville City Council Candidates

     

    15Curtis BrownCurtis Brown

    District 1

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?

    Brown: While I fully understand the differences in the roles and responsibilities of city and county government. I would highly recommend, both city council and the county commissioners schedule an off-site summit to discuss unifying, synchroning and maximing our efforts to better serve all of the constituents we all represent. To help city and county government better understand that we are stronger and more effective together, I would strongly advocate for this summit to include the FLIPPEN GROUP with both city council and the county commissioners attending.

    The FLIPPEN GROUP with over 25 years of experience has mastered the art and science of optimizing team performance. They have worked with some of the largest state and federal government agencies and organizations in the world. They fully understand how to help government leader’s work and serve more effectively together. The FLIPPEN GROUP further understands that people represent the greatest investment opportunity in any government agency or organization. Additionally, the FLIPPEN GROUP has identified that people are also the greatest challenge for leaders. Here’s how the FLIPPEN GROUP helps. Their behavioral analytics tools, combined with expert coaching, helps government leaders solve the complex people issues that make serving in the public sector challenging. Even the strongest government teams can perform better. The FLIPPEN GROUP combines the science of customized team behavioral analytics with the art of engaging in transformational workshops, all supported by intentional follow-up processes to maintain our teamwork momentum in both city and county government.

    Upon the completion of this workshop we will be able to identify the seemingly “invisible” behaviors in our two governments that hinder performance, delay projects and slow down all progress. The process of optimizing the city and county team begins with understanding the needs of both entities and obtaining behavioral data on all city council members and county commissioner’s using the Flippen Profile. Through group workshops and 1-on-1 coaching sessions, both your team’s will develop a customized action plan to leverage individual and team strengths while also breaking constraints. The FLIPPEN GROUP craft a series of briefs, customized follow-up workshops and gradually empower city and county leadership to champion the identified processes internally. My vision for District 1, Fayetteville and Cumberland County is a growing and vibrant world-class place--proud of its diversity and full of life with amenities and activities. I envision a community of cooperative inclusion (Government and Citizens), a community that is flourishing economically with a pristine environment, where all people are safe, healthy and have equitable opportunities for success and happiness. With better communication and cooperation between City council and the County Commissioners we are better and stronger together!!

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Brown: The city in partnership with the Economic Development Alliance of Fayetteville & Cumberland County plays a vital role in our overall local economic development. One of the primary factors behind Fayetteville and Cumberland County’s continued economic health and growth is the unusually cooperative relationship between city and county government and the local business community. The work of the Economic Development Alliance of Fayetteville & Cumberland County is just one example of that partnership. When new companies considering our area, see that partnership approach right away they want to know more about our city. New companies are consistently impressed at how well everyone works to streamline the process of permitting, licensing, title work, and developing infrastructure to keep from creating delays. If you’ve ever thought that true cooperation between government and the private sector was impossible, you’ve never done business in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. Having said all of the above, the city must focus on better opportunities to link our educational institutions and veteran administration(VA) to industries to provide viable skills through education and certification that maximizes our citizens’ capabilities. We must incentivize enduring companies and develop a decent incentive package for incoming industries/ businesses. Our city leadership must get out and visit successful cities like North Charleston, SC, to determine cause factors in their overall success in the area of economic development and job creation. We must review and reduce burdensome regulations, permits and codes on small businesses to promote smart economic and industrial growth. Our city government plays a very important role in our overall economic development and must continue to invest in the Economic Development Alliance of Fayetteville & Cumberland County as it has become the heartbeat of our success in the area of Economic growth.

     

    16Kathy JensenKathy Jensen

    District 1

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?

    Jensen: Communication and cooperation between the county and city happen on a daily basis.  We have had many successes through the City County liaison monthly meetings.  The Fayetteville Cumberland Youth Council, Red light camera program for our school systems, economic development commission, working on homelessness and the merger of parks and recreation years ago are to name just a few.  The three subjects you have mentioned are not topics that are not easy fixes with easy answers.  I believe that we are very close to an agreement on all three.  I was asked to serve on the PWC negotiation committee, because of my willingness to listen with patience and to negotiate. I have said for the past four years, we need to make sure that the decisions we make today are the best decisions for our future. 

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Jensen: Four years ago, we made a commitment to the residents of Fayetteville to make Economic Development a priority.  We have done just that.  In collaboration with the county we have formed a new Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Commission.  I have had the privilege of serving on that committee for the past year.  Losing the Sanderson Farms manufacturing plant has made getting new manufacturing firms in Fayetteville an uphill battle.  But as you can see we are steadily making progress.  The announcement of our K3 Enterprise partnership that will bring over 30 jobs at approximately $91,000 salary yearly.  The addition of the baseball park will bring in over 65 million in new development.  Real economic balance is when everyone has the opportunity to work. Fayetteville is moving forward and is succeeding working with our partners, the county commissioners, PWC, and our local state delegation.

     

    17Dan CullitonDan Culliton

    District 2

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?

    Culliton: The city of Fayetteville’s 911 Call Center is a Center of Excellence and who’s accreditation’s far surpasses that of the county’s. We would need to ensure these superior standards are maintained if jointly operated. This holds true for the fire and emergency medical services as well, where the demand and higher service level expectations are much greater within the city. This is why the city took back over those services from the county in 2011. Currently, the county’s publicsafety answering point (PSAP) does not hold these same accreditations.

    With regards to the county’s sales tax distribution, Fayetteville is by far the largest of the 9 municipalities located within the county. However, by state law, the county commissioners ultimately decide how the funds are distributed, despite that over %80 of the collected sales tax in the county is generated within the city limits of Fayetteville. Another critical factor is the recent annexations that now place a larger financial burden on the city. This includes things like city police protection of over 43,000 residents that the county’s sheriff’s department is no longer responsible for. Despite this, the Sheriff’s department budget increased and no funds from the county were diverted to the city to compensate for this. This is despite the fact that a primary factor for the “Big Bang Annexation” was to get the city above the 200,000 population threshold, which is the benchmark in order for major companies to consider investment in an area, which is mutually beneficial. The bulk of these economic initiatives have also been the burden only the city of Fayetteville has shouldered despite the obvious benefit to the rest of the county. 

    So it boils down to fairness and an equitable distribution of funds. We need collaboration but in order to achieve that all parties need more objectivity and reasonableness in their assessments. All parties must realize that the city and county are involved in a very symbiotic relationship and therefore our goals should be on parallel paths as our combined future growth are inextricably tied together. All parties need to start looking past the short term and gain a bigger picture of that combined future growth. Only then, with that shared vision, can the city and county grow effectively and for the betterment of all. To this end I am for full financial transparency of each parties positions so that the voters of not only the city but the county can have to opportunity to evaluate their elected officials performance and effectiveness.

    I have proven to be a leader who can bring this type of collaboration and consensus building within a diverse group of interests, by finding the common ground and keeping the discussions on track, in order to be effective.   This is the type of leadership that is needed, at like no other time in our city/county evolution, as we are experiencing significant growth and have an opportunity to finally realize our collective potential. We need to increase the frequency of face to face meetings with county commissioners and city officials in order to build a rapport both professionally and personally. Regular, combined budgetary meetings should also be the goal in order to keep everyone on the same page with open communication between all. I also believe that a combined bi-annual press announcement would go a long way to show solidarity and improve the citizens faith in their elected officials ability to work together.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Culliton: We need to take a serious look at limiting the burden of the city’s revenue off the backs of the property owners. The people, especially in district 2, already have a hard time making ends meet yet they are not being afforded jobs that allow them to earn a realistic, living wage. It is absolutely dependent upon the city to set an environment that allows job generation to occur. That is a complex process that entails various pieces of the “puzzle” to be in place, as well as collaboration and consensus between the citizens and city officials. It’s imperative that we as a community present a unified front when we are approached by major corporations for potential investment and job creation or we risk others passing over us the next time around. If we want jobs to come here we need to show, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Fayetteville, NC is Open For Business.

    We have undergone a tremendous amount of growth and I wish to see that growth continue, however, I feel we need to ensure it’s “Smart Growth”. As the candidate experience in planning I am well positioned to offer insight and direction on the type of development that benefits the city the most, both in revenue generation and as a catalyst to future economic growth. We should look to promote multi-use projects like that of 300 Hay or the Prince Charles, as these can generate significantly more revenue for the city per acre then a sprawling single use project where the infrastructure investment and maintenance alone can produce a negative revenue situation.  The person District 2 picks to represent them on this next council, if they wish to have effective leadership occur, must not only possess the experience but an understanding of these complexities.

    Further, we should look to support and stimulate small business as, collectively, they are major employers and economic generators in and of themselves. Small business allows a diverse range of employment opportunities as well. We are a diverse population that make up the All American City so these types of diverse employment opportunities are very important for those with unique or non-traditional skill sets. We need to look at expanding and improving access to vocational programs and ones like the PWC’s STEM program that can produce Job Ready high school graduates and help place them within our local workforce. These programs not only train our young people with needed skills but provide contacts within the community that they may later use upon entering the workforce.

    I will also work continuously to encourage hiring Fayetteville First as well as working to encourage a percentage of minority participation. Finally, I will look to promote local businesses to be hired in order to secure those available contracts. I would also look to ensure regular notification of open contracts as well as classes and online resources so that local contractors can learn how these bid processes work in an attempt to level the playing field. I will always support initiatives that look to grow local small business.

    As your next District 2 City Councilman, one of my top priorities will be working on multiple levels to attract a variety of both small and large businesses so that everyone can have an equal opportunity in moving their families forward in obtaining their piece of the American Dream.

     

    18Tyrone WilliamsTyrone Williams

    District 2

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?

    Williams:  I would first want to meet with fellow members of the city council to discuss how we all should take part in collaboration meetings with the Cumberland County Commissioners.  I would then aim to create a standard meeting time and date between myself, fellow council, and all of the Cumberland County Commissioners.  In this meeting, I would also involve other key stakeholders such as the Cumberland County School Board members, when needed.  These meeting would be a part of our elected official duties, just as work sessions are conducted.  I would be transparent with the community on these meetings and make sure that official minutes are taken, recorded, and distributed if asked.  I will then update my district and community via email, social media, and any other means of communication to ensure clear messaging.  I believe that these proposed meetings must be conducted when there are any projects that cause for a city-county collaboration.  

    I would push for these collaboration meetings to be open to the public and become a standard procedure when collaboration projects are on the agenda. As citizens you need to be able to hold each vote on City Council and the County Commissioners accountable all the time and not just when it is convenient.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Williams:  The city is the local economic development machine.  The city is responsible for planning and attracting business.  By doing so, we alleviate putting the financial pressure on homeowner’s who simply want a better quality of life.  The money that would be spent paying property tax could then be used to patronize a small business, company, or organization in the area.  This drives more development.

    As a city, we must push for private and public funding to develop and grow small businesses and welcome large business.  But, I do think it should not be at the expense of the homeowner’s.  We have to look beyond Fayetteville for large funding and prepare our small businesses for expansion within our districts. CEED, FTCC, and the North Carolina Military Business Center are all great local organizations that help prepare small businesses for this growth.  We must lean on them to drive local economy and equip them with the tools to win. 

    We also must prepare our districts for economic development.  Neighborhood educational programs, mentorships, interns, and other workforce programs should be planned to bring residents to the table.  For example, If we are attracting a technology business or corporate headquarters to come into the district, we should provide workforce opportunities for the residents within the district and the city to become fully trained and job ready to work in that specific business when it opens. This helps raise the average wage earned, lower’s crime, and eventually revitalizes the neighborhood.  If they are not homeowners, we want them to be able to be given a chance to buy a home.  And if they are already a homeowner, we want them to increase the quality of life in their neighborhood and enjoy their district.

    Some areas of the district may not have a problem with wages, but rather need better options within their district to enjoy life.  We need to help provide this atmosphere.  Each area of my district is different, and as councilman, I can address every area of my district equally to provide a better quality of life for all.  My economic development goal will be to encourage residents and businesses to move into District 2.  And for the residents and businesses in District 2, my economic development plan is to provide a better life for you and your business.

     

    19Tisha WaddellTisha Waddell

    District 3

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?

    Waddell: My experience as a conflict resolution coach would definitely be a plus in working to resolve communication issues and promote cooperation between both governing bodies. The number one recommendation when there is a standoff or obstacle preventing agreement is to encourage active listening. This is where each party makes a conscious effort to understand the complete message being sent by the other. There is an overlap in responsibility regarding the citizens in Fayetteville where the County Commissioners and City Council are concerned and we must maintain the ability to compromise when needed in order to make sure the needs of those citizens are always at the forefront.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Waddell: The City Council is responsible for creating an atmosphere that is conducive for economic expansion. Unfortunately we have not been strategic in planning to encourage growth and development beyond the call centers we have successfully acquired over the past few years. While these are accomplishments, they are limited in the impact they make on our economy, tax revenue and overall quality of life and demonstrate our need to take a close look at the factors that have stunted our progress. When elected, I will be diligent in advocating for the implementation of the recommendations that have been made through numerous studies commissioned by the City Council to determine how we move Fayetteville forward.

     

    20Jeremy WrightJeremy Wright

    District 3

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?

    Wright: Often when observing share issue of the city and county, it involves a righteous rant about what is happening in our communities (city and county) and who is to blame. You can pick many of today’s current issues concerning the two and see fingers pointing and accusations of the “other side” being wrong. However, the leaders of both governing bodies are merely produces or our contentious society.

    Whether it is conversations with people in line at Starbucks or seeing the headlines in our inbox, there is an underlying trend: we have stopped listening to people who have a different perspective. We are so sure of our own rightness (or “leftness”) that we no longer listen to others. Instead, we are smugly content in our own assumed correctness. This intellectual bullying erodes the sense of community and connectedness in our community.

    When another person voices an idea that is different than our own, we fail to acknowledge that the other person may have some truth in what they are saying. I would first encourage both governing bodies to listen and keep an open mind. This will yield to an understand of the assets or benefit each body present to finding a resolve.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Wright: The city plays an important role in economic development. By achieving economies of scale, agglomeration, and localization and providing efficient infrastructure and services through density and concentration in transportation, communications, power, human interactions, water and sanitation the city establishes the substratum on which economic development is built.

     

    21D.J. HaireD.J. Haire

    District  4

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?  

    Haire: It can sometimes be difficult to bring people together that have strong and different opinions on a subject matter that can be beneficial to both sides.  A few years back while serving on Council, both bodies came together and had several discussions on how the two boards could combine certain City & County Departments to include Parks and Recreation.

    It was a long process, that took many conversations between the City, County, staff and residents, but we eventually moved forward.

    I think that open dialogue is a “must” even where there are non-agreements. I would suggest that not only we have combine full body meetings, but also small meetings, or one on one meetings, and even social gatherings between the two boards. This can help build trust, better communication, and better mutual understandings. I have found in my on business negotiations that sometimes social gatherings help to open up better dialogue. I would pursue these actions.

    There’s always give and take, but we have to continue forward progress for the citizens that we represent.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Haire: I feel that our city plays a major role in our local economic development. When negotiating with future investors or our own local stakeholder investors, we should stay open to tweaking existing policy’s that may hinder growth. We should continue to help create an environment of a business friendly city.

    I was apart of the initiative to hire our very first Federal Lobbyist. I think we should continue with that investment on the State and Federal level. I also think that our economic development growth is not just seeking larger companies to our city. We should continue supporting our “Hire Fayetteville First” priority, where we invest in our local and future companies in every area so that they can grow, hire and expand.

    We should also continue working with our veteran population that brings an abundance of skills to our workforce market. There should also be full collaboration with our Education System, working together on how to better equip our up and coming work force.

     

    22Chalmers McDougaldChalmers McDougald

    District 4

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies? 

    McDougald: Better Communications start with simple discussion of what we see our respective bodies doing for the people we represent. At the end of the day the majority of people we all represent are all the same people. I believe we all want to do the best job we can for the citizens. However, until commonsense dialogue happen we will not see a coming together of the respective governing bodies. I will help in fostering a commonsense dialogue between the governing bodies, to assist us in developing a compromise, and thus meeting the needs of the people we all represent.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    McDougald: The role of the city in economic development is as vital as any other governmental or nongovernmental entity. We all want to create viable opportunities for our citizens to live, work and play. Economic development is a key part of that equation. Good jobs that pay healthy wages are more important than the industries that decide to locate in the city. The decision to locate in Fayetteville is not the city’s to make, but the business that has explored the opportunity to come here. I know first-hand that Fayetteville has given everything it has to give to attract those businesses that come looking. The major difficulty for the governing body is not knowing exactly why a company does or does not locate here in most cases. The city has many roles in local economic development, such as funding, negotiating terms, and helping business to achieve success.

     

    23Johnny DawkinsJohnny Dawkins

    District 5

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?  

    Dawkins: The first thing the City Council and the County Commissioners must do, is to agree to meet monthly for the next year.  Then, after a year, we may be able to move to a quarterly joint  meeting, as was done when I was previously on the City Council.  I have proposed a dinner meeting, but if lunch works better, for the majority, then we should meet at lunch.  I’ve found that you shouldn’t talk, when you have food in your mouth.  We have two ears and one mouth, and we should use them accordingly.

    Each member of the City Council and the County Commission must understand, and must appreciate, the needs of the city and the county.  With better understanding, and with mutual respect, we should be able to iron out our differences, and we should be able to create solutions, which will best serve all of our citizens.  Open and transparent meetings, on a regular schedule, is what I recommend.

    On the issue of the 911 Emergency Center:  the city is fully accredited, and the county’s 911 center has a lapsed accreditation.  The city needs to operate the 911 center for the county, because the 911 center is a core competency of the city.  The county staff, earlier, even recommended the city operate the 911 center.

    On the issue of the sales tax distribution:  I favor a multi-year phase out of the agreement made over 10 years ago, to go back to the distribution which will be most fair to Fayetteville.  The majority of the sales, generating sales tax revenue, in Cumberland County, occur in the city of Fayetteville.  Yet, the change should not be immediate, because the county and the other municipalities need five to seven years to prepare.  Plus, by that time period, the county and the other municipalities should have substantial sales and economic growth to offset any reduction in sales tax revenue, which they are receiving today.

    On the issue of the new baseball stadium:  The property tax revenue amounts generated by the over $60 Million of new private investment, around the baseball stadium, will benefit the county by over 50% more than the city.  My hope is the county will realize this new property tax revenue, and offer to assist the city in paying for this new baseball stadium.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Dawkins: The city’s primary role is to create an environment for private enterprise to take risks, create jobs, and succeed in whatever business endeavor undertaken.  If we are hoping to bring new industry to our area, the city should support the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation.  The FCEDC must work closely with the federal Department of Commerce and the state of NC Commerce Department, the county of Cumberland, the Chamber of Commerce, and the city staff to create an attractive package to bring new industry and jobs to Fayetteville.  They must leverage our job-ready, highly educated members of the military, when they separate or retire from the US Army or the US Air Force.  Moreover, FSU, FTCC, and Methodist University are graduating highly educated, energetic young people, who are ready to start their careers.  If we don’t have job opportunities available for them or for the military separating or retiring, then they move to other cities.

     

    24Henry TysonHenry Tyson

    District 5

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?  

    Tyson: Government should be a community resource and use tax dollars effectively to not waste taxpayers’ money. It is most important for our residents to receive the services that meet the needs within their individual communities.  If there is a prudent possibility to merge services, the City and County must share the burden, responsibility, and services to save funds. Ongoing communication and cooperation between elected boards will improve our community and not overtax our city and county residents with duplicate services. The challenges with implementation are two distinct elected bodies with differing statutory and constitutional requirements, differing philosophies, and unique budget goals. The county is mandated by the state to provide funding and maintain: social service programs, hospital & EMS services, mental health services, our school system, health department, the sheriff’s department, and our judicial facilities. This mandated funding makes some of the county’s budgetary spending non-discretionary. Our city government provides key infrastructure like storm water control, city street maintenance, and other services like fire protection services.  I stand ready to work with our commissioners on the areas
    of community where these services overlap, like our parks and recreation departments, to make sound fiscal decisions. My business success requires me to bring parties together. This experience will help facilitate agreement among all elected officials.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Tyson: If Fayetteville is to successfully compete with Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, and other major cities, our priority is to pursue and attract new job creators and new opportunities for our residents. Residents, stakeholders and leaders in the private sector must create opportunities, with a work strong work force and educational experiences that will attract and keep good paying companies. As we attract new businesses, provide new homes and develop new amenities, regulations must be tailored to meet our needs.  Economic development must engage the entire community, educational institutions, the private sector, and City and County governments to focus on government as an asset and not a hindrance to growth. Having a competitive tax base and structure, giving law enforcement tools to help make the city safe and providing needed amenities with our hard-working work force will provide us the advantage.

     

    25Toni StewartToni Stewart

    District 6

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?  

    Stewart: Unfortunately, the city and county have had a reputation of being unwilling or unable to agree and communicate on matters that ultimately affect the citizens. What all the members of the county and city must keep in mind is everything that they do is about those that we serve and not about personal agendas, special interest groups, political advancement or who’s coming out on top. Effective productive communication with the best interest of the citizens should be at the forefront of each and every endeavor that requires a joint effort. To ensure that effective and productive communication takes place, I would use the teammate approach. It must be understood that on joint endeavors, we need to operate as a team. We all have a role to play, but our ultimate goal is for Fayetteville to win. Listening to our teammates, understanding what contributions each member brings and being willing to compromise will ensure a WIN for Fayetteville.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Stewart: When a business looks to expand or open in a new city it considers everything from the tax rates to the quality of life, therefore our city has played a major role in the lack of economic development in our city. As a city we have not done well in marketing our professional workforce. If we are going to attract  large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms we must do better at marketing our workforce, providing incentives for businesses and improving our quality of life in order to attract the businesses that we so desperately need.

     

    26Trevone McNeillTrevone McNeill

    District 7

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?  

    McNeill: I believe that we are responsible to the people when elected. The thing that will bring both governing bodies together to agree and make the progress needed will be both parties coming to the table with one goal in mind- the quality of life for those who elected us. I’ve stated many times since being on this campaign trail that I’m a firm believer of being a voice for the people. I believe that the people make the decision we are just the voice for the the resource to help push the decision that best benefits the progress of our communities. In the end, I must remain true to my constituents and my convictions which hold me accountable to every individual who’d vote me into office. Doing so keeps me in position to help see our governing bodies work together for the benefit of all the people.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    McNeill: I believe that our city not only plays a major role, but the primary role in our economic development. It should be the goal from this moment forward of our city government to provide economic security for families in our communities. We should focus on providing economic growth that will allow single parents to be secure in their ability to financially care for their families, build promising futures for their children, and bring to our communities a greater investment than they were first able to make. Our city should focus on paving avenues of opportunity and preparation for our citizens to be positioned for career focused economic development and expansion.

     

    27John MinerJohn Miner

    District 8

    UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city’s baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies?  

    Miner: The first thing the City and the County must do is put their egos aside and remember why they hold the positions they were elected to by the people. Secondly, in order to create a better level of communication between the two governing bodies, each body must have a clear understanding of what its role is in the projects in question. The issue that I see is a control issue and that issue arises when clear expectations are not understood. The City and the County bring these matters again before the people and LISTEN to the voters.  What are the people saying about these items? How do the people feel? We constantly forget that we serve at the PLEASURE and DIRECTION of  the people.

    It’s not about us, it is and SHOULD always be about the people. The people of this City were and still are hard pressed against the baseball stadium and the majority of them were not a part of the deliberation process and those who were and who voiced their objections were utterly ignored. There is a silent majority that demands to be heard, and if the City and the County would simply learn to listen to those voices crying out across this City and County we would have less friction between these two elected bodies. As far as the Joint 911 Center is concerned. The City’s 911 Center along with the County’s are both about $15M away from being compliant, which would place a roughly $30M financial burden on the two bodies combined, which will eventually be pushed to the people for repayment. However, the city’s system is fully accredited as is not the case with the County.

    I believe that in this case, the City should maintain jurisdiction over the 911 Center if and when it was to become joined. If they come together that would alleviate about $15M worth of financial burden on taxpayers. I believe that they should also strongly consider Ft. Bragg in that partnering equation, which would help to minimize 911 misfires that take place when certain calls to 911 are made and are routed to the wrong dispatch center simply because the systems as with the City and County don’t communicate with each other. As far as which sales tax distribution the County should implement. Again, for me, it always goes back to the people. Which implementation would be less painful and more beneficial to the citizens and residents? The people should never suffer because those they elected are incapable of doing what they were tasked to do on Election Day.

    UCW: The city’s tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayetteville’s lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development?

    Miner: I feel the City plays a Major role in the local economic development and/or the lack thereof. Fayetteville seems to have an inclusion problem. The reason I believe that Fayetteville can’t or has a hard time convincing major corporations to come to the City and headquarter here is that Fayetteville does not know how to capitalize on the resources that it already has. You have to be able to convince board members and shareholders and stakeholders that your municipality is conducive for growth. Are people coming to your city and planting there which is good for the corporate bottom-line or is this an environment with a high turnover rate.

    High population turnovers are never good for the corporate bottomline because corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders and stakeholders and population instability makes them nervous. Also, what is the workforce comprised of? If it is too expensive to hire and train your employable workforce you will send corporations in the other direction. You must have a well-balanced workforce. When your workforce is too top heavy corporate leaders begin to fear your market and move on elsewhere to a move user-friendly market. If Fayetteville wants to be attractive to major corporations seeking a new place to call home we MUST ensure that they have something worth coming home too and that the people who will occupy positions within these corporations are properly, trained and ready to meet the corporate demands that accompany such a corporate transition.

     

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    12Wait Until Dark Web Banner 2000x700“Wait Until Dark” delivers a solid production that showcases one of the things the Cape Fear Regional Theatre does best. It provides an opportunity for local audiences to see excellent collaboration from a talented cast and crew.

    Director Talya Klein brings together a team of local, regional and national artists who present a story that engages the audience. We must pay attention to what is seen and heard, as the details are important – from the props themselves and their placement to the characters’ backgrounds and motives as revealed in the dialogue.

    Susy and Sam Hendrix live in a basement apartment in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1967. Susy is blind, and her husband, Sam, is a photographer who unwittingly brings home a doll filled with heroin. While Sam is away, a trio of con artists tries to trick Susy into giving them the doll.

    As more nefarious deeds are revealed, the situation gets increasingly dangerous for Susy, played by Leah Curney. She first works to clear Sam’s name and then must devise a plan to learn whom she can trust. With skill, Curney leads the audience from seeing Susy as a possible victim to a character who uses her disability to her advantage.

    Perhaps the best part of watching “Wait Until Dark” was seeing local and regional artists work with nationally recognized artists, both onstage and behind the scenes.

    Also delivering noteworthy performances are the actors playing the con artists: Patrick Falcon, Justin Matthew Toyer and Greg King. King is no stranger to the CFRT stage, last appearing in “Trip to Bountiful.” Toyer and Falcon are making their CFRT debuts.

    The sound, lighting and scenic design create an environment that pulls the audience in while delivering clues as the story plays out. Scenic designer Jonathan Dahm Robertson, lighting designer Caitlin Smith Rapoport, sound designer Jon Fredette and scenic artist David Rawlins bring a wide variety of local and national experience to the stage. They are a credit to the production.

    “Wait Until Dark” was written by Frederick Knott and premiered on Broadway in 1966 followed by a movie adaptation in 1967. The play is billed as a suspense-thriller, but aside from a few surprises, I didn’t find much suspense in the story.

    The first act provides the exposition of the characters and some of their motives. It also establishes that our Susy is way too trusting for a blind woman who spends a good amount of time alone while her photographer husband is off on assignments.

    The second act is where our clever Susy begins to orchestrate a plan to reveal the truth about her antagonists. What I could not reconcile with the story is how this same clever Susy would entertain visits from these questionable characters in the first place. I wanted to stand up from the audience and shout, “Lock your door, Susy, don’t let strangers into your apartment!”

    “Wait Until Dark” is a good choice for anyone who wants to see a talented cast and crew deliver a solid evening of entertainment. The show runs through Nov. 12 and is recommended for audiences 13 and above due to some violence.

    Ticket prices and show times are available at www.cfrt.org or by calling the box office at (910) 323-4233.

     

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    11VRCSometimes in life, we take certain things for granted. Just imagine what life would be like without having the sense of sight. There are over 900 blind and visually impaired individuals in Cumberland County, which is why the Vision Resource Center presents its Out of Sight Blindfolded Dining Event Saturday, Nov. 18, from 5-10 p.m. at the Hellenic Center.

    “The purpose of the Out of Sight Dining Event is to give people the opportunity to get an idea in that space to see what it is like to be blind and visually impaired and how they would feel in that position,” Terri Thomas, executive director of The Vision Resource Center, said. “This is why we need funding for the things that we do with the blind.”

    What does it feel like to be blind? Thomas asked this question to blind and visually impaired individuals she did an exercise with. Their answers: scared, vulnerable, not trusting and isolated.

    “When I participate in activities and I am blindfolded, I am scared – and it is not a good feeling,” Thomas said. “I can take my blindfold off at the end of the activity, but they don’t have a blindfold on, and this is their reality all day long.”

    Proceeds from the event will be used for training and skills development for blind and visuallyimpaired individuals.

    “The funding from the event will be used for adaptation/socialization skills and to support the transportation that is needed to transport these individuals,” Thomas said. “They want to do more things that they really like, and they want to be able to socialize with each other.”

    Thomas added that blind and visually-impaired individuals want to get out and socialize just like everyone else. They want to enjoy life and have fun.

    Transportation has also been an issue this year at The Vision Resource Center. “The air conditioner is not working in our bus,” Thomas said. “We have to be able to transport our people and cannot afford a new one.”

    Adaptive technology is also needed for these individuals. This includes iPhones and technology to help them as they navigate around their homes to perform daily tasks and chores.

    “It is so disheartening to want to get these items but we just don’t have the money for them,” Thomas said. “I struggle every year, and it is by the grace of God that we make it every year.”

    Ticket cost is $75 for individuals, $125 for couples and $600 for a reserved table of eight.

    The Hellenic Center is located at 614 Oakridge Ave. For more information, call (910) 483-2719.

     

    PHOTO: The Vision Resource Center’s Out of Sight Dining Event raises funds for blind and visually-impaired community members.

     

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    10FLPLThe quarterly Fayetteville Ladies Power Lunch creates a space where women in Fayetteville network with, learn from, empower and celebrate each other. The final lunch of 2017 takes place Nov. 9 at the Ramada Plaza. Retired Col. Marsha Lunt, a veteran who accomplished many firsts during her time in the Army, is November’s keynote speaker.

    Lunt served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps for 30 years. After being commissioned as a U.S. Army officer in 1978, she was among the first women to be integrated into the Army when the Women’s Army Corps was disestablished in 1978. She was also among the first women to graduate the Army’s Airborne School and later was one of the first female commanders of a medical clearing company supporting an Army Infantry Division.

    After retiring from the Army, Lunt served and succeeded in another male-dominated profession as the emergency manager for Womack Army Medical Center for 15 years. She retired from her position at Womack in July, at which point she received the prestigious North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine award. This honor is conferred by North Carolina’s governor and, according to the award website, “is awarded to persons for exemplary service to the State of North Carolina and their communities that is above and beyond the call of duty and which has made a significant impact and strengthened North Carolina.”

    Lunt said her speech will focus on the way Fayetteville is such a unique community due to its large population of veterans and how that relates to opportunities for female business owners and entrepreneurs.

    “I think the Power Lunch is all about finding out what other businesses are out there and networking with those ladies,” Lunt said. “There are some very good, strong businesswomen in this community, and I think they can benefit from just interacting with each other. It empowers them. To know somebody else, to see what they’re doing – you pick up on their drive and their initiative. … Each time I go, I understand more and more how valuable this program is.”

    Paulette Naylor, FLPL board of directors member, said she appreciates the timeliness of having Lunt as a keynote speaker. “As we honor and recognize our military veterans this month, I think it’s only fitting that we would invite a prestigious female officer to join us to discuss her path and challenges in breaking through the glass ceiling,” Naylor said.

    The Power Lunch opens at 10 a.m. with registration and an exclusive Shopportunity expo featuring dozens of local, women-owned vendors. 

    “This event presents lots of opportunities to spend your dollars locally and help support the outstanding women in your community,” Naylor said. There will also be a wine bar and wine-tasting.

    Seating for the Thanksgiving-themed lunch begins at 11:45 a.m. The entrees are turkey with dressing or stuffed pork chop.

    At noon, opening remarks will be followed by lunch and Lunt’s keynote speech. At 1:45 p.m., there will be door prizes courtesy of every vendor, a 50-50 raffle and closing remarks. The formal portion of the event concludes at 2 p.m., leaving an hour for continued networking and conversation before the Power Lunch officially concludes at 3 p.m.

    This year, the Power Lunch has chosen education as its charity of choice platform. A portion of the luncheon proceeds will benefit the Kidsville News Literacy and Education Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides funding assistance for reading and educational resources to school children in Cumberland and Hoke Counties.

    The Fayetteville Ladies Power Lunch takes place at the Ramada Plaza, 1707-A Owen Dr., and costs $35 to register. Vendor tables and sponsorships are available. To learn more, or to register, visit www.FayettevilleLadiesPowerLunch.com.

     

    PHOTO: Retired Col. Marsha Lunt

     

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     09FireCumberland County rural fire departments have faced increased operational costs for a couple of years with no increase in revenue. County commissioners provided short term, temporary relief for some departments earlier this year by borrowing money from a surplus fund. “We’ve outgrown the current funding model,” said County Manager Amy Cannon.

    Rural fire districts are supported by a 10cent tax, which is tacked onto the ad valorem property tax. Fayetteville, Hope Mills and Spring Lake home and business owners do not pay the extra tax because their costs are included in municipal property tax levies.

    Cannon said the county could ask the state legislature to allow county government to increase the fire district tax. It’s one option available to county government. A small increase in the sales tax is not available, Cannon said, because the county has maxed out its sales tax limit. “We have no hidden agenda going forward,” Cannon told the Cumberland County Public Safety Task Force. She’s leaving it up to task force members to come up with some ideas for an additional “sustainable funding source.” 

    Fire chiefs believe the solution must be one that will meet the needs of the county’s 17 rural fire departments, large and small. Suburban departments whose districts adjoin the city of Fayetteville are the largest, with annual budgets approaching $1 million. Their tax bases are urban in nature, comprised of residential subdivisions, commercial businesses and industry. The tax bases of smaller departments serving rural areas like Godwin, Falcon, Cedar Creek and Beaver Dam include scattered housing, farmland and forestry lands.

    Wayne Lucas, chief of the Godwin-Falcon Fire Department, pointed out that his protection district includes a large section of I-95. Expenses mount up for departments responsible for responding regularly to motor vehicle crashes on major thoroughfares. Lucas was quick to point out that the lives of small-town residents and interstate travelers are just as important as those who have the good fortune of being served by larger fire departments.

    “We’ve been putting Band-Aids on the system for a long time,” said County Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who also serves as the county’s fire commissioner.

    The fire chiefs who comprise the public safety task force agreed to form a committee of seven to study possible supplemental funding ideas.

    Cannon asked that the group try to have a recommendation to her by February 2018 so she can review it and present it to county commissioners in April for possible inclusion in the 2019 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

     

     

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    08NewsDigestThe city of Fayetteville continues to deal with remnants of damage caused by Hurricane Mathew a year ago. Crews continue to work on repairs to the unique pair of square water features at the NC Veterans Park downtown. They work for three or four days and then shut down, according to Parks & Recreation director Michael Gibson. They, and many other elements of the park, depend on underground computer-operated facilities.

    “We’ve been working on the fountains for three or four months,” Gibson said. The state built the park, but the city is responsible for maintenance. Gibson acknowledges that the public has become impatient because repairs to the water feature have taken so long.

    “Matthew dumped 4 feet of water in the main building,” he said, “and the Federal Emergency Management Agency covered that damage.” He added that the city has hired a full-time engineer to work on the park computers. 

    An end to Spring Lake’s road project is near

    A massive highway project in Spring Lake is almost finished. NCDOT says motorists will encounter intermittent lane closures over the next few weeks as workers put the finishing touches on the $32.3 million project that widened and resurfaced three major roads.

    DOT spokesman Andrew Barksdale said the lane restrictions are needed so crews can place permanent lane markings on Bragg Boulevard, Murchison Road and Lillington Highway. State highways 24, 87 and 210 merge in Spring Lake.

    “This new road system was a collaborative effort between the North Carolina Department of Transportation and local officials working together to address a challenge,” Spring Lake Mayor Chris Rey said.

    Not all local business people are thrilled with the outcome. Some retail outlets went out of business because of limited access to and realignment of Bragg Boulevard. The project included these major improvements: A Poe Avenue overpass on Bragg Boulevard; closure of a major entrance to Fort Bragg at Butner Road and Bragg Boulevard; and relocation and widening of Murchison Road from four lanes to six. Murchison Road now ties into the future I-295 on the Fayetteville end of the project.

    It took politics to bring Gov. Cooper to Fayetteville

    Gov. Roy Cooper came to Fayetteville last week to campaign for city council member Mitch Colvin, who’s running for mayor. Both are Democrats. Cooper’s predecessor, Republican Pat McCrory, previously campaigned on behalf of incumbent mayor Nat Robertson, who’s also a Republican. Had McCrory been re-elected, Robertson has said he would not have run for re-election. He had been promised a top administration post in Raleigh.

    The Fayetteville City Council election is nonpartisan, but some candidates have felt party politics was good strategy. Cooper attended a fundraiser in downtown Fayetteville for Colvin. Tickets ranged from $150 to $1,000.

    ASOM has a New Director

    The board of directors of the Airborne & Special Operations Museum Foundation hired a new Executive Director, Michael (Mike) Lynch. He retired from the Army after 39 years of ser
    vice, 33 of which were at Fort Bragg. He has previously served on the Foundation Board as an  ex officio member and adviser. He was Director of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security for the Army, which included supervision of Army Museums.

    He’s been involved with ASOM since its formation in 2000. “We are excited about the continued success of the museum and the foundation as it looks toward the future plans and development of the foundation and museum activities under the hand of such a proven, experienced and faithful leader,” Jim Soffe, president of the foundation board, said.

    Lynch has held several leadership positions in professional, civic and community organizations during his tenure in the Fayetteville area.

    Local teen receives national recognition

    Kennedi Whitener-Mason of Fayetteville has been selected from a pool of national candidates to attend The First Tee Outstanding Participant & Leadership Summit, Nov. 8–11, in Orlando, Florida. The First Tee is a youth development organization that introduces young people to the game of golf and its inherent values. The summit will be held in conjunction with The First Tee Network Meeting, a biennial conference of more than 800 local representatives.

    Whitener-Mason is a member of The First Tee of the Sandhills. She attends Pine Forest Senior High School where she is in the Key Club, National FFA Organization and is a cadet in the Air Force Junior ROTC.

    “I’m looking forward to continuing my education and learning new skills as I meet other participants with similar goals and interests,” she said. She has been a participant in The First Tee of the Sandhills for 10 years and recently attended the USGA Learning Science through Golf Academy.

     

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    07EntrenchmentNinety miles down-river from Fayetteville, at the Cape Fear’s exit into the Atlantic, sits Bald Head Island. The island houses a maritime forest that forms a canopy of cedar, native palmettos and massive live oaks with Spanish moss. If you haven’t visited Bald Head and have any appreciation for our coast, do so, if even for a day. It’s a timeless place.

    If you spend any time in the thick of the island, you’ll spot several long mounds of earth and trenches that are out of place among the flat forest-bed. They make up what was once Fort Holmes, a Confederate battery constructed to keep the inlet free for blockade runners. Like its better-known cousin Fort Fisher, Fort Holmes fell and was abandoned. Today, its entrenchments are covered in trees and brush, but they still abide a century-and-a-half later, scarring the natural landscape. You don’t even need a map to find them.

    When my father is not seeking refuge on Bald Head, he’s spending time in the halls of our legislative building, where the majority party recently passed a bill to carve up Cumberland County’s judicial districts along racial lines. In short, the bill creates a “city” district in central and northwest Cumberland County, with a high minority and democratic vote. Surrounding it is a Republicanleaning, majority-white district comprised of the wealthiest neighborhoods of central Fayetteville and the surrounding county. District and Superior Court judges are distributed among the two districts.

    In the past several District Court elections, which are countywide, many in the Republican Party have failed to win, particularly against African-American candidates.

    No Republican judges sit on our Superior Court bench. The aim of the bill’s supporters is to change all this, using the built-in partisan advantage of one of the new districts. The proponents will succeed in this attempt in the same way they have succeeded in obtaining a veto-proof majority in the legislature by packing AfricanAmerican citizens into a district to dilute their overall voting power. It’s insidious, but it’s effective.

    As we have come to know with gerrymandered legislative districts, it’s likely that the only election that will matter in these new judicial districts will be the partisan primary. Gerrymandering forces even the most moderate candidate to ideological extremes to win the hearts of their particular “blue” or “red” district, after which they often run unopposed in a general election, unaccountable to the needs and desires of the public at large. It’s a bad blueprint for democracy, but it’s a horrible way to elect qualified individuals to govern one of the last places of public refuge in our society, the courtroom.

    For Cumberland County, this bill means more division in our courthouse. Judge shopping will certainly occur as lawyers and litigants jockey to have their cases heard by a judge of their race or party. This is to be feared, and the reason is simple: equal protection under law is threatened when partisanship and race are added to the scales of justice.

    Long after we come to our senses in this state and take race and party out of our judicial elections, the harmful effects of this bill will endure. They will become entrenched, as racial lines always have and always will. You won’t even need a map to find them.

     

  • 06golfIt was the last day of the class, and she was sitting on the front row ready to turn in her final project. I asked her how the class had been. She smiled the biggest smile and said:

    “This class has been amazing. I’m so sad it’s over. A friend asked if she could look at my final project. I didn’t really want her to read it because I wasn’t sure if it was all that good. You see, my friend is the daughter of a pastor and missionary. She knows the Bible! I finally caved in and let her read it. She was astounded. She said to me, ‘You learned all that in this course? Wow!’ Honestly, I’m tearing up just thinking about what this class has meant to me.”

    Her story is very similar to many students who take Carolina College of Biblical Studies’ signature course, How to Study the Bible.

    At CCBS, our mission is to disciple Christ-followers through biblical higher education for a lifetime of effective servant leadership. We’ve been doing that since 1973. 

    Signature Course

    One way we’re achieving this mission is through the course How to Study the Bible. Since we introduced this course in 2008, more than 680 students have completed it on campus, online or in their church.

    Most Christians want to know the Bible better. So, the college began offering this tuition-free course to help as many people as possible to read and understand their Bible better. The course is tuition-free because we want as many people as possible to take the course. But someone pays that cost.

    Accredited Programs

    The other way we’re achieving that mission is through our accredited associate and bachelor’s degree programs. Instead of getting a degree from anywhere in anything, CCBS strives to give a solid education from a biblical worldview. Whether that is achieved on campus in our face-to-face classes or online with students in 17 states and two countries, the goal is the same – solid, biblical education. 

    Scholarship Tournament

    We don’t want to limit anyone from achieving their dream of getting a college education. That’s why CCBS is hosting a Scholarship Golf Tournament Saturday, Nov. 4, at Anderson Creek Club golf course in Spring Lake. The proceeds will fund the How to Study the Bible courses as well as the General Scholarship Fund.

    When you give to the Scholarship Fund, you can help someone learn to read, interpret and apply the Bible. You can help a pastor strengthen his preaching skills. You can train a missionary to serve the people where God has called him or her to go. You can help students achieve their dream … all through the Scholarship Golf Tournament.

    For more information, visit www.ccbs.edu/golf.

  •  

    05HitsandMissHIT (Festival) – Fayetteville’s Dogwood Fall Festival was certainly a “hit.” Culinary offerings were aplenty: 39 food trucks.

    A popular children’s zone was a first this year. Local bands entertained from the stage. A haunted house was popular given the time of year. And the weather couldn’t have been better.

    MISS (Mediocrity) – Many of us suspect we know one of the reasons that Greater Fayetteville hasn’t grown in recent years. The buzzword is “mediocrity.” Not all business and civic leaders may agree, but many locals, past and present, who’ve been successful know exactly what we’re talking about. Some are so frustrated they’re talking about moving, and Southern Pines and the Triangle are popular potential destinations.

    HIT (Gratitude) – The Cumberland County Disaster Recovery Coalition was founded by Steve Rogers in the aftermath of the tornado that ripped through much of Cumberland County in 2011. Last month, the coalition held a “Heart of Matthew” luncheon to honor community heroes who helped others recover from Hurricane Matthew a year ago. “This is what we do when we love our neighbor as ourselves,” said Chip Grammar.

    MISS (Roadway Sign Clutter) – The median in the newly-paved section of Bragg Boulevard between Filter Plant Drive and Pearl Street has two dozen little signs to distract drivers’ attention. They are unnecessary instruction signs that only add clutter to the streetscape. Some of them tell motorists not to make U-turns – despite the fact the medians have made U-turns necessary and completely legal. 

    MISS (Sidewalks) – Forty years ago, the developers of Montclair off Raeford Road built houses and sidewalks, but to this day, sidewalks are few and far between in new Fayetteville neighborhoods. When businesses are built in commercial areas, they’re required to put in sidewalks or pay a fine. A section of Sycamore Dairy Road between Morganton and McPherson Church Roads is missing a sidewalk between the State Employees Credit Union and a hotel a hundred yards away. Why? It’s a vacant lot, and the city hasn’t seen fit to fill in the gap. Progressive thinking? Hardly! 

    HIT (Tallywood Shopping Center) – The developers of the new Publix Mega Market on Raeford Road had the good sense to retain the Tallywood name. The iconic Tallywood Tower remains, too, as does Mi Casita. It was the only existing store to survive the otherwise total makeover of the center. Tallywood, whose name was derived from the family that developed one of Fayetteville’s first strip malls, has a dozen or so storefronts for businesses.

    MISS (Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce’s choice for a Candidate Forum moderator) – Tim White

    White is The Fayetteville Observer’s only remaining editorial page editor. Understanding that The Fayetteville Observer’s new owner, Gatehouse Media, has cut its local professional journalistic talent down to the bone helps us understand the void this community is experiencing in balanced, comprehensive and informed local news coverage.

    After all, it’s one thing for a resident invested in Fayetteville and Cumberland County to be vocal and critical of issues concerning our community, leadership, quality of life and economic development initiatives. However, when you don’t live here, you lose the right to pass judgment on the people, policies and processes that affect our local citizens and community.

    Tim White not only doesn’t live in Fayetteville, he lives in a different county 50 miles from here – Chatham County – on the western edge of the affluent Triangle. So, for White to be passing his judgments, critiques and criticisms on our residents, policies and politics is insulting. Posing questions and drilling community political candidates who have stepped up to serve as potential governmental leaders of this community and who care about the future of Fayetteville and Cumberland County is beyond ironic. It’s disrespectful to our community.

    HIT (Comic Con Convention)

    Congratulations to event organizer Michael Chauduri, Crown Coliseum general manager Jim Grafstrom, Crown staff and Linda McAlister of Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper for making the two-day Comic Con such a wonderful, pleasant and memorable experience for the thousands of whimsical, fun and fantasy fans who attended. Not only was it a great event and huge success, but the local outreach of friendliness and hospitality toward the attendees is just what this community needs more of to reflect positively on the Fayetteville community and help us develop our brand. They sent thousands of visitors home saying great things about the Fayetteville community.

     

  •  

    04karlMuch of my writing and speaking address what might be seen as the failings of American society. Among these failings are poverty, troublingly high crime rates, rapidly disappearing standards of morality, a political system out of control and tremendous racial and economic tensions. By no means is this a complete list. Part of what wears on me – scares me – is that the solutions applied to the myriad failings are, far too often, destructive rather than helpful. In the face of this reality, I struggle to hear from God as to what he would have me do by way of contributing to turning this tide of helping, which keeps proving destructive instead of productive.

    My thought that efforts to help often prove destructive is not a widely acknowledged or accepted premise. Consequently, a recent experience was unexpected and shocked me almost beyond belief. My wife is a marriage and family therapist. That means she attends a good many conferences. When she is in a generous mood, I get invited to tag along – to freeload. My latest invite was for a trip to Nashville, Tennessee. She was staying at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Conference Center, which is within easy walking distance of the Grand Ole Opry. The resort provides a shuttle to downtown Nashville. I planned to go to the Opry, eat barbecue downtown and enjoy the resort amenities.

    That plan went well until my wife came in one night and told me she had met some people she wanted me to meet. They were in the exhibit area sharing information regarding their nonprofit. Meeting these people, or even going to the conference, was not in my plan. Denise, my wife, was excited and told me I had to meet these people. In the interest of peace in my marriage and not jeopardizing future freeloading opportunities, I agreed to meet the couple.

    They were Meredith and Rob Kendall, who lead Renewing the Mind Network. Their brochure states, in part: “RTMS has grown nationally and is used to help men and women conquer the pain, anger and anxiety from their past and write a new story founded in Christ.” The 180 Program is a division of Renewing the Mind Network. It was because of the 180 Program that Denise said I had to meet this couple. Foundational to this program is The New Beginnings Study that, according to a brochure, “leads students to identify, understand and overcome the thoughts, feelings, behaviors and patterns that are the root cause of their negative cycles.”

    The New Beginnings Study covers these topics: job readiness; Budgeting 101; relationships; parenting; and leadership. What I find encouraging is that these topics are presented in a fashion that addresses the causes of poverty and other societal ills. For example, there is no doubt that less-than- adequate parenting can contribute to the perpetuation of a generational cycle of poverty. This description is given for the parenting section: “Parenting is a four-week study for the student to learn that their actions and attitudes impact their children and focuses on directing the heart of the child and not merely gaining obedient behavior.”

    My constant argument, my lament, is that we, as a nation, do not seriously look for the causes of conditions that are indicative of our failings as a society. Instead, we put programs and efforts in place that feel good and seem right but do little or no good. In fact, when it comes to addressing poverty and some other challenges, societal actions, especially those of governments, are destructive. When I met Rob and Meredith, Rob started making this point; I knew Denise was right to insist that I meet these people. Rob talked, Meredith monitored, and I listened. I walked away with a “180 Sample Book” and Rob’s book, “Breaking the Broken: Debunking the Myth of Social Justice.” Please go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1PK10z2AvI and view Rob Kendall being interviewed by Monica Schmelter regarding his book.

    Talking with Kendall and reading “Breaking the Broken” has provided some relief now that I realize I am not alone in my thinking about the lack of effectiveness of most social programs. Talking about their previous efforts to help the poor, he writes, “Our service to the poor had been counterproductive. We were making things worse and adding to their struggle. We were actually breaking the broken. Trying to make someone more comfortable in a life that is falling apart isn’t really helping.”

    Therein is the point. Regarding poverty, look at all the programs that have been put in place. Many studies have taken on this task. Several that I looked at contend some programs are helpful; however, the overall effect is not impressive by any means.

    In a 2014 article titled “Paul Ryan’s Audit of Federal Anti-Poverty Programs Finds Many Are Actually Very Effective,” Igor Volsky wrote regarding an assessment by the House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-W.I. Here is some of what Volsky wrote:

    The assessment, which is designed to kick off his campaign to revamp federal welfare programs, broadly characterizes federal aid as counterproductive and ineffective. Ryan argues that federal programs have contributed to the nation’s high poverty rate and ‘created what’s known as the poverty trap.’ The report argues, “Federal programs are not only failing to address the problem. They are also in some significant respects making it worse.”

    Volsky then says, “Ryan’s own analysis points out, numerous progressive-minded spending programs have helped millions of Americans and significantly reduced the nation’s poverty rate. Below are 16 examples from Ryan’s own report of how the government can help lower-income Americans make ends meet.” He lists 16 programs. I find it revealing that the first program on the list of 16 is the Veterans Health Administration. He is talking about the VA. Given all that has happened with that organization, I hardly think it should be held up as effective.

    Our goal should be ensuring that actions intended to help do help. The 180 Program brochure says that “Only 33 percent of inmates remain out of jail/prison more than three years.” Regarding inmates who participate in the program, the brochure states, “76 percent of inmates remain out of jail/prison more than three years.” The 33 percent statistic also appears in a 2014 report by the National Institute of Justice. The information here clearly shows the 180 Program to be very effective.

    American governments at every level, especially the federal, are in the business of passing out money and in-kind support to citizens in poverty and other dire circumstances. Rob Kendall and congressman Paul Ryan are totally correct in saying, for the most part, these efforts do not move people to some higher level of living. They are made more comfortable in their difficult, challenging circumstance.

    Kendall contends we should be about ensuring that people have resources, opportunities, instruction/work and relationships. This is not the approach of government, or of most efforts, to help people overcome poverty or other life challenges.

    I encourage Americans to face the fact that very little of what our society is doing to help people is proving effective. As stated above, we are making life even worse for many people who are supposedly being helped.

    Meredith and Rob Kendall are offering an effective approach – God’s approach. My call is for serious examination of what they offer. It is different, and we desperately need a different approach.

     

  •  

    03FakeNewsWe Americans have heard a great deal about “fake news” in the last two years, but the concept is far from new. Orson Welles’ sonorous broadcast of a fictitious “War of the Worlds” panicked many Americans in 1938, and there are still people looking for space aliens in Roswell, New Mexico.

    Decades ago, my mother and I had a running joke about who scored the “fakest” news perused in tabloids while waiting in the grocery store checkout line. You know the type. Headlines scream about a woman in some unpronounceable – and perhaps nonexistent – foreign place who gave birth to a giraffe and the infant who was swallowed by a snake and emerged laughing at the other end. Sometimes we tried to outdo each other by making up our own fake news.

    Our creative behavior seems to have become more prevalent these days, as people from President Trump on down author their own versions of news, facts be darned. Stories like those my mother and I enjoyed are easy to spot, but fake news has become more sophisticated. What all fake news has in common – whether it is in tabloids, on television, on social media or an internet website – is that it is fabricated with the intent to amuse, deceive, manipulate, damage or do all of the above.

    Fake news has been documented in ancient Egypt and continues to this minute. Earlier fake news came with various motives from innocent to nefarious, just as ours does today. Current fake news is often overlaid with a profit motive as well – the more outrageous or salacious the story, the more clicks on it and the more money made. The goal may be deceit, but it may also be plain old greed.

    Even the definition of fake news has become squashier. Instead of an outright lie, it might be satire a la “Saturday Night Live,” “The Daily Show” and the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” It is fair to say the subtlety  – and I use that word with great respect – escapes some people who mistake satire for fact. Oh, well!

    So how do well-meaning and serious news consumers inoculate ourselves from fake news? How do we filter the reasonable-sounding though bogus from the nutty but true? We probably cannot do so completely, but there are some defenses we can try.

    If there are more !!! than simple …, more CAPITALS than lowercase letters, if it says, “THIS IS NOT A HOAX,” if it asks you to forward to all your friends (or those who are not), chances or better than not that it is bogus!

    Tried and true advice always works, so consider the source. Have you ever heard of it? Is it credible? Is it really a source, or did someone just make it up? Not everything in print is true, nor is everything on the internet or TV. If you do not know the source and cannot find out anything about it, be very careful. This holds true whether the source is an organization or a person. If credentials look real, investigate a little more. If the author purports to have been awarded a Pulitzer Prize, which would give him or her credibility, double-check at the Pulitzer website. If a research center says it is associated with Princeton University – again a credibility enhancer – check with Princeton to confirm.

    Don’t just read or listen to the headline. Even real news stories cannot convey all the information in a headline. It may be factual, it may be a satirical piece, or it may be fake, but the devil is in the details. The more you read and hear, the better your sense of real versus fake will become.

    And finally, be aware of your points of view and, yes, your own biases. Are you seeking out stories and other information that merely preach to your private choir? Are you predisposed to stories about Barack Obama’s Kenyan birth or Donald Trump’s rocky relationship with facts? Do you challenge yourself to understand stories you are uncomfortable with or with which you disagree? If you are a Fox News devotee, do you ever switch to see what is being said on MSNBC and vice versa? Both are news outlets with distinctive points of view that dance around facts they may not like.

    The bottom line here is that we Americans are truly blessed to have a constitutional right to our own opinions, no matter how wacky they may be.

    What we are not entitled to is our own set of personal facts.

     

  •  

    02PubPenIf the town of Hope Mills were a new Wall Street stock offering, I would add it to my financial portfolio. Why? Because it has all the right indicators for growth and prosperity based on its leadership, management, policies and services. The previously small, sleepy mill town of Hope Mills is neither small nor sleepy any longer. With a population of nearly 17,000, growth and development are both evident and inevitable. During the last several years, the population has grown, schools have expanded, and more property is being designated for professional and commercial use. Yes, economic growth and development are inevitable.

    The leadership of Hope Mills has faced many challenges in recent years. Constructing the dam and restoring the town’s signature lake after a 10-year hiatus has presented multiple herculean challenges. Yet, Hope Mills elected officials and town staff have risen to the occasion through perseverance, dedication, hard work and love for their community. The future of Hope Mills looks bright.

    Hope Mills residents need to keep a good thing going. Next Tuesday, when the polls open on Election Day, they need to get out and vote for the candidates they feel will help the town to grow and prosper and take its rightful place in the 21st century. Hope Mills leadership can no longer afford to spend its time dealing with whispers, gossip and innuendo  – all of which serve as a distraction and stifle progress. Distractions that stifle progress and waste time. Time that could be spent expanding town services, promoting local businesses, attracting economic development and providing amenities to residents.

    It is unfortunate not much attention or publicity has been given to the upcoming Hope Mills mayoral race or commissioners race. Fayetteville’s municipal election has cast a shadow over all the other countywide races. And, until recently, Hope Mills residents did not have consistent and reliable access to information about the candidates or important issues concerning the town. In the Hope Mills section of this week’s issue, Rod MacLean, a popular Hope Mills resident and community activist, writes about the value and importance of voter turnout in the upcoming Hope Mills election. Informed voters will elect, and re-elect, those people who have a positive vision for Hope Mills growth and prosperity.

    Up & Coming Weekly is looking forward to being Hope Mills’ community newspaper. We want to tell the Hope Mills story, keep the residents informed of important issues and developments and introduce candidates and future leaders to the community. Also, we are looking forward to being Hope Mills’ positive voice to the other 300,000 residents of Cumberland County. There is no doubt Hope Mills will become one of our area’s “must-see” destinations.

    Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly, Hope Mills’ community newspaper.

     

  •  

    01CoverThe Vietnam War was a divisive one. But what is unquestionable is the human heart of those in military service. Retired Navy Master Chief  (TMCM SS) Patrick J. Moore is one of those men. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1959 and served for 30 years. At the time of the Vietnam War, he was an E-6 torpedo man aboard the U.S.S. Bang.

    “It’s hard on a submarine, and you go to sea for three or four months. But I had the best camaraderie there has been with the crews on submarines. I had the best,” he said.

    Reflections like these are necessary to hear and important in understanding the veteran point of view. For the upcoming fifth annual Heroes Homecoming, events will take place throughout Cumberland County from Nov. 1 to Nov. 12. Heroes Homecoming honors the sacrifices of all military veterans, but each year it turns its focus to a specific conflict in our nation’s history. This year, Vietnam War veterans are the honorees.

    According to John Meroski, president/CEO of the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Vietnam veterans were chosen as honorees once again because “we can’t thank them enough.”

    Here is the schedule of events:

    Saturday, Nov. 4

    The annual Fayetteville Veterans Day Parade will start at 10 a.m. It will take place downtown on Hay Street, with Cumberland County students and Vietnam veterans in attendance.

    At 2 p.m., the Museum of the Cape Fear is hosting “A Soldier’s Heart: Understanding Vietnam Veterans’ Experiences through Oral History,” led by Dr. Cyndi Briggs. Her discussion will focus on stories she collected from Vietnam veterans over the years.

    Sunday, Nov. 5

    From 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Hope Mills Veterans Memorial, a memorial ceremony and flag display will take place to honor Vietnam veterans. Retired Lt. Col. Walt Brinker, a Vietnam veteran, will be a guest speaker.

    Monday, Nov. 6

    At the Hope Mills Lake at 5 p.m., there will be a veteran’s bench dedication.

    Tuesday, Nov. 7

    From 1 to 4 p.m., the Museum of the Cape Fear will host a meet-and-greet with Vietnam veterans. Lt. Col. Walt Brinker will lead a presentation on his experience with PTSD and what other veterans can do to deal with their trauma.

    Wednesday, Nov. 8

    Starting at 4 p.m., Millstone 14 will present a military-themed movie night free of charge for veterans and their families. Call (910) 354-2124 for details.

    Thursday, Nov. 9

    From Thursday to Sunday, Nov. 12, the Airborne and Special Operations Museum will host the traveling replica of the Washington ,D.C., Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Also known as The Moving Wall, it lists the names of all who perished during the Vietnam War.

    ASOM will honor Gold Star Families in a Vietnam Veteran pinning ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9.

    Also at 6:30 p.m., a Yellow Ribbon Tribute dinner will be hosted at the Spring Lake Recreation and Parks Building honoring Vietnam veterans’ families.

    Friday, Nov. 10

    U.S. Armed Forces veterans and their families will be honored at the Eastover Community Center. There will be refreshments and speakers, starting at 7 p.m.

    Saturday, Nov. 11

    ASOM will show “On the Air: A Tribute to Bob Hope and America’s Heroes” and “Hello Vietnam: A Tribute to Bob Hope and America’s Heroes.” Showings will take place at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

    Sponsored by the Freedom Biker Church and Rolling Thunder, the first Heroes Homecoming Motorcycle Rally takes place from noon to 8 p.m. It will start at Fort Bragg Harley-Davidson and make its way to The Moving Wall dedication ceremony at ASOM before ending at Festival Park. There will be food trucks, tattoo and beard contests, speakers, bands – and a VIP tent for all Vietnam veterans.

    ASOM’s The Moving Wall dedication takes place at 1 p.m. on the parade field. It will feature speakers such as Ray Scrump, who is a former prisoner of war, and Jim Hollister of Rolling Thunder.

    Sunday, Nov. 12

    From 1 to 3 p.m., ASOM will host a discussion and book signing with Mark Bowden. Bowden is best known for “Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War.” He will discuss his latest book, “Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam.”

    Several other events will take place throughout the entirety of Heroes Homecoming. This includes exhibits at both the Hope Mills and Cumberland County Public Libraries, a Vietnam War display at the Visitors Center at the North Carolina Veterans Park, and an exhibit called “Hugh’s Crate” at Museum of the Cape Fear. According to Meroski, FACVB has also set forth a Missing Man Table Initiative, with more than 200 businesses and organizations pledged to participate. The Missing Man Tables will honor those missing in action or who were prisoners of war during the Vietnam War.

    “When I say Heroes Homecoming, brought to you by the communities of Cumberland County, it really is,” said Meroski. “It goes to show when you have an overarching, pure, good deed, people are going to rally around it.”

    All Heroes Homecoming events are free and open to the public. Visit www.heroeshomecoming.com to learn more.

     

  • EarlVaughansmall
    Finally, at the end of this crazy rollercoaster ride in the Patriot Athletic Conference, we’ve reached a point where we can start talking about clinching playoff berths.
     
    Friday’s biggest game without question is E.E. Smith at Cape Fear. It’s no accident Colt coach Jake Thomas sent out an appeal earlier this week asking all former Cape Fear football players to come to Friday’s game and join the current Colt squad to run onto the field through the school’s smoke-filled tunnel prior to kickoff. A glance at the Cape Fear schedule and the Patriot Conference standings shows why. This is Cape Fear’s final regular-season game. The Colts are off next Friday night.
     
    Meanwhile, they are alone in first place going into Friday, a half game ahead of Terry Sanford and Smith. A win drops Smith to two losses in the conference and assures Cape Fear at least a tie in the final standings with Terry Sanford. But if Cape Fear beats Terry Sanford head-to-head, the Colts would clinch the No. 1 state playoff berth in the 3-A classification for the split Patriot Conference.
     
    Speaking of that split, let’s turn our attention to South View at Overhills. Despite last week’s painful loss to Terry Sanford, South View still has plenty to play for tonight. As I mentioned, the Patriot is a split conference with 4-A and 3-A teams. That means there are two No. 1 playoff berths up for grabs.
    To take a step closer to clinching that 4-A berth, the Tigers need to defeat Overhills, which would give them wins over both the Jaguars and Pine Forest, the two 4-A teams in the league.
     
    However, just beating Overhills won’t clinch the 4-A No. 1 for the Tigers. They also have to finish ahead of both Pine Forest and Overhills in the league standings, and they enter Friday tied with Pine Forest at 4-2 in the conference. That means even if South View wins Friday, it could lose to Gray’s Creek next week, while Pine Forest could win out against Terry Sanford and Overhills and still pass South View for the No. 1 spot.
    After Friday night, the focus should be a little sharper.
     
    The record: 69-17
     
    I was overdue to take a picking beating, and it finally came last week with a miserable 5-3 record. The games that burned me were Terry Sanford over South View, Gray’s Creek over Douglas Byrd and Overhills over Westover.
     
    That dropped the season record to 69-17, but I’m still clinging to 80 percent right at 80.2. This week’s schedule doesn’t promise too many breathers, either.
     
    E.E. Smith at Cape Fear – As I explained earlier, this is basically the conference championship game for the Colts. Win this one, and no matter what Terry Sanford does next week against E.E. Smith, Cape Fear clinches a share of the Patriot Conference title and the No. 1 berth from the league in the 3-A playoffs. Jake Thomas and company have been surviving on defense since Justice Galloway-Velazquez went down with an injury. I expect them to do the same tonight.
    Cape Fear 20, E.E. Smith 18.
     
    Westover at Gray’s Creek – The Wolverines have really hit the skids in recent weeks, while Gray’s Creek finally got in the win column against Douglas Byrd last Friday. I still like the Wolverines in this one.
    Westover 21, Gray’s Creek 14. 
     
    Jack Britt at Pinecrest – Britt is in the thick of the chase for second place in the Sandhills Conference and has a monster final game next week with Seventy-First. The safe pick is Pinecrest at home, but I think Britt is peaking with four wins in a row since getting hammered at home by Scotland. I like the Buccaneers.
    Jack Britt 20, Pinecrest 17.
     
    Pine Forest at Terry Sanford – Terry Sanford is still clinging to a piece of first in the Patriot Conference while Pine Forest is trying to hang on to a shot at the Patriot Conference No. 1 4-A berth. The Bulldogs got a big confidence boost with that South View win, and with the raucous support they’ve gotten at home this season, I like their chances against the Trojans.
    Terry Sanford 28, Pine Forest 21.
     
    Seventy-First at Richmond Senior – This is a critical game for both teams in the chase to stay in the top two in the Sandhills Conference. Seventy-First bounced back quickly from the loss to Scotland, and I know the Falcons won’t be overwhelmed by the prospect of facing Richmond on the road.
    Seventy-First 18, Richmond Senior 16.
     
    South View at Overhills – There is no time for sorrows for the Tigers after last week’s painful loss to Terry Sanford. They are still in the driver’s seat to clinch the No. 1 state 4-A playoff berth from the Patriot Conference as explained earlier. I think they’ll regroup and get a little closer to that tonight.
    South View 20, Overhills 16.
     
    Open date – Douglas Byrd.
     
    Other games:
     
    Trinity Christian 22, Village Christian 14.
     
    Sandhills Titans 30, Fayetteville Christian 8.
     
  •  17 michael jacksonThe Givens Performing Arts Center hosts a show honoring pop legend Michael Jackson Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. This event is a part of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Homecoming celebration.

    The show, entitled “Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience,” takes place at the GPAC, which is located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. This is the only show that continues to give tribute to the late superstar.

    Originating from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the group – called Who’s Bad – has been successful and is the longest-running Michael Jackson tribute band. They have sold out venues and performed all over the world including places like China and the United Kingdom. The band has been on tour featuring stops at The House of Blues, 930 Club in D.C., Bluebird Theatre in Colorado and the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Additionally, the group has performed onstage with The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, The Backstreet Boys, Pitbull and Boys II Men.

    The group is comprised of Broadway performers, musicians and singers. The founder and manager of the group is Vamsi Tadepalli, a jazz performance graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He created the band in 2003 and serves as the saxophonist, arranger and choreographer, along with a group of other performers. James Times III is the lead singer and commands the stage as Michael Jackson.

    Attendees and fans will be in for a real treat when watching this show. The performers know the music and choreography of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits. They study tirelessly to make sure every dance and every song is executed with perfection. The band is passionate and dedicated to delivering a powerful performance.

    James Bass,director of the GPAC, said, “This show is authentic and imitates not only the music of Michael, but the performers have studied his moves in detail. It’s going to be like you were there.”

    The audience can expect to hear all Jackson’s greatest hits from the ’70s to the ’90s – tunes like “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” – and there may even be a few songs from his days with The Jackson 5. Because this event takes place on Halloween weekend, the audience can definitely expect “Thriller” to be on the setlist.

    Jackson’s music has brought people together for decades. He is still revered as the King of Pop. Posthumously, Jackson’s album “Thriller” is still the best-selling album of all time. There’s something about his music that appeals to people of all generations and backgrounds. Bass promised this is going to be a fun show, and it’s going to be hard to sit still.

    Tickets for the tribute show are $36 for adults and $10 for children. Alumni of the university have a ticket price of $26. The show is set to start at 8 p.m.

    For tickets and information, visit www.uncp.edu/gpac or call  (910) 521-6361.

     

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    13DG MartinWhat is North Carolina’s bestknown and most influential college? It might be an institution that went out of business 60 years ago, Black Mountain College. Still today, educators praise and criticize the college’s progressive and collaborative approach. In 2015, Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art’s exhibit, titled “Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933-1957,” celebrated the college’s “cultural force long felt” and the “school’s ethos, in which experience was the basis of knowledge, and objects were not fixed things, but mirrors of their environment, the result of action and experimentation.”

    A book recently released opens the door to understanding the college’s enduring allure.

    Surprisingly, that book, “Hidden Scars” by Mark de Castrique, is not a Black Mountain guide or history book.

    It is a detective story.

    “Detective story!” I can hear you screaming, “What can a murder mystery have to do with a closeddown college?”

    De Castrique is the author of a series of novels set in modern-day Asheville featuring the detective team of Sam Blackman and Nakayla Robertson. Sam is a veteran who lost his leg in military action and wears a prosthesis. Nakayla, his partner in business and in love, is African-American.

    De Castrique makes Black Mountain College the center point of action in the detectives’ investigations of suspicious deaths in two different time periods.

    First, an 80-year-old woman asks them to look into the death of her brother, Paul Weaver. He was student at the college in the 1940s who died in a reported hiking accident. Seventy years later, his sister suspects foul play.

    Second, their first investigation takes them to the former site of the college. There, a film crew is making a commercial film set in the college’s heyday in the 1930s and ’40s. Soon there are new deaths to investigate.

    In trying to crack the 70-yearold case, Sam and Nakayla track down former Black Mountain students who might have known Paul. They fly to New York City to visit Eleanor Johnson, an African American who was a student of the legendary dancer, choreographer and Black Mountain faculty member Merce Cunningham.

    Eleanor remembers Paul as a good friend but does not believe their interracial friendship prompted violence against him. However, she tells them Paul had a special bond with a Jewish refugee, Leah Rosen, who lives in a retirement village in Chapel Hill. A long drive to Chapel Hill for a visit with Leah confirms her friendship with Paul but nothing more.

    Another contemporary of Paul’s at the college, Harlan Beale, is a handyman on the film set. He also provides filmmakers with background information about the college. Shortly after agreeing to help Sam and Nakayla find others who might remember Paul, Harlan is found dead at the Black Mountain College Museum in Asheville.

    In scarcely over 200 pages, Sam and Nakayla, aided by Asheville city police, Buncombe County sheriff’s deputies and the FBI solve, these mysterious deaths, both contemporary and 70-years past.

    In following the investigations, readers learn of the special progressive educational experiences the college provided: Buckminster Fuller and his attempts to build a geodesic dome, Merce Cunningham, and a host of artists, craftsmen and authors who became teachers and mentors and jump-started their students’ careers.

    The college attracted political liberals, racial integrationists and even some communists. These ideas and the people who held them were not welcome in the North Carolina mountains. And the progressive learning model the college projected did not attract the financial support necessary to fund even a modest college operation.

    While Mark de Castrique is giving us a well-crafted and satisfying detective story, he reminds us of what we lost when the college closed.

     

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    11cool spring 4th friday4th Friday provides an opportunity to enjoy and participate in the city’s growing culture that prioritizes the arts and local businesses. Friday, Oct. 27, is unique in that it will benefit from the involvement of Cool Spring Downtown District, a nonprofit organization dedicated to re-branding Fayetteville’s artistic identity and increasing connectivity between the city’s art-related organizations and individuals.

    The Zombie Walk is one of October’s biggest 4th Friday events, a time to dress up in your best zombie costume and makeup and roam the streets of downtown. Back-A-Round Records – a new record store and recording studio space set to open soon – and Cool Spring Downtown District present the Zombie Walk pre-party from 6- 8 p.m. in the parking lot of Headquarters Library. In partnership with the library, Fayetteville’s Paul Mitchell school will provide facepainting and zombie makeup for a $5 donation that will go toward breast cancer research.

    First, second and third place for best costumes will be awarded before the official walk begins at 8 p.m. Zombies will proceed up Ray Avenue and east on Hay and Person Streets, with the walk terminating at the stage on Green Street, adjacent to Back-A-Round Records. Live music from Nephilym, Motorjunkie and Carolina Committee’s DJ Moodswing will start around 8:20 p.m. Zombies ages 21 and up can end the night at The Church at Paddy’s for the official after-party and Zombie Prom. Call (910) 568-5654 for details.

    Zombie revels are not everyone’s cup of tea, though, and there are plenty of other options to enjoy. Concurrent to the Zombie Walk pre-party, WCCG 104.5FM will host a street dance from 6-8 p.m. on Person Street near the new Taste of West Africa building.

    The Arts Council will host Riser Burn, the 82nd Airborne Division Band’s rock ensemble, playing on the sidewalk at Hay and Maxwell Streets from 7-9 p.m. As an alternative pre- and after-party, Cape Fear Regional Theater is partnering with the American Tattoo Society to present a film screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at 11:59 p.m. For $25, guests receive a prop bag and entrance to the pre-party at Latitude 35 in addition to the midnight showing admission. Tickets for Oct. 27 may sell out; the show will also run Oct. 28 and Oct. 31. Find out more at www.cfrt.org. The Arts Council’s new exhibit, “Reclaimed,” debuts on 4th Friday. The exhibit features art that uses old materials recycled into new, unique forms and will be open 7-9 p.m. Cape Fear Studios at 148 Maxwell St. opens its exhibition of Mark Gordon’s pottery, and the Ellington-White Gallery at 113 Gillespie St. continues its exhibition “Robert Motherwell: Works on Paper.”

    Other galleries open for 4th Friday include Alter Egos Gallery & Studio at 108 Gillespie St., City Center Gallery & Books at 112 Hay St., Old Towne Gallery at 124 Maxwell St., and Gallery 116th at 116 Anderston St.

    “We’re trying to be more diverse in our offerings to the community,” said Mark Regensburger, president and CEO of Cool Spring Downtown District. “We try and bring people together who might not otherwise know about each other, and as our organization grows, we’re seeking to be more of a matchmaker for people to be able to do wonderful things. … We’re working with all the organizations like (the Dogwood Festival), the Arts Council, all the museums downtown, the Cameo, the Indigo Moon Film Festival.”

    Sam DuBose, Cool Spring Downtown District general manager, added that the organization wants to help artists and entities new to Fayetteville’s arts and culture scene. “We try to bring them downtown, help them through the permitting process, advise them on how to navigate the systems effectively and legally,” he said.

    Cool Spring Downtown District is also facilitating a volunteer programming committee chaired by Isabella Effon, owner of Taste of West Africa. “The idea is to extend our 4th Friday beyond just the sweet spot of three blocks on Hay Street,” DuBose said. All community members are welcome on the committee. Call the Cool Spring office at (910) 223-1089 if you are interested in  volunteering in any capacity.

     

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    10zombie apocolypseThe Old Wagram Prison has been taken over by the Scotland County Parks and Recreations department and turned into an unconventional haunted house. Saturday, Oct. 28, and Tuesday, Oct. 31, you can step into a genuine abandoned prison and find yourself wading through the zombie apocalypse as a tale of terror and desperation unfolds with you right in the center of it. The cost for such a pleasure? Just $10.

    This is no clichéd haunted house with nothing to do but shuffle through strobe lights and wait for a teenager in a latex mask to jump out at you. Bryan Graham, who helped found the project said, “It’s almost like a theatre production. This isn’t a standard haunted house where you enter and walk through. This has a build up.”

    Unlike other haunted attractions, the Insanitarium at the old Wagram Prison has a unifying plot that the guests take part in. Graham said, “This has a story to it, a script – and paramilitary guys at some points who defend you from the zombies.”

    To make the experience more immersive and terrifying, many of the actors have gone through a fourhour paramilitary training session. The Gryphon Group, which helps train soldiers in everything from surviving gunfights to protective mission programs, counseled the actors so they could move with the kind of professional lethality that lends authenticity to the performance. The zombies they will be fighting received costumes and makeup from the St. Andrews University theatre department. 

    To further distinguish this event from other haunted houses, all proceeds will go back to the community. The Old Wagram Prison is in the process of being transformed by the Growing Change organization into a youth recreation center and will be partially funded by the event proceeds.

    The rest of the profits will go to the Laurinburg Chamber of Commerce, the Parks and Recreation department and other nonprofit organizations.

    Graham, along with his fellow project founders Noran Sanford and Chris English, have “high hopes and expectations. The mystique of the facility already sets you up for success.”

    If you are interested in becoming an actor next year or lending your talents to future performances, contact Graham at the Laurinburg Parks and Recreation department via email at bgraham@ scotlandcounty.org.

    For those who wish to go through the Insanitarium, tickets are $10 and sold only at the venue. The event will run from 7:30 p.m. to midnight on Oct. 28 and 31 at 22600 Wagram Rd., Wagram.

    The experience is estimated to last between 20 to 25 minutes, and Graham suggests patrons come wearing close-toed shoes. “We plan to scare you so that you think that you need to be running,” he said.

     

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    09CFRT previewRiding on the success of sold-out performances of “Dreamgirls,” the Cape Fear Regional Theatre will next bring local audiences a classic thriller sure to showcase the talent of cast and crew alike.

    The scene for “Wait Until Dark” is a basement apartment in New York City’s Greenwich Village in 1967, said director Talya Klein. Susy and Sam Hendrix are newlyweds.

    “She lost her sight two years ago,” Klein said. “Sam is an ex-Marine, now a photographer, who unknowingly becomes a drug mule.”

    Sam is unaware that a doll he brought home is filled with drugs.  When he leaves the apartment, Klein said, “three baddies try to con Susy into giving them the doll. Things escalate and get increasingly more dangerous.”

    It is a harrowing tale made more unique by the lead character being blind, Klein said.

    “Wait Until Dark” was written by Frederick Knott and premiered on Broadway in 1966. A movie adaptation opened in 1967 starring Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin and Richard Crenna.  Knott also wrote “Dial M for Murder,” another play that Alfred Hitchcock adapted for film.

    A play confined to one apartment might sound like an easy and simple production, but Klein said “Wait Until Dark” requires sharp focus for set, prop and script details.

    “I’ve never directed a thriller before,” Klein said. “I’m having so much fun.  The story is beautifully constructed, and every piece means something.”

    “Everything is a big deal,” she said. “When a character is smoking a cigarette and holding a match book, it is important. The details are constructing a chain.”

    Audiences shouldn’t worry that they may miss vital clues and not understand the action, though, Klein said.

    “Even if you miss a couple of things, you’ll get it,” Klein said. “‘Wait Until Dark’ is for people who love details.”

    Leah Curney plays Susy in the play. She said her character’s blindness is a critical part of the story, but also that the story is really not about that.

    “She has to discover how capable she truly is, and her disability becomes an asset,” Curney said. “It’s like watching really good martial arts. She’s using the limitations of this space to her advantage.”

    Jillian Wickens-Johnson, 13, is making her professional debut in “Wait Until Dark” as Susy’s 10-yearold neighbor Gloria. Wickens-Johnson said her character sees Sam as a father figure to her character but considers Susy more of an evil stepmother at the beginning of the play.

    “Gloria has a beautiful character arc,” Wickens-Johnson said. “She comes in as an angry child and, over the course of the play, … bonds with (Susy).”

    Susy and Gloria must work together against characters Klein calls ‘the baddies’ in the story – the three shady con men trying to retrieve the doll.

    Patrick Falcon plays Harry Roat, the mysterious lead con artist. “Roat is an alias,” Falcon said. “It is a guise my character constructs. He has a history of darkness. He’s very much a nebulous shape-shifter who could be anyone but no one at all.”

    “I have the job of trying to make the character as vile as possible,” Falcon said. “It’s terribly fun as an actor.”

    “Wait Until Dark” is a classic suspense thriller for audiences 13 and above due to some violence.  “The most terrifying moments we don’t see,” Klein said.  It is an example of the “story-telling that happens when we have to imagine what happens.”

    “Wait Until Dark” runs Oct. 26 through Nov. 12. Ticket prices and information about several opening weekend specials are available at www.cfrt.org or by calling the box office at (910) 323-4233.

     

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    08news general electionsLocal municipal general elections will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7. Early voting is underway now and will continue through Saturday, Nov. 4. Elections for governing bodies are held in Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Falcon, Godwin, Linden, Wade, Eastover and Stedman plus the Eastover Sanitary District.

    One-Stop early voting is held only at the Cumberland County Board of Elections Office, in the E. Newton Smith Center at 227 Fountainhead Ln., Fayetteville. Dates and times for early voting are:  Oct. 25–Oct. 27, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.;  Oct. 30–Nov. 3, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.;  Nov. 4,  9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

    Officials did not say why the polls would not be open on most Saturdays and Sundays. Citizens who want to take advantage of early voting but are not registered to vote may do so when they arrive at the board of elections office. They must provide acceptable identity documentation. Would-be voters should be prepared to show documents that list current names and addresses in Cumberland County. A complete list of allowable forms of identification is outlined on the county’s website.

    Regular office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Voters who because of age or disability are unable to enter the voting place are permitted to vote curbside from their cars. The process is overseen by an elections official. A curbside voter is entitled to the same level of assistance, privacy and instruction provided to voters in the polling place. For more information and for links to voter information, general election polling places and the N.C. Board of Elections, go to www. co.cumberland.nc.us/elections or call (910) 678-7733.

     

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    07news industrial siteLocal government has approved incentives to encourage private investment in a $44 million distribution operation that would employ 140 full-time workers at the Cedar Creek Business Center east of Fayetteville. City and county governments have authorized incentive packages for the unnamed company, which hopes to build a 650,000-squarefoot fulfillment center in the park on NC-53 east of Fayetteville. Robert Van Geons, president and chief executive officer of the Fayetteville/Cumberland Economic Development Corp., said state officials also are considering incentives for the company in the form of state grants. A fulfillment center is a modern term for e-commerce packing warehouses. The term was coined in the middle of the 1990s and usually refers to a self-contained product packing and shipping facility.

    Firms like Amazon have their own fulfillment centers, while smaller e-commerce companies outsource their warehousing, packaging and shipping to larger companies. Amazon, for one, offers to handle order processing to third-party sellers. Another example was Fingerhut, which in the 1990s expanded its own fulfillment center to take on services for other companies.

    Van Geons said he expects the company, which he has not yet identified, to decide whether to locate in Cumberland County soon after the incentive deals are finalized. Conditions being offered by local and state governments have ostensibly been agreed to by the company.

    “All that remains is for the state to agree,” Van Geons said. The company’s decision could come within 30 to 60 days, he said. Van Geons told county commissioners and Fayetteville City Council that the company expects to employ 18 managers, 30 clerical staff and 92 warehousemen. The managers would make an average of about $62,000 per year each, he said, while the other workers would earn from $28,000 to $32,500, plus benefits. The city and county agreed to rebate up to 75 percent of the company’s annual property taxes for seven years, according to resolutions that both bodies adopted. The county will sell 98 acres of land in the industrial park for $1.23 million, which is half a million dollars less than its fair market value. That’s a windfall for the county, which has owned the Cedar Creek Industrial Center for 18 years. It’s the same location where Sanderson farms proposed to build a poultry processing plant that would have employed 1,000 workers. County government rejected that proposal.

    As part of the project, the State Department of Transportation has agreed to improve Cedar Creek Road and create a signalized intersection at the entrance to the plant. The company agreed to create at least 112 jobs by the end of 2019. Seven other jobs would have to be created in each of the next four years. “I think it sets the stage for further development there,” Cumberland County attorney Rick Moorefield said.

     

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    06news digest Crystal MatthewsA woman identified by Fayetteville Police as the mother of a juvenile who was killed about 10:30 a.m., Oct. 21, is in the Cumberland County jail charged with her son’s murder. Police “responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at the Fairfield Inn & Suites at 4249 Ramsey St.,” said Police Sgt. Shawn Strepay.

    He said a hotel guest called 911 to report what was described as a physical disturbance in a thirdfloor room. Strepay said officers found Zamarie Chance, 9, badly injured and unresponsive. He died soon after arriving at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. His mother, Crystal M. Matthews, 35, of the 6000 block of Whitemoss Court, a community of quarter-million-dollar homes off Andrews Road, was charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse. She was taken into custody at the scene and later jailed without bond.

    Mall to close for Thanksgiving

    Fayetteville’s Cross Creek mall will be closed Thanksgiving Day. All CBL & Associates shopping malls across the country will not be open on Thanksgiving Day. Cross Creek Mall is a CBL property. Owners say their decision is in response to “Black Friday creep,” which has resulted in retailers opening their doors on Thanksgiving to gain a competitive edge. It’s the company’s second year of closing on the holiday. There is a caveat to CBL’s decision: Anchor stores and others with separate entrances will be allowed to open if they like. That is unusual because management’s rules generally apply to all stores, big and small. Cross Creek Mall will open at 6 a.m. Friday.

    Veterans Affairs proposes new choices

    The Department of Veterans Affairs is suggesting that Congress overhaul how veterans receive health care in the private sector. The VA wants to do away with the widely criticized “30-day/40-mile” rule. The new plan is called the Veterans Coordinated Access & Rewarding Experiences Act, or CARE. It would give veterans and their VA physicians flexibility in choosing whether they receive care at a VA facility or from a privatesector provider.

    “We want veterans to work with their VA physicians to make informed decisions that are best for their clinical needs, whether in the VA or in the community,” said VA Secretary David Shulkin.

    He announced earlier this year that he intended to do away with the rule that allows veterans to go outside the VA for health care only if they had to wait more than 30 days for an appointment or if they live more than 40 miles from a VA clinic. The rule was implemented as part of the Veterans Choice Program in 2014. It has been criticized by some veterans as complicated, bureaucratic and restrictive. Some health care providers claim the VA has been slow to reimburse them for services provided under the program.

    Air Force workhorse retired

    The last C-130H Hercules cargo plane in the active-duty Air Force bade sayonara to Japan this month. The aircraft was the last of its kind assigned to the Yokota-based 36th Airlift Squadron, which has been trading out its 14 H-models for newer J-models in recent months.

    “It’s sad to see it go,” said Lt. Col. John Kerr, shortly before he took the controls of the plane for the long flight to Montana. Some H-models are being reassigned to Air National Guard units. Others are being retired.

    It wasn’t too long ago that Pope Field said goodbye to its C-130H models. The 440th Airlift Wing had 16 of them supporting worldwide airborne response and providing training missions for the XVIII Airborne Corps and 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. The 440th was an Air Force Reserve unit that was transferred to Pope as the result of the 2006 Base Realignment and Closure Act.

    Despite opposition from North Carolina congressmen and senators, the 440th was inactivated as an Air Force cost savings measure. And Pope’s last C-130 departed in June 2016. The 440th was deactivated three months later. Pope is now an Army airfield hosted by Fort Bragg. As for Lt. Col. Kerr, his trip home was also his last flight. He’s retiring from the Air Force and is looking for work in commercial aviation, he said.

    Womack Army Medical Center’s holiday schedule

    Fort Bragg’s hospital has published its holiday schedule. All primary care and specialty care clinics will be closed on Veterans Day, Nov. 10. This includes Byars Medical Clinic, Clark Health Clinic, Joel Health and Dental Clinic, Robinson Health Clinic, Womack Family Medicine Residency Clinic, Fayetteville Medical Home, Hope Mills Medical Home and Linden Oaks Medical Home.

    The hospital will take the usual two days off for Thanksgiving, Nov. 23 and 24. All primary care and specialty care clinics will be closed for Thanksgiving, including the clinics mentioned above. There will, however, be a consolidated care clinic Nov. 24 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and a flu vaccination clinic from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Womack Family Medicine Residency Clinic. The consolidated care clinic will operate by appointment only. The appointment line phone number is (910) 907-2778. The flu vaccination clinic will be on a walk-in basis.

    This year’s Christmas Holiday will be observed from Friday, Dec. 22, through Monday the 25. All primary care and specialty care clinics will be closed Dec. 22 through 25 for Christmas. On New Year’s Day, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018, all primary care and specialty care clinics will be closed. To make an appointment at a clinic, log on to www.TRICAREOnline.com or call (910) 907-2778. The Emergency Department is always open for medical emergencies.                 

    Chemours is cooperating with the state

    The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has directed Chemours to provide bottled water to nine more well owners near the company’s Fayetteville facility. This is because the most recent preliminary test results show GenX above the provisional state health goal in residential drinking wells. That makes 35 residential well owners living near Chemours’ Fayetteville Works facility on the Bladen County line who are receiving bottled water because of GenX detections in their well water.

    DEQ is sending all well owners test results as well as health and other information. “Bottled water is a short-term fix, and we’re working with the counties and the company to find a long-term solution for families who rely on these wells,” said Michael Regan, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. DEQ is working on longer-term water solutions for residents with affected wells, most of whom live north of the facility. Among the possibilities are installing home water filter systems or connecting affected homes to uncontaminated wells or a nearby public water supply. “We all count on having access to a clean, reliable source of drinking water, and these well owners deserve no less,” Regan added.

     

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    05Reader supports Kathy JensenKathy Jensen has many titles and roles in our city. You might know her as Councilwoman, business owner, ECU alumni, huge Pine Forest High School fan, others fondly know her as friend, sister, wife, or mom.

    I have so much respect for Kathy Jensen in her many roles and leadership in our city. Her passion spans beyond the North Side of Fayetteville where she has represented her
    District so well.

    Additionally, she has been the only woman to represent us for the past four years on the City Council. Through starting the Fayetteville Youth Council, she has empowered young students across our city to get involved making a difference and additionally they get exposure to the inner workings of Fayetteville through attending City Council meetings.

    Kathy has practical experience collaborating, providing input and solutions for city ordinances, a voting record that speaks for itself on infrastructure and economic development. The decisions made on City Council require a higher level of thinking problem dedicated and invested in our community.

    She has served our city well and her trajectory moving our city forward is evident as you continues forward in her role as a member of our City Council.

    Thank you,
    Kelly Twedell

     

    PHOTO: Karen Jensen

     

  •  

    04 candidates speakThis is a first for me.

    I’ve never run for office. To be honest, I never even thought about running – until earlier this year, when some close friends and family members encouraged me to launch a campaign for city council.

    I blew them off at first. I’m not a politician, and I’ve never had much regard for the folks who will say whatever it takes to get elected and then ignore their constituents once they get into office. But I also grew up here in Fayetteville, built my business here, and hope to be here for the rest of my life. I love this city. I love its potential. And I know we ultimately won’t reach that potential if we keep electing the same people and hoping for a better result.

    I also know our local government could use a little more real-world experience. In business, you have to work with people to get things done. You have to find common ground. That doesn’t mean you compromise your core principles, but it does mean you have to listen and find creative ways to solve problems. I think we could use a little more of that experience at every level of government, but maybe especially the level closest to the people.

    After countless hours praying and thinking about this, I would like to be your District 5 City Councilman. And here’s what I can promise you, if elected:

    • Responsiveness. I’ll listen to you and your concerns, and I’ll do whatever I can to help resolve any problems you have with the city’s bureaucracy.

    • Honesty. I’ll tell you the truth, even if it’s not what you want to hear.

    • Common Sense. I’ll do everything I can to make decisions that make sense for our district. I hope I can earn your vote in the upcoming election. In the meantime, if I can ever answer any questions about me or my campaign, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

     

    PHOTO: Henry Tyson

     

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