The goal to find more local foster families has not only failed for Cumberland County’s Department of Social Services, but it has become a bigger focus.

Last year, Cumberland County and the Department of Social Services collaborated on the “Not Perfect … Just Willing” campaign. This campaign aimed to create more awareness for families and adults in Cumberland County to take an interest in being a foster family. The goal was to raise the number of foster families from 51 to 115.

That number is currently 47 — a step backward for the department, according to Delores Long, the Division Director of Children's Services for Cumberland County’s Department of Social Services.

According to Long, 585 children were needing some care. That includes the young adults who aged out (ages 18 to 21) but still received some services.

According to Long, at the end of December, 208 children were placed in family foster homes. Eight were placed in family foster homes of a relative, three were placed in adoptive foster homes, and 134 were placed in other home settings.

But there still isn’t enough room to fit all those children. That means 197 children are being placed out of the county, and 19 are placed outside North Carolina.

“The only children who could be in those 47 licensed homes are children who have no identified mental health or behavioral health needs. So that's why it’s called family foster homes. So they are the only ones who will qualify for those homes. If children have been identified as having higher needs, they wouldn't qualify to be in those family foster homes anyway. They would have to be in therapeutic homes,” Long said.

Last year, Long told the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners that 275 children were placed out of the county and 42 were placed outside of the state.

“Due to the limited number of placements that children have available to them now across the state, I don’t see any time soon that stopping. We will probably always have a need for kids to go outside of the state, even outside the county, just because of treatment facilities. Cumberland County doesn’t have an abundance of treatment facilities. So when it comes to that, children will always have to go outside the county and sometimes outside the state just because their needs are so severe that we cannot find them placements within the state,” Long said.

One positive for Long is the fact that unlike many in the rest of North Carolina or in the country, children are not sleeping or staying at the Department of Social Services. Cumberland County’s DSS owns a residential group home facility that is certified. That facility, Safe Landing Group Home, has room for six children at a time.

“We do allow those children to reside there while they are awaiting placement so that they have a home-like environment to be in,” Long said.

The typical wait time in the residential facility varies depending on the needs of the child. According to Long, level two and level three children tend to have longer wait times, even as long as six months. Children who need to go to a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility may have the longest wait.

There is another building that can be used to house children if Safe Landing Group is filled, but that is an office building and not a certified home.
In 2022, over 10,000 children were in the foster care system in North Carolina, according to iFoster, a nonprofit foster care resource organization.

Not Perfect … Just Willing

In order to be a foster parent with Cumberland County, you must be at least 21 years old, get fingerprinted and have a criminal records check, complete a TIPS-MAPP course, complete an application, be reviewed by the NC Division of Social Services, complete foster home licensing, have no prior abuse or neglect reports, and re-license every two years.

Another issue for foster families is that in Cumberland County, many families move due to work and the large military population here, and licenses don’t transfer over state lines.

The campaign to get more foster families that launched last year in the county, and this year across North Carolina, keeps emphasizing that you do not need to be a perfect person to become a foster parent.
You do not have to own a home or have a certain amount of income to be a foster or adoptive parent. You can be single, partnered, married, divorced or widowed. They are asking for people to provide children with stability, connection and time.

“I think the biggest thing about foster care is that foster care is a temporary living arrangement, so it is not designed to be long term. Ideally, we work to try to reunify children with their parents that first 12 months of them being in custody. So we need homes that understand that this is a temporary arrangement, but they're willing to be truly temporary parents to our children,” Long said.

“We want people who are going to have these children in their homes and treat them as if they're their own children. However, understanding that it can be short-term. And so that’s just the biggest thing. We don’t want children just to be housed somewhere. We want them to actually be part of the family’s home.”

While reunification is the main goal for the Department of Social Services, that rate was 36.84% at the end of their fiscal year, June 30. Long says a lot of that has to do with the justice system. Once children are separated from their parents, it is up to a judge to make that final determination to reunite families.

For more information on becoming a foster parent, visit the Cumberland County Department of Social Services online at https://www.ccdssnc.com/child-services/.

A Fayetteville City Council discussion on the cost of gun violence locally appeared to get personal during a work session at City Hall on Feb. 6.

Councilman Mario Benavente and Councilwoman Courtney Banks-McLaughlin had requested that the council direct city administrators to “quantify the economic and societal costs associated with gun violence in the city.” Benavente told his fellow council members that he wants the staff to analyze gun violence in the years 2012 to 2022.

“Our community has struggled with the fact that homicides have increased 9% in Fayetteville, reaching a new high in 2022 with 44 lives lost,” Benavente said. “This is, of course, in stark contrast to other types of crimes in the city that are trending downward. While we know gun violence nationwide has become a growing issue, now is the time to better understand our unique situation by getting the data we need to implement informed prevention strategies.

“While we do get some information from the police regarding gun violence, we can put a number on the number of intentional, interpersonal violence incidents,” he continued. “We can put a number on how many intentional self-harm incidents there are, and we can put a number on unintentional injuries. However, just knowing these numbers does not reach the surface of the issue of gun violence in Fayetteville. I want us to arm our new police chief with the data that he needs developing his department’s priorities.”

Benavente encouraged fellow council members to review the results of a study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Prevention Institute, which addressed gun violence in Santa Clara County, California, over a 20-year stretch.

Gun deaths in that community were 60% self-inflicted, according to Benavente. A third were young people between ages 18 and 34. In nonfatal shootings, he said, two-thirds of emergency-room visits were by patients ages 18 to 34. All in all, he concluded, the cost of gun violence in Santa Clara County was $100 million a year, according to the study.

“So how much in Fayetteville?” he asked rhetorically. “Experts around the country have had success when they treat gun violence as a public health crisis. And it truly is. A public health approach to gun violence is what Prevention Institute is offering to cities across the country, and our community deserves to know we are ready to do what is necessary to keep them safe. So, conducting this study will be a huge step forward in this regard.”

Banks-McLaughlin then said she supports the idea.

“It’s needed,” she said. “We need to find out how much it costs, how many individuals lost their lives, the background and research for it, so we can come up with solutions. I mean, this hits home for me. I just lost my daughter four months ago. And that affected my family. And not just my family, but the community. Other families have lost their children and loved ones. So, I definitely support this effort. I think this will help figure out a way — preventative way — to decrease these numbers of crimes being committed, especially (among) our youth. I hope we can receive support from council.”

Banks-McLaughlin has said little in public about her daughter's death.

Coryonna Young, was 15 and a 10th-grader at Seventy-First High School. She was found with a fatal gunshot wound in the 2000 block of Maitland Drive on Oct. 21, Fayetteville police said. The people involved were juveniles who knew each other, authorities said. The shooting happened inside a residence.

Banks-McLaughlin and Benavente are pushing for a collection of data on fatal and nonfatal gun violence and gun possession in the city over a decade.
Like other places nationwide, Fayetteville has seen an uptick in gun violence and homicides. The Fayetteville Police Department has implemented initiatives to address the issue.

But some of the numbers have continued to rise.

Councilman Derrick Thompson said he initially opposed a study similar to the one in Santa Clara because he said it was Monday when he received an information packet on the proposal. But after Banks-McLaughlin spoke, he said, he changed his mind during the work session.

“Sometimes, it touches you,” Thompson said. “It makes you change your mind. Councilman Banks-McLaughlin, as our counterpart, has lived with this. So, I’m going to support this motion to do a study.”

Benavente noted that the Santa Clara study was gathered over 20 years, but he recommended 10 years for a similar Fayetteville study “because it made sense for us.”
Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins said there are few similarities between Santa Clara and Fayetteville.

“What I recommend you do is what they did. They went to the district attorney,” said Dawkins. “They went to their county commissioner group. I recommend that you go before the county of Cumberland. We’re talking about, yeah, we can do another study. We’ll all read it, and then it’ll go on a shelf.”

Dawkins said he would recommend that the council consult with the Cumberland County school board because dealing with gun violence “starts with better education.”

“Invest in school structurers. Invest upfront. I just want to remind the council that we want to spend money and save the world and help people, and that’s great. But this is not our responsibility,” Dawkins said.

“This, I think, starts with the county, which is your health, education and welfare.”

Dawkins said Cumberland County gets funding that the city does not get to address issues such as gun violence.

“It starts with schools,” he added. “Encourage the adoption of gun safety policies.

“At some point, it takes personal responsibility. So, if you want to protect your family in your home, you’ve got to make sure that a gun is not available for a child or a young person to get or play with. Because consequences occur,” Dawkins continued.

“I’m not going to support another study … just to make ourselves feel good. I’m not going to do it.”
Ingram responded.

“To say that we don’t have any type of responsibility as it relates to gun violence, our police officers are responding, and our Fire Department is responding. They have to clean it up. That is a budget that we have to pay for. So, it is costing the city a hefty amount of dollars,” she said. “To say our city has no responsibility to help with the gun violence issues, that’s just disrespectful, and it’s wrong.”

Mayor Mitch Colvin said that whether the council likes it or not, gun violence impacts the city.
Councilwoman Kathy Jensen said a Fayetteville study on gun violence could be “part of our toolbox. … We really need to think about this.”

Banks-McLaughlin then addressed Dawkins’ comments.

“I’ve got to take a deep breath,” she said. “First, I do want to say that everyone is entitled to their own vote. So, we all know that. But what I am going to do is correct the individual who you all know is the mayor pro tem. For you to make those comments, which is so disrespectful to me as a mother who lost her child … (and) other family members who’ve lost their loved ones; to put the blame on the family members, that’s ridiculous.

“It does fall on the city,” she said. “We oversee public safety. So, it is our job to ensure that we do everything we can do to protect our city.”

The council voted 9-1, with Dawkins the lone dissenter, to move forward with the study.
Because the council cannot take formal action at a work session, the matter will be taken up again at its regular meeting on Feb. 13.
After the meeting, Dawkins said that his comments were misinterpreted.

“They were starting to say what I didn’t say,” he said. “All it is is a conversation for staff to come back to council to say what it costs. It will be hundreds of thousands of dollars. I also want to say to other members (that) I’m sorry they misunderstood me.”

Methodist University is adding to its already-successful menu of online degree programs — offering five additional online programs beginning this fall.

MU’s online programs strive to bring excellence and affordability together. Not only do they provide the same high-quality instruction as its on-campus programs, but the online programs also deliver a cost-effective, flexible option for working adults, active duty military, their families and anyone else looking to advance their careers.

Each MU online course is taught by the same expert faculty as its on-campus offering, a sharp contrast to many other online programs in the nation that are taught by online-only faculty. Like on-campus students, online students also have access to a dedicated enrollment counselor who can guide them throughout the entire process.

With fall registration in full swing, now is a perfect time to consider one of Methodist University’s 22 online programs. Among them are five new online programs, which MU handpicked using extensive market research of future job opportunities along with faculty expertise.

Among the additions are one undergraduate program and four graduate programs (which are pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges):

• Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Science
• Master of Education in Educational Leadership with a Specialization in Instructional Technology
• Master of Criminal Justice
• Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
• Doctor of Nursing Practice: Executive Leadership

Methodist University is also adding five minors to its online offerings: Computer Information Technology, Criminal Justice, Health Care Administration, Psychology and Social Work.
Interested students are encouraged to apply for the new undergraduate and graduate programs immediately with a deadline of July 31 for the fall semester. Visit the website to get started https://online.methodist.edu/how-to-apply/.

“The new online graduate programs and undergraduate program will allow students who are unable to complete a face-to-face program due to family, work or military commitments to pursue a fully online program and prepare for successful careers,” said Beth Carter, MU’s vice provost for Online & Extended Learning.

Along with the new programs, MU also offers online degrees in areas like Social Work, Accounting, Business Administration, Computer Information Technology, Health Care Administration, Marketing, Psychology, and much more. To see the full list, visit https://online.methodist.edu/programs/

About Methodist University

Methodist University is an independent, four-year institution of higher education with approximately 2,000 students from across the U.S. and more than 50 countries. MU offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs (including doctoral-level options) on campus and online. MU has been named the “No. 1, Most Diverse University in North Carolina,” To learn more about Methodist University, please visit methodist.edu.

According to the agenda for the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday, Feb. 6 Town Manager Scott Meszaros was supposed to be recognized with an award from the International City/County Management Association in honor of 25 years of service in local government.

Instead, Mayor Jackie Warner announced that Meszaros had resigned effective immediately. Neither Warner nor Town Attorney Dan Hartzog Jr. would comment on the resignation, citing personnel policies.
Meszaros, whose family moved to Hope Mills from Alaska, became Hope Mills’ town manager on June 1, 2021.

Meszaros signed a contract that provided a base salary of about $129,000 a year and promised an increase and health insurance. Meszaros’ contract was set to expire in June. On Nov. 7, the commissioners voted to increase Meszaros’ pay by $5,000 a year.

Warner said that Chancer McLaughlin, the town’s director of planning and economic development, will be the interim town manager “until such time as we can go through the process to hire a town manager.”

In a statement to the board, McLaughlin said: “I appreciate your confidence, and I will proceed with a very clear version of transparency between our board and our staff. And I look forward to working with the board and town of Hope Mills.”

Meszaros could not be reached for comment Monday night.

In other town business, the board voted unanimously to:

• Authorize the town manager to negotiate with CHA Consulting Inc. on an agreement for professional design services related to the Hope Mills Sports Complex.
• Change a board policy to mandate that anyone who wishes to add to the council’s agenda must submit the request to the appropriate department.
• Accept a request from Mauricio Melgar Andrade to annex 1.2 acres known as Park Garden Court.

The board met for a closed session for an hour and 13 minutes at the opening of the meeting, citing personnel business.

The Friends of the Cumberland County Public Library will host their next book sales event on Feb. 20 for members only and Feb. 24 to 26 for the public at the Headquarters Library, 300 Maiden Lane.

Cash, credit cards and checks are accepted and the money earned at the book sales helps to fund library programs.

Besides early admission to the book sales, members also receive early notices of future book sales and author events at the library. Individual memberships start at $15 per year.

Members can also join the team of volunteers who prepare for book sales, work at sales, serve on the board and attend events.

The Friends of the Cumberland County Public Library, Inc., is a nonprofit. For more information or to become a member of Friends of the Library, visit their website https://cumberlandcountylibraryfriends.com/home-2/ or call 910-483-7727, ext. 1304, and leave a message.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 6 heard a presentation telling them of new services planned for the county library system.
Library Director Faith Phillips updated the commissioners on library system operations, programs, and services based on a community assessment from 2019 and 2020, staff conversations and community feedback.

At the Headquarters Library, Phillips told commissioners, the plan is to align with the federal emphasis on STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
The West Regional Library will have a space for teenagers, seating areas, and a storytelling area.

The East Regional Library will have a teen space, and the Bordeaux branch will have a children’s area.
Service initiatives will include an internship program with ServiceSource — a nonprofit agency that serves people with disabilities and other barriers to employment — and Cumberland County Schools for students in the Works for Me occupational program.

And in a partnership with ServiceSource, the library will open a coffee shop at the West Regional Library, for which people with disabilities will be hired.
The emphasis will be workforce development and job skills training, Phillips said.

The library also will partner with Alliance Health to provide adult mental health first aid to all library staff in March and April.
Training will be provided in coding, robotics, cybertechnology, and vocational and career development, as well as financial aid preparation for college.

The “problem” with freedom is that other people may do things that trouble, annoy, or even anger you. In a free society, you have no legitimate authority to stop them.

Strictly speaking, that’s not a problem. It’s a solution. Throughout human history, much suffering has derived from a lack of freedom.
One faction obtained government power, wielded it to impose its values on others, and then either successfully or unsuccessfully made its imposition stick with violence or intimidation.

Another faction, aggrieved, eventually obtained power of its own, and the cycle of strife recurred.
Freedom is necessary for living together peaceably in a world of conflicting values — which is, in fact, the only world we’ve got.

If you are free to worship Baal and I am free to worship God, one of us is likely to be in dire moral peril. But at least I am not also fearful of being tyrannized or killed for acting on my beliefs, and you can say the same.

Moreover, in a free society I have more than just the right to worship as I please. I also have the right to attempt to evangelize you, just as you have the right to try to sell me the full Baal-Believers benefits package, complete with free Ginsu knives for ritual sacrifice (did you know they can cut through these tin cans as easily as through a ripe tomato?)
Of course, in a free society, there’s nothing that says one has to listen. Therein lies the “problem.”

In my experience, liberty lovers fail to appreciate how difficult it is for most human beings to handle not being listened to, and to be confronted with the fact that others are doing something self-destructive or wrong but can’t be enjoined from continuing.

Such psychic pain is also an inalienable facet of human nature. It can be excruciating.

Yielding to the temptation to use government coercion to make this pain go away is wrong — no less than yielding to other kinds of injurious temptations — but surely one can understand why it happens.
It has become fashionable in modern society to attribute this behavior primarily to religious conservatives, typically portrayed as puritanical busybodies or hypocrites. But I find at least as much willingness among groups on the political Left to use governmental coercion to impose their beliefs.

On public university campuses, they restrict free speech and require participation in tendentious diversity training.
In legislative bodies and regulatory agencies, they seek restrictions on advertising, either because they don’t like the products being sold or they don’t like consumers are smart enough to understand the claims made.

They claim the right to impose restrictions on wages, prices, working hours, and other conditions of employment regardless of what the parties to an employment contract may seek or think is fair.
They think it’s okay to force taxpayers with strongly held moral or religious views to fund obscene art or social-justice activism but think it’s outrageous that taxpayer money goes to educational institutions and social-service nonprofits that teach or adhere to traditional views.

Freedom isn’t easy. It requires us to be grown-ups, to settle for living in a society in which some people, no matter how hard we try, just aren’t going to do what we say or believe what we believe.
It requires hippies to respect the rights of fundamentalists, and those with less to respect the rights of those with more, and gays to respect the rights of straights, and pacifists to respect the rights of hunters. Yes, it also means the reverse in each case. It works both ways.

Yielding to the temptation to coerce inevitably creates a more serious problem than the problem of learning to live with daily annoyances and outrages — just as yielding to a strong temptation to drink or overeat can make one feel good in the short run but cause severe harm in the long run. I guess it’s time for a new 12-step program.

The Homeless Highlight National Issues

We all see homeless people among us, a sad and shocking reality in the United States, boasting the world’s largest economy.
Some of them will get back on their feet, but others, many of whom suffer from serious mental illnesses, will not.

The cold, hard truth is that the United States, including North Carolina, does not have a working mental health system.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams shocked his city and the nation late last year when he announced that police and medical officials would round up and involuntarily provide “care” to unsheltered people deemed to be in “psychiatric crisis.”

As far as I can tell, New York City is the only locality attempting such detentions, although homelessness among the mentally ill is common across our nation, especially in our cities.
Individuals in crisis whether talking to themselves and others, whether behaving erratically and/or aggressively can make us feel uncomfortable, even frightened.

But they are human beings with rights, and hauling them off without their consent should make us equally uncomfortable.
The underlying problem is that beginning in the mid-20th century, communities across America began dismantling large, often state-run mental institutions for a concept called community care.
Decades into this, it has become clear that with a few exceptions, there is no such thing as community care. People with serious mental illness may get a bandage here and there, but true, effective treatment does not really exist.

If Mayor Adams has done nothing else, his edict to round up mentally ill homeless people has shown the spotlight on one of ugly failures in modern American life.

Telling Tales

U.S. Representative George Santos (R-NY) is nothing if not a top contender for the title of King of the Whoppers.

So far, he has lied about where he attended both high school and college; said that he was a star volleyball player on a team that never existed; said that his mother lived through 9-11 in New York when she was actually in Brazil; claimed false marriages; and lied about forming a charity for animals and apparently cheated a disabled vet out of medical treatment for his vet dog.
Whew!

My eastern North Carolina grandmother had a special word for lies. She called them “teewaddies,” as in grabbing a little girl by her shoulders, looking her squarely in the eye, and hissing, “Margaret Dawson, don’t you ever tell me a “teewaddy” again.

George Santos should have had such a grandmother, but — oops! — he said she died in the Holocaust.
She did not.

Considering a Tattoo?

Longtime Up & Coming Weekly readers may remember that for quite some time this columnist had a “thing” about tattoos.
Coming from a non-tattoo generation, she simply did not understand them or why one might want one. She has since mellowed a bit, but still no personal tatts. Nonetheless, she recently found some helpful hints for those considering body ink, and here are a few.

Research your tattoo artist’s work before lying down on the bed. Do you like his/her style? Are the designs and colors you want available?
Are the materials used safe for you or are you possibly allergic? Can the artist test your skin with the various inks? Are you vaccinated against Hepetitis B?

Some tattoos are more painful than others, depending on where they are on your body. Are you prepared for that and for tattoo aftercare?
Will you regret your tatt in 10, 20 or 30 years? Tattoos mark a specific moment in time, and we all change and evolve.

Will the 50-year-old you love what the 20-year-old you did?
Do you know that tattoo removal is expensive, painful and does not always work?

All good questions to ask before you hand over your skin to an “artist.”

A parade of teachers and activists stood in front of the long table of senators Monday night, Feb. 6, labeling parents as abusive, volatile, unsafe adults whose involvement in their children’s difficult journeys in self-discovery would lead to suicide, self-harm and death.

The militant message boldly asserts that parents are the enemies, and secrecy between schools and children should be ordained by the state.
During the Senate Rules Committee hearing about the Parents Bill of Rights, Democrat state Sen. Julie Mayfield said children face “withering inquisitions from parents” about their gender confusion, painting parents as berating outsiders instead of concerned family members.

Senators were asked by activists to trust schools as secret keepers of “affirming spaces” and that asserted any attempt for parents to be informed about pronoun changes was “policing queerness.”
Sen. Amy Galey, the Republican bill sponsor, reminded attendees that SB 49 makes provisions for rare instances where children might be subject to abuse if parents learn about their child’s chosen identity. But that provision wasn’t quite enough to satisfy anti-parental rights activists, who want parents left out in the cold while school employees usurp the moral and emotional guidance of other people’s children.

In the last two months, there have been 13 documented sex crimes by North Carolina school employees, one charge for larceny, four for assault, one for being drunk while teaching, and another for child pornography. Considering the number of crimes, with the majority being sexual and assault charges, the school system and their activists are in no position to claim moral authority over parents.

In fact, between the sexual assault by school employees, the bullying, violence, and drug use, it seems schools are one of the least safe spaces for children.
Speakers in favor of SB 49 gave shocking examples of why transparency is needed, detailing graphic sexual storylines in books offered in schools and gender confusing books aimed at kindergartners.

A retired Orange County school teacher of 16 years said in a statement to the committee, “these books in media center would make grown people blush… We are supposed to protect our children, not harm them.” She added that being asked to use alternative pronouns contributed to her decision to retire early.

NC Values Coalition executive director Tami Fitzgerald told the committee that Charlotte Mecklenburg School District started using “Welcoming Schools” in 2016, a teacher development program directing teachers to incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity into lesson plans.

Sen. Amy Galey has been the “mom representative” for many — she speaks on behalf of most moms in the state. Very plainly, Galey said in a press conference, “It baffles me to think that this bill could be divisive, quite frankly. I cannot understand why it would be controversial to say that children 5-6-7-8-9 years old should not be taught about sexuality or sexual activity in a public school classroom.”

The campaign to shut parents out while school administrators provide pornography, keep secrets, and indoctrinate children is indeed baffling. It’s especially troubling that the pattern follows grooming tactics, which include gaining access, trust development, isolating children from parents, and desensitizing children to sexual material by slowly exposing it to them. If you reference the Pavement Education Project’s website at www.pavementeducationproject.com/ you can see examples of pornography and books on gender ideology by county and school in North Carolina.

As one speaker put it, there is no academic value in teaching children about gender fluidity or showing them sexually explicit material. Schools should stick to academics and leave cultural issues to the family.

None of this happens suddenly; it’s been a slow drip of agenda-driven curriculum brought to parents’ attention largely during COVID shutdowns. The activists paint themselves as victims of parents who are in the wings, waiting to violently abuse their children because of gender confusion.

Teachers who spoke positioned themselves as necessary parental surrogates, the first adults who should rightfully respond to students’ personal struggles.
The character assassination of parents is simply a way to gain exclusive access to children, cutting out parents to influence an agenda.

Thankfully, the Senate passed S.B. 49. As the House considers a response, I hope members will consider the harmful toll educational agendas have taken on our children.
While test scores continue to fall, mental health problems and gender confusion continue to rise. Schools are failing in their mission to provide a solid education that will prepare students to become productive, educated members of society.

They should leave moral and personal matters to families.

Greater Life of Fayetteville is hosting a monthly program aimed to produce positive outcomes for parents and their children. The next workshop is Feb. 23.

The vision of Greater Life of Fayetteville is to provide a community that guides and assesses the needs of program participants. GLOF commits to supporting and encouraging positive interactions with school officials, teachers, adult volunteers and staff, through youth mentoring programs.

Along with programs for kids, GLOF also has programs and supportive tools for parents. GLOF’s parent programs are designed to help parents navigate educational, community and family dynamics. Parents also have the chance to acquire basic financial information/classes.

These programs are free to the community.

The upcoming workshop, which is parents only, will target finances. According to Georgeanna Pinckney, president and CEO of GLOF, this session will give parents insight on where their financial positions are and how they want to move forward.

William Neill, author and financial coach, will be speaking at this workshop to discuss the do’s and don’ts of controlling your personal finances. This session will be held on Feb. 23 at 600 Orange St. in Fayetteville from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m.

At the end of the monthly workshop, there will be a celebration for the parents who completed their monthly goal. Parents will receive a graduation certificate, gifts and be able to share their success story.

“What this does is it gives support from one another to see how they reach their goals. To some, it is like a community family support group because your idea may help someone else meet their goal or vice versa,” said Pinckney.

Other workshops will be held in March, April and May. For more information about the parent workshops, visit www.greaterlifeoffayetteville.org or call 910-364-9531.

CSX Corp. will temporarily close multiple railroad crossings downtown this week for routine railroad maintenance, according to a city news release.
Six railroad crossings will be closed affecting Hay and Russell streets. Blount Street will not be affected.

More than 15 railroad crossings will be closed on the “Vander Spur” affecting Hay Street and all intersections on Russell Street, the release said. Multiple closures are necessary because the work will be done in close proximity at about the same time.

In total, more than 20 crossings will be closed across the city through Feb. 18.
CSX plans to move farther east, requiring closings on several of state secondary routes, such as Sunnyside School, Sids Mill and Old Vander roads as well as N.C. 53 and N.C. 210 east of Interstate 95, the release said.

Other closings will be on Whitfield Street southeast of Robeson Street; Moore Street between Orange and Chatham streets; and Cumberland Street north of Ramsey Street.
Detour signs will direct traffic around the closures.

The track closures will last approximately two days. Drivers should expect delays and longer commutes, the release said.
For more information, contact CSX at 800-232-0144 or csx.com.

Cumberland County Public Library will host a Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center blood drive on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Headquarters Library, located at 300 Maiden Lane in Fayetteville.

This event is open to the public. Donors are urgently needed as blood levels dropped to historic levels during the pandemic and are still recovering.

Donors will receive a free T-shirt, one AMC movie ticket, and candy (while supplies last). Bring a form of photo identification and remember to eat a nutritious meal before donating blood.

To sign up, contact Traci Cardenas at tcardenas@cumberlandcountync.gov or 910-483-7727, ext. 1347. Walk-ins are also welcome.

For more information about giving blood and donor requirements, visit capefearvalley.com/blood/index.html.

For more information about the library, please visit the library’s website at cumberlandcountync.gov/library or visit them on social media.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office has issued an alert about a phone scam in which callers pretending to be Sheriff’s Office employees demand money.

The calls are being reported across the county, according to a news release. The callers claim to be Robert Jefferson or Richard Jefferson and say they work for the Sheriff's Office, the release said. The callers sound convincing and may seem to know a lot about their targets, but they are not calling on official business, the release said.

The scammers call from different phone numbers and alter the caller ID to make it look like the Sheriff's Office is calling, the release warned. They use different employee names and ranks and may leave an “urgent” callback request if no one answers the phone.

Victims are told they owe money, and the scammers demand that the debt be paid promptly through a pre-loaded debit card/gift card or wire transfer, the release said. If victims refuse to cooperate, they are threatened with arrest, deportation, or suspension of a business or driver's license.

In many cases, the caller becomes hostile and insulting, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office issued these precautions:

• ∙The Sheriff's Office will never call to demand immediate payment or call about a jury summons unless a summons has been mailed to the call recipient.
•  The Sheriff's Office will never require a specific payment method — such as a prepaid debit card — for a fine.
•  The Sheriff's Office will never ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone or in person.
•  The Sheriff's Office will never threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to arrest someone for not paying a debt as demanded.

Anyone who believes he has received such scam calls should immediately contact the N.C. Attorney General’s Office at 877-5-NO-SCAM or 910-716-6000 or the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office at 910-323-1500.

A contemporary art piece has been installed in the rotunda of Fayetteville Reginal Airport, part of airport renovations completed in December, according to a city news release.
The artwork offers “a memorable experience when passengers are traveling to and from Fayetteville,” Deputy Airport Director Deontae Watson said in the release.
“Migrate” is the work of Angelique Jackson, co-founder of Jancik Arts International. Jackson shaped and printed graphics on 80 mirror-like metal panels to mimic birds flying around the perimeter of the rotunda and gradually moving skyward, the news release said.
Jackson was chosen for the project by a committee of airport commissioners.

Jackie Warner is an enthusiastic and energetic Carolina girl. And like Jack in the fable “Jack and the Beanstalk,” she traded her successful teaching and education administration career for the seeds to plant that would produce a solid Hope Mills community and quality of life.

Like Jack’s magic beans, the seeds she planted in the Hope Mills community were allowed to grow and prosper. Jackie Warner’s proverbial beanstalk grew and grew, with the sky being the limit. As she climbed her beanstalk using education, knowledge, common sense and love for the community, she took the Town of Hope Mills to new heights of influence, prosperity and respectability.

When Jack reached the top of his beanstalk, he was confronted by a mean and ugly giant. When Jackie reached the top of her proverbial beanstalk, she too, was confronted by unethical malcontents. These nasties have tried to undermine her authority, destroy her reputation and impugn her integrity using the anonymity of social media to spread gossip, lies, tasteless photos and cruel parodies of her.

For the most part, until now, her detractors are primarily nameless, faceless cowards who second guess, criticize and undermine Jackie and the Hope Mills leadership. In the process, they manage to stifle Hope Mills’s progress while doing a major injustice to the thousands of citizens, businesses and organizations of Hope Mills that deserve better.

Jackie Warner’s character, goodwill and countless accomplishments have enabled her to defend her reputation without deserting the Town, its citizens, or her beanstalk of success. She has never backed down and has always been confident and professionally content, dealing with and addressing her detractors. Two are former Hope Mills Commissioners and former political candidates — Jessie Bellflowers and Meg Larson.

Larson filed a lawsuit against Warner, accusing her of violating public records laws when she used her personal Facebook as her mayoral Facebook page and blocked people from that page.
In January, during the Hope Mills Commissioners meeting, Mayor Warner read a written public apology to Larson and constituents for blocking access to her and other social media constituents. Mayor Warner did so with confidence, class and dignity — characteristics not found in her detractors. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember any apologies to the Mayor when social media showcased photos of Jessie Bellflowers and

Meg Lawson publicly disrespecting Warner during the election period. I recall that the images, still available on Facebook, had Meg Larson dressed in a creepy clown outfit posing in front of a Warner for Mayor campaign sign with arms extended, giving her the “finger” with both hands. This, too, is protected by the First Amendment. However, it doesn’t show sophistication or class, but it indicates the type of harassment Warner endured. Given Larson’s behavior, it is ironic but revealing the hypocrisy when she is quoted saying: “In a small town like Hope Mills, it’s almost a bullying tactic to treat your citizens like this,” Really?

Warner made a mistake. Of course, ignorance of the law is no excuse. (Recently: Just ask Trump, Biden, and Pence.)

Warner understands and knows the law now, and she has apologized. However, the question remains: Will her harassment stop?

What I find interesting and want to share with our Up & Coming Weekly readers is that despite all the harassment, bullying, slander, lies, falsehoods, lawsuits, administrative and policy roadblocks, and petty distractions caused by local malcontents, Mayor Jackie Warner has continued to climb the beanstalk of success by providing years of honest and dynamic leadership to the Town. Leadership that has translated into notable prosperity for Hope Mills and its citizens.

Within the past year, Warner led the Hope Mills Commission in a direction that netted the Town over $4.5 million from the state; the $17 million Hope Mills Public Safety Building is about to be completed; a $750 thousand all-inclusive Playground and Splash pad is on the way; renovations of the Thomas Oakman Chapel have been completed with work about to begin on Heritage Park.

All of this, plus residential building permits are at record levels, dozens of new businesses have come to locate in Hope Mills, and music, art and culture are becoming prominent and a permanent part of the Hope Mills quality of life. All of these things result from hard work, dedication and leadership from someone who truly cares about the community.

Without a doubt, those few Hope Mills detractors attempting to undermine Warner by causing chaos and divisiveness within her administration are collectively incapable of achieving such successes. So, they can continue to rant, rave and scream “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum” at Mayor Jackie Warner’s beanstalk of success. But the local Blunderbores and Gogmagogs do not affect her, and like Jack’s giant, they will eventually get their just rewards.

Ok, you may ask: What’s with the beanstalk metaphor? Well, perhaps I let my imagination get the best of me. However, when you think about it, there is a parallel between Jack and Jackie and a solid moral to both stories. Jack made a mistake by selling his family’s only cow for beans. But, he planted them and grew a beanstalk which he climbed. At the top, he encountered the mean, nasty giant, but also discovered a magical hen that laid golden eggs. Running for his life he outsmarted the giant and ultimately destroyed him. He returned home a hero, safe and sound and wealthy beyond belief. In other words: Jack took a bad situation and using his wits, intelligence, daring and perseverance turned the situation around that culminated in a happy ending.

Like Jack, Jackie also made a terrible decision; however, she planted her Hope Mills beanstalk seeds and it grew to great heights of success due to being cared for and nurtured with respect and love. At the top of her success, the nasties appear to discredit and destroy Jackie so they can take control and get credit for the Town’s progress.

Unlike Jack’s situation, Jackie’s plight has lasted for years. However, in the end, Jackie has succeeded in fending off the nasties and simultaneously provided the leadership that has taken Hope Mills to new heights in prosperity and development, raising the quality of life for all its citizens.

Unlike Jack, who returned home a triumphant hero, Jackie Warner, a real-life Hope Mills hero, is already home.

Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Fayetteville’s professional indoor soccer team, Fayetteville Fury will kick off their second season home opener against Memphis on Feb. 18 and 19 at the Crown Coliseum.

For those who did not know professional indoor soccer is a thing, the Fury is a part of the National Indoor Soccer League. The league was created in 2021 and Fayetteville Fury is one of the many teams in the organization that has men’s and women’s divisions.

Their season kick off is against the Memphis Americans. The Men’s and Women’s divisions will have 24 regular season games. After the home opening weekend, the Fury will be on the road until the next home games on March 10 against the Central Florida Crusaders. It is rare for one sports ticket to get someone into a men’s and women’s game.

Andrew Haines, NISL owner said, “We are the only league in the country that does that at the professional level. All tickets get you into both games.”

During the inaugural season, the Fayetteville Fury Men’s team won a championship title. Haines discussed how this being the league’s second season proves that the sport is real and not just a concept.

“We produced a quality product for the community, and our Men’s team won the league championship,” Haines said. “We are in building mode and excited to kick off our second season.”
The League’s Affect on Fayetteville

“Our league and teams all affect each other,” Haines said. “Our successes and failures are shared. Our front office and coaches from around the league all work together behind the scenes... off the field we are one family with a common goal.”

To learn more about the league or purchase tickets, visit www.fayettevillefury.com/.

About the National Indoor Soccer League

The NISL was founded in January 2021 by a group of seasoned sports team/league owners with over 50 years of ownership experience. The league features both a Men’s & Women’s Division, competing in double header game days over a 16-game regular season that takes place between January and April. Current teams include Central Florida Crusaders, Columbus Rapids (Georgia), Fayetteville Fury, Memphis Americans, Rome Gladiators (Georgia), and Tampa Bay Strikers.

The NISL is committed to promoting and supporting member teams, while providing an avenue for players, coaches, and front office staff to develop their skills and gain exposure for opportunities at higher levels, all while providing high-quality, affordable entertainment in the communities they call home.
For more information, go to www.nislpro.com.

February 14 is a day dedicated to love. And for couples who are pondering their futures together, Valentine’s Day may seem tailor-made for wedding proposals.

According to a survey of 1,000 married adults by James Allen, an online diamond and bridal jewelry retailer, people really love getting engaged on Valentine’s Day. Forty-three percent of Millennials report favoring Valentine’s Day for proposals — whether they’re doing the asking or being asked.

There are a few things to keep in mind when considering whether or not to pop the question on Valentine’s Day. Here are some ideas for planning the proposal. Make it your own. Even if the proposal is taking place on one of the most popular days of the year to get engaged, interject some personality into the occasion. Include important elements that are dear to the person to whom you are proposing, such as favorite flowers or a preferred restaurant. Restaurant reservations may be hard to come by on Valentine’s Day, so you may want to select a more private meal at home or something catered unless you want to share your proposal with a crowd.

Visit possible locations in advance. Think about where you would like to propose and visit those areas at different times of the day. Timing a proposal during sunset with the rays creating a warm glow on a park bench or on the incoming tide can make it more magical. Adjust proposal area plans for busier crowds expected on Valentine’s Day.

Have the ring at the ready. Jewelry shops are in demand around Valentine’s Day, so be sure to choose and have the ring sized well in advance of the proposal. This ensures the ring will be ready in time. If the ring will be a surprise, get hints beforehand to understand your loved one’s design tastes. Consider bringing a friend along when shopping to offer support and advice.

Use chocolate to your advantage. Boxes of chocolate are ubiquitous on Valentine’s Day. Nestle the ring inside of a box of truffles or another favorite confection and have the question “Will you marry me?” attached to the inside of the box.

Hire a photographer. Work with a photographer to capture the moment, whether it’s a professional photographer or a friend enlisted for the task. This way you can be fully immersed in the moment as it unfolds, and then look back on the experience from a different perspective when the photos are printed.

Valentine’s Day is a popular time for wedding proposals. With a little planning, the occasion can be even more special.

So Fort Bragg is going to be renamed “Fort Liberty.” Why such a bland name? We commemorate great American military leaders by naming bases and installations in their memory. Don’t we have enough highly regarded military leaders and heroes to honor?

I can think of plenty of deserving U.S. military leaders worthy of the honor. But the reality is our “woke” politicians and their backers detest people that have risen to acclaim and respect because they overcame difficulties and achieved success by diligence and competence. They want us underlings to sit back while they, alone, plot the course of progress and rewrite history.

So why not “Fort Fredendall?” General Fredendall was the U.S. Army commander at the catastrophic defeat of U.S. forces at Kasserine Pass in February 1943. Major General Lloyd Fredendall is the epitome of the mediocrity and passivity that the “woke” types want to impose on us. Anyhow, Fredendall was relieved of command.

I agree that Fort Bragg’s name should be changed. But not because it honors a Confederate. Braxton Bragg left his glorious success behind him in Mexico. As a Confederate commander, Bragg arguably accomplished more to bring General Lee and the Confederacy to Appomattox Court House than the majority of the Union’s generals.
Bragg’s only success was at Chickamauga, but only because James Longstreet’s corps arrived to exploit the collapse of the Union line. But Chickamauga would see the rise of Union general George Thomas.

Bragg went on to lose more battles. At Chattanooga, George Thomas’ troops swept Bragg’s Confederates off of Missionary Ridge, in a rout that ended his field service. But Bragg was restored to command just in time to lose Fort Fisher and Wilmington. With the loss of Wilmington, the Confederacy’s last seaport and essential trade were cut off. Bragg then capped his career by his troops’ arriving too late at the Battle of Bentonville, the last major battle of the Civil War.

So when Camp Bragg was set up when the USA entered the First World War, naming the Army base after a native North Carolinian made sense, but full of sarcasm and irony.
So Fort Bragg is named for a dud.

A far more fitting name for the U.S. Army’s largest base would be George Thomas, the “Rock of Chickamauga” and the hero of Missionary Ridge and Nashville. There used to be a Fort Thomas in Kentucky, but it was closed in the 1960’s. George Thomas is far more deserving of the honor. As a Union commander, born in Virginia, he spans the North-South cultural divide and embodies the qualities we all need to emulate: competence, courage and conscience. Here is an American hero that personifies the qualities that should unite us. But politicians, both “woke” and other, always seek to divide us.

And why stop at Fort Bragg? Cumberland County, that includes much of Fort Bragg, also needs to be renamed. William Augustus — Duke of Cumberland — was King George II’s youngest son. Like Braxton Bragg, William Augustus was a military commander of dubious talent. After losing the Battle of Fontenoy, the Duke of Cumberland was recalled. But in 1745 he returned to the field at the head of a small British Army to deal with Charles Stuart — Bonnie Prince Charlie.

The Duke of Cumberland’s small force defeated the Highlanders at Culloden in 1746, where he earned the nickname “Butcher.” No need to go into details here; every true Scot knows the history. So naming this county, with its long association with Scottish settlement, after the Duke of Cumberland is an incredible gaffe.
Even in England, Cumberland County is no more. It and Westmorland (another name associated with an odious history) County were merged in 1974 to make the new county of Cumbria. So why not “Culloden County” instead?

While the “woke” crowd is celebrating their great victory in their campaign to erase American history that they find distasteful, they of course have no regard to the actual expenses of their achievement.
So what is Fayetteville going to do about Bragg Boulevard? Change its name too? Who cares what that is going to cost the county, city, and, perish the thought, the people and their businesses?

This has not been thought through competently. That is the price of being “woke.”

A former director of the Fayetteville-Cumberland Human Relations Commission will receive its Lifetime Achievement Award, according to a city news release.

The announcement of 2023 award winners was made Feb. 1.

Anthony Wade was the chief human relations officer for the city and county from 2016 until his retirement last year, according to the city’s website. He also is a former director of human resources for the county.

An Air Force veteran, Wade created and directed an award-winning equal opportunity treatment/human relations program for the Air Force’s Air Education Training Command while on active duty, according to the city. Wade is a past president of the National Association of Human Rights Workers.

The Human Relations Commission says its awards recognize “excellent work and commitment to promoting positive human relations throughout the city and county,” according to the news release.

Other Community Award winners announced Wednesday are:

• Educator Award: Kenjuana McCray, dean of arts and humanities at Fayetteville Technical Community College.
• Individual Award: Antonio Gardner
• Religious Leader Award: Sharon Thompson-Journigan
• Humanitarian Award: Takieyah Mathis
• Youth Award: Ryanne Squibb
• Industry/Business Award: Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County
• Organization Award: Miller’s Crew
• Military Award: Members of the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group at Pope Field

Award winners will be recognized at a luncheon at 11 a.m. Feb. 15 at Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N Eastern Blvd.

Tickets are $25 and are available at the Human Relations Department at the Festival Park Building, 225 Ray Ave., Suite 100. Sponsorship tables are available for $250. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Money raised at the reception will support a scholarship for Cumberland County high school students pursuing college degrees, the release said.

Valentine’s Day is a bright light in the middle of the winter . Come February 14, sweethearts celebrate their love and affection for one another on this day devoted to happy couples.

The origin of Valentine’s Day has generated much speculation over the years. Most early accounts do not point to heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolates. Rather, a few distinctive tales may paint the picture of early Valentine’s Day, and they have nothing to do with stuffed animals or romantic dinners.

One of the earliest records of the term Valentine’s Day is traced to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was a fertility festival. This annual event held on February 15 included animal sacrifices and priests called the Luperci who would take pieces of animal hide and touch it to the foreheads of women in the hopes it would make them more fertile.

Fortunately for the squeamish (and the sacrificial animals), Pope Gelasius I ended Lupercalia and replaced it with St. Valentine’s Day by the end of the fifth century. Two or three St. Valentines? Most people attribute the origins of Valentine’s Day to the holiday’s namesake, St. Valentine. But it seems that Valentine was the surname of a few different individuals.

According to History.com, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. One Valentine was a priest during the reign of Emperor Claudius II, who decided that single men made better soldiers than those with families or wives. Claudius outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine disagreed with the decree and would perform marriages in secret.

Others believe it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop beheaded by Claudius II outside of Rome, who was the true namesake. Yet another Valentine may have been jailed and fell in love with a jailer’s daughter while in prison. He portedly wrote to her, beginning the first Valentine card or letter tradition.

Other stories say the imprisoned Valentine actually was writing to a blind woman he purportedly healed, and signed the note “from your Valentine.” It is hard to know who is who in regard to the name Valentine, as the stories and the people behind them are used interchangeably.

Some historians believe they actually are the same person rather than several Valentines, while others insist there were multiple martyred individuals. However you slice it, the defiant actions of one or more people named “Valentine” set the course for centuries of romance to follow.

Psalm 98 boldly commands readers to “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth!”

With their newest gospel album, “He Is,” Central Baptist Church Choir of Dunn seeks to do exactly that. Together with friends and other artists, the CBC has recorded an album of original songs and a few classics to delight their fans and those who may be new to their music.

Released on Jan. 6, the album is a “dream project” of Central Baptist Church’s Worship Pastor Darren Hughes. Featuring acts such as The Mylon Hayes Family, Soul’d Out, Suzanne Hise, The Ben Rochester Family, Roy Harris, and the Nelons — a personal favorite of Hughes —“He Is” is a labor of love years in the making.

“It took some time and persistence to get them all involved, but all of them were very accommodating and kind to be part of this,” Hughes shared with Up & Coming Weekly.
According to the church’s official website: “The Gospel of Jesus Christ is available for anyone at any age.” This record is a “reflection of our intentionally multigenerational church allowing kids, millennials, grandparents, and anyone in between to worship God.”

A beloved mainstay of the region, the Central Baptist Choir, which boasts over 100 voices, has been stomping feet and clapping hands since the mid-1980s, continuing the powerful tradition of downhome southern gospel music.

While Hughes admits it’s a large undertaking to guide a choir of such size together in harmony each week, he feels incredibly rewarded when “people are engaged in singing to and worshipping our God.”
Hughes, who’s been the Worship Pastor for CBC for the past six years, also wrote three of the albums’ songs (“Come Expecting,” “The Way, The Truth, The Life” and “Choose Jesus”) and is excited to see his work and that of his peers come to life through the production process and potentially influence people’s lives.

In addition to the album’s original titles, songs such as “I’ve Never Been Sorry” and “The Great Physician” are sure to ring a bell for some. In a nod to the generational diversity within the CBC, listeners will even be treated to an appearance by the children’s choir on one of the tracks.

For some, the album’s enigmatic title might be puzzling, but its ambiguity isn’t an accident. While “He Is” is a complete statement, the unfinished declarative leaves room for Him to be whatever is needed.

“The album is called ‘He Is’ which may initially sound incomplete, but the reality is — He is everything good and holy,” Hughes said. "He fills any need any of us has, and the album just scratches the surface of all He is.”

The album is available to download in its entirety on Amazon and iTunes, and the CBC’s music can be found on popular streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube. The next single, “The Way, The Truth, The Life” featuring Soul’d Out, began streaming in January.

Physical copies of the album are available for purchase on the church’s website at https://cbcdunn.com/music/.

Cumberland County officials on Thursday, Feb. 2 met to discuss plans to move forward with plans for a new homeless shelter.

The Board of Commissioners’ Homeless Advisory Committee met to discuss plans for the shelter. County board Chairwoman Toni Stewart also chairs the advisory committee. Other committee members include Commissioners Veronica Jones and Michael Boose. Boose did not attend Thursday’s meeting.

After a brief update by county Engineering Director Jermaine Walker on the status of the project, interim County Manager Renee Paschal suggested that commissioners and county administrators determine "what we want to see" in a homeless shelter before asking architects to submit design plans.

Stewart suggested the county engage Fayetteville Technical Community College on ways the school can advance the project. Last year, the county gave FTCC $2 million in federal American Rescue Plan money to move toward an adult learner program, Hope, Opportunity and Prosperity through Education. The program provides accelerated training to Cumberland County residents who do not have a college degree or sought-after work skills.

“So, the first order of business is to sit down with FTCC?” Paschal asked.

Commissioner Jones suggested the county develop its own action plan for dealing with the homeless issue in Cumberland County. However, Paschal steered the discussion back to a more focused and time-sensitive plan to build a homeless shelter and determine “what we can afford and what the building will look like,” she said. She recommended setting qualifications for both a design and a feasibility study that would address what services the shelter would provide.

Paschal said the county does not yet have a budget for the shelter.

“That is the main reason for moving ahead with a feasibility study to determine the size and probable cost,” she told CityView after the meeting.

The county received $1 million in state funding for the project, she said. Ensuing discussion centered around whether the county should come up a plan for what the homeless shelter should look like or use outside services. Walker suggested that the county could hire an architect to develop a plan for what the shelter would look like and what services it would provide to the community.

Jones recommended that county staffers look at other "sizable" cities, including Baltimore, with homeless shelters in place. County administrators will forward recommendations of the Homeless Advisory Committee to the full Board of Commissioners so that other commissioners can have input on the committee's proposals.

College is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be expensive for you. The financial aid experts at Fayetteville Technical Community College will help you find a scholarship that is just right for you.
The best thing about scholarships, is that unlike loans, you don’t have to pay scholarships back.

Are you a North Carolina resident who doesn’t have enough money to pay for college?

If so, you should apply for the Golden LEAF Foundation Scholarship. It provides up to $2,250 per year for students living in one of the qualifying counties, which are listed on the application. You can use this scholarship to pay for tuition, books, child care, and even transportation so you can get to school.

Would you like to get paid to go to parties?

If so, you should apply for the prestigious Tom McLean Ambassadors Scholarship Program. As a student ambassador, you will help people understand what FTCC is all about and how FTCC benefits the community. Along the way, you will build relationships with community leaders, develop leadership skills, and get lots of great pictures for social media. The rigorous application process includes grade verification, an essay, and a panel interview. Student Ambassadors receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Did your parents serve in the military?

If so, you may be eligible for the North Carolina Division of Veterans Affairs Scholarship. This scholarship is available to the children of veterans who died, were captured, or became disabled during their military service. If you don’t qualify for this scholarship, that’s OK. Veterans and the children of veterans are eligible for many other educational assistance programs. FTCC was recently named the most military friendly large community college in the nation, so we are experts in helping veterans and the families of veterans.

Do you want to earn big bucks, driving big trucks?

If so, you need to apply for the State Employee Credit Union Bridge to Career Program. This scholarship will help you pay for your commercial driver license training program. When you are done, you will have everything you need to begin a highly paid career on the open road.

Do you hate filling out applications?

So do we. That’s why the continuing education division no longer requires applications for some scholarships. These scholarships can be used to pay for a wide variety of programs including welding, veterinary assistant, medical billing, and many more. Some programs can be completed online. Scholarships are first come, first served, so enroll today before the money runs out.
These are just a few of the scholarship opportunities at Fayetteville Technical Community College.

If you are ready to learn more, visit www.faytechcc.edu/ to begin your journey with FTCC.