Cape Fear Studios’ latest exhibit displays work from artists across the nation. The 6By Visual Exhibit showcases art that is at least six inches on one side and no more than 18 inches on its largest side. Steve Opet, the board president of Cape Fear Studios, says this is the fourth year this exhibit has appeared in their studios.

“This show features artists in 13 different states. Eighty-two pieces were submitted this year and 40 pieces were accepted,” Opet said.

The art pieces were judged by local artists Greg Hathaway and Dwight Smith, an associate professor of performing and fine arts at Fayetteville State University.

Winners

The first-place winner, Stacy-Ann Topjian Searle, is from Carrboro, North Carolina. Her piece, “Groundcover” is a pen and ink drawing. According to her website, Searle works in a realist style, which allows her to capture the subtle details found in nature. She works exclusively in black and white because, for her, color is a distraction.

The second-place winner was a Hope Mills resident, Rose Kennedy. Her piece, “In the Moment,” is an impressionistic oil painting. According to her website, Kennedy enjoys applying paint in a “broken color” fashion, whether using buttery oils or acrylic paints. Creating a visual orchestration that has its own voice and speaks to herself and others is her goal with each painting.

The third-place piece was a spray paint and texture medium by Virginia artist, Silas Baker. His piece “Trichotomy” includes three 6x6-inch canvases which are hand framed.
Cape Fear Studios is a nonprofit arts organization in downtown Fayetteville. Its mission is to involve, educate and enrich Cumberland County and surrounding communities with the opportunity to create and freely view art.

“When you're in downtown, just come in and browse. You don't have to buy anything. You don't have to take a class. Just come in and enjoy the artwork. We're open for the public to bring art to our community regardless of who you are,” Opet said.

Upcoming Workshop

One workshop that is coming up is a colored pencil workshop with Donna Slade. Slade is a Charter and Signature artist of the Colored Pencil Society of America and has earned local, national and international recognition winning fine art awards in solo and group exhibitions.

Slade comes from a background in graphic design, however she works primarily in colored pencils. She creates contemporary realism paintings featuring a straightforward approach to representational art.
The two-day workshop will take place on Sept. 24 and 25. The cost of the workshop is $200, but there are free seats for six college students. While those seats have already been claimed, two more workshops are being planned.

“We're going to have two more workshops that we will offer six free seats with art supplies provided for free to local students,” Opet told Up & Coming Weekly.

Cape Fear Studios is located at 148 Maxwell Street, next to the Fayetteville Transportation Museum. The studios are open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are also open

Music makes the world go round. A certain song can play on the radio and it can take you back to a certain time or place in your life. Music can inspire you, uplift you or just simply put — make you feel good. There are some artists that have the magic touch on everything that they sing and one of those bands is Earth, Wind & Fire.

The Crown Complex presents the mighty elements of the universe Earth, Wind & Fire Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Their “Miraculous Supernatural Tour” with Carlos Santana began in June 2022. Tour stops are from Arizona to New York with many cities in between.

The band is known for its kalimba sound, compelling horn section and high-powered stage presence. They have established a reputation for their mesmerizing live shows that feature elaborate costumes, grandiose stage props and funkadelic musical energy.

The iconic band was founded in 1969 in Chicago. The critically-acclaimed founder and leader of the band, Maurice White, transitioned in 2016 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 74. Before his death, White saw his group reach international success.

White named the group after the three elements on his Sagittarius astrological chart.
The band members were jazz musicians who played across the musical genres: soul, funk, gospel, blues, jazz, rock and dance music.
Maurice White was known for his baritone voice, Philip Bailey was known for his falsetto voice and the two of them created inspirational music that warmed the soul. Described as an innovative band, the group’s members have changed over the years to include Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Ralph Johnson, B. David Whitworth, Myron McKinley, John Paris, Philip Bailey Jr., Morris O’Connor and Serg Dimitrijevic, Gary Bias, Reggie Young and Bobby Burns Jr.

Honoring their musical roots

Maurice White was introduced to the kalimba in the late 60s and he immediately purchased one, learned how to play it and fell in love with it. The kalimba is an African thumb piano that consists of a unique sound and a simplicity to play. For White it was an expression of his African roots that Earth, Wind & Fire expressed through their percussion sounds and rhythms. White bought the trademark for the kalimba and launched Kalimba Productions which was later named Kalimba Records. He wrote the song “Kalimba Story” with his brother, Verdine White.

Decades of music

Earth, Wind & Fire have earned more than 50 gold and platinum albums and have sold more than 90 million albums worldwide earning them a place on the list of best-selling music artists. They are the seventh best-selling American band of all time.

Their expansive repertoire of classic hits include “Reasons,” “September,” “After the Love Has Gone,” “Fall in Love with Me,” “Shining Star,” “Keep Your Head to the Sky,” “That’s the Way of the World,” “After the Love Has Gone,” “Fantasy” and many more.
Two of their classic songs, “Shining Star” and “That’s The Way of The World” have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The inspiration behind “Shining Star” was from thoughts that Maurice had during a walk under the star-filled skies that surrounded the mountains around Caribou Ranch, Colorado, which was a popular recording site for artists in the 70s. The single was included in the "That’s The Way Of The World" movie.

Their latest single, “You Want My Love” featuring Lucky Daye debuted in 2021 and was produced by the legendary Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.
Through the decades their songs have been covered by Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, D’ Angelo, the Jerry Garcia Band, Tupac, MC Hammer
and more.

Worldwide accolades

Having received 20 Grammy nominations, their musical awards entail seven Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards and the first Black performers to receive to receive the Madison Square Garden Gold Ticket Award for selling more than 100,000 tickets and the Columbia Records Crystal Globe Award for selling more than 5 million albums in foreign markets.

They have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Earth, Wind & Fire received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award, the Entertainer of the Year Award, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Soul Train Legend Award, ASCAP’s Rhythm and Soul Heritage Award, the Congressional Horizon Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, and many more.

Maurice White, Phillip Bailey, Verdine White, Al McKay and Larry Dunn were inducted in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
Maurice White and Philip Bailey received honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music. The band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1995. The Los Angeles City Council declared Sept. 21 as Earth, Wind & Fire Day as the first lyric of the band’s iconic song, “September,” is “Do you remember the 21st day of September.” The single has been featured in TV shows, movies, commercials, sporting events, video games and a movie was named after the song. President Obama invited the band to perform at the White House for the first social event of the new administration.

Touring

The top-shelf musicians went on hiatus in 1984 and CBS Records convinced Maurice White and Philip Bailey to reunite the group. They returned with the successful album, "Touch the World" in 1987 and releases such as “Heritage,” “Millennium” and “In the Name of Love.”

In 2000, Earth, Wind & Fire reunited for one night only in honor of their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The documentary, "Earth, Wind & Fire: Shining Stars" contains historic video footage and interviews with the band members.

Today, the band still continues to tour and the lineups have changed throughout the group’s career, and the only original members are Bailey, White and Johnson.
Tickets can be purchased at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/2D005CEEDD2266D3.

Cumberland County Public Library is set to host its first Local Author Showcase since 2019 on Saturday, Sept. 17 from noon until 2 p.m.

The event, held at Headquarter’s Library, allows local writers to showcase their work to the community. Held annually since 2008, the Local Author Showcase, sponsored by the Friends of the CCPL brings recognition to the accomplishments of local authors wanting to share their work.

This year’s showcase will feature 23 authors representing fantasy/sci-fi, poetry, memoir, biography, Christian literature, self-help, conflict-management and YA literature. The criteria for submission into the showcase are simple: fill out an application, be local to the Sandhills region, and books must be published traditionally or independently (which includes self-publication). While not all books are accepted, in a push to support local writers, the library makes an extraordinary effort to approve as many applications as possible.

“It can be difficult for self-published and first-time authors to compete with larger publishers, and the showcase gives them a platform to reach readers they may never have reached before. We want our readers to connect with the writers of their community while discovering their next good — or great — read,” Adult Services Librarian, Casey Ausborn told Up & Coming Weekly.

The two-hour event is yet another way the Cumberland County Public Library strives to bring relevant and engaging events, opportunities and activities to the citizens it serves.

“A common phrase in libraries is, ‘every reader their book; every book its reader,’” Ausborn shared. “We hope to connect readers with stories and writers that will impact them, whether through seeing themselves represented in a story or successful author or through the sharing of thoughts and ideas.”

Another avenue for connection between local authors and their potential fan base is the circulation of their books. The Headquarters Branch also houses the library system’s Local Author Collection, which is entirely populated by North Carolina writers. The uncataloged collection of books is available year-round and works on an honor system for check-out.

“Before the book is placed on the shelf, a review card is placed in it,” Ausborn explained. “Patrons... are encouraged to fill out the card and return it with the book. The library may elect to purchase a copy of a book for inclusion in the circulating collection if it receives positive reviews.”

This practice is an excellent opportunity for patrons to directly contribute to the thoughts, ideas, and stories circulated within the library and out into the greater community.
In addition to providing a platform for local authors, the event will also provide resources for aspiring authors. Two writing groups: Off the Page and Write On, Right Now, will be onsite during the event to offer resources for those just starting their writing journey.

Ausborn and CCPL hope the event encourages everyone to come out and support their friends, neighbors and family members as they courageously push their creations out into the world. The event is meant to bridge the stories people tell and the stories people need to hear.

“This event is open to everyone,” said Ausborn. “By supporting these events, the library opens the door for a two-way connection between our local authors and readers. It’s for anyone looking for their next good read or looking to start their writing career!”

The Local Author Showcase is free and open to the public and will be held in the Pate Room of the Headquarters Library at 300 Maiden Lane. For more information about the Cumberland County Library and its events, visit www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/library-group/library.

Kalos orsisate means “welcome” in Greek. And Fayetteville’s Greek community is pleased to kalos orsisate the region back to the Fayetteville Greek Festival, the weekend of Sept. 17 and 18 at the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, located at 614 Oakridge Avenue.

The Fayetteville Greek festival isn’t just a virtual journey to the Acropolis of Athens; Mount Olympus, the Home of the Gods; Thermopylae, the ancient sulfuric spring where Sparta fought Persia to death; or some better-known landmarks. It’s about the “cultural traditions” of an entire country, said festival spokesperson Lia Hasapis, who is in Greece on a research trip.

Greece is a peninsula situated at the southeastern tip of Europe, at the bottom of the Balkan Mountains, stretching in to the Mediterranean, Aegean and Ionian Seas via a countless number of islands. Connected to Turkey by a strip of land in the northeast, the country was a pivotal crossroad between Africa, Asia and Europe that has been inhabited by modern human-beings thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Centered by Athens, its most powerful city-state, between the years 323 B.C. and 31 B.C., Greece was the “cradle of western civilization,” the epicenter for the beginnings of democracy, historiography, philosophy, literature, architecture and astronomy, as the world remembers them.

“The Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church is a small [Greek] community made up [of people] from all regions of Greece, from the mountains of Evrytania to the Sea of the Peloponnese... all the way to Macedonia, and not to mention all the beautiful Greek isles,” Hasapis said.

The Fayetteville Greek Festival is free to the public. However, though the menu is authentic, food and drinks are not free. Greek spirits, domestic beers and soft drinks will be offered, and, please remember that dessert is the biggest portion of the festival’s menu.

The legendary Greek culture, hospitality and food “is what... the Greek community... would love for you all to experience,” Hasapis added.
Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church will give free grounds tours. The festivities will be in the “Hellenic Room” between the hours of 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, and from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18.

This year’s Greek Festival will be the first in-person Greek festival since the beginning of the pandemic, and Fayetteville’s very own Greek community couldn’t be happier to showcase the best of what makes the southeastern European nation the cradle of western civilization.

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church is at 614 Oakridge Avenue, at the end of Oakridge, if you’re coming from the top Haymount Hill. Bear in mind that Oakridge Avenue begins at the Hay Street intersection, directly across Hay Street from the Cape Fear Regional Theatre. Note that Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church is at the end of the Oakridge, on the right.

To find out more about the 2022 Fayetteville Greek Festival, its menu and mission, surf the internet on over to www.FayGreekChurch.com or Facebook.com/pages/category/Nonprofit-organization/FayGreekFest.

After weeks of planning and hectic last-minute preparations, the fourth annual Lanning’s Lemonade and Colton’s Cookies fundraiser ended on another successful note.

The dynamic team of entrepreneurial brothers Lanning Kistler, 9, and Colton Walters, 8, recently presented a $4,524 check to the Child Advocacy Center.
It was the second time the boys opted to give proceeds from their fundraiser to the Child Advocacy Center. Including this year’s event, which was Aug. 20, the boys have raised $7,099 for the center.

Roberta Humphries, executive director of the Child Advocacy Center, said the money will go into the general operating budget to help fund the many services provided by the center for abused children.
Humphries said the center benefits from several “third-party” fundraisers, but this is the first organized by children.

“It’s the only one child-driven,’’ Humphries said during a telephone interview. “It’s their idea and choice of whom they give the money. That’s kind of unique.”

Along with earning money from selling lemonade, which Lanning spiced up this year with a secret ingredient that he refuses to divulge, and the sale of M&M-laden cookies prepared by Colton, the boys also raised money through sponsorships and online donations.

“Everyone loved our new recipe,” Lanning said in an email. “People kept telling us it was the best lemonade they ever had,” he stated.

Not to be outdone, Colton also faired well with his cookies. “My cookies were also popular. We sold out of them and we made like 200,” he wrote in his email. “We have to make more next year.”

Sponsors included Firehouse Subs on Glensford Drive, the UPS Store in Westwood Shopping Center, City Center Gallery and Books on Hay Street, Maidens and Monsters Face and Body Art, and Meraki Creative Agency. State Sen. Kirk deViere and his wife, Jenny, and Randy and Ann Gregory also sponsored the fundraiser.

Except for the first year, the boys hold their fundraiser at the entrance of VanStory, in an opening just off Morganton Road, but change may be on the horizon.
Dad John Kistler said the event may be partnered with a large community organization in an effort to garner more sponsors and more aggressively promote the fundraiser.
Kistler said expanding the activities might help draw sponsors, which made this year’s event so successful. He envisions more activities for younger customers such as bounce houses, and perhaps the sale of local art, and music for adult attendees.

“Basically, we’re considering anything that can help bring in donations for the Child Advocacy Center,’’ Kistler said. “We are open to any ideas from community members to make it an event people would want to attend and give money to a very deserving and much-needed organization.”

So many of America’s soldiers sign on to serve, kiss their families goodbye, and deploy to far-away destinations and uncertain futures.

While the threat of danger, harm, and even death may be part and parcel of the uniform, many soldiers return with few resources to reintegrate into civilian life. Incidents of mental illness and substance abuse are particularly high within this demographic, making them vulnerable to housing instability and homelessness.

According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, there are currently around 38,000 homeless veterans in America. However, that number has decreased dramatically since 2010. North Carolina has also seen a major decline in its homeless veteran population, still, the fight to place veterans in safe, accessible housing continues in Fayetteville.

In support of those continued efforts, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers have donated $10,000 in sponsorship of The Big Tiny Project, an initiative created to help veterans in crisis. Lowes, Wells Fargo, the All-Veteran Group, U.S. Veterans Corps, Window World, and ServiceSource are all sponsors of this special project as well.
Off-Road Outreach, a nonprofit organization based in Fayetteville, conceived The Big Tiny Project as a tiny-home community that will serve as temporary housing for at-risk veterans before they move on to more permanent housing.

“No Veteran Left Behind,” Off-Road Outreach’s motto, echoes throughout their efforts to provide resources and care for Fayetteville’s homeless veteran population. Offering mobile showers and laundry services to homeless vets from the back of their jeep, Off-Road Outreach creates opportunities to restore dignity and respect to a demographic often overlooked by society.

Up & Coming Weekly spoke with Kristen Nett, community and media relations manager for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers about the organization’s involvement with the project.

“We have been working with Off-Road Outreach since I landed in this position,” she explained. “Off-Road Outreach is an incredible organization that helps homeless and low-income veterans with physical, social and mental needs.”

The Woodpeckers Foundation and the Community Leaders Program’s donation of $10,000 will cover renovation costs for three 290-foot tiny homes in which veterans can live for up to 180 days free of charge.

In addition to housing services, The Big Tiny Project will offer on-site support for veterans as they navigate access to their benefits, identification services, and referrals for mental and physical health. Financial, transportation, and employment help will be available. Veterans will also have access to a food pantry and community garden.
Involved in several endeavors aimed at supporting the community, the Woodpeckers’ latest partnership with Off-Road Outreach seems especially on-brand for the charitable organization.

“The Woodpeckers are proud to support military initiatives,” Nett shared. “With Fort Bragg being so close, it only makes sense that we do everything we can to support those who sacrifice so much for us.”
The Big Tiny Project, scheduled to conclude at the beginning of 2023, is designed to take a holistic approach to the issue of veteran homelessness. The initiative not only gives these brave men and women the keys to a house, but the tools necessary to create a home.

For more information on the Woodpeckers Foundation and Community Leaders Program, please visit www.fayettevillewoodpeckers.com.
For more information on Off-Road Outreach, visit https://offroadoutreach.com/.

Military capabilities are important, but new capabilities mean little if the troops fielding those weapons don't know how or when to use them.

The United States, NATO allies and partners are working together to train Ukrainian military personnel on new systems and the tactics and techniques that make those weapon systems so effective.
This is a continuation of the training the Ukraine military has received since Russia first invaded the nation in 2014, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a press conference Sept. 6.

“Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have received training since 2014, and that pace has accelerated following Russia's unprovoked invasion in February. U.S. service members are providing Ukrainian soldiers with training on various weapons systems that we're providing to Ukraine,” Ryder said.

This includes maintenance and logistics training to ensure the systems stay operational, he said.
The United States has provided more than $11 billion in aid to Ukraine since January 2021. This includes systems like the Javelin anti-armor system, the Stinger anti-aircraft weapon, unmanned aerial systems, grenade launchers, howitzers, helicopters, tactical vehicles, counter-artillery radars, armored personnel carriers, high-mobility artillery rocket systems and millions of rounds of ammunition.

Russia began its war on Ukraine with an incredible edge in men and materiel. Ukraine's will and resilience was such that the Ukrainian military drove Russia away from its attacks on the capital of Kyiv and brought Russian advances in the Donbass region in the eastern part of Ukraine to a standstill. Now Ukraine has launched an offensive in and around Kherson Oblast, and Ryder said there are indications that the Ukrainian military is pushing forward.

Ukraine is being resupplied. Since replacing Soviet-era weapons systems, their capabilities are better now.

Meanwhile, "we do have indications that Russia has approached North Korea to request ammunition,” Ryder said. “I'm not able to provide any more detail than that at this point in time, but it does demonstrate and is indicative of the situation that Russia finds itself in, in terms of its logistics and sustainment capabilities as it relates to Ukraine.”

Last week, Russia also bought unmanned aerial vehicles from another rogue state: Iran.
Logistics and sustainment have never been a long suit for the Russian military, “so the fact that they're reaching out to North Korea is a sign that they're having some challenges on the sustainment front,” the general said.

Training is responsible for Ukraine's greatest advantage over the Russian invaders. The Ukraine military ditched the old Soviet style of tactics and began emulating the West, and that included building a competent and empowered non-commissioned officer corps.

“Working with the Ukrainians in terms of NCO leadership is something that we have done,” Ryder said. “This is a strategic advantage in a lot of ways of the U.S. military and many Western militaries.”
Small Ukrainian units led by sergeants are making a difference on the battlefield. These units move faster and do more than the Russian enemies.

The Ukrainian military — even in the exigencies of war — continue to stress NCO training, U.S. officials said.

City Council member Brenda McNair is a family woman at heart. This is the first public office McNair has held. She ran on a platform of change and envisioned becoming more of an advocate for the people. She is an ordained minister and owns several businesses, including an air conditioning company.

McNair beat out long-term council member Larry Wright Sr., who has been on the council since 2013. McNair won by 20 votes — less than 1.5%.
However, her start to the City Council has been shaky. She recently voted against future discussions of the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center when she was actually in support of it.
She tells Up & Coming Weekly that she didn’t realize she voted against the historical center until the morning after the work session. Her vote against the center led to a deadlocked council, 5-5. That vote jeopardized the center’s future as the county depended on the City of Fayetteville to move forward.

“I guess my understanding of what I voted on wasn’t clear,” McNair said. “I think [the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center] is a really great opportunity for the city and for our community to partake of and to bring growth to the city of Fayetteville.”

Regarding another controversial topic, the Vote Yes Referendum, McNair wasn’t able to make it to an emergency meeting earlier this month where the majority of the council appealed the decision to have the referendum appear on the November ballot.

The Vote Yes Referendum would restructure the current City Council to include at-large members.
McNair said that if she had been present at that meeting, she would have voted against the appeal. She says it does not matter if she supports the referendum or not, rather it only matters what the citizens vote for.

“I feel that the people should have the right to vote. I'm not going to say I'm for it. I'm not going to say I'm against it. But my thing is they should have the right to vote,” McNair said. “If we believe in democracy, then give the people the choice and fear should not have any place in this. I feel we should not fear what is going to happen if you put it on the ballot. If people don't want it, then don't vote for it. So we do have the option.”

McNair says she doesn’t want to make party-line decisions because her job is nonpartisan. She wants to make sound decisions that are based on the welfare of the people. She also wants to stay true to herself.

“I'm not afraid of anything that I say. People are going to have their opinion. Enjoy your opinion. I don't care what you say or do. You’ll make some people happy. You'll make some people mad. And some people are just going to be outright confused,” McNair said.

One of McNair’s top priorities includes informing her constituents about resources they have access to but may not know about.

“I want to reach out to them to better inform them that they have a representative ready to take them to the next level. They may be doing well, but I've found out that there are so many resources that the city of Fayetteville is not aware of,” McNair said.

Some of those resources include job training, first-time home-buyer workshops, the urban ministry, the fair housing committee, community safety micro-grants and the Center for Economic Empowerment and Development.

“We have all this information that a lot of people are not taking advantage of,” McNair said.

Another priority for McNair is mental health. Mental health issues run in her family and she has seen firsthand its impacts. She believes that by addressing the mental health crisis, the city could also address the homeless population simultaneously.

Gun violence is also a personal priority for McNair. A few weeks ago, McNair lost her 35-year-old cousin to gun violence. She thinks this trend with young people about getting guns because they look cool is very dangerous.

“My cousin was just in a store. This young man came up, shot him twice in his chest because they had a few words,” McNair said.

She hopes to look into having a rehabilitation center for young people instead of sending them to jail for small crimes, especially when these young people don’t have role models to set them up for success.

“It's almost like a boot camp. Instead of sending our young people off to prison and keeping them locked up in jail. I want to work on a facility to retrain or to train these young people about livelihood, on how to obtain a prosperous life without crime if they're capable,” McNair said. “But just sending them to prison because they make one mistake... they go out, they're trying to find themselves and they get in trouble.”

Another project McNair wants to work on is a state-of-the-art senior center for those who may not have access to one otherwise. Ideally, this would be for retirees but people who are still able to function and don’t need 24/7 care.

“They could have activities in the same facility. They can communicate with each other. They can have a restaurant inside their facility, a nice restaurant, a nice swimming pool, a nice day center in there so people can come in and speak to them and things of that nature. I know there are assisted living homes, but this takes it to a different level,” McNair said.

For her District 7 residents, she aims to represent them the best way she can. She wants them to know who their representative is, what district they are living in, who their community watch leader is, who their HOA president is, and to be aware of their community — positives and negatives.

“I want them to know that they have a representative here. I am ready to work hard for them so that we can iron out some of the issues that they have. I know we're not going to iron out everything, but the things that we can work on, I want to be able to work on, all the issues that we can improve and direct them to the staff that can handle a lot of the issues that they're having,” McNair said.

The next Fayetteville City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m.

Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at the age of 96. After 70 years on the throne, she was the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

The news came hours after Buckingham Palace announced that the queen was under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Her funeral is traditionally to be held 10 days after her death at Westminster Abbey, with private burial at St. George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle, alongside her husband Prince Phillip, who died in April 2021, her sister Princess Margaret, and father King George VI.

On Friday, Britain’s Accession Council is expected to formally name her son Charles, Prince of Wales, to be the new King Charles III. Before her passing, the queen had directed that his wife, Camilla, be called Queen Consort when he becomes king.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had ordered the American flag over the Capitol lowered to half-staff in honor of the late monarch.
North Carolina’s senators expressed their condolences to the royal family and noted the queen’s special impact on the relationship between the United States and Great Britain.

“My thoughts are with our friends in the United Kingdom, and all those across the world, who are mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II,” said Sen. Richard Burr in a statement Thursday. “Throughout the decades, she was a stalwart leader for her country and a steady global presence. She met with 13 of the last 14 U.S. presidents, helping to foster the special relationship between our countries. She will be remembered for a long life dedicated to duty, honor, and service – principles she lived by example.”

North Carolina’s dedication to Britain’s queen, the Queen Elizabeth II ship, floats in Roanoke Island Festival Park, drawing thousands of visitors each year to the Manteo waterfront in the Outer Banks. The ship was built in Manteo and was modeled after sailing vessels that sailed to Roanoke Island in 1584 and 1587 under the reign of Elizabeth I.

UNC Tar Heel football also has a unique connection to Queen Elizabeth. During a trip to the United States, she and Prince Phillip watched the Tar Heels play football against the University of Maryland at Byrd Stadium in College Park on Oct. 19, 1957. N.C. Gov. Luther Hodges represented the state at the game and presented the queen with a small trophy of Sir Walter Raleigh. Prince Phillip was given a football that day for the couple’s son, Charlie, or Prince Charles.

Today, a 1971 oil painting of Queen Elizabeth II hangs in the N.C. Museum of Art, given to the state by the Burroughs-Wellcome Foundation.

In what had once been a land of opportunity and progress, the state had grown large and oppressive. Its leaders lost their way. Its people nearly lost their freedom.

How oppressive had the state become? No matter how you chose to make your living, government officials made constant demands on you. Every major transaction was taxed, at escalating rates. If you couldn’t pay the taxes, your goods and property were seized. In many cases, you had to have special permission from the state to enter your chosen occupation.

How did the government grow to be so oppressive? It didn’t happen overnight. Instead, the encroachments were gradual, each one too small on its own to provoke large-scale opposition. Many of the taxes were originally enacted as “temporary” measures, in response to emergencies, but then lingered on in seeming perpetuity.
It was a great deal for the political class — at first. In earlier times, state revenues had been used primarily to fund critical infrastructure and maintain law and order. But as the money poured in, bureaucrats hired other bureaucrats, which boosted their power and stature. Government didn’t just pay them directly. Precisely because government had become so burdensome, corruption was rampant. It was cheaper for merchants to pay off public officials than to comply fully with the taxes and regulations.

Over time, however, the abuses of the political class proved counterproductive. To the extent land confiscation moved taxable property into government ownership, the tax base shrank. To the extent government made it harder to start and run businesses, there were fewer businesses generating revenues and employing people — which led to financial problems for the state as well as idleness and discontent among the population.
Finally, a new leader emerged. He was honest and ethical. Most importantly, he was observant. He recognized that the expansion of government had discouraged private enterprise and bred public contempt. He resolved to fix the problem.

The new leader slashed taxes. He eliminated regulations, and the jobs of regulators who had enforced them. He ended abusive confiscations of land, reserving that power for parcels the state truly needed for infrastructure. He fought public corruption and ensured that rich, powerful interests did not receive special treatment when the state adjudicated legal disputes.

The government didn’t wither away. Instead, the new leader refocused its attention on law and order. He codified and simplified the legal code. He increased penalties, particularly for violent offenses. Crime rates dropped, which made existing residents feel more secure about starting new businesses and encouraged new people to immigrate to the area.

Care to hazard a guess about the identity of this political reformer and the state he led? No, I’m not talking about an American state, or recent events in a foreign land. The leader’s name was Urukagina. He ruled the Sumerian state of Lagash, which included a capital and several nearby towns, more than 2000 years before the birth of Christ. The site is in what is now southern Iraq.

The official chronicle of Urukagina’s reforms contains the first recorded use of the word “freedom.” The Sumerian term was “amargi,” literally “a return to the mother.” The idea being conveyed was that human beings were naturally born into a state of freedom, not a state of subservience. Another way of saying it is that humans are endowed by their Creator with certain rights that are not lost — alienated from them — just because they live in societies with governments.

Urukagina returned his people’s birthright to them, their freedom. It worked for a time. Unfortunately, he didn’t tend sufficiently to a core function of government, national defense. Lagash fell prey to invaders. But his tale wasn’t forgotten, then or now. In 1960, the founders of the Liberty Fund in Indianapolis chose the cuneiform version of “amargi” as the centerpiece of their logo.
When it comes to expanding freedom, there have been plenty of modern innovations. But there’s nothing new about the underlying concept. It’s ancient, and essential.

Yellow buses are rolling across North Carolina as kiddos return to school for the first “normal” school year since 2018-2019.

But wait! “Normal” is not the correct word, because thousands of students, including some in Cumberland County, will find themselves in classrooms without certified teachers.
Teachers have been resigning and retiring in droves, again including teachers in Cumberland.
The reasons, of course, are unique to each individual educator, but there are many commonalities.

Teachers are increasingly stressed, and with good reason. The pandemic shut down schools almost three years ago, sending teachers and students into virtual learning scenarios, ready or not. The result has been thousands of students performing below grade level and teachers now expected to “fix it.”
In addition, staffing shortages mean teachers must cover for each other as well as for other school employees who have also left for greener pastures. It amounts to less support and more work.

But wait! There’s more.

In the early 2000s, North Carolina’s teachers were looking at rising salaries and growing respect for their work as professionals. Not so today. North Carolina’s teacher pay ranks 34th out of 50 states, according to the National Education Association’s annual report.

This, according to the Economic Policy Institute, is almost 25% below what the average teacher would earn in the private sector, the so-called, “teacher wage penalty.”
And, like everyone else, teachers are also losing out to inflation.
In all honesty, would you put up with that from your employer if you had a choice?

And, if all that were not enough to send teachers running for the door, layer on the Republican-controlled General Assembly’s latest proposal for teacher pay based on performance as judged by student test scores, student surveys and principal and peer evaluations.

Really? Even when student performance depends on far more than teacher input and when evaluations can be highly subjective, not to mention vindictive?
Included in the proposed plan as well are provisions to allow individuals to enter the teaching profession without an education degree.

Top off all the proposed changes with the reality that Republican legislators are accusing teachers of indoctrinating students with facts and ideas about race and gender that the right wing does not agree with, transforming classrooms into political battle fields with students as cannon fodder.

Even if we assume there may be merit in some of these ideas, the stressful fall of 2022 is hardly the time to press for them.
There are no easy remedies to these complicated issues, but adequate pay and professional respect would go a long way, especially since the General Assembly is sitting on a $6 billion surplus stockpiled by cutting taxes on the upper income earners and corporations.

The General Assembly is almost literally and personally walking teachers out the door.
It is high time for legislators and would-be legislators to put their money where their mouths are and pay teachers what they are worth and show them professional respect.

It is also high time for voters to consider such reckless and damaging decision-making on the part of legislators when we go to the polls on November 8th.
Really.

The Fayetteville Police Department will host a gun buyback program next weekend.

The program will be Saturday, Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kingdom Impact Global Ministries, 2503 Murchison Road.

The program allows firearms to be surrendered anonymously with “no questions asked,’’ the Police Department said in a release.

The program is “an effort to address gun violence in our community and create a safer place for everyone,’’ the release said.

People who turn in handguns will receive $100; those who turn in rifles or shotguns will receive $150; and those who turn in assault weapons will receive $200, the release said. There is a maximum of $600 compensation per person, the release said.

BB guns and pellet guns will not be accepted.

The Police Department outlined several guidelines that need to be followed in order to receive payment. They are:
People should place unloaded weapons in the vehicle’s trunk, truck bed, cargo area or backseat before leaving home and heading to the event.
People should remain in their vehicles at all times. An officer will remove the gun from the vehicle.
Once a gun is determined to be a working firearm, compensation will be provided. People will be asked to “leave a mark’’ indicating they are surrendering a weapon to the Police Department in order to receive compensation.
People should not touch any of the weapons.
People attending the event should approach the church via Murchison Road. Officers will direct vehicles to designated areas, the release said.

The North Carolina Symphony will perform music that celebrates African American culture in a concert Thursday night, Sept. 15 at Fayetteville State University.

The Freedom Celebration Concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Seabrook Auditorium at FSU, according to a news release from the symphony. Tickets are free but reservations are requested. Click here for tickets to the N.C. Symphony concert at FSU.

The concert will feature music created and influenced by African Americans, including spirituals, ragtime, jazz, and classical music. Associate Conductor Michelle Di Russo will lead the orchestra.

Guest soloist Micaela Bundy will join the orchestra to open the concert with a performance of the hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Bundy, a mezzo-soprano, teaches choral music and theater at Eastern Alamance High School.

The program also will feature “Spirituals of Liberation,” a commissioned work by symphony composer in residence Anthony Kelley. The three movements the piece explores are the conditions of forced labor, feelings of loss and hope by the enslaved, and African Americans’ embrace of freedom, the news release said.

Also on the program are pieces by William Grant Still and George Walker and arrangements celebrating jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
The program premiered at Booth Amphitheatre in Cary on June 18 in commemoration of Juneteenth. It will be presented at Elizabeth City State University on Sept. 16.

The Fayetteville City Council on Monday, Sept. 12, is expected to hear a presentation on the education campaign for a three-part bond package that will go before voters in November.

The council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The $97 million in bond packages include $60 million for public safety, $25 million for public infrastructure and $12 million for housing needs. The bond package will be on the Nov. 8 ballot for Fayetteville voters.

The city plans to use a variety of resources as part of its education campaign, including social media, community and civic engagement, printed materials, videos, radio and traditional media, according to information in the council agenda package.

If the bonds are approved, the city has identified several projects for the funding, including updating the 911 call center and several city fire stations, street and sidewalk improvements, and affordable housing programs.

A maximum of $60 million would be used to support key public safety projects to provide enhanced safety and emergency services to Fayetteville residents.

Those projects would include land acquisition, relocation, and construction of new fire stations, the construction of a logistics center, renovation of existing fire stations and a police call center.

The $25 million for public infrastructure would be used to support critical investments in public infrastructure directly affecting safety, security and livability. These projects could include sidewalk improvements and bike paths and lanes, among others.

If the bonds are approved, the city property tax rate would likely need to increase up to 4 cents, city spokesman Jodi Phelps said Friday. The new property tax rates would not go into effect until fiscal 2023.

If the tax rate went up by 4 cents, the owner of a $200,000 home in the city would pay an additional $80 a year, Phelps said.

The $12 million for housing would support initiatives to make Fayetteville a more desirable place to live for all residents.

“The three referendums are the least expensive way to fund projects, with the lowest interest rate, and could potentially save the city and taxpayers higher financing costs associated with borrowing money to address the needs,” the city says.

Those projects could include a housing trust fund, homeownership programs, new housing initiatives and innovative solutions to meet the critical housing needs of the community.

Also on Monday, the council will consider recommendations for various board and commission appointments. This includes an appointment to the Fayetteville Public Works Commission.

The City Council’s appointments committee on Wednesday recommended that former Councilman Chris Davis be appointed to the PWC.
Councilwoman Shakeyla Ingram had written to her fellow council members asking that the appointment be delayed until a new PWC chief executive is hired. Elaina Ball, who had been the CEO and general manager of the public utility for less than two years, announced her resignation on Aug. 26. Her last day on the job was Sept. 2.

A shooting Friday night left one man dead and another seriously injured, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies were dispatched just after 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 9 to a shooting near the 3600 block of Spike Rail Drive.

The Sheriff’s Office said in a release that two men with gunshot wounds were taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. One of the men was pronounced dead at the hospital, the Sheriff’s Office said in a release. His name has not been released pending notification of his family.

The other man was listed in serious condition Friday night, the release said.

“This shooting was not a random incident, as all parties involved are known to one another,’’ the Sheriff’s Office said in the release.

The Homicide Unit is investigating.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit at 910-321-6592 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

For more than three decades, the city of Fayetteville’s 911 call center has operated from the same space at police headquarters downtown.
Over those 30-plus years, the population has grown and communications technology has evolved. For those reasons and others, city officials say, it’s time for modernization.

Updating the 911 center and several city fire stations are important keys to providing public safety in Fayetteville, city officials said Friday as they led reporters on a tour of city facilities that they hope will benefit if voters approve a three-part bond package in a November referendum.

Reporters toured the 911 center, Fire Station No. 2 in Haymount, and outside the Fayetteville Police Department.
Along the way, the theme for city officials leading the tour was how a $97 million bond package could be spent to address public safety, infrastructure and housing needs.

“There will be three separate questions on the ballot,” said Jodi Phelps, a city spokeswoman and chief of staff. “The first will be public safety for $60 million. The second will be public infrastructure, which is streets and sidewalks, for $25 million. The third question will be $12 million in housing opportunity initiatives.”

Phelps said the public safety needs are “relatively self-explanatory.”

“There’s a list of possible projects that we have available,” she said. “Those have been prioritized. Those are long-identified needs.”
At the top of the list are several fire stations that need to be replaced, upgraded or expanded, Phelps said. Also important, she said, is a new police communications center.

“I think those projects go to the heart of being able to provide public-safety services to residents who may need them the most. (The 911 center) is the first call — the first line of defense that deploys our first responders," she said.

The 911 center at police headquarters has been in use for 32 to 33 years, said Lisa Reid, manager of 911 communications.

“We handle all the calls for the city of Fayetteville,” Reid said. “When we came over, I’m sure they didn’t expect us to stay here that long. We’ve expanded our space. We started smaller. We don’t have room for expansion.”

Reid said the current Emergency Operations Center is about 5,600 square feet, and she would like to at least see that space doubled.

“It’s time for us to modernize,” Phelps added. “Especially in advance of hurricanes, the 911 center has to continue functioning.”

The bond package could pay for a brand new 911 center, Reid said.

“We’re talking about building from the ground up,” she said.

Several fire stations could be prioritized for upgrades, Phelps said.
The City Council will decide what projects will be funded should the bond packages be approved in November.
Plans for infrastructure improvements include streets, sidewalks and connectivity, Phelps said.

“We have street resurfacing pavement plans that have been done. This $25 million will go toward our street resurfacing and pavement preservation projects because people want their potholes fixed,” she said. “It will go to sidewalk improvements. We have a pedestrian plan that has been in place that tells us where sidewalk gaps exist.”

The goal, Phelps said, is to make the city pedestrian-friendly.
Plans also include the opportunity for more bicycle lanes.

"We want to make sure that transportation and mobility are throughout the city," she said. "Funding will likewise go to safety and security for the residents and also make Fayetteville attractive and a nice place to live."

The city maintains about 750 miles of roads, according to Byron Reeves, the stormwater manager for the city. The infrastructure bonds would allow the city to accelerate its resurfacing program, he said.

Lee Jernigan, the city traffic engineer, said the bond money would provide that five years' worth of sidewalk plans could be accomplished at one time.
About $7.5 million of the proposed $25 million for infrastructure would go toward sidewalk construction, Jernigan said. That would encompass about 15 miles at a cost of roughly $500,000 a mile.

“It really is across the city,” Jernigan said. "It would not fill the total need. It would focus on thoroughfare streets and connecting gaps between sidewalk openings.”

The money also could pay for intersection improvements, he said.
The housing initiatives “really goes toward driving the economy in the region,” Phelps said.
The city has identified three main areas of interest:
Development of single-family and multifamily homes that might come in the form of incentives for builders and developers.
Support for the city’s homeownership programs.
Rehabilitation of neighborhoods, which would allow many families to “age in place” and not be pushed out of the housing market.

“This is really to create housing opportunity for all residents,” said Phelps. “A housing study we have recently done said we need 20,000 (affordable) units in Fayetteville to meet the housing needs. … Certainly, it might not address all the needs of Fayetteville, but it will really accelerate our ability to move forward.”

Should the bond packages be rejected, she said, the projects would remain priorities. But they would come at a higher cost down the road, she added.
Phelps said city officials have estimated a savings of $2.5 million using general obligation bonds rather than traditional financing.
Phelps stressed the investments all tie into safety, security and economic growth for Fayetteville.

“And it moves us forward,” she said. “It really helps us accelerate our ability to address these really long-identified needs. Every one of these possible projects has been noted as a council priority, a staff priority and, importantly, are at the top of the list every time we do a residents survey. Residents tell us these are the things we want you to invest in.”

The N.C. Court of Appeals on Friday denied the city of Fayetteville’s appeal of a judge’s order that it schedule a referendum on a plan that would add at-large seats to the City Council.

The ruling by Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons last week mandated that the council move forward with a November referendum on the proposal by the Vote Yes Fayetteville advocacy group to reshape the way City Council members are elected.

“Judge Ammons' order is in effect as of right now,” said Lonnie Player, the Fayetteville lawyer who is representing the Vote Yes committee.
On Sept. 1, Ammons ruled that the referendum be placed on the November ballot to allow voters to decide if they want to change the way the City Council is structured.

Despite Friday's ruling, Mayor Mitch Colvin said, questions remain about whether the correct procedures were followed to circulate the petition calling for the referendum.

"I respect the 2-1 decision of the Court of Appeals to let the referendum proceed to the voters while the court decides whether the petition was valid," Colvin said in a prepared statement issued Friday. "The City Council was faced with an unprecedented legal issue and had a duty to follow state law as written. As the court's split decision shows, serious questions remain, and we will await the decision regarding the petition about whether the petition is valid."

After delaying action on the issue at two previous meetings, the City Council voted 6-4 on Aug. 22 against calling a referendum on the Vote Yes initiative.

During that regular meeting of the council, City Attorney Karen McDonald said questions persist about the validity of the petition calling for the referendum that was submitted by Vote Yes. McDonald said the council had directed her to contact the county Board of Elections to inquire about whether petition organizers followed the rules.

The Vote Yes Fayetteville initiative calls for electing four City Council members at large and five from districts. The mayor would still be elected citywide. Currently, all nine council members are elected by district.
The city’s appeal reiterated arguments that the Vote Yes group did not follow all procedures when it circulated a petition call for the referendum.

“A local board of elections should not be forced to print ballots that are invalid,” the city’s appeal read. “Yet that is precisely what the trial court’s decision mandates. …

“This change would significantly alter how Fayetteville’s citizens have been represented at the local-government level for over two decades,” the appeal read.

Proponents of the plan — including the Vote Yes Fayetteville group — say it would give voters more representation on the City Council because each voter would help choose the mayor, four at-large council members, and a district representative.

CityView TODAY publisher Tony Chavonne, a former mayor, is among the supporters of the initiative.

Opponents — including Colvin and five other members of the current council — say it would dilute representation by increasing the size of the districts and creating hardships for minority candidates who would have to run their campaigns citywide at a higher cost to them.

A City Council committee has recommended that a former council member be appointed to the Fayetteville Public Works Commission despite a current council member’s request that the decision be delayed.

The appointments committee on Wednesday recommended that former City Councilman Chris Davis be appointed to the PWC.
Councilwoman Shakeyla Ingram had written to her fellow council members asking that the appointment be delayed until a new PWC chief executive is hired.

Elaina Ball, who had been the CEO and general manager of the public utility for less than two years, announced her resignation on Aug. 26. Her last day on the job was Sept. 2.

Ball has taken a job in her home state of Texas, according to a PWC statement.
In a Sept. 6 message to members of the City Council's five-member appointments committee, Mayor Mitch Colvin and other City Council members, Ingram wrote that she wanted to delay the PWC appointment.

“My interest and request (come) as I am now a member of the appointments committee with the potential to participate in the selection of a nominee and concern of ensuring a seasoned commissioner is well-equipped to be a part of the selection of the new president and CEO for our utility," she wrote.
Ingram said Thursday evening that she had expected the appointment process to proceed.

"I can't say that I was (disappointed). I kind of already knew what was going to happen considering the makeup of the new appointments committee,” she said. “That is why I was kind of adamant that I submitted a letter to the committee and to the council."

For a previous PWC appointment, Ingram said in her message, the appointments committee and full council supported a delay on extending a commissioner’s term during the search for the outgoing CEO.

“The committee/council also supported conversation to have the full council review candidates, interview and vote on the PWC appointment, as it (has) been said, ‘It’s the more important appointment,’” Ingram wrote.

“Nevertheless, I think we as a body and committee would be good stewards of our utility to delay the PWC appointment until the search and acceptance of a new CEO has been completed,” she wrote.

The full City Council is expected to vote on the nomination Monday night during its regular monthly meeting. Davis will need a majority vote to get the PWC seat.

Councilman Johnny Dawkins, a member of the appointments committee, said all the names of perhaps 200 people who applied for various city appointments will be available to the entire City Council.

"The entire council can choose whoever they want to choose," Dawkins said. "The PWC one will be an interesting one because Chris Davis was the liaison (with the city) for 11/2 to two years. The committee recommends that he be the one chosen."

If his nomination is approved, Davis would replace restaurateur Wade Fowler on the PWC.
In December 2020, Ball became the utility’s first woman CEO and general manager. She previously worked for El Paso Electric in Texas.
PWC Chief Operations Officer Mick Noland was named interim CEO and general manager until the position is filled full time. Noland has overseen the Water Resources Division of the utility since 1993, according to PWC.

Meanwhile, City Council newcomer Deno Hondros has been named the new liaison between the city and PWC, a nonvoting role with the utility.
If Davis is chosen as a PWC commissioner, he would have a vote as one of four members of the board.

"Those four commissioners will decide the next CEO who will replace Elaina," Dawkins said.

PWC members are appointed by the City Council to serve four-year, staggered terms, the utility says on its website.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, Sept. 8 is expected to decide whether to consider a request to fund the proposed N.C. Civil War & Reconstruction History Center.

The issue is on the agenda for the board’s agenda-setting session. If the board agrees to the proposal, the item will be placed on the board’s Sept. 19 regular meeting agenda.

Also on Thursday, the board will consider funding for the T.J. Robinson Life Center in Hope Mills.
At the June 9 agenda session, center director Charlotte Robinson presented information about the T.J. Life Center and the programs it provides. Robinson asked that the county provide $5,000 a month for 10 years to fund center programs, which include midnight basketball, showers for homeless students, special needs sports programs, and a juvenile diversion program.

The board at that meeting directed County Manager Amy Cannon to put the item back on the August agenda session. Cannon recommends the board consider the funding request.

Mac Healy, chairman of the history center foundation’s board of directors, also made a presentation and updated the commissioners on the history center project. Healy and the history center committee are asking the commissioners to commit to the $7.5 million the board previously designated for this project through a resolution. That original resolution of support expired on Dec. 31, 2020, according to Cannon.

In a letter to the board, Healy states, “Our intent is to ask for a reconsideration of the January 17, 2017 resolution in which the Commission offered support for the History Center project. We recognize that the resolution documenting the County’s commitment of $7.5 million to the project had several requirements that the History Center Foundation was required to meet. Due to the State of North Carolina not having a budget for over two years some of the requirements are associated with dates that have expired.”

In his letter, Healy went on to say that the county’s and city’s commitments to the project — an expected $7.5 million from each — allowed the committee to convince the state legislature to provide nearly $60 million in major support in the current state budget toward the center’s development.

“We have now met or exceeded all the requirements,” Healy wrote.
In her memorandum in the agenda packet, Cannon recommends the board consider the funding request.

A group supporting the history center appeared before the Fayetteville City Council during a work session Tuesday night pushing for the city’s financial support.

Because the city agreed to provide land and Civil War-era buildings for the project, its proposed allocation has been reduced to $6.5 million.
The City Council was deadlocked Tuesday night on whether to move forward with funding, but councilwoman Brenda McNair has since said she misvoted on the issue. Because it was a consensus vote during a work session, City Manager Doug Hewett said Wednesday that he plans to place the issue on the council’s Monday night agenda.

The commissioners also are expected to go into closed session to consider acquiring real property and for attorney-client matters.

Newly elected City Council member Brenda McNair says she intended to vote for a motion to put funding for the N.C. Civil War & Reconstruction History Center on the agenda for the council’s next meeting.

Instead, her vote was recorded as a “no” vote and resulted in a 5-5 tie Tuesday night, Sept. 6. That would mean the issue would not be on the agenda for the council’s Sept. 12 meeting.

The council has previously pledged $6.5 million toward construction of the history center, which would be built on the remnants of a Confederate Army arsenal on Arsenal Avenue in the Haymount Historic District.

The total cost of the center is estimated at $80 million. The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has pledged to contribute $7.5 million, and the state legislature has approved $60 million in its latest budget.

Had McNair voted as she says she intended, she would have made the vote 6-4, which would have placed a final vote on the funding on the Sept. 12 agenda.

McNair said Wednesday she had no additional comment on the vote.

But in an email to her fellow council members Tuesday night, she said she meant to vote “yes” in support of funding the history center.

“As such, I will call the city attorney and city manager (Wednesday) to find out how to have this item reconsidered even through the vote was for consensus. I regret any confusion this causes, but I want my support to be accurately stated,” she said in her message to the City Council.

On Wednesday, City Manager Doug Hewett said the issue will not be on the council’s agenda for Monday’s meeting unless the council approves adding it.
Voting at Tuesday’s meeting to put the issue of funding on Monday’s agenda were council members Johnny Dawkins, Kathy Jensen, Deno Hondros, Mario Benavente and Derrick Thompson. Opposing the motion were Mayor Mitch Colvin and council members Courtney Banks-McLaughlin, Shakeyla Ingram, D.J. Haire and McNair.

Both the city and Cumberland County have proposed overall allocations of $7.5 million for the center. Because the city has provided land and Civil War-era buildings for the project, its proposed allocation was reduced to $6.5 million from its initial 12% pledge approved in 2016.

The city of Fayetteville has appealed a judge’s order that it schedule a referendum on a plan that would add at-large seats to the City Council.
The ruling by Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons last week mandated that the council approve a November referendum on the proposal by the Vote Yes Fayetteville advocacy group to reshape the way City Council members are elected.

The decision was appealed to the N.C. Court of Appeals, according to City Attorney Karen McDonald.
She declined further comment on Wednesday, Sept. 7.
Mayor Mitch Colvin also declined to comment.

Lonnie Player, the Fayetteville attorney who is representing the Vote Yes group, said the city has asked for a stay that, “in the midst of back-and-forth with the city,” would delay implementation of Ammons’ ruling until the Court of Appeals has more thoroughly reviewed the case.

Ammons ruled on Sept. 1, in a suit brought by members of the Vote Yes group, that the referendum be placed on the November ballot to allow voters to decide if they want to change the way the City Council is structured.

Attorney Edwin Speas, who represented the city and the Cumberland County Board of Elections in the civil lawsuit, had told Ammons that the city would work with the county Board of Elections to begin the process to put the referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Bobby Hurst, one of the organizers of the Vote Yes Fayetteville initiative, said the delay is a waste of money.

"Only seven council members were present on a specially called meeting to vote on whether to appeal the ruling by Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons," Hurst said. "The action of a very slim majority is continued misuse of taxpayer money in an effort to take the people's voting rights away. It is easy to sue and spend mounting legal fees when you are spending someone else's money."

The Vote Yes Fayetteville initiative calls for electing four City Council members at large and five from districts. The mayor would still be elected citywide. Currently, all nine council members are elected by district.
The city’s appeal reiterated arguments that the Vote Yes group did not follow all procedures when it circulated a petition calling for the referendum.

“A local board of elections should not be forced to print ballots that are invalid,” the city’s appeal reads. “Yet that is precisely what the trial court’s decision mandates, and in the absence of a temporary stay and writ of supersedeas, that is precisely what will occur. …

“This change would significantly alter how Fayetteville’s citizens have been represented at the local-government level for over two decades,” the appeal reads. “The underlying dispute arose when the Cumberland County Board of Elections confirmed to the Fayetteville City Council that one of the statutory requirements for the ‘Vote Yes Fayetteville’ petition was not met. A valid initiative petition must meet certain statutory requirements.”

Proponents of the plan — including the Vote Yes Fayetteville group — say it would give voters more representation on the City Council because each voter would help choose the mayor, four at-large council members, and a district representative.

CityView TODAY publisher Tony Chavonne, a former mayor, is among the supporters of the initiative.

Opponents — including the mayor and five other members of the current council — say it would dilute representation by increasing the size of the districts and creating hardships for minority candidates who would have to run their campaigns citywide at a higher cost to them.

The wait for a COVID-19 booster shot that covers the omicron variant may soon be over in North Carolina.

Last Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved updated shots for recently the original and newly evolved variants of COVID-19.

Nearly 500,000 doses will arrive in North Carolina over the next two weeks, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

Almost half of those doses will go to pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens.

When and where will vaccines be available?
The booster shot for people age 12 and older was to be available first, possibly as early as Tuesday, Sept. 6, according to NCDHHS. That booster is produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, according to the FDA.

You can find a list of vaccination sites at vaccines.gov. You can also call 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489).

Which vaccines are available for the new booster shot against omicron?
Both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are available as boosters.

Who is eligible to receive this booster?
According to the FDA, anyone age 18 or older is eligible to receive the updated Moderna booster shot as long as it has been at least two months since either the last booster shot or the final shot in their primary vaccination regimen for COVID-19 was received.

Those age 12 and older are eligible for a single-dose booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine if it has been at least two months since either a booster shot or their primary vaccination for COVID-19 was received.

Who cannot receive a new booster shot?
Anyone younger than age 12 cannot receive the new booster shots yet, and the FDA plans to “evaluate future data and submissions to support authorization of bivalent COVID-19 boosters for additional age groups as we receive them.” 

What is different about these vaccines?
They are both considered “bivalent” vaccines, which means they protect against two strains of coronavirus: original strain of COVID-19 as well as the more recently evolved omicron variants.

The original boosters, which do not protect as well against recently emerged strains of coronavirus, are no longer recommended for people age 12 and older.

What are officials concerned about with the omicron variants?
The World Health Organization labeled BA.2, also called omicron, as variants of concern late last year. It is the dominant variant circulating globally, and it has an increased risk of reinfection.

Like the original vaccines, the bivalent version will protect against the most serious outcomes, which require hospitalization or cause death.

SiStars Girl Talk’s 3rd Annual Sista Soul Fest is set to take place at Spring Lake Recreation Center on Sept.18.

Aje Noire Creations has the honor to host the event which was started in Des Moines, Iowa, by a group of women called SiStars Girl Talk.
SiStars Girl Talk is a nonprofit organization that consists of a community of women journeying to and through their healing together. While providing monthly meet-ups to support holistic wellness, spiritual growth and emotional relief, SiStars Girl Talk aims to decrease feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction with care and support.

The SiStars Girl Talk mission is to shift the experiences of women mentally, spiritually and emotionally. The goal is to transform themselves and each other using their own gifts and experiences.
The Sista Soul Fest event offers a way to celebrate local women-owned businesses and bring a thriving event to the city.
The Sista Soul Fest's purpose is to create a space for women to offer, sell and showcase their talents and businesses. It also allows women to come together as sisters to network and help build each other up as Queens should, especially women of color.

So far, businesses such as food trucks and holistic companies have registered to attend this year’s Sista Soul Fest.

As the host for the 2022 Sista Soul Fest, Aje Noire Creations is in search of hair and clothing vendors. Aje Noire Creations plans for those who come out for this event to have the opportunity to acquire holistic treatments, a good bite to eat, and a fashionable new top.
Aryeka Plowden, the founder of Aje Noire Creations, is the director of Sista Soul Fest this year.

As with Aje Noire Creations, Plowden is excited about hosting exhibitions and making business cards and flyers.
Plowden also helps growing businesses ensure that they are running a legal and successful business.

If a local business is in need of a service provided by another local business but they are not sure who to go to, Plowden can help them find someone. Through her time building Aje Noire Creations, Plowden has acquired an extensive network of references and is eager to share what she has learned through solid, profitable business relationships.
Sista Soul Fest organizers are looking for volunteers and sponsors. As a volunteer, participants should expect to complete tasks such as setting up the tables for vendors and taking down those tables once the event is complete.

Any business, from a family-owned restaurant to a movie theater, is welcome to become a sponsor for this event. If you would like to take part in Sista Soul Fest, visit the links below.

Registration Link: tinyurl.com/SSFNC

Volunteer Link: tinyurl.com/SSFNCVolunteer

Sponsor Link: tinyurl.com/SSFNCSponsor

Sista Soul Fest will take place Sept. 18 from 12 to 5 p.m. at the Spring Lake Recreation Center, which is located at 245 Ruth Street in Spring Lake.
For more information call 910-644-0698.

Theater companies, music groups, museums and other arts programs recently received grants from the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County, many to support their 2022-23 performance seasons.
Other nonprofit groups and individual artists received “mini grants” for arts projects through December.
Bob Pinson, interim president and CEO of the Arts Council, said in a news release that the funding is being channeled to a broad spectrum of arts organizations.

“… We are reaching deeper into previously underserved areas of our community as evidenced by the many new applicants this year,” Pinson said.
In 2021-22, the Arts Council distributed almost $1 million in grants to Cumberland County arts and cultural nonprofit organizations, artists and municipalities, according to the release.

Theater companies

The Gilbert Theater received a $30,000 grant to support its new season. The shows scheduled for 2022-23 are “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “The Sound of Music,” “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),” “All in the Timing,” and “[title of show].”

“As we sprint toward our 30th season, I can only hope that we are able to secure and expand the legacy left to us by Lynn Pryer,” Artistic Director Lawrence Carlisle III said in a news release.
Pryer was the founder of Gilbert Theater.

Sweet Tea Shakespeare received a $27,500 grant for its new season. The funding, according to a news release, includes Green Tea, a Shakespeare company for youths.
Sweet Tea’s upcoming season includes “Richard III,” which will run in October in Raleigh; “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” set for January in Fayetteville; “Twelfth Night,” set for June in Fayetteville; “Jane Eyre,” June in Raleigh; and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” July in Raleigh.

The Cumberland County Public Library received a $9,000 grant for its 14th annual Cumberland County Storytelling Festival, scheduled March 1-31.

“Storytelling and music allow for listeners of all ages to use their imagination as they explore, discover and learn,” library director Faith Phillips said in a news release.

Museums and galleries

Cape Fear Studios was awarded a $7,200 grant to help with a 32nd season of art exhibitions that include the National 2D competition, Alpha Romeo Tango call for military artists and Cabin Fever, among others.

A $3,500 cultural tourism grant will support “Courage & Compassion: The Legacy of the Bielski Brothers,” a temporary exhibit at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum.

“On loan from the Florida Holocaust Museum, ‘Courage and Compassion’ is a multimedia exhibition showcasing the heroic efforts of three brothers who helped save more than 1,200 people from the Nazis during World War II while taking refuge in the forests surrounding Novogrudok, Belarus,” says Renee Lane, executive director of the downtown museum, in a news release. “The Bielski brothers led the group in acts of sabotage and defense against the Nazis and through their leadership the group survived starvation, harsh winters and the threat of Nazis and their collaborators.”

The exhibit is on loan until Nov. 3.

“Given world events in eastern Europe,” Lane says, “it is very timely.”

The Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex Foundation was awarded an $11,000 grant to support its “History LIVE! at the 1897 Poe House” series, which includes historical re-enactments, artist demonstrations, musical performances and live theater. In addition, the museum was awarded $5,000 for its monthly “History-to-Go” kits, which are free for children who visit the museum.

“The Arts Council grant makes it possible for us to provide engaging historical entertainment by incorporating living historians, artists and performers representing the diversity of our community and our collective history. Grant funds and other donations allow us to offer this programming for free or at minimal cost to the public,” History LIVE! coordinator Megan Maxwell said in a news release.

Other museum programs supported by the Arts Council grant include “Hallowe’en Revels: Night Tours of the 1897 Poe House,” scheduled Oct. 20-22 and 27-28; “Trick or Treat at the Poe House,” Oct. 29, featuring a magic show, hayrides and carnival games; “Holiday Jubilee,” Dec. 4, with the Coventry Carolers and Cross Creek Chordsmen; and a new program, “A Night of Mystery,” to be presented in April 2023 in partnership with the Gilbert Theater.

Music ensembles

Cumberland Choral Arts’ 31st season, “Connections,” received a grant of $8,000, according to a news release.

“Ongoing support from the Arts Council throughout these 31 years has made it possible for CCA to continue our mission of bringing outstanding choral music to Fayetteville and the surrounding Sandhills region,” CCA President Sandy Cage said in a news release.

The choral group performs four concerts annually at local venues and extends its reach throughout Cumberland County through its affiliated Campbellton Youth Chorus.
Concerts scheduled in the coming year are “The Sacred Veil,” Oct. 15; “The Messiah” with the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Dec. 10; “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” in February; “Ear Candy! It’s What We Do,” March 24; and “The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass,” May 20.

An additional grant of $3,500 was awarded to support the Campbellton Youth Chorus program for ages 9-14 in Cumberland County.
The chorus gives young singers an opportunity to learn about and perform music with children from other neighborhoods, schools, traditions, and denominations, according to a news release from Cumberland Choral Arts.

Cultural groups

The Culture and Heritage Alliance received a $12,150 grant to support the sixth annual African World Peace Festival, scheduled Sept. 9-11 in Cool Spring Downtown District. In a news release, the group says it celebrates all cultures with an emphasis on Africa through music, dance, food and art exhibitions.

The festival will run from 5 to 11 p.m. Sept. 9, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Sept. 10, and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sept. 11. A 5k/10k Peace Run will begin at 7 a.m. Sept. 10 downtown; advance registration is required. The festival will include four activity areas: Kids Zone with games, puzzles and a climbing wall; an arts and crafts area with artisan vendors and workshops; music
by local bands and African drummers; and a food court.

Film festival

GroundSwell Pictures received an $11,700 grant to support the seventh annual Indigo Moon Film Fest, scheduled for Oct.7-9 in historic downtown Fayetteville. The festival will feature more than 60 films, filmmaker question-and-answer sessions and special events, organizers said.
"We are so grateful for the support of the Arts Council, especially this year,’’ said Jan Johnson, the co-founder of the festival. “We are planning for a great in-person post-pandemic festival, and with the support of the Arts Council, IMFF will be back in person again with the excellent programming and events for which it has become synonymous.”

‘Mini-grants’ cycle

In July, the Arts Council awarded $31,801 in grants to six nonprofit organizations and nine individual artists in Cumberland County for local arts projects scheduled through December.
A total of 43 applications were submitted requesting more than $80,000 to fund arts, culture and history projects. An artist panel chaired by Kenjuana McCray reviewed the applications and recommended awards of 15 grants.

The $31,801 total is the largest amount awarded in a single mini-grant cycle, said Sarah Busman, arts education manager for the Arts Council, in a news release.

“These projects demonstrate the artistic excellence and innovation we hold as two of our core values,” Busman said.

The mini-grant program, created in 2019, awards $500 to $3,000 to arts programs and is supported in part by the city of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and the N.C. Arts Council. The next application deadline is Sept. 15.

Nonprofit mini-grant projects approved in July include:
· Fayetteville Dogwood Festival’s Fayetteville After Five summer concert series, supporting the July 15 Throwback Collaboration Band performance.
· First Nations Tribal Youth Development Corp. for its Native Arts Youth Class at Stoney Point Recreation Center. The weekly class teaches youths about indigenous culture and arts. The grant will buy art materials for its drum-making class.
· Holy Trinity Episcopal Church’s Middleground Art Series, which features concerts, visual art installations, and dance performances.
· Latinos United for Progress for the launch of the video culture series “Historias Latinas en Fayetteville” It will feature cultural stories from Fayetteville’s Latino community.
· Lafayette Society of Fayetteville for its annual Lafayette French Music Concert, scheduled Sept. 8.
· ServiceSource for its Bloom art therapy program that helps adults with disabilities foster creativity and self-esteem.
Contracted artist mini-grants approved include:
· All American Jazz Collective, for its Aug. 6 “Jazz and Art Concert” showcasing jazz musicians and vocalists.
· Vocalist Frances Ellerbe, who leads a weekly community choir rehearsal at the Fort Bragg Main Post Chapel that will culminate in a performance on Nov. 6.
· Author Mary J. Ferguson, who will lead a two-hour poetry reading and class on creative and autobiographical poetry based on her poem “2020.”
· Angelicia Hicks, a theater artist who will present a reading of original monologues.
· Matthew Jackson, a producer who is starting the monthly Fayetteville Comedy Night featuring local comedians.
· Tatiana Pless, an actress and theater specialist who will use her connection to the Fayetteville Cumberland Reentry Council to start The Fourth Wall, a theater company for formerly incarcerated people.
· Joanice Serrao, a designer who will use her fashion collection “Coal Miners” to teach a six-course community sewing class.
· Meredith Talian, a visual artist who is producing “The Fayetteville Little Art Box,” a free mini-gallery that mimics the Little Free Library program.
· Ayana Washington, who organized the Book Black Women’s “The Blueprint” concert on Aug. 13.