Sweet Tea Shakespeare will take audiences all the way back to "the rom-com that started it all" with their production of "Much Ado About Nothing" by William Shakespeare. This comedy, directed by Sweet Tea Shakespeare's Artistic Director Jeremy Fiebig, will open Friday, June 3, and run through June 26. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with a live music preshow at 6:45 p.m.

Written around 1598, "Much Ado About Nothing" focuses on the romantic exploits of two couples in the idyllic Italian countryside. Beatrice and Benedick are cynical individuals more interested in exchanging witty repartee than vows of love. A second romance in the story follows the maiden, Hero, and brave soldier, Claudio. A colorful cast of characters both aid and usurp the four would-be lovers, and hilarity ensues.

"I think this play is just wildly entertaining," said Jen Pommerenke, managing director for Sweet Tea Shakespeare. "It lends itself to any age group, and it's an accessible Shakespeare comedy. It's funny, witty and just a great storyline."

The play will receive a few updates — moving to the "Bridgerton" esque Empire period with some infusions of modern music. The source material has been cut down to fit a run time of around two hours. However, it's still "all Shakespeare," Fiebig assured Up & Coming Weekly.

Sweet Tea Shakespeare brings The Bard and the magic of his stories to old fans and newcomers alike. Over 500 years after changing the way humans engage with story craft, Sweet Tea Shakespeare believes Shakespeare is still extremely relevant today.

"I think Shakespeare gets humans," explained Pommerenke. "He understands our tenacious spirit and our desire for love. You can take Shakespeare and drop the story just about anywhere. We've seen Shakespeare take place in Georgia, seen it in army fatigues, and I'm sure there's one with robots," she joked. "There's a Shakespeare for everyone."

"We are all Shakespeare in a sense," said Fiebig, adding to the sentiment. "So much of [his] writing has become, over time, how we see and experience the world — how we laugh, how we fall in love, even how we think. Shakespeare has a really robust way of sticking with us — I think because there's such a depth to the ideas in the plays."
While some may be intimidated by the idea of Shakespeare and the language of the play, Fiebig feels confident no one in the audience will be left behind.

"At Sweet Tea Shakespeare, we work to make the Shakespeare as accessible as possible, and audiences will be able to follow along. We provide them some extra help on-site, too."
Pommerenke suggested the pay-off is worth it. "I think it's really good for people to be challenged by stories. You do have to pay attention to a Shakespeare play; you have to engage the head and heart; you can't go in and zone out — and it just sounds so lovely on the ears."
Sweet Tea Shakespeare strives to create a holistic experience for its audience that speaks to the mind and the celebratory spirit of theater.

"The main difference at Sweet Tea Shakespeare is that the play is part of a larger event," said Fiebig. "We have a preshow with music and other fun entertainment, beer, wine and a specialty cocktail just for the show. Our productions fold in modern music. We like to think of our work as a party where a play breaks out."
The company travels with its own playhouse set-up, and the play will be performed outdoors when weather permits. Attendees are encouraged to bring camping chairs, quilts or blankets to spread on the ground. Light fare will be for sale from local vendors.

General admission tickets are $22 in advance, and day-of tickets will cost $30. Tickets can be purchased on the website, https://sweetteashakespeare.com/tickets/, by calling 910-420-4383 or email tickets@sweetteashakespeare.com.

Information regarding performance locations can be found at https://sweetteashakespeare.com/much-ado-sweet-tea-shakespeare-rom-com/.

For 24 years, the Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper has proudly showcased the people, businesses and organizations that have invested their time, money and expertise in our community. One of the ways we do this is by publishing our Best of Fayetteville Readers Survey and asking our newspaper readers to identify and ultimately determine who is Fayetteville’s Best of the Best. They have what makes Fayetteville and Cumberland County unique, enjoyable and livable.

Well, it is that time of year, and beginning with the June 8 edition of Up & Coming Weekly and running through July 3, our readers will be able to cast their ballots for the Best of the Best two ways. They may fill out a ballot located in the newspaper and return it to Up & Coming Weekly, or they can go online to the Up & Coming Weekly website, www.upandcomingweekly.com. While there, you can sign up for a free electronic subscription of Up & Coming Weekly and receive your copy every week on your home or office computer.

Using time-tested and enforceable voting rules and guidelines, such as one ballot per reader, we have elevated the honor, integrity and prestige of the Best of Fayetteville designation. This process continues to be a respected, well-organized, informal and non-scientific survey. By monitoring and auditing the ballots, eliminating the nomination process and conspicuous ballot stuffing, our survey has proven to be incredibly accurate and extremely valuable to residents and the businesses and organizations that have earned the honor of being voted the Best.

No doubt about it, this has been a challenging year. Businesses continue to operate in full recovery mode. This makes the Best of Fayetteville recognition even more relevant and valuable by highlighting those who have managed their businesses through high gas prices, supply chain shortages, a challenging labor market, confusing COVID-19 restrictions and rising inflation. Under these circumstances, operating a successful business is a real challenge, and achievement deserves recognition. Your vote is very important to your favorite business or organization. The winners will be recognized and celebrated on September 27 at the Crown Coliseum Complex. The Best of the Best will congregate to celebrate their achievements and contributions to our Can-Do community.

Our newspaper has changed immensely over the past 26 years, especially in the last nine months. However, the Best of Fayetteville reader’s survey has not. It continues to reflect the best aspects and amenities the Fayetteville community has to offer. Annually, we receive thousands of ballots and painstakingly record the comments and sentiments of our readers. This process allows us to get to know the who, what and why our readers value these businesses. We showcase these people, businesses and organizations to Fayetteville, Fort Bragg and Cumberland County residents. Your vote is important! Our readers will determine who the 2022 Up & Coming Weekly Best of Fayetteville winners are.

For area newcomers and those not familiar with the Best of Fayetteville format and guidelines, this is a sanctioned, time-tested reader’s survey. The survey is designed and audited to provide residents, local businesses and organizations the recognition they deserve for their dedication, expertise, trustworthiness and perseverance in their quest for excellence.

And we make it easy to participate. Participants must vote in at least 15 categories to validate a ballot. Since the survey began more than two decades ago, the Up & Coming Weekly newspaper has successfully told the stories of our Best of Fayetteville winners. Then we invite the winners to join the Up & Coming Weekly staff, and our 2022 Best of Fayetteville sponsors at a very special recognition celebration party. This begins the Best of Fayetteville winners 24/7, 365-day exposure in the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community, and year-long presence on our official website www.upandcomingweekly.com.

Thank you for supporting local businesses and for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

What were the two most used new words in the news last week?
The term “Great Replacement.”

I admit that I had never heard of the term until the recent attack in Buffalo by a white 18-year-old man that left 10 people dead. A long document, found with the attacker’s property and presumably written by him explained his motives and concerns about the "replacement" of the "white race" and "white culture."

CNN reported that, “The author also writes about his perceptions of the dwindling size of the white population and claims of ethnic and cultural replacement of whites.”
In an article published by CNN, Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney and a columnist for The Daily Beast, writes that what the document found with the shooter “espouses is, in essence, the white supremacist concept known as the Great Replacement Theory. This ‘theory' is meant as a warning to white people that soon, people of color — typically immigrants, Latinos and African Americans — may outnumber white people and in essence ‘replace’ them.”

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal gave the following summary: “The great replacement’ is a conspiracy theory that asserts elites — politicians, business executives, media — are using immigration and other policies as a tool to reduce the white population.”

The Journal article continues. “Interest and belief in the idea has increased in the U.S. in recent years, researchers say, as the percentage of white Americans, compared with nonwhite people, shrinks. The nation’s non-Hispanic white population dropped 2.6% between 2010 and 2020, according
to the Census Bureau. Projections by the bureau indicate that the total population of nonwhite people in America will exceed the white population by 2045.”

The replacement theory is not new. The idea got its modern start in France in the early part of the 20th Century. More recently, a 2011 article by French writer Renaud Camus and titled “The Great Replacement” is used by white supremacists in the U.S.

According to the Journal, Camus wrote that “white Europeans will eventually be extinct because of immigration and since some nonwhite populations, particularly those of Africa and the Middle East, have higher birthrates. People from Africa and the Middle East have emigrated to France from former French colonies in increased numbers in the postcolonial era.”

The increase of immigrant populations in Europe and the U.S. is fact, not a theory. There are consequences in terms of a rise in influence of immigrants and their children in Europe and the U.S. and the corresponding loss of power and influence of white Americans.

But there is more to the theory than these facts.

Versions of the theory allege a conspiracy among some people to replace the long-time white residents of Europe and the U.S. with people from Africa and Asia. The conspirators, it is said, are politicians, elitist people and institutions. They promote policies that open the doors to immigrants and empower people of color and other minority groups. These people would become voters who would do the will of the conspirators.

I could find no credible evidence about the “elites” exerting control over the votes of immigrants and minorities.

I confess that I have hoped that the changing makeup of North Carolina’s population that is under way would help my political party more than the other party.
Does that make me part of some conspiracy?

I don’t think so.

Taking what you see and reversing its concept of form — that’s the basic description of Reverse Reality art. Turning organic items like people and trees into geometric shapes and turning man-made objects into more fluid shapes. This type of art made by Jonathon Shannon will be on display at Dirtbag Ales throughout June in the new exhibit, Bringing It Back.

Shannon lives in New York City but has roots here in Fayetteville, growing up in a military family. He spent much of his childhood in our local city before graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design.
Shannon traveled to France and Hong Kong during his college years to expand his understanding of art. He moved to New York City afterward and currently works as an art handler outside of being an artist.

His work has been featured in art shows and exhibitions in New York City, North Carolina, Savannah, Atlanta, Miami, Hong Kong and France.

However, Fayetteville is home. Shannon still has family in the city and came back to live here in the early months of the pandemic.

Bringing it Back is inspired by Shannon’s desire to bring his art in New York City back to his hometown to inspire his friends, family and community to dream big.

“This series is based on me living in New York City at the time. I basically go around the area within Brooklyn Manhattan area, just walking around and just painting on-site throughout the city,” Shannon said. “I do my own interpretation. Where in the past, I used to paint the way I see things, more like impressionists, and then that kind of coupled with that style. But I just kind of thought I was just repeating history. I developed a style called reverse reality.”

This isn’t the first art exhibit Shannon has had in Fayetteville. In 2016, his exhibit, NightLife: A Reversed Reality at Gallery 116th, was on display, and it was during this exhibition that Shannon met the owners of Dirtbag Ales for a sponsorship.

“So I reached out to them and see if they would be open to doing like a small sponsorship, or like drinks at my show. And they agreed to it, and it worked out amazing, and they really enjoyed the interactions with all my friends and family,” Shannon said. “I just enjoy that collaboration so much that when I came back down to visit, probably like, three months ago, I checked out their new location because they expanded because they’re doing so well and opened a new location from the ground up. And they wanted to keep that art theme to have some art in there. So I reached out to them after seeing their available space to have a show.”

The exhibit will be free to the public. The opening reception will be on June 3 from 5 to 10 p.m. Bringing it Back will be on display at Dirtbag Ales until June 30.

“Everyone’s welcome. Don’t feel judged. Art should be for the masses... that’s kind of why I did it in more of a public area instead of a gallery,” Shannon said. “Galleries sometimes could make people feel a little bit secluded or cut off from society.”

More information about the gallery and the opening reception can be found at bit.ly/3wSQTqd.

The Gallup Poll first measured LGBTQ data within communities in 2012. At the time, the population who identified as LGBTQ was around 3%. In the latest poll, Gallup reports the number of people who identify as LGTBQ has risen to 7.1%, with higher percentages among those born from 1981 to 2003.

“If you take in the population of Fayetteville, that means there’s about 15,000 people in Fayetteville who identify as LGBTQ,” said Katrinna Marsden, president, Fayetteville PRIDE. “In Cumberland County, that’s like 24,000. If you look at the surrounding areas, that’s around 60,000 people who identify as LGBTQ, and that’s just the general percentage.”
Fayetteville PRIDE began in March 2017 with a PrideFest interest meeting at the Cliffdale Library. Previously, a Facebook group had been what connected LGBTQ individuals in the area, but during the meeting, it became clear to attendees a nonprofit group could really help the community.

By April 2017, a board was set up; Marsden, a founding member, wrote the bylaws, and they were signed into action. The organization achieved nonprofit status in October 2017.
According to its website, Fayetteville PRIDE’s mission is “to instill pride, celebrate unity and embrace diversity and inclusiveness in our LGBTQ community and allies, and provide a support network and educational advocacy group dedicated to increasing awareness and acceptance.”

“We sat down as a board and decided that yes, having a PrideFest was a goal, but we didn’t want that to be our only emphasis. We knew pretty quickly that we wanted to have community service projects, we wanted to have events for the community, we wanted to be involved in more ways than just putting on a party,” Marsden said.
Community projects for the organization have helped groups such as Seth’s Wish, a homeless center in Fayetteville. They organized a uniform drive for school uniforms. This year, the focus of Fayetteville PRIDE’s community project will be to help feed the hungry.

Fayetteville PRIDE also has a youth engagement group. Meetings are on the third Saturday of every month and are open for kids aged 12 to 19. The meetings are run by a board member who is also a social worker.

“The group focuses on learning about empowerment and living authentically,” Marsden said. “They explore that through artistic expression, and they work with a local artist.”

A long-term goal of Fayetteville PRIDE is to open a community center. Marsden expressed the desire to have a library with LGBTQ reading materials for all ages, spaces to have meetings more often than once a month and space more available for walk-in hours.

“It can be hard for people to find resources,” she said. “We are increasing awareness and acceptance for the community. It has been our goal since the beginning to have a community center. We’d use that as an umbrella for other LGBTQ organizations to use that space and for people to have meetings.”

Fayetteville PRIDE helps out the local civilian community and the soldiers of Fort Bragg. One of the very first events for the organization happened on the military installation. The group was invited to a panel discussion of transgender rights in the military during Fort Bragg’s LGBTQ observance day in 2017.

The organization has put on PrideFest every year since 2018, with the exception being 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, PrideFest will be held at Festival Park on June 25. PrideFest is the largest fundraiser in the Fayetteville PRIDE calendar, but Marsden wants the community to know Fayetteville PRIDE is more than PrideFest.

“We aren’t just a festival, we are an organization that is year-round, and our mission is about embracing diversity. It’s about being a support network and being an educational advocacy group,” she said.

“I think that most people who are LBGTQ have spent some part in their lives, and that time varies for everybody, where they’ve wondered how they fit into the definition of what normal is. I think that when you are kind of figuring yourself out, finding out that there is a group of people who have a similar experience to that makes you feel like you have a place in the world,” she said.

For more information, or to donate to Fayetteville PRIDE, visit www.fayettevillepride.org/. For more information about PrideFest, pick up the next edition of Up & Coming Weekly on stands June 8.

Free live music, food trucks and southern summer nights come together every second Friday evening of the month for a concert series starting on June 10.
From 6 to 10 p.m., Fayetteville After Five, held at Festival Park in downtown, will open its gates to couples looking for a fun night out or families looking to beat the summer doldrums.
While outside food and drink, canopies and coolers are not permitted on-site — camping chairs, blankets and service animals are more than welcome as attendees experience an evening of good vibes, good food and good music.

A summer staple for the last decade, Fayetteville After Five has the successful summer bash down to a science. Park gates will open at 5 p.m., followed by an opening act at 6.
For those coming to rock, the live music offering will not disappoint. Fayetteville After Five will feature a range of tribute and cover bands. From the Eagles to Led Zeppelin, there’s a little something for everyone.

Opening acts taking the stage this summer include Southern Haze, Throwback Collaboration Band and 10 O’Clock High.

A rotation of five to seven food trucks will be on-site with plenty of options, including dessert and several types of beer.
At 8 p.m., the night’s headlining act will grace the stage, and the lineup this year features crowd favorites such as On the Border, Rivermist and Zoso.

As an extension of the Dogwood Festival, Fayetteville After Five offers those still crowd-shy after the precautions of the past two years an opportunity to get out and have a good time. Sarahgrace Snipes, executive director of the Dogwood Festival, sees it as a great way for people to reengage without battling the overwhelming crowds often present at other events.

“It’s a bit more relaxing,” she told Up & Coming Weekly. “This is a great event to not be right on top of people. We’ll have lawn games; kids can run around, people can interact with each other and enjoy live music without a huge crowd.”

While Fayetteville After Five will have a lot to offer those looking for something free, fun and local to add to their summer plans, Snipes is most excited to share good live music with the public.

“I am most excited about On the Border,” Snipes admitted. “It is the ultimate Eagles tribute band, and people love them. They usually bring in the largest audience, and it’s very fulfilling to see the park full, people having fun and seeing the happiness our events bring to the community.”

The concert series will take place over three dates throughout the summer: June 10, July 15 and August 12.

“I hope to hear that everyone had a wonderful time,” Snipes said. “And I hope to hear that they’re coming out to the next event, and they’re excited for the Dogwood Festival in October.”
Festival Park is located at 335 Ray Ave. in Fayetteville.

For more information regarding vendor and music lineup, visit the event website at www.thedogwoodfestival.com/fayetteville-after-five.

Youth from the Boys & Girls Club have a chance to play baseball thanks to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers’ recent donation of $10,000. The newly formed “Junior Woodpeckers” will be showcased at the team’s home game against the Fredericksburg Nationals on Saturday, June 18, at Segra Stadium.

The initiative is part of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers Community Leaders Program, which generates donations through corporate partnerships with area businesses and through fundraising events throughout the year. Their goal is to provide support to youth sports and military service members and their families.

The Junior Woodpeckers were formed to give children the opportunity to participate in youth sports without having to worry about the costs usually associated with extracurricular activities.

“The Junior Woodpeckers initiative was something I wanted to put in place to be able to give children in Fayetteville the same opportunities and kind of level the playing field,” said Kristen Nett, Fayetteville Woodpeckers community relations manager. “I saw that it was harder for some families to be able to pay for their children to be involved in sports.”

The donation to the Boys & Girls Club pays for uniforms, equipment, registration fees and other expenses related to playing in a baseball league. Junior players will receive a custom jersey with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers logo on the sleeve.

The “Junior Woodpeckers” is a 12U team that can compete in the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation youth baseball league. This year’s team formed in April.

“The goal is to have it be a yearly (opportunity),” said Nett. “My goal is to form a totally free baseball league in Fayetteville. So, this is just the start.”

“The Woodpeckers are really excited. I feel it’s our responsibility to be able to come into this community and give back and do everything we can to help others.”
The Woodpeckers minor league baseball team was established in Fayetteville in 2019 as a Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The team was formerly known as the Buies Creek Astros and played on the campus of Campbell University.

When the franchise moved to Fayetteville, they got a new name and a new home at Segra Stadium. Fans were invited to suggest a new name for the team, and the Woodpeckers was selected in honor of the red-cockaded bird that was once found throughout Fayetteville but is now an endangered species.

For more information on the Fayetteville Woodpeckers or to buy tickets for the game, visit www.fayettevillewoodpeckers.com.

According to the latest estimate from fiscal analysts at the North Carolina General Assembly, our state government will take in about $6.2 billion more in General Fund revenue over the 2021-23 budget biennium than was originally projected last year.

That’s a huge number. It represents nearly a quarter of the entire General Fund budget for the current fiscal year. And it’s not even the full amount of funds available. As of April 30, there’s $8.2 billion in unspent and undesignated money sitting in the General Fund.

Now that state legislators have returned to Raleigh for their 2022 short session, we are about to hear a spirited debate about how to spend the revenue bonanza.
Democrats are insisting that the General Assembly fully fund a court-ordered settlement on education funding.

Republicans are looking at infrastructure needs and tax relief.

Both parties are telegraphing a desire to increase compensation for public employees.
I favor some of these ideas. But may I offer a few words of caution?

Our broader economy is in trouble. America’s real GDP shrank by an annualized rate of 1.4% during the first three months of this year. And in an attempt to bring down rampant inflation, the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates.

That’s the right response, to be sure, but everyone needs to be mindful of the probable tradeoffs.

Eight of the past nine periods of monetary tightening by the Fed were followed by recessions. Although a “soft landing” is theoretically possible, then, there’s a very real possibility that the GDP will contract sometime over the next year. If the contraction happens in the second quarter, that would constitute a recession by the standard definition.

I know North Carolina’s economic fundamentals look pretty strong right now. Our labor markets improved markedly in April, with the headline unemployment rate falling to 3.4% (down from 5.1% a year ago) and our labor-force participation rate topping 60% for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other states in our region posted good jobs numbers last month, too (in fact, North Carolina’s unemployment rate is the highest in our neighborhood, though it’s low by historical standards).

Still, it doesn’t require Eeyore-level pessimism to worry about a possible recession and its effects on state revenues and expenditures. It only requires realism.
It also requires looking more closely at that surplus-revenue figure of $6.2 billion cited earlier. Most of it, $4.2 billion, is occurring during the first year of biennium, and involves one-time shifts in the timing of reported income. The pandemic produced some rather weird financial patterns in both the public and private sectors. It would be a mistake to assume these patterns will continue into future years.
If even a modest recession follows the Fed’s actions on interest rates, that will both reduce revenue collections and increase state expenditures on Medicaid and other forms of public assistance. The projected surplus would shrink. It might even become a deficit.

Thanks to years of conservative budgeting, North Carolina has accumulated a large rainy-day fund and other reserves. Unlike some states, we wouldn’t have to close a fiscal gap by raising taxes, canceling contracts or laying off employees. Indeed, the state could actually play a countercyclical role by giving teachers and state employees a pay bump.
That argues for a balance between addressing immediate needs and hedging against future risks — which is precisely what I think House Speaker Tim Moore, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, and other legislative leaders are likely to do during the short session.

They know that if a recession occurs, they can’t (and shouldn’t) rely on another round of massive federal borrowing to paper over state and local deficits. They also know that their steady and disciplined approach to state budgeting is a big reason why North Carolinians have become increasingly comfortable with GOP majorities in the General Assembly.

We should all hope the Fed can engineer a soft landing. But hoping is not governing.

Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins will tell you upfront that crime is inevitable. Yet, she will also point to recent data showing that Fayetteville’s overall crime has been down for the past six years.

Hawkins earlier this week presented her department’s first-quarter crime report of 2022 to the Fayetteville City Council. The report primarily compared data from January through March 2021 to data from January through March 2022. However, for three major crime categories — crimes against persons, combined person and property crime and property crime — the comparison data covered six years.
Hawkins showed that in a six-year period, combined persons and property crimes were down. In 2016, the department reported 19,345 crimes against persons and property. In 2021 that amount dipped to 14,699.
However, when comparing the first quarter of 2021 to 2022, aggravated assaults rose 27.6% from 225 to 287. Burglary rose 8.5%, from 236 to 256; larceny 32%, from 441 to 582; motor vehicle theft 75.6%, from 86 to 151; and robbery 38%, from 50 to 69. Domestic violence rose 27.3%, from 33 to 42.

On the plus side, homicides dropped by 8.3%. In the first quarter, Fayetteville saw one less homicide compared to last year’s 12. Suicides and overdoses also dropped significantly. Suicides dropped from nine to five, a 44.4% reduction, and overdoses declined from 19 to 16, a 15.8% drop.

During a recent one-on-one interview with Up & Coming Weekly, Hawkins said crimes against individuals or persons are lower now than six years ago.

In 2016, there were 4,769 reported incidents of crimes against persons. In 2021, there were 4,039 reported incidents. Only in 2019 was the number of reported incidents lower, at 3,889.

Aggravated assault had one of the most significant increases compared to the 2021 first quarter. Hawkins said that category has a unique reporting system. One act of assault can result in more than one reported aggravated assault charge. For example, if someone shoots into a home yet no one is injured by the bullet, the law still counts the number of aggravated assaults based on the number of people occupying the house. The same rule applies to shooting into an occupied vehicle. Shoot into a car with four people, and you are charged with four counts of aggravated assault.

“We’ll never be at zero in crime. That’s the first education the public has to have. We know that crime is going to happen. We know people are going to do things; people are going to commit crimes. Our objective is to determine how we can use as many tools and resources to minimize that happening in our community. And that is not the responsibility of one entity at all,” she said.

Hawkins said the community bears some responsibility for deterring crime, especially for crimes involving illegal weapons, which are often stolen from homes and vehicles.

“We know people break into cars. And people leave all kinds of things in their cars, and they also leave their weapons in the car, which is absolutely crazy,” she said. “In 2021, there were 267 weapons stolen out of vehicles. Why would you leave your weapons in vehicles,” she said.

For example, in 2021, there were 1106 motor vehicle break-ins, of which 69% or 762 vehicles were left unlocked. That year, 218 handguns, 23 rifles, nine shotguns, and ammunition were taken from motor vehicles. Only 58 were stolen from homes and two from businesses.

So far in the first three months of 2022, there have been 307 motor vehicle break-ins, of which 64% or 198 were from unsecured vehicles. The result is 67 illegally owned handguns, and three rifles are on the street, probably used in criminal activities.

Hawkins said the department’s narcotics unit, during its investigations alone, seized 45 guns in 2021 and seven during the first three months of 2022. Department-wide, the police seized 212 guns in the first quarter of 2021 and 215 guns in the first quarter of this year.

“We as a community have a responsibility and are capable of preventing weapons from getting into the hands of people doing illegal activities,” she said. “We as a community are going to have to say: What are we doing to prevent guns getting into the hands of people doing illegal activities?”

“Criminals know people don’t lock their cars. They don’t break windows; they just pull the door handles,” she said.
Crime-fighting has become more sophisticated than ever. From analyzing what makes someone a repeat victim to what makes someone a repeat offender, Hawkins credits her officers with using technology as a key resource in fighting crime.

The department uses 118 city-owned surveillance cameras and another 289 contract cameras in a citywide network. The cameras are along major thoroughfares like Skibo Road, Owen Drive and the All-American Expressway, and in the Bonnie Doone and downtown area, among others. The contracted cameras are mounted on city buildings, she said.

“We have a camera system that captures people (doing illegal activities) quickly. We have LPR (license plate reader) cameras,” she said. “We have 52 new ones deployed throughout the city now,” she said. The new

LPR cameras come with an AI element (artificial intelligence) that can provide additional information about a vehicle, not just the license plate numbers.

The goal is to see who comes into the city and who leaves the city after committing a crime.

Another area that plays a significant role in deterring crime in Fayetteville is the need for a full complement of officers. Despite a significant number of retirements or simply resignations to follow other pursuits, the department later this summer expects to have about 50 recruits in two separate academies, one conducted in July and the other in August.

Hawkins said the department has been actively recruiting for both lateral entries (experienced officers from other departments) and new cadets. The department recently sent recruiters to Puerto Rico. The U.S. island territory’s pension system for its police officers does not compare with the retirement and benefits provided by the Fayetteville Police Department.

During the recruiting drive earlier this year in Puerto Rico, the department received 60 applications on-site, of which 25 passed the test given to everyone who wants to be a police officer, Hawkins said.

Most are lateral entries. Hawkins called them “heavy hitters who are everything you want in an officer.”
There was a recent criticism on social media for sending a delegation to Puerto Rico and spending $18,000. Hawkins said she is unaware of any opposition to the department’s recruiting efforts. She said even rounding up the alleged amount to $20,000 would still have been worth it.

“What’s the cost of going without an officer?” she asked. “How much money is spent on overtime when we are short 50 officers?” “We are recruiting everywhere.”

The reality that Fayetteville and the state of North Carolina will soon have a world-class history education facility nestled atop the city’s historic Arsenal Avenue is becoming more concrete as the civic organization behind the effort will hold its third and final ground-breaking ceremony on June 2.

A panel of Civil War & Reconstruction History Center Board members assembled on May 24 at Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Tony Rand Center to speak with members of the media about the Civil War & Reconstruction History Center, its purpose and curriculum and the upcoming ground-breaking.

Mac Healy, chairman of the Civil War & Reconstruction History Center committee, was flanked by Vice-Chairwoman Mary Lynn Bryan, a noted Fayetteville philanthropist who since 2006 has advocated for the center; Board Member and former Fayetteville State University Chancellor James Anderson, and Board Member Demetrius Haddock, a life-long educator, retired math teacher and education advocate.

The panel had much to say about the format and purpose of the center, which will serve not only the local community but the state. The center, while located in Fayetteville, will be a state-run facility. The representatives repeatedly spoke to the power of story and the importance of creating a dialogue centering around the difficult subjects of the civil war, enslavement and the post-civil war reconstruction.

Haddock, who was initially skeptical of the center’s curriculum, has since become a member of the board and assists in planning for the center. He has been focused on supporting the educational components, specifically concerning students in the 4th, 8th, and 11th grades studying North Carolina history under the state’s school curriculum. He explained at a recent meeting focused on curriculum at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington that many teachers were unaware of and cautious about how to present much of the difficult content that the center will focus on.

“Those concepts, especially enslavement and just the idea of people owning human beings and you know how do you have a conversation with students about that, and there are so many dimensions around that time period that people just kind of stay away from, especially the Reconstruction or afterwards," said Haddock.

Despite the committee’s efforts raising private funds, securing state and local money for the project, and, more importantly, educating the public about the project, there has been concern the center will be a museum honoring the Confederacy.
Anderson reiterated that the center would focus on the history before the Civil War and the Reconstruction era, which was often a difficult period for formerly enslaved people.
Anderson explained that the board of advisors and the board of directors working to build the center and its curriculum are both “replete with scholars.”

“The History Center is not a museum. I want to make that clear,” Anderson said. “It will use the power of storytelling and interactive technology to educate youth about that specific time in history,” he said. “Those who constantly demonize the proposed project are ignorant of the facts.”

Bryan invited anyone concerned about the center’s purpose to engage with the committee.

“Every time we have been challenged, if the people who challenge us will meet us, we are willing to sit down and talk about our plan and what we have in mind and why it is significant not just for our community but for our state,” Bryan said.

“The story we have to tell about this very, very difficult period in our history is a true story. It’s a story based on fact developed by a group of scholars known worldwide. They want to present an accurate picture, and so do we,” she said.

Bryan reiterated the museum’s purpose and asserted the center would not focus solely on the story of the Confederacy.

“It’s very disconcerting when we hear, for example, that we are going to develop a Confederate museum, which we have no intention whatsoever of doing. The flags that will fly, if flags fly in our history center, will be the state flag and the U.S Flag. We will have no statues or monuments.”

Bryan noted that an organization offered the committee money in the center’s early planning stages if it agreed to house all statewide Confederate statues at the center.

“We said no. We will get the money a different way,” Bryan said.

Healy explained the center would feature cutting-edge interactive storytelling, and Anderson elaborated on that concept focusing on the power of those stories.

“This is a history center. We are not going to be a collecting museum. We will have several artifacts in there, but only if they continue further telling the story,” Healy said.

“The history center will allow us not only to be interactive, as Mac [Healy] says but to tell a story; to use the power of stories that come from people who have a generational contact with all of this,” Anderson said. “The history center will allow us to make people feel emotionally connected.”

Anderson went on to relay an anecdote about seeing a Ku Klux Klan robe at the Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a story attached to this that people could really understand what the power of the Klan robe is?” Anderson said.

The narratives in the center’s curriculum will represent and belong to everyone in the state.

“The critical issue is this is going to tell the story of everybody located in the state of North Carolina during a certain designated period,” Bryan said.

The center’s goal is to collect 100 stories from each of 100 counties; while they have not yet achieved this, they are still actively collecting and vetting stories from North Carolinians.
According to Healy, the public does not want to go to a museum and read storyboards anymore. They want interactive museums.

“This is going to be that,” he said.

The “touch and feel” aspect of the center contributes to the overall costs of the project, explained Healy. In addition to the cutting-edge technology and content, nationwide increases in materials and supply chain issues have contributed to increasing costs.

Initially, the cost to build the center was estimated at approximately $65 million, but since has been estimated at about $80 million. Last year, the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $60 million for the project. Before that, the committee raised money from private contributors and secured a commitment from the City of Fayetteville City Council and the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners for $7.5 million each.
According to Anderson, the center will help make Fayetteville a destination city.

Ralph Huff, a local philanthropist and former owner of H&H builders, a residential construction company, attended the news conference and echoed Anderson’s remark. Huff said Fayetteville could become a weekend destination where visitors spend several days walking from one venue to another. Huff referred to visitors walking to the proposed downtown Arts & Entertainment Center, Segra Stadium, the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, and, finally, atop Haymount Hill to the proposed History Center.

The committee expects the center to be an economic boon for Cumberland County. A study predating the building of Segra Stadium projects that the center will have an $18 million annual economic impact and secure about 200 jobs. Healy explained that this positive impact might be even higher with added amenities such as Segra Stadium, increasing the draw for visitors to downtown Fayetteville.
Healy described the center as a ”world-class one-of-its-kind history center located in Fayetteville for the state of North Carolina.”

Among those scheduled to participate in the third ground-breaking ceremony is Spencer Crew, Ph. D., emeritus director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Crew is among a half dozen history scholars that Anderson noted are associated with the center. The scholars are writing and designing a curriculum covering the years 1835 through the early 1900s for the history center.

Healy said the 11 a.m. ground-breaking ceremony marks the start of construction for the center’s main building. For additional information on the Civil War & Reconstruction History Center, its curriculum or the ground-breaking, visit www.nccivilwarcenter.org.

Several community Memorial Day events are scheduled through Monday. Here are a few:

Friday
Spring Lake: A Memorial Day ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Veterans Park on Ruth Street.

Saturday
Concert: The Southeastern Gospel Music Association will present a Memorial Day weekend concert at 6 p.m. at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, 6248 Cliffdale Road. Admission is free. The concert will feature the Port City Quartet and G. Vern Adams Jr. The master of ceremonies will be Larry Chason. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Monday
Fayetteville: The Fayetteville area will honor Cumberland County veterans who died in wartime during a ceremony at 10 a.m. at Freedom Memorial Park at Hay Street and Bragg Boulevard. There is limited bleacher seating. Attendees may bring a lawn chair. Parking is available at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum or at the Medical Arts Building. The keynote speaker is Col. Scott Pence, garrison commander at Fort Bragg.

Hope Mills: The town’s ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, 5766 Rockfish Road. The guest speaker will be Charles Lee, deputy director for Veterans Affairs with the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Light refreshments will be served after the ceremony.

Cumberland County Manager Amy Cannon on Thursday, May 26, presented the county's fiscal 2023 recommended budget to the Board of Commissioners during a special called meeting.

The county's tax rate remains unchanged at 79.9 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Each penny on the tax rate produces $2,427,268. The budget is balanced, as required by the North Carolina Local Government Commission, Cannon told commissioners.

The budget takes into account the board's priorities established in fiscal 2021, which include the Crown Event Center to replace the Crown Theatre and Crown Arena, public water access for Gray's Creek and mitigating homelessness.

The recommended budget calls for $552,930,111 in total expenditures across all county funds, and a General Fund of $362,177,033.

In her budget message to the commissioners, Cannon outlined the issues facing the county government in the upcoming budget cycle. First among those is what she termed "the new normal," a COVID-19, pandemic-induced altered work environment. The pandemic resulted in new organizational structures where employees were forced to work from home and adapt to new technology.

"The uncertainty remains. Remote work still remains," she said. The new normal also includes providing services electronically, erratic economic recovery, and the potential of a new COVID-19 variant that can affect the delivery of services.

The budget also takes into account the prevailing economic uncertainty. Cannon said another important factor affecting county operations is inflation, currently at 8.5% and eroding the spending power of county residents and county government. Along with inflation, the county must adjust to ever-increasing fuel prices and supply chain issues.

Cannon projected General Fund revenues from ad valorem taxes at $170,695,791, a $2 million increase over fiscal 2022. Motor vehicle tax revenues are budgeted at $23,242,940, a $1 million increase over 2022.

She said the ad valorem taxes are the largest revenue source at 55% of the total budget revenue. These taxes are based on the combined values of real property, personal property, and motor vehicles of about $194 million. Real and personal property taxes are budgeted at $170.7 million, an increase of $2 million over last year.

Some of the county's major spending highlights include:
● Unfunded mandates, including increased health insurance rates, increased employer contributions to the retirement system, increased property and cyber security insurance, and funding an N.C. Department of Public Safety plan to align the county share of youth detention facility costs with operating costs.
● Additional commission priorities identified in fiscal 2021 about mental health and public health.
● A pilot program that develops a proactive prevention program addressing the social detriments of health.
● Another pilot program for patient transportation for public health clinics using either Uber of Lift.
● A volunteer coordinator for the Animal Services Department.
● An assistant manager for the Emergency Services Department.
● Replacing 19 Sheriff's Office vehicles and two detention center vehicles.
● A public health educator and a public health office assistant
● A Social Services program manager and an in-home case management and care coordination pilot program with 16 employees, and two vehicles.
● A child support quality assurance program training specialist.

The recommended budget also includes $84.3 million for Cumberland County Schools, an increase of $1.3 million from fiscal 2022. There is also an additional $3.9 million for the school system for school health nurses, school resource officers and crossing guards.

Cannon ended her hour-long budget message talking about the great resignation, a national phenomenon whereby workers are leaving their jobs in droves. Cannon said employees are leaving for better pay because they are mentally exhausted, want a flexible work schedule and a better work-life balance. She said Cumberland County government is not immune from that.

The commissioners will digest the recommended budget and begin their work session on June 1 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 564 in the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse. The public hearing on the budget is scheduled for June 6 at 7 p.m. Thereafter, the commissioners will have three more work sessions.

The recommended budget is available on the county website at cumberlandcountync.gov.

The Fayetteville City Council on Thursday, May 26, held the first of three scheduled budget work sessions. The meeting focused on city salaries and an update on American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The council must finalize the city budget by June 30. The fiscal 2022-23 budget year begins July 1.

City Manager Doug Hewett has proposed a budget with no significant increases in taxes or fees. The total budget is $248.25 million, which represents a 3.3% increase, city officials said.

The tax rate would remain at 49.95 cents per $100 property valuation.

The city is struggling to hire new people in a highly competitive job market, said Mark Holcombe with Evergreen Solutions. The company was hired to conduct a salary survey for the city. The City Council talked about an allocation of $6 million to make salaries more competitive.

“You are trailing the market but not by much,’’ Holcombe said.

The council also talked about paying people $15 an hour, including seasonal and temporary employees. That includes eight positions with Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks & Recreation.

“A lot of what we are talking about tonight is investing in our employees,’’ said Jerry Clipp, the human resources development director for the city.

Mayor Mitch Colvin said it is important that all city employees make at least $15 an hour.

Councilman Chris Davis concurred.

“The labor market is incredibly tough. It means a lot that we remain employee of choice,’’ Hewett said.

The city plans to leverage its ARPA money to fill in the gap on capital projects as well as take care of some community needs.

“We’re talking about workforce development, which is traditionally not a city function per se, but we are going to have to find partners to help us like the child care assistance grants,’’ Hewett said. “We don’t do the childcare, but under the ARPA rules, we believe we can go out and work with children’s centers that help them provide better programming by helping them with their staffing.’’

Hewett said the city has six years to expense the money.

Hewett said he hopes the early briefing on the budget pays dividends.

“We look forward to guidance from council as we prepare the budget for public hearing on June 13,’’ he said.

The next meeting will cover capital and transportation projects.

“We put that together in January and February, and so we have those projects and will go back over them with council to show them how we use the federal funding (ARPA) to cover those projects,’’ Hewett said.

The next budget work session is scheduled for 5 p.m. on June 2.

Hewett said,“You have done the heavy lifting, you’ve done that. … We thought we captured exactly what you wanted. Now that we have it, we have to come up with details.’’

Volatility in the energy market and the lingering economic pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic will mandate continued fiscal caution, leaders of Fayetteville’s public utility were told Wednesday, May 25.

Rhonda Gaskins, the chief financial officer of the Fayetteville Public Works Commission, delivered a first-quarter financial recap to the board at its monthly meeting.

Before presenting her report, Gaskins reminded the commissioners that a water and wastewater rate increase would take effect July 1.

“So we’ll see increases in revenue on that end for the water and wastewater side,” Haskins told the commissioners. “We also had a bond issuance that closed in November – actually, $95 million.”

And as the pandemic has eased, PWC has ended a temporary waiver of late fees for customers struggling through the economic downturn, she said.

“Almost back to full operation there,” she said.

Bad weather could also affect the utility’s economic picture, she noted.

PWC spokeswoman Carolyn Justice-Hinson said after the meeting that the report was “kind of a snapshot in time.”

“There are some positives there. The economy and the industry are getting volatile with fuel costs and other things. There are a lot of factors we’re watching very closely,” Justice-Hinson said.

“The next report could look very different,” she added. “It’s presented every quarter for the commission to get a financial look and to see what the trends are.”

Power-supply costs are down to $100.6 million in the first quarter of this year from $104.7 million in the first three months last year, Haskins said.

According to the report, the cost of a megawatt hour of electricity is down 2% from a year ago, from $63.27 to $62.03.

"Power cost is our overall biggest expense, so this is good," Justice-Hinson said. “But as I mentioned, the economy and changes coming from our wholesale provider, Duke Energy, indicate this can change very quickly.

This is the importance of maintaining our reserves and rate stabilization funds that we can draw from them during these extreme fluctuations instead of having to raise rates to cover the cost."

Fayetteville PWC has budgeted $64 million for electric and water capital projects in this budget year. But nine months into the budget, the utility has been able to complete only $30 million worth of those projects, Justice-Hinson said.

The demand for contractors and the availability of materials are affecting the utility's ability to get the work done, she said.

In other business, PWC CEO and General Manager Elaina Ball gave her second presentation on the 2022-23 operating budget and capital improvement plan in advance of a public hearing on Wednesday.

No one spoke during the public hearing.

As first presented on May 11, the budget calls for an overall outlay of about $397.5 million, which would be a 10.9% reduction from 2022 spending.

The cost of electricity would not change next year, but water rates would increase, according to the recommended budget. In 2020, the commission voted to delay water rate increases because of the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those higher rates will take effect for 2023, Ball has said.

Justice-Hinson has said the new water rates will vary because they depend on the customer’s location and water usage.

The budget supports the financial health of PWC, keeps borrowing costs low and affords a bigger slice of revenue for the city of Fayetteville. The city would receive roughly $24 million from PWC in cash and services.

Payments in lieu of taxes would increase to $12.4 million in cash – more than $1 million a month, she said.

That rounds out to a 4.7% increase for the city.

A second person has been charged in connection with a fatal shooting May 7 on Gordon Way.

Sierra Harper, 22, was shot multiple times and later died at the hospital, Fayetteville police said.

Micaiah Henderson-Palmer, 23, was arrested Wednesday morning, May 25, outside her home on the 600 block of Volunteer Drive, the Fayetteville Police Department said. She is charged with accessory after the fact.

Jaylin Sadiq McLaughlin Jr., 22, of the 3600 block of Pickerel Street, is charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the Police Department said.

He was arrested May 10 by members of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Henderson-Palmer was arrested without incident and remains in the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $25,000 secured bond, police said.

She is accused of helping McLaughlin escape detection after the shooting, according to an arrest warrant. Henderson-Palmer knew McLaughlin had been involved in the shooting, picked him up after he left his vehicle and helped him escape detection, according to the warrant.

Harper was found on the afternoon of May 7 when officers responded to reports of a shooting on the 2900 block of Gordon way.

Police have said the homicide was not a random act. Harper and McLaughlin were known to each other, and there was a disturbance prior to the shooting, police said previously.

The case remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Detective M. Waters at 910-635-4978 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

Fort Bragg, home of the airborne, may soon become Fort Liberty if Congress approves the recommendations of the Naming Commission tasked with remaining military installations bearing names of Confederate generals.

The Naming Commission on Tuesday, May 24, held a virtual news conference where it announced the recommended names it will forward to Congress. After Congress approves the names, they will be forwarded to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, who will have the ultimate authority to rename the installations.

The Naming Commission also recommended new names for eight other Army posts. Fort Bragg is the only one that would not be renamed after a person. Instead, the recommendation is to rename Fort Bragg in honor of the American value of liberty, according to retired Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, the commission’s vice chairman.

Seidule said he served in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg and recalled the lyrics of the 82nd Airborne song: “We’re All-American and proud to be, for we’re the soldiers of liberty.”

Fort Bragg is named for Braxton Bragg, a North Carolina native who served as a general in the Confederate Army.

It is home to the airborne and special operations forces and has more than 53,000 troops.

The other eight recommendations call for:
• Fort Benning, Georgia, to become Fort Moore, named after Lt. Gen. Hal and Julia Moore. Hal Moore commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of Ia Drang Valley in 1965 in Vietnam. His wife, Julia, was behind the Army's revamping death notices to family members.
• Fort Gordon, Georgia, to become Fort Eisenhower, named after Dwight Eisenhower, the Army general and president. The U.S. Army medical center at Fort Gordon already bears his name.
• Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, to become Fort Walker, named after Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the first female Army surgeon and only woman awarded the Medal of Honor.
• Fort Hood, Texas, to become Fort Cavazos, named after Gen. Richard Cavazos, the first Latino promoted in 1982 to four-star general.
• Fort Lee, Virginia, to become Fort Gregg-Adams, named after Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams, the first African-American female officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.
• Fort Picket, Virginia, to become Fort Barfoot, named after Tech. Sgt. Van T. Barfoot, a WWII Medal of Honor recipient.
• Fort Polk, Louisiana, to become Fort Johnson, named after World War l hero Sgt. William Henry Johnson.
• Fort Rucker, Alabama, to become Fort Novosel, named after Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel Sr. who received the Medal of Honor for his service as a helicopter rescue pilot during the Vietnam War.

The Naming Commission is also looking at more than 750 Department of Defense assets, including street, school and building names. Other items include Navy vessels, monuments or military items that it deems to commemorate the Confederacy.

Congress last year enacted legislation creating the Naming Commission and gave it the task to rename military installations by 2023.

Austin, who previously commanded units of the 82nd Airborne Division, released a statement saying, "I am pleased to see the Naming Commission's progress as mandated by Congress in the FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act."

“Today’s announcement highlights the commission’s efforts to propose nine new installation names that reflect the courage, values, sacrifices and diversity of our military men and women,” the statement said. “I thank the members of the commission for their important, collaborative work with base commanders, local community leaders, soldiers and military families. And I look forward to seeing their complete report later this year.”

Seidule, who led Tuesday’s virtual news conference, reiterated several times that the commission took into account "local sensitivities" when arriving at a proposed name.

In a release, the commission said it visited the installations last year for listening sessions with military commanders and community leaders to get feedback on the process and to hear preferences for new names.

Seidule said post commanders determined the stakeholders, post and community leaders, and others involved in the renaming process. He said the sessions were not open to the media because the commission wanted "unvarnished opinions" from the participants.

The commission said it received more than 34,000 submissions related to naming activities, including 3,670 unique names of individuals, locations, values and more.

The Naming Commission developed a short-list of potential names for the nine installations before reconnecting with the community groups through virtual listening sessions and gathering more input.

The commission said it met earlier this month and came up with its recommendations.

“This was an exhaustive process that entailed hundreds of hours of research, community engagement and internal deliberations,” retired Navy Adm. Michelle Howard, the chairwoman of the Naming Commission, said in a release. “This recommendation list includes American heroes whose stories deserve to be told and remembered; people who fought and sacrificed greatly on behalf of our nation.”

Assault, domestic violence and vehicle theft cases rose in the first quarter, but homicides and rapes decreased, according to Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins.

Hawkins presented a report on crime to the City Council on Monday night, May 23, comparing figures for January through March with those from the same period last year.

Hawkins noted that the city has seen a decrease in overall personal and property crimes reported over the past six years.

“The department crime trend is going downward,” she told the City Council during its regular monthly meeting at City Hall. “This is a reminder of where we’re at over the last six years.”

But in the first quarter of 2022, she said, crime is increasing in some areas compared with the first quarter of 2021.

Reports of personal crime increased from 941 in the first quarter of 2021 to 971 in the same period of 2022. Property crime was up from 2,458 reports in 2021 to 2,864 in 2022, according to Hawkins’ presentation.

Felony crimes also were up from 348 reports in 2021 to 357 in 2022.

“We saw a larger increase, especially in January and February, in motor vehicle thefts,” Hawkins said. “We spent a lot of resources doing that.”

Citywide arrests climbed slightly from 1,043 in 2021 to 1,099 in 2022. That’s an increase of 5.4%, according to her figures.

From January through March, the number of homicides dropped from 12 to 11 over the same period a year ago. The number of rapes reported decreased also, from 27 to 19, Hawkins said.

But aggravated assault reports rose 27.6%, from 225 to 287, she said.

Overall, death investigations were up 38.6%, from 101 in 2021 to 140 this year, according to Hawkins.

Domestic violence also saw a big increase, she noted. Though misdemeanors dropped from 23 to 22, felonies doubled from 10 to 20. Overall, domestic violence assaults were up by 27.3%, from a total of 33 to 42.

Drug cases involving cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl rose. Police made 28 arrests on drug charges, an increase of 20.

Hawkins said drug dealers are lacing a lot of drugs with fentanyl.

In terms of staffing, the Police Department has 383 officer positions filled, Hawkins said. The department is budgeted for 431 officers.

“We’re up this year in hiring,” Hawkins said. “Up 13 from the previous last year, but down in nonsworn (officers).”

The council voted unanimously to accept the report from Hawkins.

Pictured above: Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins.

There is little we can do to prepare for some of life’s best moments, yet everything we’ve ever done has prepared us for the next.

Graduation season is upon us here in North Carolina. Emotions run the gamut as young men and women everywhere experience that final trip through the doors of their school as students.
Most will reflect fondly on the days they spent preparing to launch into the world and begin writing their own story. And like every generation before them, both friendships and rivalries they swore would last forever will start to fade as others grow.

Of one thing they can be certain: relationships with fellow students, educators and even their families will all change in some way as they continue their journey through life.

Of all the things which could possibly cause me anxiety, concern for future generations is somewhere near the top of the list. Partly because of their expectations and partly because of the condition of the world we’re leaving them. Not the physical world we leave them, but the condition of mankind in general.

Somewhere along the line, we seem to have taught young people in America that winning is more important than character.

The very people who we need to be able to look up to are failing and falling around us, and we are too quick to condemn and step around them to notice and avoid the brokenness that led them there in the first place.
So can we change the course? Can we raise up a generation of leaders with the intestinal fortitude to right the many wrongs we’ve left them to deal with?

As a person of faith, I believe we can, and it’s really a matter of moral integrity stemming from deep convictions and an acknowledgment of a creator to whom we’re all accountable.
Some will disagree and stop reading right here, so if you’re still with me, maybe we agree — if only a little.

Our real problems begin at home. There’s growing indifference to patterns of behavior eroding families. From what we allow to enter through screens in hand or on the wall to our relationships with our children’s friends and their families, indifference is creeping in.

Everyone knows the phrase “it takes a village,” but when the village steps in with advice, it’s too often taken as a personal affront. Someone stomps away only to return with a posse willing to prove how wrong the offender is and how we can destroy them and their way of thinking.

We can do better. And for the sake of the next generation we’re launching into the world beyond their family home this graduation season, I pray we’ll start soon.

I love smoothies in the summer, and I often make them with what I have picked from the garden or what I have in the refrigerator.
Smoothies are popular because they are versatile, nutritious, portable and delicious. They often become a morning meal, afternoon snack and a great way to make a healthy meal.

Fitness centers are carving out specialty smoothie areas and availability in grocery stores, cafes and restaurants are on the rise.
Smoothies are thick and creamy beverages blended with fruit, fruit juice, coconut water, almond milk, vegetables, yogurt, seeds, nuts or dairy products. They are often blended with frozen fruit or ice, giving the consistency of a milkshake.

Homemade smoothies can be a combo of fruit such as berries, bananas, peaches, mango, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries.

Vegetables may include spinach, avocado, cucumbers and carrots. Nuts and seeds are popular additions and may include peanut butter, almond butter, chia seeds, pecans and almonds.

Many extras can consist of herbs, spices, protein powder and powdered vitamins — the addition of nontraditional sweeteners may be maple syrup, raw sugar, sorbet and honey.

Proteins are another requested addition and are often paired with yogurt and vegetables. Smoothies can be a great way to increase your fiber intake, including nuts, vegetables, and whole grains.

A smoothie can be beneficial for health reasons, but it can also have a downside with ingredients packed with sugar. Just because you are drinking a smoothie does not always mean healthy!

Commercial ingredients tend to be higher in added sugar. Reading the label of a ready-made product will help you identify ingredients to look for: granulated sugar, ice cream and sherbet.

It can be a misconception that they are low in calories because some can pack more than 1,000 calories depending on the size and ingredients.

Establishments that sell smoothies may have a summary of ingredients and calorie counts. Smoothies can be used as an apparent weight loss tool if the intake does not increase your daily caloric needs.
They can be as filling as solid food, and drinking your calories rather than eating them can be just as satisfying but not for all your meals.

Begin experimenting with what you like, and the best way is to select your base, which will be juice, water or dairy. The most nutritious combine fruit, veggies, yogurt and healthy fats.

The superfoods rich in antioxidants are berries, and veggies will give you an extra power boost.
Making your smoothie is the first step in a combo that you will look forward to having each day with a recommended one serving.

If you are interested in making it a meal, include at least 25 grams of protein and 10 grams of protein for a snack. The pairing of ingredients is just as crucial as a well-planned meal.
Research what is beneficial for your dietary needs and ingredients, and be mindful of calories.

You can find many recipes online, and when you begin making them, you will quickly find your favorites.

There are a variety of blenders in all price ranges. Select one with a blade in the bottom with a container, good processing speed, and a cap for refrigeration in two container sizes.
Live, love life and have a smoothie.

Fayetteville native and spoken word artist Lawrence "Law" Bullock II is preparing to share his fifth book of poetry through a reading at The Sweet Palette on Friday, June 3 at 7 p.m. "Abstract Intoxication: A Poetry Reading" is Bullock's first one-man show, and he's excited to bring his art to the people of a city he loves so much.

"I'm nervous, but being nervous is a good thing. It means you care about what you're about to do or say," Bullock explained to Up & Coming Weekly.

A lifelong writer, the thirty-one-year-old poet, will share his most personal writing to date in the pages of "Abstract Intoxication," a title he feels aptly expresses the subject matter therein.

"The title came about because I wanted something to catch your attention and make you think. I don't want to be direct in my work — I love art that makes you see more than what's there. Intoxication comes from a love for your craft that's so strong it intoxicates you."

Bullock's work in this series touches on many topics, some dark, but all true to the poet himself. According to Bullock, addiction, reflection and a heavy emphasis on mental health make this work daring but necessary.

"For this particular show, I want to break mental health stigma and start an important conversation," Bullock said. "This book is the most intimate in terms of my backstory. Sometimes I don't remember everything that's happened to me; it comes and goes in flashes. This book is my attempt to hold on to those flashes."

The book and its message offer comfort and hope to those struggling with mental health. "We all go through the battles, but we're not alone," Bullock explained. "Mental health is a universal issue. Just because you're down or struggling doesn't mean there's something wrong with you."

Bullock was awarded a mini-grant by The Arts Council of Fayetteville to cover printing costs and art fees to bring Abstract Intoxication and its message to life.

The support for poets and other artists in the Fayetteville area is something Bullock would love to see more of from the community. He hopes readings like this bring more exposure to those wanting to share more of their craft.

"I want people to leave with a better sense and love of poetry. Just as with mental health, there's a stigma around poetry as well. So many people misunderstand it. I've been a vendor at a lot of events this year, and you can tell the people who are interested in poetry but don't know where or how to start. We need more people to come and support this awesome community."

Bullock is especially excited to share his work at The Sweet Palette, a premier bakery and art gallery in downtown Fayetteville.

"We've done a lot of shows at The Sweet Palette," Bullock said. "It has done so much for us poets in general and is the perfect place for this series — I'll have artwork behind me. Anyone who wants to have a good time on a Friday night should come to check it out."

The show will be about forty minutes long with plenty of breaks so people can enjoy delicious desserts and check out the work adorning the exposed brick walls.
Bullock invites "anyone seeking to understand spoken word poetry" and those who want a more intimate take on mental health.

As for himself and his work, Bullock is grateful for the opportunity to share his art with others.

"You can't be afraid to let people know what you have going on," he said of the show. "We're given gifts that we're not meant to hold on to —someone needs it."
The Sweet Palette is located at 101 Person St. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/529058305375168. To find more information on poetry and poets in Fayettville, visit www.facebook.com/groups/poetryinfayetteville.

Tri-State Underground and the DaVille Skate Shop are hosting a concert May 28 at 8 p.m. in the skate shop at Rowan Skate Park. The concert will showcase three bands, two local and one from New York, who will play until midnight.

“I think it’s going to be a really good time,” said Timothy Day, co-founder of Tri-State Underground. “I book bands I want to see live, and as a result, I’m hyped about every show we put together. Hopefully, everyone else enjoys it.”

Machinegun Earl, out of Raleigh, Second Class Citizen from New Bern, and Like Minded Criminals from Long Island, New York, will all be playing throughout the night.

“I had a large list of local bands I was able to choose from. I haven’t seen the two local bands in person yet, but the recorded stuff they have sent me in their submissions is pretty fantastic. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing them live at a Tri-State show,” Day said.

“(Like Minded Criminals) have done a ton of shows for me over the years. Anyone who comes out to the show will very much enjoy these guys. They have to be one of the best on-site bands I’ve ever worked with.”

Tri-State Underground began in the Wilmington, Delaware, area about five years ago. The purpose of the group was to bring together lesser-known bands with more well-established bands, but as Tri-State Underground evolved, they began to find another purpose: to help out communities through their shows. Currently, several of the group members live in North Carolina and have been working to bring shows to the area.

They ask concertgoers to bring non-perishable food items, which are donated to local food banks. Proceeds from the sales of their T-shirts and sweatshirts are donated to local charities and food shelters. Rainbow Records contributed used vinyl albums to Tri-State Underground, which they raffle off at every show. The proceeds of the raffle are also donated.

Admission to the concert is $15, paid at the door. Part of the proceeds are paid to the bands, but the rest will be given to Friends of the Skateparks Foundation.

“When I was a kid, I loved skateboarding. It’s cool to go back and live that era again in a sense by putting together a show at a skate park. Since I started Tri-State, there have been a few things that I have wanted to do and have been interested in doing that haven’t come to fruition yet. One of those things was putting together a show at a skate park,” Day said.

Day says he hopes to continue to work with Terry Grimble, president and founder of the DaVille Skate Shop.

“We are hoping that eventually, either in conjunction with Tri-State or just with Terry and other people he works with, we might be able to do full-on festivals outside at the skate park,” said Day. “The goal for him, and I hope I get to be a part of this, would be to utilize the outdoor pavilion and host music events outside as well. It’s a great spot; the scenery, the halfpipe, the bowl is there, the little creek with the walk-over bridge, the scenery at the park is just spectacular.”

The Half Pipe Dream concert will be held on May 28 at the DaVille Skate Shop and Rowan Skate Center. For more information about the show, visit https://stayhappening.com/e/half-pipe-dream-E2ISUARIOBI. For more information about the Rowan Skate Park, including summer camps and taking lessons, visit www.rowanskatepark.com/.

Mostley Crue, the tribute band for 80s hard rockers of (mostly) the same name, is set to play the Gates Four Summer Concert Series on June 3.

The band has been together for 15 years and has played hundreds of shows as Motley Crue. The current lineup and their alter egos are Gabriel Pettit as lead vocalist Vince Neil, Darius Rose as drummer Tommy Lee, Keith Baumbaugh as guitarist Mick Mars and Miller Barefoot as bassist Nikki Sixx.

Pettit is the only original member of the band. He was in another band creating his own music when he was asked to join Mostly Crue as Vince Neil, but he had his doubts.

“I was thinking to myself that I’m not sure I could pull off an hour or two of Motley Crue. It’s got that really upper-end screamy range. And, you know, it’s a lot of hard work, but I decided to. Why not? (It) sounds like fun,” he said. “I got the part, and years later, here we are.”

Pettit is known for his uncanny ability to sound like Neil by duplicating his range and tone. He credits this to spending years as a karaoke DJ, where he would imitate other musicians. The Motley Crue singer happened to be one of them. And, like most people, he liked to sing on road trips.

“I used to sing in the car all the time, and I would adapt my voice to whatever the singer happened to be on my playlist at the time,” he said. “I just listened to an absolute ton of Motley Crue for a fairly extended period of time, over a few months.”

A Mostly Crue concert might not have the theatrics of an original performance, like elaborate pyrotechnics or Tommy Lee’s rollercoaster drum set. Still, they like to get the audience involved in the show.

“I firmly believe in getting audience interaction back and forth. I like to include them, especially (when) we do a song called ‘Ten Seconds to Love,’ which is a classic Motley Crue song,” Pettit said. “It’s one that Crue has done in the past to do some audience participation. So, we kind of adopted that song and a similar style of how they included people.”

He also likes to play pranks on unsuspecting audience members when he can.

“I like to go out in the audience, though and pick out somebody to get them and their friends to specifically help. And sometimes it’ll be somebody who’s not paying any attention at all, which is all the more fun because you get somebody who’s sitting there texting somebody on their phone,” he said. “(I) come up behind them, and there’s a thousand people around, and they’re all staring, and they’re oblivious until they turn around and realize (and have) this deer in the headlight look.”

Pettit and the band members knew the music of Motley Crue from growing up in the 1980s. Most rock bands of that era were known for living a lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock and roll and indulging in the excess of that decade, but Pettit thinks the music should not be overlooked.

“The music was about the fun,” he said. “In the ‘big hair’ era, you had players who could really play; they didn’t have Auto-Tune. They could really sing.”

“I like unique vocal styles, you know, you had Klaus (Meine) from the Scorpions, Tom Keifer from Cinderella, and all of them could perform live. They sounded just as good live as they did on the album.”
Attendees can expect all the Motley Crue hits, but the band does play earlier songs and B-sides or songs that may not have made it onto an album. But they should not expect the band to come out rocking the glam look popular in the 80s.

“Our look is more of a hybrid (of) their later look, post-glam,” he said. “Obviously, none of us look good in spandex anymore.”
Fans can expect to hear the hit ballad “Home Sweet Home,” which is a song they dedicate to active and retired military.

“It’s something we’ve done for 15 years. We’ll continue to do it as long as we continue to play, for as long as I’m the singer,” he said. “It’s something I firmly believe in because I believe that those people sacrifice so much for our rights and for our way of life that I think they deserve our appreciation.”
Pettit and the band enjoy meeting fans after the show and encourage them to come to talk to them after their set.

“We are humbled by everyone’s appreciation of us, and we love to hear and speak to those people who come to see us. We’ll take pictures with fans,” he said. “This is about enjoying the music and enjoying the process of playing it. Don’t be scared to come up and talk to us. We’re here to have fun, too.”
The band was playing up to 40 shows a year in previous years, but have scaled back a maximum of two shows a month because they have day jobs and families.

“In our twenties, the idea of being on the road and playing all the time for a living was an ideal thing because you’re not rooted down, you don’t have your families, you don’t have a mortgage necessarily,” Pettit said.

“(Now), we get there, we get to pretend we’re rock stars for a few hours and then walk away back to our normal lives, and it’s a great escape for us.”
The Gates Four Summer Concert Series is held at Gates Four Golf and Country Club Pavilion. The series kicked off April 1 and will run through September with six local bands. Attendees are welcome to bring chairs and blankets. The event is free. VIP tickets are available at www.fayettevilledinnertheatrre.com/tickets.

Multi-platinum selling country rock group Alabama is performing at Crown Coliseum Saturday, June 2, with special guest Exile.

Alabama’s roots run deep in their home state, but the band got its official start in nearby South Carolina, not in the Heart of Dixie.
Cousins Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry and Randy Owen, spent the summer of 1973 playing covers of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Merle Haggard at the legendary Myrtle Beach bar, The Bowery. The bar considered Alabama their house band until 1980.

One of their first original songs, aptly named “My Home’s in Alabama,” got the attention of listeners and music producers. They were invited to record a single, “Tennessee River,” which shot to number one on the Billboard country charts.

Fast forward to 2022, and the former bar band has had more than 40 number one hits on the country charts. They have released 26 studio albums from 1976 to 2015.

Alabama is considered one of the most recognized names in country music and is billed as one of the biggest multi-platinum selling groups. They were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

With hits like “Song of the South” and “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas,” the band embodies the southern culture rooted in classic country music, but critics have noted they were one of the first country bands to bring a rock ‘n roll edge to the genre. They took cues from country, rock and pop, which was largely unheard of when they got their start.

They were a big influence on the bands that came after them, opening the door to mixing genres and bringing a new sound to standards of country music.

In 2002, Alabama played a farewell tour, citing exhaustion from years of being on the road. In 2011, after a series of tornados hit their home state, they played a benefit concert to raise money for the victims. The fundraiser rekindled their desire to tour again.

In 2013, they celebrated their 40th anniversary with a tour named “Back to the Bowery,” a reference to the bar in South Carolina where they first got their start.

They have continued to tour over the last few years and released their last studio album in 2015. With a 50-year career, they will have no shortage of songs to play on the year’s tour, and they will probably run out of stage time before they can get through all 40 of their number one hits.

Another popular genre-bending band, Exile, is opening for Alabama. Known for their pop hit “Kiss You All Over,” the band started focusing on country music in the early 1980s, but their music still spans all genres. They have toured with legendary rock bands like Aerosmith and Fleetwood Mac and stayed closer to their country origins on tours with George Jones and Merle Haggard.

The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale at www.crowncomplexnc.com

GloCity Event will be hosting a day of family fun and delicious local food on June 4 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The first annual Taste the Fayettenam event will take place on King’s Field in Fayetteville. It will serve as an opportunity for local food vendors to speak to the people of the community through their food.

“We created this event because we want to help local food vendors and food trucks around here become more well-known,” said Genevieve Hyman, owner of GloCity Event.

“The nickname Fayettenam has so much flavor, and there are so many opportunities for good food right here. Instead of people chasing down trucks all over the city, we wanted to bring them together in one place. We want these vendors to let their food be their voice.”

GloCity Event was established around two years ago. Since then, their chief objective has been to “provide events and activities for the community to do outside of the home.”

Tired of hearing complaints about the lack of activities in Fayetteville, Hyman wanted to create a business that filled an entertainment void for the people of her community.

“We started with sip and paint events and it kind of exploded from there,” Hyman explained. “At the end of our events, we have a suggestion box to get ideas from the community on the types of events they’d like to have here. “

From those suggestions sprang the idea for Taste the Fayettenam.

The family-friendly event will feature between 10 to 15 food trucks and games, live music, bounce houses and face painting. Hyman hopes the event serves as an opportunity for local and small businesses to get their deserved exposure.

“We’re all trying to uplift our small businesses and feed our families,” Hyman told Up & Coming Weekly. “Events like this keep revenue circling in our community.”

Through Taste the Fayettenam, Hyman hopes to show people just how much the city has to offer.

“We want to end the idea that there’s nothing to do here. Fayetteville is growing every single day; we don’t have to go outside the city to have fun,” she said.

Hyman loves creating memorable events for the people of Fayetteville and their families; she admits the message is bigger than simply having a good time, and a lot goes on behind the scenes to make events like Taste of Fayettenam possible while also keeping them free.

“We are also raising money through donations to continue giving back to the community,” Hyman said.

“In partnership with the Love Laugh Leyai Foundation, we give out free Thanksgiving turkeys and offer free lunches and meals at the local recreation centers. We come to the table and think of ways to keep funding within our community. Especially amid this inflation, we find ways to help families who need it.”

Ultimately, Hyman hopes people come out and enjoy the day and the delicious food on offer.

“We’ll be out there supporting food trucks, trying to give them a day to be celebrated and rewarded for all their hard work.”
King Field is located at 127 S. King St. in Fayetteville.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/glocityevent.