The Fayetteville Police Department has identified the man who was shot and killed Tuesday night, Sept. 13 outside a Fayetteville apartment.

Nicholas Antonio Bobo, 22, had multiple gunshot wounds when officers found him outside his apartment, the Police Department said in a release. He died at the scene, police said.

Officers were dispatched to the 900 block of Enclave Drive at 11 p.m. in reference to shots fired, the release said. Enclave Drive is not far from Pamalee Drive.

Police said that after the shooting, the man’s vehicle was taken.

“This does not appear to be a random act,’’ the release said.

The Police Department’s Homicide Unit is investigating.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Detective S. Shirey at 910-751-3009 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

The Fayetteville City Council on Monday, Sept. 12, voted 6-4 to delay its appointment to the Public Works Commission.
The action took place during the council’s regular monthly meeting at City Hall.

Voting for the delay were council members Deno Hondros, Kathy Jensen, Johnny Dawkins, Mario Benavente, Shakeyla Ingram and Courtney Banks McLaughlin. Those opposed to the delay were Mayor Mitch Colvin and council members Derrick Thompson, D.J. Haire and Brenda McNair.

The council set no date to consider the appointment again.

Banks-McLaughlin said she wanted to nominate former City Councilman Ted Mohn to be the council’s representative on the board of the city’s public utility. Councilman Dawkins, a member of the appointments committee, said Mohn would be considered among other potential appointees.
Last week, Councilwoman Ingram asked for a delay on the appointment in a message directed to members of the appointments committee, Mayor Colvin and other City Council members.

“My interest and request come as I am now a member of the appointment committee with the potential to participate in the selection on 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,” Ingram wrote.

In a past appointment cycle, Ingram wrote, the appointments committee and full council supported a delay of a commissioner’s term being extended to support the search for a new CEO. That CEO, Elana Ball, recently resigned and returned to Texas.
The committee and council also supported having the full council review candidates for the PWC appointment, she wrote.

The appointments committee has voted to recommend former City Councilman Chris Davis for the position. If Davis’ appointment is approved, he would have a vote on choosing a new CEO.
The council accepted several other recommendations by the appointments committee for various vacant positions. Those were all accepted by a vote of the full council.
Haire pulled aside the PWC appointment.

“I think the spirit of the boards or commissions is to make sure we have as much community involvement as possible from folks that are not typically the usual suspects that get involved with community leadership,” Benavente said during the discussion. “I think it’s important that we reconsider moving forward our policy on appointing former elected officials to the board or commission to maximize the number of community members to be able to gain some experience and to gain leadership opportunities. I think every time that we keep going back to those same wells, we limit those opportunities, which is not in the spirit, I think, of these boards or commissions.”

The Fort Fisher Recreation Area, operated by the Air Force and Army National Guard, is among the latest round of suggestions for a name change by the Congressional-appointed Renaming Commission tasked with eradicating all remnants of the Confederacy in Department of Defense assets.

The commission on Tuesday announced its recommendations for assets not addressed in two reports released earlier this summer. The commission held a virtual news conference to discuss some of its recommendations.

The recommendations will be detailed in the forthcoming third and final part of the commission’s report to Congress, which is due by Oct. 1. Retired Army Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, the commission’s vice chair, said the commission will provide the final report to Congress ahead of the Oct. 1 due date.

He also said that after 19 months and 32 meetings, the commission finished its task before the deadline and under budget, and will return $1.7 million to Congress. Congress established the commission’s budget at $2 million.
The commission was mandated by the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act to identify installations and assets whose names commemorate the Confederacy.

The first part of the report on Aug. 8 recommended names for nine Army posts, and the second Aug. 29 report dealt with Confederate assets and heraldry at the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy. In the first report, the commission recommended renaming Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty and estimated the price for renaming the post at $6.2 million.

The third part of the report covers all other categories, including memorialization and naming processes; inactive, decommissioned or obsolete assets; gifts, awards and scholarships; heraldic items; civil works; and assets that may be identified in the future, according to a news release published shortly before the news conference.

The Fort Fisher Recreation Area is managed by the Air Force, Army National Guard and the Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point. It is just north of Fort Fisher State Park and the aquarium and south of the Fort Fisher historic site. The federally-owned area provides recreational activities and lodging as well as training events for DOD-eligible groups. It is located between Kure Beach and Fort Fisher Boulevard.

The adjacent historic Fort Fisher is the site of a major Civil War battle won by federal land and amphibious forces that closed the last Confederate port at Southport. It is named after Col. Charles Fisher of Salisbury, a Confederate officer killed in action in 1861, thereby recommended for renaming.

The third part of the report also includes recommendations specifically for the Army, Navy and Air Force. The report suggests the Army focus on several of its vessels and the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, along with previously announced recommendations for heraldic items at the service academies.

It will also include more detailed information on the commission’s decision, published in its first report, to not make a renaming recommendation for Fort Belvoir, Virginia, while encouraging the Department of Defense to conduct its own review of the base for potential renaming.

Renaming recommendations for the Navy in the third report will include the USS Chancellorsville and USNS Maury. For the Air Force, the primary recommendation will be to rename the Fort Fisher Recreation Area in North Carolina.

The commission looked at the USS Chancellorsville because it is named after the Battle of Chancellorsville, a major Confederate victory in 1863. The ship also had portraits of Confederate generals Lee and Jackson. The USNS Maury is named after a Virginian and long-time U.S. Navy commander who resigned his commission to join the Confederacy.

The commission did not recommend names for the ships because the secretary of the Navy historically is responsible for naming ships, according to commission members.

The commission also recommended the Army remove the top portion of a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1900, Congress authorized Confederate remains to be reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery. A Confederate memorial was erected there in 1914. Grave markers of Confederate soldiers will not be removed, according to the commission’s director of public affairs.

“The memorial at Arlington is NOT a grave marker, so it is not exempt from removal or modification. The surrounding grave markers near the memorial will not be disturbed,” Stephen Baker wrote in an email.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has up to a year to implement the recommendations once Congress has reviewed the final part of the report.
The final cost estimate for all commission recommendations is nearly $62.5 million. This includes $21 million for all of the recommendations in the first report, $451,000 for the recommendations in the second report, and nearly $41 million for all of the recommendations in the third report, according to the commission release.

This year Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) will be celebrated at the end of September, ushering in the year 5783 (according to the traditional Jewish biblical calculation).

Superficially there appear to be similarities between the celebrations of the secular and Jewish new years. Folks get together with others to eat, drink and share good times. We reflect on the year that has passed and look ahead to the one to come. Noise makers are blown, though on Rosh Hashanah it’s a Shofar (ram’s horn). We even talk about making changes in the new year. Yet, notwithstanding these similarities, it is all too apparent that these celebrations are radically different.

Joy is a part of both, but the secular new year tends to be celebrated with frivolity, fun and often excess, while the Jewish New Year has a sense of gravitas and deep satisfaction. New Year’s Eve is spent drinking champagne and carousing with friends and strangers; ending with a countdown focused on the ending year. Rosh Hashanah eve is traditionally spent at synagogue worship before sitting down amongst family and friends around a dinner table filled with sacred rituals, such as Kiddush (sanctifying the Festival with a benediction over wine, often sweet concord grape), the Motzi blessing (over round, crown-shaped Challah bread, acknowledging God as the source of all sustenance), and the dipping of apple slices into honey (rather than hors d’oeuvres into sauces) as a wish for a sweet new year.

The secular New Year’s Day is characterized by sitting back at home and watching others march in parades or play college football while we drink beer and eat pizza or barbecue. Rosh Hashanah day is a time of personal involvement marked by worship at hours-long services (which praise the creator of the universe and encourage personal soul searching), followed by more festive dining with family and friends, before symbolically emphasizing our resolve to cast our sins away through the Tashlich ritual of tossing pieces of bread into a natural body of water.

The most sobering tradition of the secular New Year is that of a New Year’s resolution which typically involves the good intention to improve a single aspect of our lives. In contrast, Rosh Hashanah involves beginning the process of doing Teshuvah (repentance) which culminates ten days later on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and concerns striving to make ourselves better human beings who live ever more moral and holy lives.

I do enjoy a sip of bubbly and a spirited countdown followed the next day by watching the Tournament of Roses Parade and some college football. This traditional way of celebrating the secular New Year is a little frivolous, but so what? This New Year doesn’t claim to be anything more than a somewhat randomly chosen day to mark the earth’s circuit around the sun.

As the anniversary of the creation of humanity and completion of the world on Genesis’ sixth day of creation, the traditional way of observing Rosh Hashanah requires more. It reminds us of our place in the divine scheme and seeks introspective soul searching as we renew our commitment to God’s plan. Even the blowing of the Shofar requires skill and training to awaken us to Teshuvah and God’s majesty, unlike New Year’s Eve kazoo-style noisemakers intended to be just a bit of ephemeral fun.

We all know the old adage, “with great effort comes great reward.” Not everyone needs to be Jewish, but we all can learn from each other’s traditions. Perhaps the Jewish New Year can teach the value of setting aside dedicated time each year to remind ourselves of reinvesting in the deep values of our own traditions, with the faith that they will bring us a more blessed life.

Those words ring loud and clear in a commercial that dramatizes someone falling and the inability to get up. The commercial is targeted toward the sale of an alert system.

It can be frightening as we age with the fear of falling and not being able to get up and many times it can cause a person to become immobile. Unless we have a chronic condition or injury that causes us to become sedentary, actively keeping the muscles engaged in the process of sitting, standing and getting up from the floor is as important as having good balance.

The primary muscles that are used to sit and stand are your leg and hip muscles which are your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. The secondary engaged muscles are your abdominals and other core muscles. Core muscles are deep within your back attaching to the spine or pelvis. Your calf muscle also assists in standing, sitting and rising from the floor. Your leg muscles are responsible for bending, lifting, straightening and flexing as you sit or stand. Other muscles involved in seated and standing movement are your biceps if you push from a seated position and your back muscles to lower you to a seated position.

Sustained inactivity or a lot of sitting can cause the muscles to become weaker, affecting your everyday movement patterns.

The muscles involved in getting up from the floor include the leg, hip, abdominals, core and some upper body. The muscles include the shoulder, core, chest glutes and hamstrings. Weak legs are one of the main reasons people may struggle with getting up from the floor.

As a personal trainer, I often hear a client say “I need to improve my balance.” Balance is important for all movement patterns and day-to-day functions. We are not born with the natural ability to balance; it is a continuous process in life, especially as we age. You may see people that have good balance and others not. Genes may be a part, but the bottom line is that you must work at it.

The following exercises can help improve your balance and strength, remember to begin slowly.

Balance

Balance exercises can help your ability to get off the floor or help if you need assistance with seating and standing. You can work on balance with the assistance of something stable such as a railing or counter. Begin by holding your foot off the floor in all three directions and count the holding time as you add more seconds. Practice until you are comfortable with a minute in each direction. You can achieve this by practicing and adding arm movements to challenge your balance. Progressions for balance exercises include unstable surfaces, longer holding patterns and variations in movement.

Strength

Wall pushups are done with your hands pressed against the wall. Step back far enough to lower and rise. Begin with 8 repetitions and progress by stepping further back or raising one leg at a time.
A wall plank is done with arms straight, palms flush to the wall with fingers spread, lean in with the back straight.

To perform a wall sit, place your back against the wall with your feet forward. Lower within your range of motion. Gradually increase the time.

To perform lunges, begin with your hands on the wall or stable chair. Step back with your right or left foot bending the knee. Repeat and hold each repetition for up to 10 seconds.
Seated knee raises are performed by raising each knee towards your chest eight times, two sets on each leg.
Live and love life with mobility.

After a long, hot summer, the Gilbert Theater's 2022/2023 season is finally here. Opening this year's lineup with a bang, the theater's production of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” will run from Sept. 16 through Oct. 2.

The play, a classic western, is billed as a story of “good vs. evil, the law vs. the gun, and one man against Liberty Valance.”
A long-time actor with the company and Gilbert Theater board member, Chris Walker, will slip into the director's chair. He is especially excited to bring this compelling and unique story to the Gilbert stage.

“The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” a tale of “love, hope, and revenge set against the vicious backdrop of a lawless society,” was originally a short story written by Dorothy M. Johnson in 1953; it was adapted for the stage in 2014 by Jethro Compton.

The story received its widest recognition from the 1962 film starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart.
The Gilbert's production will lean more heavily on Compton's adaptation than the movie's, keeping a focused eye on the story's female lead, Hallie Jackson, played by Claudia Warga-Dean.
Keeping the play female-focused and female-driven was extremely important to the production. Walker feels Warga-Dean's treatment of Hallie Jackson is integral to the play.

“[This has] turned into such a beautiful project because of Claudia,” he said. “It speaks to the way the character is written in the story. The humor comes from that character; she drives much of the play's emotion.”

Jackson's predicament — a woman caught in a love triangle between a taciturn cowboy and a worldly lawyer — may seem old-hat in a media environment saturated by such affairs. Still, the play's larger themes go hand in hand with the Gilbert's penchant for powerful story-telling.

The importance of education, the idea of power promoting ignorance, and the complexities of race are all touched upon in this play.
Walker, a fan of westerns from a young age, also finds the genre a perfect playground for telling morality tales and blending fantasy with history.

“I've been dying to work a western on stage,” Walker confessed. “This is a fairly recent adaptation, so it has a modern sensibility. Westerns have a sense of fantasy nowadays — even though it's historical. You get to play with modern ideas while dressing up, and the costumes... are really fun."

A wild-card choice for the start of the season, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” is but a taste of the bold productions to come this season.

Patrons should ready themselves for a season of familiar classics and provocative new stories.
The Gilbert Theater's commitment to the craft of theater is a major draw for directors like Walker.
He especially credits the dedication and professionalism of the actors for such a positive experience as the play has developed from auditions to rehearsals and, soon, opening night.

“I love the collaboration,” Walker said. “You're going to run into a lot of egos in theater, but the people here understand it's about the art.”

Showtimes are 8 p.m. on Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. General admission tickets are $20. Discounts for students, senior citizens and the military are available.
To purchase tickets, visit www.GilbertTheater.com or call 910-678-7186.

Keaton Eckhoff walks around on stage around a skeleton’s version of props that adorn it — some chairs, a phone on a bench and a variety of musical instruments are set up. From off stage, the production stage manager, Martha Beggerly makes the sound of a phone ringing. Eckhoff walks over to the chair and picks up the pale yellow rotary telephone. He pretends to talk to someone on the other end of the line.

“That’s good. Let’s do it again but just look off stage as though you hope the phone hasn’t woken her up,” Suzanne Agins, the director of Cape Fear Regional Theatre’s production of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story,” says as she walks up onto the stage to show Eckhoff.

“Ahh yes, that’s great. Awesome,” Eckhoff says, speaking as himself and restarts in his original position. He repeats it but this time, takes a long glance off stage as he picks the phone up. Agins nods in approval.
Eckhoff is tall and slender with a head full of curls. He makes a convincing Buddy Holly. The singing and guitar playing he will do in the theatre’s upcoming version of "Buddy Holly," will be all him. Once, years ago, another actor suggested he play this part — he had the look. He had the talent. The last thing he will have to do is figure out whether he is dying his red curls.

The actors move around the stage and Eckhoff moves into place for his next scene. Agins gives directions as she moves about the first few rows of the auditorium. After a few moments Eckhoff picks up his guitar and begins a serenade, in Buddy fashion.

Eckhoff has been an actor for years, like his parents, and played Holly in the touring version of the play. He also spends time in other productions or takes jobs as an actor on cruise lines. He originally auditioned for this position off a zoom call from a cruise ship.

“The connection was poor,” Eckhoff laughs. “… but we were able to make something happen.” Agins cracks a big smile at the retelling of the audition.

On stage, the actors continue to shift to another scene, this time it’s a musical number. During this production, there will be 26 live songs, with actors singing live and playing all of their own instruments. Even in rehearsals the back of the stage is littered with musical instruments.

“This show has incredibly specific demands of its performers,” Agins said. “There are also some songs that we’ll hear recordings of that function as a transition in-between.”

All of those recordings, Agin says, will be recorded with Eckhoff as the voice of Buddy Holly. The play covers the last 18 months of Buddy Holly’s life which include ties in to Ritchie Valens, played by Paul Urriola, and the Big Bopper, played by Michael Jones.

For Urriola, this is a returning trip to Cape Fear Regional Theatre and the Fayetteville area. He originally received the part of Ritchie Valens back in 2021 but had about a year to wait for “the world to ruffle out a few of its feathers.” Urriola shares more than just the ability to sing and play the guitar with his character, he too, does not speak Spanish.

“For me growing up as a Latin man who doesn’t speak Spanish, he has been a role model to me, to still be a part of this community,” Urriola says.

“Paul has done really well,” Agins says. “He learned this song just like Ritchie Valens did, phonically.”

Balancing all of the variety of musicians and instruments and live performances within a performance has been a big technical challenge for Agins and the other members of the production. The show will feature guitars, bass, piano, drums, accordion and even a washboard. The crew will have to make sure to take care of all the sound requirements while trying to tell the story.

Next on stage, more than 10 performers come and take their places behind musical instruments. In black Chuck Taylor’s, Jones, playing J.P. Richardson Jr., known by his moniker the Big Bopper, holds a microphone. He gives a few deep practices of “Hello Baby.” The tone hits on par with the 1950s singer and DJ. Off to the side, taking control of this scene is James Dobinson, the musical director.
Dobinson gives some instructions, listens as the performances begin “Chantilly Lace.” He runs backstage to adjust the lead vocals. Even though Jones is deep and loud, the sound of the instruments are louder in this rehearsal.

“The sheer volume of cable is pretty extraordinary,” Agins says with a chuckle.

Dobinson heads back to the front and they begin again.

“If you want to have really fantastic two hours of music and insane talent, then this is the show for you,” said Ashley Owens, marketing director for Cape Fear Regional Theatre.

“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” will play from Sept. 15 to Oct. 9. Tickets range from $22 to $37 each. Cape Fear Regional Theatre will host a preview night, military appreciation night and teachers appreciation night with discounted ticket rates.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.cfrt.org or call the Box Office at 910-323-4233.

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.