The PNC Foundation is awarding more than $2 million to five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in North Carolina, including Fayetteville State University. PNC wants to establish the PNC North Carolina HBCU Initiative, an effort that aims to enrich the future of entrepreneurship and create workforce opportunities in the state.

The grants will be distributed over a three-year period to help fund the development and delivery of entrepreneurship resources and programming for students.

"At PNC, we recognize how important HBCUs are to our state's success," said Weston Andress, PNC regional president for Western Carolinas. "HBCU graduates contribute significantly to the talent pipeline that is fueling North Carolina's economy, and these institutions are foundational to shaping the workforce North Carolina needs to remain competitive in business."

The money will be used to build the Fayetteville State University Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab), an action learning opportunity designed to help students accelerate new ideas and product development. Student entrepreneur teams creating or growing their own ventures may compete for E-Lab funding to help fuel their projects. Additionally, the E-Lab will offer business and economic development support for community members and foster self-employment opportunities.

Other colleges and universities receiving a grant from the PNC Foundation include Elizabeth City State University, Johnson C. Smith University, North Carolina Central University and Winston-Salem State University.

When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, the economy stuttered to a standstill, and hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians lost their jobs over the next year and a half.

Amid the loss of income, the biggest expense for the vast majority of those workers was sometimes left unpaid: rent.

To answer this need, Congress allocated billions of dollars in rental assistance through federal stimulus funds. North Carolina cities and counties received those funds to oversee disbursement.

Cumberland County and the city of Fayetteville received a combined $18.1 million, which they jointly used to create the Fayetteville Cumberland Rental Assistance Program, or RAP.

Nearly eight months after RAP launched, more than $17.3 million has been spent — almost 96% — to aid more than 7,600 renting households, according to figures from the city and county provided to Carolina Public Press late last week.

As of Monday, the program is not accepting new applications until it gets new funding, as program administrators still need to work through over 5,000 pending applications.

More than 750 new COVID-19 cases, due to the omicron variant, were reported in Cumberland County on a typical day throughout January, well above rates before this surge.

If the pandemic continues to close businesses and eliminate jobs, then more help will be needed, said Dee Taylor, Cumberland community development director.

“There’s some uncertainty of what our future poses as it relates to this crisis,” she said. “If this continues, then yes, more than likely, we’re going to need additional aid in the future.”

‘We were already struggling’

Before the pandemic, tenants in Cumberland County were already struggling to pay rent.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s five-year American Community Survey in 2019, 48% of renting households spent 30% or more of their income on housing costs.

That’s higher than the statewide rate of 43% for the same time frame.

The target for many housing experts and advocates is to keep housing costs at or below that 30% mark.

“We were already struggling with the lack of affordable housing in our community,” Taylor said. “We’ve always had a short supply of affordable housing. As far as the housing market, it does not help those who are living in poverty. To be able to afford the market rate housing in our community — that’s where you have a big challenge, especially in this community.”

Increased fees on new round of assistance

In the last $1.7 million of federal funding into Cumberland’s portion of RAP, the county Board of Commissioners increased the portion of administrative fees and housing stability services from 8% to 25%, CPP previously reported.

This is the maximum that U.S. Treasury Department guidelines allow.

While RAP will spend 15% on administration by Innovative Emergency Management, the agency that the county and city contracted to disburse the aid, the remaining 10% will be spent on housing stability services.

The U.S. Treasury, in its guidelines for emergency rental aid disbursement, allows for eviction diversion programs and case management related to housing stability, among others, under these services.

Taylor said the eviction diversion could be used to offset the tenant’s costs for legal services and court fees when facing eviction.

She would anticipate that a majority, though, would be spent on case management, as it helps finalize rental assistance agreements between tenant and landlord, especially in Cumberland’s case as it navigates through its remaining applications, she said.

“In general, it helps (tenants) navigate through the application process,” Taylor said.

“When they submit their application, they still have to turn in certain documentation to show that they’re eligible for the program. … Sometimes, not always, a lot of times the applications are not always complete with the required documentation.

“So, the case managers are there to help them gather that information and service the end communication between the tenant and the landlord.”

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 Photo Credit: Multi-family housing in the Stanton Arms complex off Whitfield Street in Fayetteville is seen on Saturday. Melissa Sue Gerrits / Carolina Public Press

A new congressional seat in North Carolina is getting much attention from political hopefuls and resident politicians. Congressional District 4 will now encompass Cumberland County, Sampson County, Johnston County, most of Harnett County, and a section of Wayne County.

Many Republican candidates have thrown their names into the hat, hoping to become the Representative for the new district. This past Saturday, the Cumberland County GOP hosted a forum for ten candidates to discuss crucial issues and introduce themselves to voters in Fayetteville. Nine of the candidates were present, as Christine Villaverde was unable to come due to a case of pneumonia; however, her campaign team was in attendance.

Some of the issues discussed were national, such as opinions on federalizing the elections, solving the problem of illegal immigration, becoming energy independent, the security threat of China, and how the federal government can address the rising crime.

Other questions were more individualized, like which committees they would want to serve on and who they would support for a House Speaker.

Michael Andriani
Andriani is a newcomer to politics and recently resigned from the U.S. Army after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He did request to get a religious exemption, however, that was denied. Andriani was commissioned as an Army officer and graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with a degree in history.

Andriani did not indicate who he would support for Speaker of the House but did throw out the suggestion it should be former President Donald Trump.

Andriani did say his priorities would be to defend the Constitution and enforce the law.

When it comes to being energy independent, he believes that the U.S. should look at multiple energy sources, particularly nuclear energy.

 

DeVan Barbour
Barbour, a native of Johnston County, has worked as a delegate for the Republican National Convention, but this is his first time running for office. He co-founded Cornerstone Employee Benefits and previously worked for Pierce Group Benefits. He is running a campaign as "one of the people."

He says he is a conservative Republican and wants to vote for conservative values. When it comes to the Speaker of the House, he says he will see who Trump endorses and would like to serve on the House Agriculture Committee or the House Armed Services Committee.

While he is not a fan of federalizing elections, he says he wants to look into a national voter I.D. system and a federal ban on ballot drop-off boxes. He also believes that the border wall needs to be finished, and he would like to see an end to all catch-and-release programs.

Rene Borghese
Borghese worked for 31 years as a nurse and is currently the Director for Logistics of the Air Medical Program for Duke Life Flight. She says she decided to run for the first time because she wants to see conservative values return to the country.

She would like to see streamlining in the government and create better communication between local/state governments and the federal government.
For Speaker of the House, she says she will vote for someone who shows up and votes and not someone who makes behind-the-door deals with lobby groups. She would like to serve on the House Committee on Appropriations and focus on healthcare due to her experience in that field.

She said she would like America to be more independent with energy and economics and be less dependent on China. She raises concerns about outsourcing jobs and the purchasing of companies and their properties by China-owned companies. She says you can't put the cart before the horse for energy independence, which she believes President Joe Biden has done with shutting down the Keystone Pipeline.

Bill Brewster
Brewster is a veteran from Charlotte but now lives in this seat's area for his business. He previously ran in the 2020 election for the U.S. House North Carolina District 12 but was disqualified after not paying his filing fee. He also launched his 2022 campaign for District 13 before the new redistricting map was published.

He says that the U.S. Government needs leadership with character, motivation and dedication. When asked about who he would support for Speaker of the House, he said it should be someone younger with vitality and not someone like Mitch McConnell - who currently serves in the U.S. Senate. He also stated that he would be interested in serving on the House Agriculture Committee and would like to work on a committee regarding business or one that helps veterans.

When it comes to federalizing elections, he said he would support a federal voter I.D. law, but everything else should be left to the state to decide on election law.

Tony Cowden
Cowden is a veteran and business owner in Sampson County. He is new to the political world; this is the first elected seat he has run for.
He says his decisions and core principles are based on the ten commandments, the constitution and constituents and announced that he would only serve four terms if he were to be elected.

Cowden says he won't vote for someone who compromises with the left when choosing the next Speaker of the House. If elected, he says he would like to serve on the House Agriculture Committee, House Homeland Security Committee, or the House Armed Services Committee. He did bring up concerns over barracks living and how the House could improve the lives of service members.

When it came to energy independence and illegal immigration, he believes America can resolve these two issues if the U.S. decides to invest more in our southern neighbors than Europe or the Middle East. He says we should focus on becoming a stronger hemisphere rather than worry about issues halfway across the globe. By investing in countries to our south, we could help support jobs that deter immigration to the U.S.

Renee Ellmers
Ellmers is no stranger to Cumberland County. She served as the U.S. Representative for District 2 from 2011 to 2017, when Cumberland County fell in District 2. She previously served on the Energy and Commerce Committee, House Agriculture Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Small Business Committee. She was endorsed by Trump in 2016.

Ellmers says she doesn't want to name anyone at the moment for a possible Speaker of the House but says she will pay close attention to the person's staff and who they pick to work with them. She also said she is open to someone new who may be running in the 2022 elections.

If she were to be elected, she would focus on ending the Green New Deal and help support an American Parents Bill of Rights that would allow parents to have the right to know what curriculum is being taught to their children and have a say in it.

She stated that she does not view President Joe Biden as a legitimate president but is against federalizing election law. She would help support Voter ID and Picture ID laws but it should be left up to the states.

Nat Robertson
Robertson is a familiar face to Fayetteville natives as Fayetteville's former Mayor. He was also appointed to the Trump White House Roundtable on Infrastructure, the North Carolina Governors Crime Commission under Pat McCrory, N.C. League of Municipalities, The Task Force on Veteran Homelessness, the Task Force on Opioid Addiction Awareness and the Fayetteville Police Foundation.

When it comes to the Speaker of the House, Robertson says he will listen to what the Republican leadership says and go with them. He said that making those connections early on would help him pass legislation later. He also said that he would be interested in serving on a committee that would work for veterans.

He says he is not a fan of big government and believes many issues, such as crime and elections, should be done on a state and local level.

He also emphasized family values throughout the forum. However, he says he is concerned that China-owned companies compromise those values.

Alan Swain
Swain is a veteran who previously worked at the White House under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as the Executive Officer to the White House Drug Czar. He told people at the forum that he knows D.C. and is a fighter.

He stated that he would have concerns if Kevin McCarthy was elected as House Speaker and be more comfortable voting for Steve Scalise. However, if Scalise doesn't run for House Speaker, Swain said he would also look at Jim Banks, a well-liked fresh face.

Swain also noted that he would be interested in serving on the House Oversight Committee, House Judiciary Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. However, he did mention that he would want term limits and would pass that if voted on.

He is worried about illegal immigration and how many federal departments are becoming biased and not enforcing what they are sworn to do, like the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security. He also noted that China is one of the U.S.'s most significant enemies, and we need to be more prepared in defense against them.

John Szoka
Szoka is a veteran and is currently a representative for North Carolina House District 45 and has been in that seat since 2013. He is currently serving on the Banking Committee, Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform Committee, Energy and Public Utilities Committee, House Finance Committee, Health Committee, House Redistricting Committee and the Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House Committee.

Szoka says he currently has no favorite pick for a possible House Speaker and says that the Republican Party needs to focus on having a successful election. He would be interested in serving on the Armed Services Committee or the Energy and Commerce Committee.

He believes in making sure no federal law passes regarding state elections, even relating to Voter ID. However, he said the most significant impact that voters will have on election law is the upcoming fall election of the State Supreme Court.

Like the other candidates, he believes that the pipeline should reopen to secure energy independence. However, while companies should work towards sustainable energy, no mandates should force them to follow sustainable energy options.

He also noted that the United States needs to maintain a strong military force, especially against China and Russia.

He says he is concerned about online security, and that needs to be a more prominent topic on how to stop electronic hacks on our government.

Following the forum, the Cumberland County GOP Chapter held a straw poll, both in-person and online.

The top candidates for the in-house straw poll were Barbour, polling at 25.6%, Szoka, polling at 23.3%, and Cowden, polling at 20.9%. The people at the bottom of the poll were Brewster, Andriani and Borghese.

The Primary Election will take place on May 17.

The Cumberland County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) is seeking new programs to help serve delinquent and at-risk youth. The JCPC has announced that $1,119,291 will be available for various programs beginning July 1.

The JCPC anticipates receiving the funds from the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Corrections and Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Community Programs for the state Fiscal Year 2022-2023.

The deadline for the proposal submissions is March 1 at 5 p.m. Applicant RFPs should address the following items:

• Program services that are compatible with research that is shown to be effective with juvenile offenders.
• Program services that are outcome-based.
• The program must have an evaluation component.

The JCPC will consider proposals for the following needed programs:

• Mentoring Programs
• Teen Court
• Mediation/Conflict Resolution
• Parent/Family Skill Building
• Tutoring/Academic Enhancement
• Interpersonal Skill Building
• Restitution/Community Service
• Substance Abuse Treatment
• Sex Offender Treatment
• Vocational Development
• Group Home Services
• Counseling
• Clinical Evaluation/Psychological Assessment
• Temporary Shelter (Emergency/Crisis Placement)
• Juvenile Structured Day Programs
• Gang Prevention Services

Proposed programs should target the following risk factors for delinquency or repeat delinquency:

• School Behavior Problems
• In-School Suspension/Out-of-School Suspension/Teen Dropouts
• Behavioral Health Needs (Mental Health/Substance Abuse)
• Family Conflict/Parenting Skills
• Negative Peer Relationships
• Runaway Programs

An application must be completed and submitted online here.

Governmental agencies, 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporations and local housing authorities are invited to submit applications. After submitting the application electronically, print and submit hard copies. In order to be considered for funding, all required documentation must be submitted with the program application by the March 1 deadline. It is required that two copies of the RFP be submitted.

The applications can be mailed to Nichelle Gaines, JCPC Coordinator at Cumberland County, Suite 512, P.O. Box 1829, Fayetteville, NC 28302. Gaines can be contacted at 910-437-1884.

For questions about the proposals or assistance with submissions, contact JCPC Area Consultant Crystal Bennett at 919-710-5331.

Households in Cumberland County that had their water services cut off or have received notice that their water services are in danger of being cut off can apply for assistance in paying their bill through a new federal program called the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). 

LIHWAP is a temporary emergency program that will help eligible households and families afford water and wastewater services. The temporary program provides a one-time payment for eligible low-income households directly to the utility company. 

Households that currently receive Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Work First services, or those that received Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) services between Oct. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, are automatically eligible to receive this benefit.

“This program will assist Cumberland County residents keep their water service running for proper hygiene and better health,” Heather Skeens, Department of Social Services Director, said in a press release.

All other households that have lost water services or are in danger of losing service can apply online at www.epass.nc.gov. Individuals can also apply by printing a paper application from www.epass.nc.gov and dropping it off at a drop box outside the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, 1225 Ramsey Street in Fayetteville, or by faxing it to (910) 677-2885 or by calling (910) 677-2983 to apply by phone.

All households that are not in danger of losing their water service can apply for assistance if they meet the eligibility requirements. To be eligible for the LIHWAP program, a household must have at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen and:

• Has income equal to or less than 150% of the federal poverty level,
• Has household services that are disconnected and are in jeopardy of disconnection or have a current outstanding bill
• Is responsible for the water bill

For more information on this program and eligibility, visit the LIHWAP website.

LIHWAP runs through September 2023 or until the funds run out.

Refresh this page for the latest information about closures, delays, and winter weather forecasts throughout Cumberland County.

City of Fayetteville

The City of Fayetteville leaders says that they will monitor forecasts which call for cold temperatures, rain and possibly light snow this weekend.

All Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation games, practices, programs and activities for Saturday, Jan. 29 have been canceled due to the anticipated snowfall and elevated risk of travel hazards. All facilities and gated parks will be closed on Saturday. FCPR said they will return to normal operations on Monday, Jan. 31.

“No matter how much accumulation we see, make good decisions,“ Emergency Management Coordinator Scott Bullard said. “Your life is important. It doesn’t take much snow to pose a hazard, slick roads can be deadly. A weather event can change your life. We’ve seen what a vehicle crash, wind and even power outages can do.”

Many City services such as Police Reports and Permit applications can be accessed online. Departments also recommend phone calls to assist with research and questions during operational hours.

Elements from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 18th Airborne Corps from Fort Bragg have been placed on alert for possible eastern Europe deployment.

Other units placed on alert include the 18th Airborne Corps and the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, KY and the 4th Infantry at Fort Carson, CO. No deployment orders have been issued as of Thursday afternoon.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby made the announcement at a press conference Thursday afternoon.

"The vast majority of the troops that the secretary put on prepare-to-deploy are in fact dedicated to the NATO Response Force. And if and when they're activated, we'll be able to provide more specific detail in terms of breakdowns and numbers," Kirby said.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III announced Monday that 8,500 troops were put on heightened alert, so they will be prepared to deploy if needed to reassure NATO allies in the face of ongoing Russian aggression on the border of Ukraine. If the NATO force is activated, Austin's order will allow the United States to rapidly deploy additional brigade combat teams, along with units specializing in logistics, medical, aviation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, transportation and more.

Kirby said Thursday that the buildup of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border has increased “in the last 24 hours.”

"The Immediate Response Force is always prepared to go anywhere," Lt. Col. Brett Lea, a spokesperson for the 82nd Airborne Division told Up & Coming Weekly on Tuesday. "We are always on standby."

Passes and leave for service members on standby have been revoked.

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 (DoD photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley/Released)

"The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" is a new take on an old story, according to Matt Gore, the director of the latest Gilbert Theater production.

"'The Last Days of Judas Iscariot' is a reconfiguration of a lot of New Testament dogma in a way that is new and fresh," said Matt Gore, who also plays the character Satan in the play. "It is a reconsideration of the entire case of Judas Iscariot."

Matt Gore added that Judas is in the lowest circle of hell, the ninth circle, and he has been there for a long time. In purgatory, they are retrying his soul to see if he deserves to stay there for eternity or if he deserves forgiveness.

The author of "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" is Pulitzer-prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis.

"It is basically a courtroom drama, but it deals with metaphysical religious questions of free will, forgiveness, culpability and are we responsible for our own actions," said Lawrence Carlisle, artistic director at the Gilbert Theater and he plays the characters Judge Littlefield and Caiaphas, the Elder in the production.

"I found the play to be incredibly well written, and I thought it was an interesting way to do it as in a courtroom."

He feels the play's content appeals to everyone, not just those who are religious.

"I am not a particularly religious person, but I thought that a lot of the questions it asks and the ideas it puts forth are kind of universal," said Carlisle. "It does not matter what religion you are, and if you are no religion, these are all questions and things that concern the human experience."

The play features several interesting and prominent characters.

"I read the script a little over a year ago, and everybody wants to be Satan when they read the script, but I wanted to be Judas," said Justin Gore, who is the character Judas in the play.

"I think Judas is one of the most interesting characters from a lot of different perspectives, but mostly Judas calls into question the entire premise of what God is capable of because if everything is pre-ordained, is Judas wrong for what he did or did he actually have free will and he deserves his punishment?"
Justin Gore added, "I did not do that much preparation for the role besides watch a couple of different movies, read the script and talk to the director."

"There are lawyers from hell trying this case, and the judge is from purgatory," said Carlisle. "We call witnesses that include Mother Theresa, Sigmund Freud and Satan himself."

"This is a very interesting and challenging play to direct because it really requires you to think outside of the box, and it requires you to tackle various things that are not altogether easy to tackle," said Matt Gore.

"From a religious standpoint, it does ask questions that are difficult, but at the same time, I think a lot of people who are religious and a lot of people that might not be anymore, still have those questions and this play asks them and those things are important to me."

He added, "The message is don't be afraid to ask the hard questions and if you don't find an answer, keep searching until you do."

Carlisle hopes that people will broaden their horizons and leave behind preconceptions.

"I would love it if people would leave their emotions at the door and really just take the play for what it is," said Carlisle. "I want people to think because the main purpose of art is to make you think and feel something."

The play will run from Jan. 28 to Feb. 13. and is rated R as it contains a fair amount of adult language and themes and is for audiences 18 years and older.

Tickets cost $18, but there is a discount for students, the military and groups. Tickets can be purchased at www.gilberttheater.com. For more information, call 910- 678-7186.

The focus on the Black experience as a source of light and inspiration is fueling the 2022 Middleground Arts Series (MAS) festival.

MAS launched in November 2020 to create new, electric experiences in the middle ground between divergent communities.

MAS began in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic with collaborative festivals, including the communal painting of a large triptych led by Kellie Perkins in November 2020. Additional events followed that included a jazz concert by Skip Walker & Friends, classical duets such as Duo-Cellists Paul and Diana Kirkpatrick and Darrin Thiriot with Scott Marosek, Kirtan Bliss Band, meditation events, a speaking presentation from Buddhist speaker Heiwa No Bushi, collaborative writing workshops led by UNCP Professor Laura Hakala, an Americana blues concert with Aaron Alderman, a piano and electronic music concert with Yaroslav Borisov and more.

MAS plans to focus on celebrating and space-making in the arts in 2022. They are working on "creating moments of integration, connection and community through the arts," according to their website. MAS describes themselves as being "located in a shared space -- the high ground of the Sandhills and Fayetteville's Historic Haymount district, the low country of Eastern North Carolina, the overlapping territories of the sacred, secular and natural worlds -- MAS sits at the intersection of diverse artistic forms, political ideologies and interests."

On Jan. 27 to 28, MAS is holding their latest festival, "The Idea of Freedom (TIF)."

"We try to hold a major event each fall or Spring and then smaller events throughout the year. This is scheduled to be our main event for 2022," Nan Cekuta, Rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, said.

MAS is creating a new experience to bring artists together to express themselves. TIF is a mix of performance, audience interaction and experiential installation. What is fresh about this event is that artists will be paired up to create new art inspired by the artists and the attendees.

There will be three groups of two artists coming together. During the two-day event, the groups will create two projects. At the end of the festival, the six works will be combined with an attendees' piece, so there will be seven artworks total.

The plan is to experience a journey along with three different spaces. The artists and attendees will have truly up-close experiences with light, sound and most importantly, art.

The event will occur at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 1601 Raeford Road. The event will also be streamable at www.holytrinityfay.org/middlegroundartsseries.

Folks interested in attending can find the schedule for the festival on the Holy Trinity website. MAS will be held from Jan. 27 to 28, from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. each day. Registration for the events is available at holytrinityfay.org/middlegroundartsseries. Donations of $10 per person are recommended, and organizers ask larger groups contribute $3 per person.

“Prove it.”

One of this column’s readers challenged me to back up my recent assertion that characteristics of some Americans could be explained by our connections to certain regions of the British Isles. I was focusing on those who are hardnosed, sometimes rebellious, resistant to direction, suspicious of people in charge, unwilling to give up individual choice to some kind of group direction.

I wrote about the ways in which our ancestors’ folkways still influence us and play a part in the way we act and think today, but the reader was not convinced there was a connection.

My column was sparked by Joe Klein’s article in The New Yorker about a 1989 book, “Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America,” by David Hackett Fischer. Klein says the book explains how “the history of four centuries ago still shapes American culture and politics.”

Many of the early European settlers in North Carolina were what we call Scots-Irish. But they also include emigrants from Ireland and the borderlands of Scotland and England. In these areas for more than seven centuries, there was constant fighting. People had to live in the middle of conflict. No one else was going to provide order and peace.

When they settled in North Carolina and adjoining regions, they brought that culture of violence and resistance to external control to their new homeland.

In his book Fischer writes that these emigrants came from “a society of autonomous individuals who were unable to endure external control and incapable of restraining their rage against anyone who stood in the way.”

He quotes one settler woman: “We never let go of a belief once fixed in our minds.”

So how does Fischer prove that the descendants of the early immigrants from the British border areas are still influenced by where their ancestors came from? He builds his case by detailing the folkways of British border areas and showing how they still exist in sections of America today.

One of those folkways is our way of speaking, the words and phrases we use and how we frame and sound them. He has a term for the way of speaking in our backcountry. He calls it southern highland speech and shows how it is related to the border speech in Britain.

He writes, “This southern highland speech has long been very distinctive for its patterns of pronunciation. It says whar for where, thar for there, hard for hired, critter for creature, sartin for certain, a-goin for going, hit for it, he-it for hit, far for fire, deef for deaf, pizen for poison, nekkid for naked, eetch for itch, boosh for bush, wrassle for wrestle, chaney for china, chaw for chew, poosh for push, shet for shut, ba-it for bat, be-it for be, narrer for narrow, winder for window, widder for widow, and young-uns for young ones.”

Sound familiar?

Once when we were living in Bristol, Tenn.-Va., deep in the Appalachian Mountains, my mother worried that her children would pick up the mountain dialect. As she explained to one of her Atlanta friends, “Up here they say tar for an auto tire. And they say tire for the tar to pave a road.”

Fischer concedes that the southern highland speech used in America today is not exactly the same as that spoken in Britain. But he insists that scholars agree that this language developed from the spoken language of the British border areas. It is the clear ancestor of “a distinctive variety of American speech which still flourishes in the southern highlands of the United States.”

Does this close language connection prove that immigrants from the British border brought not only their special speech ways to the southern highlands, but also their hard-nosed rebellious attitudes?

Maybe not, but the connections are more than a little thought-provoking.

Editor's Note: The content included below was submitted by each candidate to Publisher Bill Bowman, and has only been edited by the production staff for spelling and punctuation.
Publisher's Note: These views are the candidates and their's alone and do not reflect the opinions of our newspaper. Up & Coming Weekly is not endorsing these candidates. These are views from citizens who want to contribute their time and talents to the community.

To Citizens and Residents of Fayetteville: I am a lifelong resident of Fayetteville, having raised my three daughters and built a successful family business here. Other than being a father, son and brother to my siblings, one of my greatest honors is serving as your mayor.

Over the past four years, our city and indeed our country, has faced unprecedented challenges including natural disasters, a global pandemic and social unrest relating to events which unfolded in Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. In addition, Cumberland County has been designated as a Tier 1 county which means that it lags behind the state’s largest cities in terms of the key indicators of quality of life such as unemployment rate and low tax base. If that is not enough, the residents of our city have unfortunately been confronted with baseless allegations about city leaders and private individuals which resulted in another community distraction and diverted our collective attention from the real work we must do to move our city forward.

As has been said before, these are serious times which requires serious solutions. One of my top priorities as mayor has been to strengthen our city through industry recruitment, job creation, higher wages, increased contracting with local and minority-owned businesses, investment in infrastructure and increasing the availability of affordable and workforce housing. My goal has been to be pro-people and pro-business.

In the last four years, more than $250 million in new private investment has been made in Fayetteville and over 2,500 new jobs created. In addition, our city is increasingly becoming a logistics center which supports e-commerce and takes advantage of our strategic proximity to major highway systems and the deep-water shipping ports in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

We have made historic investments to improve our streets, sidewalks, and stormwater systems. I’m particularly proud to have worked closely with the Public Works Commission to facilitate an investment of $70 million for a fiber-optic broadband network serving Fayetteville and also providing broadband internet access to much of Cumberland County.

The city has made unprecedented investments towards ending homelessness and housing affordability. Recently, we broke ground on a new $4 million Homeless Day Center on South King Street which was funded substantially by federal dollars. We also worked very closely with the Fayetteville Metropolitan Housing Authority to create approximately 300 new garden style apartments on Grove Street which presents an attractive gateway to the city. We also supported our seniors with $12 million in funding for new state-of-the-art senior wellness centers.

All of the progress we have made together is reflective of our “Can Do” spirit and our new branding strategy. Along with the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation and other municipal partners, a project to rebrand our city from the old stereotype to our attractive new “Can Do” theme was commissioned and can be seen throughout the city.

We recognize that the city should be safe no matter where you live or work. In response to the national crime trends that are affecting the entire country, we commissioned the Gun Shot Detection software platform which allows city policeman to identify the source of gunshots. We have made significant in public safety infrastructure to reduce our street paving from an average 47-year cycle to 16 years [sic].

While it is true that the last four years has tested our city and the rest of the country, our city has had a good deal of success. I am particularly grateful for the way our city has come together to respond to the unprecedented global pandemic. In this regard, I am urging everyone to remain vigilant and take everyone [sic] precaution to protect your family and neighbors from this unforgiving COVID-19 virus and its variations.

My warmest personal regards, Mitch Colvin, Mayor

Editor's Note: The content included below was submitted by each candidate to Publisher Bill Bowman, and has only been edited by the production staff for spelling and punctuation.
Publisher's Note: These views are the candidates and their's alone and do not reflect the opinions of our newspaper. Up & Coming Weekly is not endorsing these candidates. These are views from citizens who want to contribute their time and talents to the community.

In 1961, Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." This statement rings true even now, 60 years later.

In 2020, COVID-19 descended upon our nation, and at the time, we moved cautiously, many of us willing to follow the guidance of the CDC amidst the uncertainty. But as we learned more about the virus, that it has a 99.75% survivability rate, somehow the restrictions grew tighter, and the mandates began to affect every aspect of our lives.

At the same time, Fayetteville faced riots that ravaged our very own neighborhoods and small businesses. Police were attacked, racial tension reached an all-time high and the citizens of our fair city were more divided than ever.

It seemed our way of life, not only here in Fayetteville but through all of our country, was being turned on its head with no one seeking to set it right. I thought to myself; I could sit idly, grateful that my family was making it through, or I could do everything in my power to make a change for all of Fayetteville. I choose to make a change.

My name is Nyrell Melvin, and I am running for mayor here in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I ask for your vote that we may stand together for the values that make our city great.

Every single American has rights and freedoms granted by God and protected by the Constitution. It is the job of elected officials to protect those rights, not to take them away. Here, today, I stand for your freedoms.

According to the Constitution, I stand for every law-abiding citizen's right to "keep and bear arms." Our neighborhoods have seen a massive increase in violent crimes in the last two years, and Fayetteville citizens need to know that they can protect their homes and families.

I believe strong families are the building block of a thriving community, but the family unit is under attack. The worst attack on the family is abortion, America's greatest injustice of our time.

We've seen injustices cast lasting darkness upon the nation throughout our history, injustices such as slavery. But slavery, unlike abortion, was ultimately abolished, and today we look back in horror at its evils, all while we continue to slaughter nearly 3,000 unborn children every day. If elected, I vow to protect those innocent, defenseless lives, all while working to make adoption more accessible (and affordable) for those in our community who are praying for a child.

I also stand for strengthening and fully funding our local law enforcement. We know that when law enforcement is active and present, neighborhoods are safer. But instead, law enforcement budget cuts and layoffs are destroying many communities in this state in an era of defund the police.

Defunding the police means fewer officers responding to calls, fewer resources to investigate high-level crimes, and fewer neighborhoods with regular patrol to protect the families who live in areas plagued with rampant corruption. Today Fayetteville sees 1,839 violent crimes each year, nearly twice the state average, and it's only getting worse. Our current mayor, city manager and chief of police's crime prevention policies have proven ineffective and are costing families their loved ones.
It's time we recognize the importance and value of our law enforcement and the risks they take every day to keep us safe. If elected, I will continue to work closely with the local law enforcement agencies to stand for truth and justice to provide safe neighborhoods for our children to grow up in.

Part of crime prevention includes a focus on quality and sound education. I will not hesitate to say that I've had a troubled past. As a young man, I attended Tarheel Challenge Academy, a dropout recovery program that helps at-risk youth earn their high school diploma. The academy helped me gain the American values, life skills, education and self-discipline necessary to succeed as a productive citizen.

But today, our public schools are failing to produce productive citizens. In North Carolina, only 57% of public school students have proficiency in English Language Arts, and only 59% have proficiency in math. Meanwhile, educators are spending precious class time teaching white students they are oppressors and teaching black students they are oppressed. I've seen it first hand. They are teaching radical sex education to students as young as kindergarten. Someone once said that "all education is a moral education." Therefore, we must be careful what morals are being taught to our children. That's why we need to get involved with public schools.
If elected, I will continue to work closely with the Cumberland County Board of Education to ensure our kids have the best opportunities to excel in not only reading, writing and arithmetic but also the arts and music, as well as financial literacy. I will work to ensure our children have the knowledge, skills, and values for a prosperous life. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education."

Part of developing true character includes acknowledging our Creator. As a Christian, I found Christ on Easter Sunday in 2014, but it wasn't until I was in a jail cell that my life was radically changed for the better. And whether or not you believe in Christ, it's no secret that America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Our religious heritage is embedded in our coins and in the language of our founding documents. As Reagan said, "If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be one nation gone under."

One of the most outrageous aspects of the COVID lockdowns is the attack on the church. Many of us were told to stop gathering together, stop singing together, stop worshipping together. And more than an attack on our religious freedom, the attack on churches hurt the struggling families and the homeless in our community who rely on the services and support of the local church. Our local churches feed people spiritually and physically at no cost to the taxpayer. When many churches were forced to close or go online, our community was cut off from crucial spiritual and physical resources.

If elected, I will stand for moving forward from tyrannical, authoritarian COVID restrictions. I need you to really understand this with me. We're on year three of "fifteen days to slow the spread," and the goalposts continue to change daily.

To this day, we have no evidence that these lock downs and restrictions have made any difference. Right now, New York, a state with some of the strictest lockdown measures, has eight times the number of COVID cases per 100,000 people than Florida, a state with some of the fewest lockdown measures. We, the people, can see what works and what doesn't.

We cannot continue decimating our economy for a virus with a 99.75% survival rate, a virus with an average age of fatality that is higher than the average life expectancy, a virus that already has an established and easily accessible vaccine. I stand for moving from COVID restrictions to restore Fayetteville citizens' God-given and God-granted freedoms, which are Constitutionally protected.

If you choose to elect me as your mayor, I can promise you this one thing that I will wake up every single day fighting for these causes and more.

I will never give up on our future because I firmly believe that we can move forward together as one when we come together as Americans. John F. Kennedy once said, "United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do — for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder." And it's time for us to move forward from covid to make a better Fayetteville for tomorrow!

Again, my name is Nyrell Melvin, I stand with Fayetteville, and I am running to be your mayor. I would be honored to earn your vote. May God bless you, and May God bless America. Thank You!

Editor's Note: The content included below was submitted by each candidate to Publisher Bill Bowman, and has only been edited by the production staff for spelling and punctuation.
Publisher's Note: These views are the candidates and their's alone and do not reflect the opinions of our newspaper. Up & Coming Weekly is not endorsing these candidates. These are views from citizens who want to contribute their time and talents to the community.

Well, since I have decided to run for the Mayor of Fayetteville, I should introduce myself. I was born in Germany in 1966 of Italian and Greek descent. I lived there with my brother and sisters until an American family adopted my older sister and I. My dad was third-generation U.S. Army and proudly serving our great nation, and luckily he got stationed at Fort Bragg. I fell in love with Fayetteville. I graduated from E.E. Smith High School and attended college in Indiana to be closer to my family. However, I found myself drawn back to the Tar Heel state and returned to Fayetteville. Once back, I attended Campbell University and followed my father's footsteps by enlisting in the U.S. Army, where I served with the 82nd Airborne Division and 7th Special Forces Group[(Airborne)].

While still serving at Fort Bragg, I joined West Area Fire Station 15 and have been a firefighter for 33 years. My children were born and raised here, and I currently own and operate several Fayetteville businesses. I can't imagine living anywhere else. I love this city and feel it is vitally important to take an active role in it. I have been president of the Aaron Lakes West and Wells Place Community Watch, Vice-Chair for the Fayetteville/Cumberland Human Relations Commission, where I'm presently serving as a commissioner. I'm past Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Council and work with many veteran groups and local non-profit organizations. All in an attempt to make life better for Fayetteville and Cumberland County citizens. We help and support each other, and it's what neighbors do. I want to provide Fayetteville with common sense leadership, transparency, more and better services, and fluid communications between City Hall and our citizens. I believe we need "A Fayetteville for the People."

I want to be the peoples' mayor. I am running on a platform based on what the people want:

Public Safety: Fayetteville has experienced a record-setting crime rate since 2016. The city's 2021 homicide rate is at record levels at 48 during 2021, up from the previous record of 32 in 2016, while other various crimes continue to rise dramatically. The brazen murder of an unarmed motorcyclist during an altercation last week [Jan. 1 to 8] on Skibo Road and the recent shooting and death of Jason Walker on Bingham Drive are only two very dire examples of how 2022 is starting.

Traffic in Fayetteville is horrendous and dangerous in Fayetteville for both passengers and pedestrians. Traffic citations and stops have fallen from approximately 70,000 per month to about 22,000 in 2021. Yes, there is a shortage of law enforcement officers patrolling our streets, and it is the police officer's instruction to stand down and ignore minor infractions. This is why we have too many unlicensed off-road ATVs and dirt bikes speeding in and out of traffic on the city's busiest streets, pulling wheelies, darting in and out of traffic, and knowingly and wantonly disregarding the law and putting our citizens in great danger. Unpunished minor crimes, beget more enormous crimes. I will work with all Law Enforcement agencies in providing them with the tools needed to properly "serve and protect" Fayetteville citizens.

Economic Development: I know that top industry businesses would like to set up shop in Fayetteville. We must provide them decent incentives to locate here. We need to make it easy to do business here. This will give us high-paying jobs and a solid tax base. I will work with the Fayetteville Economic Development team to do whatever it takes to bring these companies to Fayetteville.

Education: (Work Experience Education) Training and teaching our citizens the proper skills needed to land one of these higher paying jobs is necessary for showing our citizens that we care and want them to succeed. I will work with Fayetteville officials, the Chamber of Commerce, F[ayetteville ]T[echnical] C[ommunity] C[ollege,] and other local organizations to ensure that Fayetteville has a fighting chance to land these jobs.

City Beautification: Not long ago, we achieved, for the third time, All American City status. Fayetteville was recognized for being clean and beautiful. We need to be proud of our city. A clean city is a reflection of its citizens. I will work together with the Fayetteville Beautiful organization to bring that beauty back to our city.
I know this is a huge platform for any candidate. Yet, anyone who loves this community knows that these are the issues of most significant concern and should be the highest priority. They are my highest priority. This is why I am asking for your vote [and] support.

"A Fayetteville for the People"

Franco Webb for Mayor of Fayetteville

Editor's Note: The content included below was submitted by each candidate to Publisher Bill Bowman, and has only been edited by the production staff for spelling and punctuation.
Publisher's Note: These views are the candidates and their's alone and do not reflect the opinions of our newspaper. Up & Coming Weekly is not endorsing these candidates. These are views from citizens who want to contribute their time and talents to the community.

Cooler Heads Must Prevail: The shootings that took place this week [Jan. 1 to 8] in Fayetteville are indeed tragedies and should be handled as such.
There are no words that will comfort the families and loved one[s] of the two men who were shot and killed on our streets this week [Jan. 1 to 8], and our hearts go out to the families! Our city is saddened and heartbroken!

It is also saddening to see just how quickly some so-called leaders in this city, even faith leaders have jumped to fan the racial flames. They call for peace while giving inflammatory speeches and posting dog whistles on their time lines.

They call for peace publicly but secretly advocate for war. They publicly pray to the God of Heaven while privately hoping that all hell breaks loose.

This city has been through enough, and the last thing that we need are “leaders” who will see these tragedies to capitalize on hate and division. We need LEADERS who will bring this city together!

If we are going to be “America’s Can Do City” we have to first be “America’s Can Do Better City.”

We must be that city on a hill; we must be that beacon of light that the rest of the nation looks to when the seas are raging, the pressure is high, and the fires of hate and division are being fanned.

Fayetteville, we are a city of hope, passion, compassion, faith and prayer. We are a city that understand the importance on coming together. We cannot allow hate traffickers and race-baiters to activate their divisive agenda and further tear our city apart.

The wolves are howling, the vultures are circling, and the sharks are going in for the kill, but we must be the true gatekeepers of peace that we are called to be.

We mourn these tragic losses of life, and we pray the comfort of God for the families left behind.

Let us seek justice through peace, not through war. And let us resist the urge to hate. Let us come together in prayer and let us seek God for guidance!

We have an opportunity before to show the nation and the world what “can do” really looks like, and I know that we can do it.

Let us Lead Fayetteville Forward. TOGETHER

Thank you, God bless you, May God bless the city of Fayetteville, the families of those we’ve lost, and may God continue to bless the United States of America

Editor's Note: The content included below was submitted by each candidate to Publisher Bill Bowman, and has only been edited by the production staff for spelling and punctuation.
Publisher's Note: These views are the candidates and their's alone and do not reflect the opinions of our newspaper. Up & Coming Weekly is not endorsing these candidates. These are views from citizens who want to contribute their time and talents to the community.

I am Efrain "Freddie" de la Cruz, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and Mayoral Candidate for Fayetteville. This is my assessment of the crime and law enforcement situation in our "Can Do" city. First, you need to know that I served over thirty-two years in the U.S. Army and have more than twenty-eight years of experience as a military police officer. Five years of that was spent in an active combat zone, an experience that qualifies me to understand why Fayetteville is struggling with rising homicide and crime rates and how poor leadership within the Fayetteville Police Department is festering and fostering discontent, low morale and subsequently, a scandalous deficit of quality law enforcement officers.

I am a battle-tested proven leader that understands what needs to be done to curtail crime and keep our citizens safe. The crime statistics speak for themselves: Record-setting murder rate in 2021, with the first couple weeks of 2022 out to surpass that. Fayetteville does not need to be the murder capital of North Carolina. There are no easy solutions, but I strongly believe that petty crimes, property damage and murders can be significantly curtailed by allowing our Fayetteville police officers to do their job and enforce the law. When you let the people openly and without consequence break the law by rioting, looting and dangerously ignoring and violating local traffic laws, we create an environment of lawlessness. And, that is what we are currently witnessing in our city.

Recently, the Fayetteville Ethics Commission dismissed all the allegations of misconduct against Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins. Sad. She is the dark cloud hanging over the entire Fayetteville Police Department. Public safety is the mainstay of my campaign to run for mayor of Fayetteville. Of course, I believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty; however, the toxic environment in the police department and the dysfunctional makeup of our City Council all speak for themselves. As mayor, I would encourage Fayetteville citizens to replace the current leadership. As your mayor, I would strongly recommend that the City Manager fire Gina Hawkins and replace her with a chief of police with integrity and an impeccable record in law enforcement.

Regarding the recent senseless shooting of Jason Walker by off-duty Cumberland County deputy Lt. Jeffery Hash, my sympathies are with both families. Now, we must allow the official investigation of the incident to determine the case's fate. I'm confident the assigned agencies will do a thorough and fair investigation, and justice will be dispersed according to the laws of North Carolina. Justice and peace work hand and hand [sic]. I ask that everyone pray for unity, our community and the future of our great City of Fayetteville. Thank you, and I would appreciate your support and vote for Mayor of Fayetteville.

Thousands of veterans commit suicide every year in the United States. In 2019, the suicide rate for Veterans was 52.3% higher than non-veterans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. This hits close to home as Cumberland County is home to more than 60,000 veterans.

Agora Productions Music Company, a local company that produces live music shows at a local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, will be hosting a benefit concert to raise funds for 22 Until None.

22 Until None is a non-profit that assists these veterans, and is looking to raise money to help give financial emergency assistance as well as help with Veteran's Affair's benefits and other services to veterans who need it.

The goal for Agora Productions is to raise $5,000 for the non-profit.

Chris McHargue is the ambassador of Tarheel Chapter of 22 Until None. He helps host chapter meetings at VFW Post 670. He says the main goal for 22 Until None is to help the immediate needs for local veterans in crisis.

“We handle the immediate crisis needs that a lot of charities can’t do because it takes a long time for approval and things like that,” McHargue said. “Then we follow-up after the crisis and ask, what got you at this point and what can we do to help you from getting to this point again?”

Wade B, Bubba Sparxxx, Race Taylor Music Group, Erikka, Lane Ward, Krackle Capone and Emmy Nominated artist TONE-z will be performing at the concert. Many of the artists are country acoustic artists or country-rap artists.

Gary Fisher, the promoter of Agora Productions, says the show will not only feature great music, but it will also be helping a good cause.

“I think it’s really good for veterans or soldiers to come to VFW or places like this because they can talk to people that have gone through the same thing that they have,” Fisher said. “Sometimes just talking to somebody and seeing somebody that’s gone through it and can tell you how they went through or are dealing with it, can be a really good thing.”

The concert will be featuring the local chapters of 22 Until None and the Veterans Suicide Awareness and Prevention Series, who will have resources available to veterans who come to the concert.

22Klicks Food Truck will also be at the event for people who want to purchase food.

Outside of the sponsors, the tickets, and the fundraiser Agora Productions is hosting, they will also be having two types of raffles to help raise money for the non-profit.

Fisher says this is an all-ages show and is open for the public to attend.

The concert will take place at VFW Post 670, 3928 Doc Bennett Road, on Feb. 3. Pre-sale tickets are $15 while tickets at the door are $20. Only 250 tickets will be available.

Doors to the concert will open at 6 p.m. and the live performances will start at 7 p.m.

Tickets can be bought online at https://theticketing.co/events/22untilnonebenefit.

Dr. Larry Keen, president of Fayetteville Technical Community College for nearly 15 years, announced that he plans to retire next year.

Keen joined FTCC as the College’s president in August of 2007, succeeding Dr. Larry Norris, who retired after ten years.

“To say this is bittersweet would be an understatement,” Keen wrote in a letter to the FTCC’s Board of Trustees.

He thanked the board “for the incredible opportunity” to have served as FTCC’s fourth president and said the College is financially secure, academically strong and dedicated to continuous improvement.

Keen said he plans to continue to work hard until he retires.

"I'll be with you for another year," he told the board. "If anyone expects me to be a lame duck, they're expecting the wrong thing."

David Williford, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said Keen will be missed when he leaves.

"It is with great sadness that we hear this news," Williford said. "We appreciate your knowledge and your leadership. We wish you the very best."

The City of Fayetteville held a community meeting last week to discuss a plan that will expand the downtown footprint beyond Hay Street. Over 100 people attended the Zoom-only meeting to discuss the Downtown Urban Design Plan.

The City Council adopted the plan in February 2020 to guide development in the downtown area.

The main initiatives talked about during the meeting were creating a downtown district and fostering downtown living.

“What our plan calls for is those six districts to be consolidated into two,” Craig Harmon, a senior planner, said. “You’ll have a Downtown 1 district, which is basically what our downtown district is now, and then a Downtown 2 district that hopes to stretch the downtown off of that. Within these boundaries, we have everything from residential to office to commercial to industrial.”

Each district has different zoning standards. By turning the six districts into two districts, the city can provide more consistency in the types of businesses and licensures available downtown.

For example, sexually-oriented businesses, principal-use parking lots and private golf courses would not be allowed in the two new districts. Right now, they are allowed in at least one of the smaller districts that are currently set up.

“The main thing that this rezoning is looking to do is help with one, cohesiveness, and, two, some predictability for property owners,” Harmon said.

Alicia Moore, another senior planner for the city, says they want to focus on the walkability and living of the downtown area and the main way to do that is to focus on businesses that serve people who can walk there.

“Another way that we support downtown as a holistic, complete neighborhood is by building on its existing draw as a destination for restaurants and other activities that you enjoy and then leave, and rounding it out with more housing options to encourage more people to live there and by supporting more everyday commercial activities,” Moore said.

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on zoning text changes on March 22 and then the Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on map changes on April 12. City Council will hold a public hearing on all the changes on May 23.

The emergency rental assistance program in Cumberland County will start again now that the board has accepted $1,773,457.20 from the U.S. Treasury. However, that didn't come without discussion.

Innovative Emergency Management, the contractor who helps administer funds for the ERAP program, asked the board to amend their contract. Instead of receiving 8% for administrative costs and other services, they are now asking for a maximum of 25%. Fifteen percent will go towards administrative fees, and 10% will go towards case management.

Cumberland County Commissioner Jimmy Keefe expressed concern with the increased costs.

"I think the rental emergency program is good," Keefe said. "But I will stand by that I believe that 25% of $1.7 million, which is $450,000, going to administration of this program is not in the best interest and not good for stewardship of this money because that's $450,000 that could possibly help a lot of people and their rent."

Five board members — Board Chairman Glenn Adams and commissioners Larry Lancaster, Jeannette Council and Toni Stewart — voted in favor. Three commissioners — Charles Evans, Michael Boose, and Keefe — voted against.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners is moving forward to continue discussions about a multipurpose center — but now they will do so with a project manager.

The center is expected to be approximately 89,000 square feet, hold a maximum capacity of 2,500 for large events, and cost anywhere from $75 million to $80 million.

The county would like construction to start by the end of 2023 with a planned opening by 2025 — preferably on Oct. 1.

The Board of Commissioners will now start the negotiation process with MBP Carolinas, Inc. Once there is a drafted contract, it will be presented to the Board for review and approval.
MBP Carolinas, Inc. will be in charge of the site selection, assist with securing a contractor, architect and various sub-contractors, manage project accounting and coordinate the procurement of owner furnished equipment and materials.

The location for the center is undecided; however, it will be in Fayetteville. The county hopes the center will host various events, including concerts, comedy shows, family shows, theater, Broadway performances and other local and regional performances.

Commissioner Michael Boose was the only one who voted against the approval, saying that he would rather see a couple of consensus contracts as he and other commissioners have not overseen the building of a performing arts center before. He does not want to be taken advantage of by one company.

A few weeks ago, I penned an editorial about how our local Cumberland County State Legislators have set an excellent example for local City and County officials on how teamwork and cooperation net big dividends for all residents of our community.

Well, that message was again heard loud and clear on Jan. 13, when the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce hosted a community-wide "thank you" reception for our delegation at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum. And rightfully so. Our Legislative Delegation under Chairman Rep. Billy Richardson's leadership passed North Carolina's first budget since 2018. Working together, Richardson, Sen. Kirk deViere, Sen. Ben Clark,

Rep. John Szoka, Rep. Diane Wheatley, and Rep. Marvin Lucas brought an unprecedented $412 million back to Fayetteville and Cumberland County. For this, we are truly grateful! $412 million, which will improve the quality of life for every citizen in our community.

Fayetteville's future is bright, with plenty of economic potential and opportunity for growth. But only if we have competent and responsible leadership with vision. Leadership who appreciates the value of negotiation, compromise, teamwork and communication. As a media source and your local community newspaper, we will continue to do our part by providing the space in print and online to any citizen, candidate or elected official to speak directly to the Fayetteville and Cumberland County community. No exceptions! In this edition, there are several letters from Fayetteville mayoral candidates expressing their views, concerns and insights about their vision for the city. These views are theirs and theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of our newspaper. Up & Coming Weekly is not endorsing these candidates. These are views from citizens who want to contribute their time and talents to the community. We welcome and encourage this type of communication. Again, our publication is open and available to all citizens.

Remember, $412 million didn't just happen; it resulted from hard work, compromise, communication and teamwork.

Our Cumberland County Legislative Delegation set the example. Now, all we have to do is follow it.

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly!

By the time this column appears to leave yet another stain on world literature, it will be almost the end of January. By then, most people's New Year's Resolutions will be ghosts in the rear-view mirror fading off into the lost horizon of good intentions. January was named after the two-headed Roman god Janus. Janus was the Roman term for an archway or a ceremonial gateway. In other words, it was a way to go in and out. At the beginning of the Roman calendar, Janus had two heads, one looking backward and one looking forward. The Romans watched the old year go away while seeing the New Year come trundling along on the other side of the archway. Hence the term, two heads are better than one. It did mean that Janus had to double his budget for hats as opposed to ordinary one-headed gods. But being a god, his credit was good.

What can we say about the month of January? Is there anything worth pondering about our fleeting first month? Funny, you should ask. You have certainly heard the old saying, "Slow as molasses in January." Well, like Sporting Life once sang in "Porgy and Bess," "It ain't necessarily so." Hop right into Mr. Peabody's Way Back Machine and take a ride on the Reading to January 15, 1919 to Boston, Massachusetts. The day began like any other January day, a bit warmer than most, but nothing way out of the ordinary. The workers at the U.S. Industrial Alcohol factory worked to produce molasses for the hungry masses yearning to eat highly sweetened pancakes. The International House of Pancakes was not invented until 1958. IHOP bears no responsibility for what happened in Boston in 1919.

So, what did happen in 1919 that undermines that statement about being slow as molasses in January? Well, listen, my children, and you shall hear of the Noon-time Great Boston Molasses Flood. To paraphrase Scatman Carruthers in "The Shining:" "A lot of things have happened in Boston, and not all of them were good." The factory in question produced massive amounts of molasses. It was right before lunch when all heck or, more aptly, all molasses broke loose. The workers were loading molasses into freight cars to tickle America's sweet tooth. The molasses was stored in an almost six-story high tank containing about 2.5 million gallons of hot molasses. That is a mega amount of molasses.

In the wink of an eye, something went very wrong. The bolts holding the bottom of the six-story vat of molasses gave up the ghost. The bolts blew out like the bottom of the Titanic meeting its fateful iceberg. News reports say an 8-foot-tall wall of hot molasses spewed out of the bottom of the vat, knocking freight cars, men, and the building walls over like a hungry 350-pound man lunging for crab legs at an all you can eat seafood buffet at Myrtle Beach. Once the molasses escaped the building, it poured into the streets of Boston, destroying a nearby firehouse and knocking down the supports of the elevated train track. Twenty-one people and multiple horses died in the flood of molasses.

Foreshadowing of the modern-day flood of lawyer ads on Cablevision, over 100 lawsuits were filed against the U.S. Industrial Alcohol. The name Industrial Alcohol does not make me think of butterflies and unicorns. It sounds more like Everclear's evil twin. For those of you who have never consumed Everclear, allow me to proffer some medical advice, don't break your record of abstention. But I digress. Boston took weeks to clean its streets of molasses. One can only imagine the delightful task of policing up the corpses of molasses-soaked horses stuck to the roads. The mind boggles. Ultimately State Auditor, the Honorable Hugh W. Ogden, was appointed by the court to sort out all the claims against the U.S. Industrial Alcohol. Mr. Ogden decided the U.S. Industrial Alcohol was at fault due to the poor construction of the molasses vat. The company was ordered to pay almost $1 million to the plaintiffs.

So, what have we learned today? As usual, not much. However, we should be careful not to believe all general statements, not even this one. Not all molasses is slow in January. An 8-foot wall of hot molasses by any other name would smell as sweet. As far as the Boston attorneys were concerned, the Great Molasses Flood was a financial bonanza. They latched onto the molasses like flies on poop, reaping financial rewards that illustrated Shakespeare's quote in "As You Like It:" "Sweet are the uses of adversity, which like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head."

Shall we compare an 8-foot-wall of boiling molasses to a toad wearing a jewel in his head? Why not? I would rather see a toad wearing a jewel than an 8-foot wall of hot molasses bearing down. Not everything makes sense. Once you grasp that concept, it all makes sense. If the glove fits, you must acquit — so long January. See you next year.

With a shortage of new housing construction inflating home prices across North Carolina in recent months, one community took steps Monday that could alleviate that trend for local would-be homebuyers.  

Up to 250 houses could be built in far northeast Fayetteville after the City Council unanimously approved an annexation request, allowing the land for the potential development to receive city utilities.

Located just under 2 miles northeast of city limits on Ramsey Street and south of the Tractor Road, the 117-acre, noncontiguous plot is now zoned for single-family residential housing.

The developer intends to use the land for a low-density, single-family residential subdivision.

“We love to grow the tax base; we need homes,” Mayor Mitch Colvin said. 

The annexation is effective immediately.

Increased supply lowers costs

In 2021, the median sales price of a single-family home in Cumberland County was $185,000, up from $156,000, an increase of over 18%, according to listing data from Longleaf Pine Realtors.

For new construction, like that approved by the council Monday, the median price was more than $284,000 in 2021, increasing by more than 9% from the previous year.

Increased home prices are part of a nationwide trend seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

A study by government-backed lender Freddie Mac last year found that nationwide, the housing market faces a shortage of 3.8 million units. Much like other markets, the low supply drives up costs.

The study credited the shortage to rising demand for homes during the pandemic and a long-term decline in new construction of single-family houses.

With 250 homes set to be built in the newly annexed land, that would amount to nearly half of the 575 new single-family homes listed in 2021 in Cumberland County, according to Longleaf Pine Realtors. The year before, 609 new homes were listed.

Of the 575 new houses listed last year, 454 closed before year’s end. That’s down more than 27% from the 623 homes that closed in Cumberland County in 2020. However, the difference doesn’t come from a drop in demand, but a substantial decrease in new home construction last year. The annexed property stands to potentially reverse that construction trend in early 2022.

Like the rest of North Carolina and the entire country, demand for housing is increasing in Cumberland County.

In 2021, Cumberland buyers closed on over 5,760 existing single-family homes, an increase of nearly 17% from 2020.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has placed 8,500 U.S. service members on alert amid Russia's continuing provocations along its border with Ukraine.

While the units that are on alert have not been identified, Fort Bragg's own 82nd Airborne Division is an Immediate Response Force - a rapid reaction force that is available to deploy at any given moment. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby announced Monday that they would release the details of which units are on standby once personnel and their families are informed.

"The Immediate Response Force is always prepared to go anywhere," Lt. Col. Brett Lea, a spokesperson for the 82nd Airborne Division told Up & Coming Weekly. "We are always on standby."

Fort Bragg officials have referred Up & Coming Weekly to the Secretary of Defense's office, and no response on whether troops at Fort Bragg are on the list of units put on alert has been given at this time. However, an announcement from the Office of the Secretary of Defense is expected later today or tomorrow, according to Fort Bragg officials.

What units are affected will be released once personnel and their families are informed, Kirby told the press Monday evening.

"I'm sure there are personnel readiness things that they have to do," Kirby said in the press conference. "That again is one of the reasons why I'm not giving units today. The units are getting notified, and we want to also give them time to talk about this with their families – this potential deployment order."

Passes and leave for service members on standby have been revoked.

Instead of having ten days to deploy, the units will need to deploy in five days.

"They will have to make whatever preparations they feel they need to make to be able to meet that five-day commitment," Kirby said.

Kirby said the order highlights America's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and its common defense. If that group is activated, the 8,500 troops are based in the United States and would be part of the NATO Response Force. The American forces would be in addition to the significant combat-capable U.S. forces already established in Europe.

"Secretary Austin has placed a range of units in the United States on a heightened preparedness to deploy, which increases our readiness to provide forces if NATO should activate the N[ATO]RF or if other situations develop," Kirby said.

If the NATO force is activated, Austin's order will allow the United States to rapidly deploy additional brigade combat teams, along with units specializing in logistics, medical, aviation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, transportation and more, he said.

"Again, I want to reinforce that as of now, the decision has been made to put these units on higher alert and higher alert only," Kirby said. "No decisions have been made to deploy any forces from the United States at this time."

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(DoD photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley/Released)