It appears that Cumberland County Commissioners and Fayetteville City Council members are about to take on fighting poverty as a priority in the year ahead, and beyond. Local government and school board members often refer to budgetary needs not being met because ours is a “low wealth community.” Councilman Kirk deViere says his wake-up call came when he began campaigning for the District 2 council seat he now holds. The district is comprised of some of the poorest and wealthiest neighborhoods in Fayetteville. He found that three of the city’s six economically distressed census tracts are in District 2.
Coincidentally, newly-named County Commission Chairman Glenn Adams also acknowledged poverty in Cumberland County during his acceptance speech in early December. He said it’s important for the board “to discuss and bring action to the issue of poverty because poverty involves everyone’s lives. This issue must be addressed head-on in the next year; we cannot and will not be afraid to be a great community,” he declared.
The census tracts deViere represents that are among the poorest in Fayetteville include Massey Hill, Downtown/Hillsboro Street and Old Wilmington Road. District 2 also includes parts of Haymount and the “gold coast” near Highland Country Club. In a report to City Council deViere identified five major indicators of wealth or the lack of it: Segregation, income inequality, school quality, social capital and family structure.
Using census data, he found that one in four Fayetteville residents lives in poverty. Annual income of $24,300 is the poverty level for a family of four. The 2016 federal poverty level is used to calculate eligibility for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. DeViere found that Cumberland County is dead last among the U.S. 100 largest economic centers in earnings potential for children growing up in poverty; that single mothers represent 67.5 percent of local residents living below the poverty line; that 23.6 percent of impoverished residents are African American; 20.5 percent are Hispanic. “When we take action to change economic inequalities, we will change lives,” deViere said. Following a 15-minute presentation to City Council, his colleagues voted unanimously to begin the process of learning more about aligning the community to address poverty.
Adams contends that as the issue of poverty is discussed, the murder rate in our community must also be addressed. The City of Fayetteville recorded the highest number of homicides in its history last year, 31. Eighty-seven individuals charged with murder are awaiting trial in the county jail “and a large number of those are black men killing black men,” Adams noted. “We cannot put our heads in the sand and act like this is not a problem,” he said in his Dec. 5 address.
Both officials recognize that coming to grips with poverty will make Fayetteville and Cumberland County a more desirable place for youth to stay, local college graduates to return home and make the community more attractive to business and entrepreneurs. DeViere calls the process “pathways for prosperity.”

It’s not often that Fayetteville is discussed in the same context with New York and Chicago. The Big Apple and the Windy City rank at the bottom of a new analysis of municipal fiscal strength, while Fayetteville is near the top. The Fiscal Times report of the financial health of 116 U.S. cities with populations over 200,000 was based primarily on data from 2015 financial reports issued by the cities themselves. The Fiscal Times is a digital news analysis and opinion publication based in New York City and Washington, D.C. It says it focuses on how fiscal policy affects business and consumers and how business and consumer behavior influences government fiscal policy.
Chicago’s has a large amount of outstanding debt and underfunded pension plans. New York City also carries a very heavy debt burden. The city’s comptroller reports that new York’s per capita debt greatly exceeds that of all other large U.S. cities, and is even 50 percent higher than that of Chicago. Six of the top 10 cities were in California, led by Irvine which scored a perfect 100. The Fiscal Times gave Fayetteville a score of 89, ranking the city 8th best in the nation. “It’s because of our strong fiscal health, we are able to look at future economic development projects like the downtown stadium,” said Mayor Nat Robertson. “To maintain our solid fiscal policy, we not only keep an eye on what we spend, we spend it like it was our own money,” he added.
Five other North Carolina cities had scores of 70 or above. Durham came in as 13th. Greensboro was 21st. Charlotte and Raleigh were 56th and 57th respectively, and Winston Salem ranked 64th. The online news service said any score higher than 70 could reasonably be interpreted as a level of fiscal health sufficient to justify a AAA credit rating, the highest possible. “We are very pleased to be recognized nationally, and also with the highest ranking in the state,” said Cheryl Spivey, the city’s Chief Financial Officer. This “is an indicator of how well-managed our funds are,” she added.
The City of Fayetteville has been recognized consistently for its management of financial affairs. It received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for fiscal year 2016 and Certificates of Excellence in Financial Reporting for Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports for fiscal years 2006 through 2015. State and local governments that receive over $750,000 in federal funds are required to file audited financial statements no later than nine months after their fiscal year end. Federal government financial accounting procedures also require cities to report all long-term obligations.
The Fiscal Times weighted scoring system is based on a 100-point scale, using five factors: Here are the details of Fayetteville’s fiscal health:

General Fund Balance as a Percentage of General Fund Expenditures 47.42 percent.
Long Term Obligations as a Percentage of Total Revenues 71.61 percent
Actuarially Required Pension Contributions as a Percentage of Total Revenues 2.16 percent
Change in Unemployment Rate 0.20 percent
Change in Home Prices -2.23 percent
Fiscal Health Score 89
Implied Bond Ratin gAAA

The analysis was authored by Marc Joffe, Director of Policy Research for the California Policy Center. He has written for the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, the Reason Foundation and the Haas Institute at UC Berkeley. Previously, he was a senior director at Moody’s Analytics.

The early January snow storm disrupted scheduled oral arguments before the North Carolina Supreme Court. Mario McNeill’s lawyers were to ask that his convictions for the 2009 rape and murder of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis be thrown out. The cases set for review this month were carried over to mid-February. McNeill’s hearing has not been reset. McNeill, 36, was convicted by a Cumberland County Superior Court jury in May 2013 and sentenced to death by the same jury. The little girl was reported missing from her Fayetteville home by her mother, Antoinette Davis. Davis sold Shaniya to McNeill to pay off a $200 debt. She was sentenced to serve at least 17 years in prison for second-degree murder, human trafficking of a minor and other charges.
Volunteer searchers eventually found the child’s body in a wooded area off N.C. Highway 87 near the Lee-Harnett County line. Searchers and their dogs had passed by the area without finding the girl’s remains until McNeill’s lawyers told police where to look. And that’s the crux of his new attorney’s appeal, reports the Associated Press. The lawyers contend his conviction was all but assured when McNeill’s lawyers told authorities where to find Shaniya’s body, the hope being that prosecutors would go easier on him. McNeill professed his innocence... insisting that he did not kill the child. At trial, he told judge Jim Ammons that he didn’t want anyone to speak on his behalf during his sentencing. Saying he fully understood that he could be sentenced to death, McNeill said, “My goal was freedom. I lost my freedom. What does it matter after that?” He presented no defense during his 12-day trial. Ammons said “You understand you are completely and totally tying your lawyers’ hands?” Defense attorney Terry Alford said McNeill instructed him not to participate in the sentencing hearing or offer any closing. District Attorney Billy West pressed the case without concessions and McNeill was convicted of first degree murder, kidnapping, rape, human trafficking of a minor, sexual servitude of a minor and taking indecent liberties with a child.
Jurors took two days to determine his guilt, handing down the death sentence. The jury deliberated less than 40 minutes before deciding that McNeill should die for suffocating the 5-year-old. “I submit to you, without hesitation, that the only punishment appropriate in this case – for these crimes – is the death penalty,” Assistant District Attorney Robby Hicks said in his closing argument. Under North Carolina law, a jury’s unanimous decision is binding on the presiding judge.
The Supreme Court could throw out McNeil’s conviction on the grounds his initial legal assistance was ineffective and ruined his claim of innocence, McNeill’s lawyers said. North Carolina hasn’t executed any of the 150 convicted killers on death row because of various legal challenges. Condemned killers get automatic reviews of their cases by the state Supreme Court

For once, some of our elected public servants are looking out for your safety, welfare and even your tax dollars instead of their own political fiefdoms.

I’m talking about the Fayetteville City Council and the uber politically motivated Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. Both governing bodies are looking to provide citizens (aka taxpayers) with a more efficient and cost-effective emergency 911 service.

What started as a discussion several years ago to co-locate Fayetteville’s and Cumberland County’s independently-operated call centers for the sake of space has morphed into a full marriage proposal for the city and county’s 911 service.

The city and county this past June even signed an “engagement” agreement, a joint resolution they call it. The agreement supports a “continued collaboration on the development of a joint 911 and emergency operations center.”

The initial catalyst for looking to move in together is that city and county call centers are cramped and expansion for improved services is a no go. Also, working in the cramped environment doesn’t bode well for optimum efficiency.

So, the city and county did what all government agencies do, they hired a consultant: Mission Critical Partners, experts in public safety planning. They’re a Pennsylvania company with an office in Raleigh.

Mission Critical Partners, or MCP, assessed the feasibility of co-locating and then merging the two operations. It presented its findings to the City/County Liaison Committee in February.

The City/County Liaison Committee brings together city and county elected people and their respective senior staff to parley about issues affecting both sides.

Here’s what MCP had to say:

•Current 911 facilities are outdated

•There’s no room to expand operations

•It’s not efficient to work in those facilities

•Putting new technology in old facilities creates new problems

Also, both centers are not survivable if a major disaster should occur in those locations. The city’s well-run utility, the Fayetteville Public Works Commission, learned that lesson during Hurricane Matthew.

And here’s what MCP said the city and county need to do:

•First, get together and create a committee … it’s what governments do

•Decide on where you want to put a new facility

•Figure out how to pay for it

•Apply for a hefty grant from the state’s NC911 Board

The consultant recommended two places to put a new facility: the as yet empty Cedar Creek Business Park owned by the county or on property located off Fields Road and owned by the City.

Based on those recommendations, city and county moved forward and established their executive steering committee. It includes members of both governing boards, their senior management team, their respective lawyers (got to have lawyers), their money people and people actually doing the public safety work.

The “agreement to cooperate” signed in June by Mayor Nat Robertson and then County Board of Commission Chair Marshall Faircloth says a combined 911 call center would improve efficiency, improve the flow of communications among first responders, and would reduce maintenance costs.

And, combining the two centers, according to the agreement, would allow people operating the center to advance to a higher level of service. The idea sounds so appealing that even Fort Bragg’s Garrison Command may want in.

I tried contacting someone in the know about next steps but was directed to the city’s and county’s public relations people. They responded to my email requests but I didn’t get a chance to follow up personally. So, while the information is good, I can’t attribute it to any one person in particular.

Here’s what is happening next. The city and county “Task Force” will submit a grant application to the North Carolina 911 Board in the spring, hoping for money sometime in the fall.

Exact savings as a result of the merger is not yet discernible but expect “efficiencies in a number of different administrative and operational areas.” 

But everything good does cost money. So, initial costs estimates are a cool $30 million for the “facility, technology, furnishings and other critical infrastructure.”

As a member of the Cape Fear River Assembly Board with lifelong involvement in agriculture, the land and water, the title of this little piece is very important to me.

Matthew visited us in October 2016. It was preceded about a week by heavy ground-saturating rain. The damaging wind came and went in about a day or so, but we are still dealing with the impacts of storm water from the combination of events. Hurricane Floyd came in 1999 with less damaging wind inland but an almost identical pattern of preceding rainfall and huge combined storm water damage. Some places such as Princeville and parts of Lumberton may never return after those two mostly storm water events.

We often talk about 100 year or 500 year storms, or 100-year 24-hour rainfall events, etc., without quantification of either. A 100-year rain event is one that is 1 percent likely to happen during any year (once every 100 years). There is no set amount of rain to qualify. It means nothing!

So, what did we learn? Apparently not enough! In Fayetteville, are there not some residential areas that were built in what could be or should be considered “flood plains,” (or maybe not even considered?) and thus suffered major damage? Or areas such as Rayconda, which watched its access road disappear with the dam that washed out because of lack of planning for storm water management from paved areas at the new VA hospital site? And there is to be more development in the VA area that will make the problem worse. And there are more examples.

I was much involved in the aftermath of Floyd and its impact on agriculture in eastern N.C. and saw recurrences of that again with Matthew. It took me back to my hometown of Westfield, Mass., when we had 18.3 inches of rain on August 20, 1955, as a result of hurricane Diane. There was virtually NO wind damage but a devastating impact of storm water. I saw it up close and personal. Westfield did not have a storm water plan, but they do now!

There is rumor of either the existence of a (soon to be released?) storm water plan for Fayetteville. And there may well one somewhere. But how many residents have seen it? And how much public input was there in its development? And if there is one, how often is it used in making siting location decisions for developing or paving a plot of open space? Is the plan current if it exists? I hope that the answers to these questions are all affirmative.

But it is not apparent to me that they are.

Maybe it is time to have a serious public discussion about storm water and how it is currently managed, how it is intended to be managed into the future, as well as how it is to impact future development.

Do we need to wait for the new baseball stadium to become a big splash pad during baseball season before there is an effective storm water management plan for Fayetteville? A lot of people in Fayetteville do not think so.

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as a giant toupee and as timeless as yesterday’s tweet. It is the middle ground between outright lies and mere fabrication, between pseudo-science and superstition. It lies between the pit of Democrats’ fears and the summit of the Tea Party’s wildest hopes. You unlock this door with a computer key provided by Vladimir Putin. You are moving into a land of both shadow and innuendo. This is the dimension of attention-deficit-disorder-based-presidential actions. You have just crossed over into the Trump Zone on Jan. 20.

America’s pundits and media can’t understand what has happened or is about to happen. The Talking Heads continually rail about Trump’s inconsistent statements. Build the wall. Mexico will pay for it. No, we will pay for the wall. Mexico will reimburse us. The check will be in the mail. Lock her up. No, leave her alone, I don’t want to hurt her. Repeal Obamacare. Keep pieces of Obamacare. Take a phone call from Taiwan’s president. Tweet insults at China. Tweet insults at Saturday Night Live and Meryl Streep. It’s all the same. Insult nuclear-armed nations and Hollywood celebs. Tweet ‘em all and let my poll numbers sort them out. Let the Democrats suffer from Post Trump Stress Disorder. That’s their problem, not The Donald’s or his loyal supporters. We’re in charge now and you had better get used to it.

On the face of it, grumpy sore loser non-Trumpsters claim there is no coherent pattern to what President Trump thinks. Not so. President Trump is America’s first zen president. He lives solely in the moment. Be here now. There is no past. There is no future. There is only the now. As George Costanza said, “It’s not a lie if you believe it.” His tweets are Zen Koans designed to enlighten us. According to no less an authority than Wikipedia, a Koan is “a paradoxical anecdote or riddle, used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and to provoke enlightenment.” Trump’s seemingly unrelated random thoughts are in fact Trump’s recognition that only the zen of Now matters.

Yesterday Trump said X. Today Trump says Not-X. This is not a contradiction. It is a Trump Koan and your key to enlightenment. Logical reasoning is inadequate to perceive reality. If you try to use logic to understand Trump’s tweets you will be lost in the fog of incoherence. The tweets are not supposed to make sense. They are designed to open your mind to Trump Zen. Get over it, you silly logic-based non-Trumpsters. Now is the post truth and post-logic era. What is the sound of one tweet clapping?

As a rule, a president-elect after a close election will try to bring the country together by telling us he will be president of all the people. Not The Donald. Unifying America after a hard-fought election is for sissies. Trump is not a sissy. He is a manly man. If it were not so, would not Putin have told him? Trump thinks much more hugely than just unifying America.

Trump’s ongoing bromance with Putin is Exhibit A. The 17 US intelligence agencies issued a report that Putin personally ordered a campaign to hack the Democrats to grab their dirty laundry to hurt Hillary’s campaign and boost the chances of The Donald. Putin denies any efforts to influence the American presidential election. The Donald sides with Putin against the American intelligence agencies. Some soreheads wonder why an American president would believe Putin instead of his own intelligence agencies. In the brave new world of the Trump Zone, such soreheads who question the thoughts of The Donald are henceforth to be known as either stupid or fools.

The Donald wants to unify America and Russia. His recent tweet “ Having a good relationship with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. Only ‘stupid’ people, or fools, would think that is bad.” Any dumb Americans who disagree with the thoughts of President Trump are either stupid or a fool. The Donald doesn’t need no stinking unity in America. There can be no space for disagreement with the president. The Breitbart reported mysterious FEMA re-educations camps that President Obama never got around to opening could find new life under President Trump to upgrade the knowledge base of the stupid fools who disagree with him. If you are a Democrat, find some Republican friends who will speak up for you when the black helicopters come to haul you away like Mr. Peabody’s coal train.

Kindly come visit me in Guantanamo.

In the olden days, we used to call it “the press,” and with good reason. Our news came to us in printed form, produced by real printing presses. In the early 20th century, radio made its debut as a news vehicle, followed mid-century by traditional television networks. In most cases over the last century or so, writers and broadcasters strived for objectivity and accuracy in presentation of our news, some with more success than others.

I come from this tradition, my first job other than babysitting being as a very junior reporter at our family’s radio business. My boss, Jeff Thompson, whose excellent reporting you also find in Up & Coming Weekly, assigned me to check the police and sheriff departments’ blotters of criminal charges — yes, such paper records were actually kept in those days—early every morning. So excited was I one day to find a charge involving two men at the bus station, that my young and naïve self rushed back to the office to tell Jeff. He, a man of the world compared to my teenaged worldview, promptly and directly told me what “crime against nature” actually means. I eventually got over my humiliation, and to this day, Jeff calls me “Scoop” and I call him “Boss.”

But I digress.

The New Year brings us much conversation about what constitutes news, and the organizations that deliver it are now referred to as “the media.” This term includes outlets from the venerable New York Times to shadowy internet sites that come and go anonymously. Our president-elect is getting a big dose of this confusion.

Obviously, not all outlets are created equal. Some, like the Times, pride themselves on objectivity and accuracy and are widely trusted. Others do not give a flip, and some knowingly disseminate untruths, what we now call “fake news.” Sometimes the differences between real and fake are glaring, but sometimes they are not, and many of us are sucked into believing information that is simply not true.

Fake news seems to me an outgrowth, in part, of the increasingly segmented news market, or niche news. In the olden days, we read our local newspapers and listened to or watched the few existing broadcast networks. There was no cable and satellite service, much less internet, and we were basically getting the same information, whatever its source. The rise of unlimited outlets gives us unlimited choices, and many of us choose “news” that suits us, with which we agree.

For example, conservatives flock to Fox News while liberals favor MSNBC, both networks with clear political slants. In other words, we pick the “news” we want to hear and ignore the “news” we dislike. During the presidential campaign, Fox told us all things negative about Hillary Clinton and the Democrats, while MSNBC slammed The Donald and his unusual hairdo. The result of all this is that many of us are simply reinforcing what we already believe. We are not learning or processing new information to help us understand the world around us or to make informed decisions.

Ignorance may be bliss, but it is not good for our democracy or our collective life as a nation. It has fostered great division among us, as all the world learned during campaign 2016, and which dogs us as a new president takes office. Our isolation in the information we take in makes us a less informed people, which means we are less equipped to operate in and deal with our increasingly complex world.

I can feel some of you rolling your eyes and telegraphing me that all media outlets have some sort of slant, which I concede. The New York Times takes liberal/Democratic editorial stances, just as the Wall Street Journal leans conservative/Republican in its editorial positions. Both, however, make every effort to present news factually so that readers can form their own opinions, as do thousands of other media outlets both in our nation and around the world, including internet sites. Even more do not, with some simply careless and others willingly false or partisan or both.

The challenge for us as citizens and news consumers is to take in not only news that suits our own opinions but news that does not. Think of this as a variation of the old saw, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” How can we be conscientious and productive citizens of our great democracy — still the envy of the rest of the world — if we do not know what other people, our fellow citizens, understand and believe?
Perhaps we can think of this challenge as a New Year’s resolution to turning not only our flabby bodies but our flabby minds into tip-top news consuming and analytic machines.

Boss, you taught me well — and thanks!

Last week’s article in Up & Coming Weekly penned by contributing writer and Fayetteville resident, Karl Merritt, “Diminishing Effectiveness of the Race Card,” lit up social media like the Las Vegas strip. The topic of race took on a life of its own as dozens of misdirected posts debated the validity, or lack of, the use of race when it comes to the influencing decisions being made in our community. I’m not going to debate Merritt’s subject matter or the content of his article. Those who are interested can click on the link above to read it for themselves and draw their own conclusions. However, what I do find extremely interesting is that Merritt, who is an African American, made an intelligent observation based on facts and reason. He then articulated this information in a clear, intellectual, logical format for which he took full responsibility. Yet, Merritt’s name was never mentioned or referenced in any of the fiery and critical social media posts that appeared online. Why? Maybe, just maybe, it’s because criticizing someone else’s position when that position is supported by intellect, facts and logic would be akin to someone showing up at a gunfight with a butter knife. It has become the norm to blame race bias for any unfavorable experience or outcome rather than take responsibility for the outcome itself.

In the case of Merritt and his article, the distractors knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find fault with the truth of his content. Unfortunately, what played out on social media only confirmed Merritt’s position that the biggest obstacle to finding meaningful solutions when addressing problems of race bias is through open and honest communication. The inflamed responses to his article only reinforced the position that all too often, people tend to speak in vague generalities while stating innuendo as truth and drawing conclusions based on predetermined and subjective opinions rather than truth and fact. Unfortunately, this is becoming a common mainstream media practice at all levels. Traditionally, mainstream media, especially newspapers, were referred to as the Fourth Estate of the U.S. government. Journalistic integrity, truth and honesty of all media kept the other three branches of government in check. The mainstream media acted as the watchdog for all Americans who searched out the truth. Unfortunately, over the last decade, the media has morphed into a partisan political strategy, depriving the general public of their right to know the truth while pushing non-transparent hidden agendas. There is no better example of this kind of mainstream media bias than in the memo that was sent out recently to all N.C. media outlets by Daniel Keylin, communications director for North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis. With his permission, I have reprinted this memo below as an example of how the media is compromising journalistic ethics for the purposes of political gain and depriving taxpayers of the details of the real issues. Read the following and know that Walter Cronkite and David Brinkley are probably turning in their graves.

TO: North Carolina Media
FROM: Daniel Keylin, Communications Director,
Senator Thom Tillis
RE: Coverage Bias In North Carolina Media
The media has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism lately, particularly for chasing shiny objects designed to attract viewers and page clicks, rather than focusing on the important policies that actually have a meaningful impact on the lives of the American people. Reflecting this, a recent Gallup poll found that the nation’s trust in the mass media is at an all-time low. I know many good journalists who are incredibly frustrated by this development, and this memo is not meant to be an attack on North Carolina’s media outlets or reporters. It’s simply a presentation of enlightening data points that I hope all reporters and editors in North Carolina will take to heart when they consider what to cover and how they cover it.

Yesterday, many television stations in North Carolina provided air time to Rev. William Barber for a protest he held at Senator Tillis’ constituent services office in Raleigh. Barber was protesting the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, demanding that Tillis oppose his confirmation. In total, 14 television stations covering North Carolina devoted air time yesterday to Rev. Barber’s protest at Senator Tillis’ office regarding Senator Sessions. And of those 14 television stations, only 1 reached out to Senator Tillis’ office to give the Senator an opportunity to share his thoughts. 

Consider what this television coverage was about: a partisan political activist opining on what a duly-elected statewide official’s position should be. Then consider how few media outlets in North Carolina actually covered Senator Tillis when he publicly declared his position on Jeff Sessions’ nomination back in November, through a press release that was sent to the news desk of every single television station in North Carolina. In total, only 4 television stations devoted air time to Senator Tillis’ statement on Jeff Sessions’ nomination during the November 18, 2016, news cycle. None of the 14 stations covering Rev. Barber’s protest yesterday included Tillis’ original statement in their story.

This poses an important question: why did media outlets believe it was newsworthy to cover a partisan political activist’s opinion on what Senator Tillis’ position should be, even though they previously made the decision not to run a story when Senator Tillis publicly expressed his position months earlier? Or, more simply put: why are views of a partisan political activist deemed newsworthy, but the views of a statewide elected official are not, even though they are in a direct position to influence the subject matter? Whether this type of coverage bias is intentional or not, it’s bias nonetheless, and it’s a disservice to North Carolinians. [end]

Whether you agree or not, this makes a grand argument for “fake news.” I’ll conclude with this: We have come to a point in our nation where every issue and every situation we deal with has become politicized. It is frustrating and heartbreaking. Last week, I penned an article about how the amount of litter on our streets is trashing our community’s image. I advocated for the city and county to initiate a countywide beautification campaign that would involve education, awareness and enforcement of littering ordinances. Believe it or not, some of my good friends and loyal readers pushed back and were upset with me. They objected to my bringing up the subject of litter. They became defensive, saying that I didn’t appreciate what the city and county were doing in regards to controlling the litter. Not true.

Here, they took a simple observation and recommendation and applied a political value to it that the city and county elected officials were not doing their jobs. Crazy! I, along with everyone else, just want a cleaner community. Nonetheless, this misdirection will serve to do nothing to move the community forward. Only progressive action can do that.

In closing, I say we need many more people like Karl Merritt and Daniel Keylin. Fayetteville, the state of North Carolina and America all need journalists and media outlets who are honest and not afraid to speak out for truth. And, they must be willing to report the facts without a personal agenda or political bias. We gain nothing from ignoring the facts and even less if we don’t speak truth to power. Make no mistake about it, without the Fourth Estate, it’s all fake news! Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.
Click here to visit www.karlmerritt.com

“The Negro needs the white man to free him from his fears. The white man needs the Negro to free him from his guilt.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. stood for equality and peace for African-Americans and the socially disadvantaged. The local community honors his legacy annually and will continue to have the faith that we can unite as one and cultivate better relationships with one another. The Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council presents the 24th annual MLK Prayer Breakfast and the 60th anniversary of service to the community on Monday, Jan. 16, at 8 a.m. at the Crown Exhibition Center.

“What will be prominent at the breakfast and the worship service is this is our 60th year of service to the community and we believe that it is a milestone that is worthy and I think it will be a surprise that we have existed as an organization that long,” said Dr. Maxie Dobson, vice president of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council. “It is also special to take a moment and reflect as to why we have the great gathering that we do each year and to acknowledge the benefits we still enjoy because of a great person, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” Dobson added that the breakfast is sponsored annually by 75 percent of recurring sponsors and that speaks to the recognition that the community at large has for this event.

The theme of this year is to highlight the 60 years of service the Ministerial Council has given to the community. As for their service 60 years ago versus now, the areas of engagement differ. “I’ve heard stories about the Ministerial Council being very much involved in the Civil Rights movement many years ago,” said Dobson. “I think the Ministerial Council is looked upon, in terms of the face of community, the organization to come to if there is a response needed from the community on some particular subject matter because we still have that kind of statute.”

The program entails singing, posting of the colors by students and a keynote speaker. The keynote speaker of the MLK breakfast is Dr. Otis McMillan, director of Bureau of World Evangelism A. M. E. Zion. There will be a worship service on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 5 p.m. at Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church with host pastor Dr. Christoppher Stackhouse. The keynote speaker for the MLK worship service is Dr. Cureton Johnson of First Missionary Baptist Church. “One of the special things that is made possible each year is the ten $1,000 scholarships that we give to high school seniors that are planning on going to college,” said Dobson. “We are able to do this annually because of the community watch support.” Dobson added this is another component of the event that the community at large can appreciate and it will be highlighted at the breakfast.

“I believe we are the biggest gathering for this event in the state,” said Dobson. “We look forward to seeing everyone at the event.” Tickets are $20 in advance and $23 at the door. For more information call 624-7785.

Other local events to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Spring Lake’s Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast at Spring Lake Community Center. Jan.13, 8 a.m. 
MLK Parade Downtown Fayetteville (will start at MLK Park). Jan. 14. 12 – 1 p.m. 
MLK Birthday Commemoration. Jan. 16. 11:30 a.m. Iron Mike Conference Center on Fort Bragg

Martin Luther King Holiday Timeline

1968 Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Rep. John Conyers introduces legislation for federal holiday to commemorate King.

1973 Illinois is first state to adopt MLK Day as a state holiday.

1983 Congress passes legislation creating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

1986 Federal Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday goes into effect.

1987 Arizona governor Evan Mecham rescinds MLK Day as his first act in office, setting off a boycott of the state.

1989 State MLK holiday adopted in 44 states.

1991 The NFL moves the 1993 Super Bowl site from Phoenix, Arizona to Pasedena, California because of the MLK Day boycott.

1992 Arizona citizens vote to enact MLK Day.

1993 For the first time, MLK Day is held in some form in all 50 states.

1999 New Hampshire becomes the last state to adopt MLK Day as a paid state holiday replacing its optional Civil Rights Day.

2000 Utah becomes the last state to recognize MLK Day by name renaming its Human Rights Day state holiday to Martin Luther King, Jr Day. 

South Carolina becomes the last state to make MLK Day a paid holiday for all state
employees. Until now, employees could choose between celebrating it or one of three Confederate-related holidays.

Greater Fayetteville has seen a remarkable reversal in population growth over the last 50 years. Cumberland County’s population exploded in the post-World War II years. The government said its 43 percent increase in the 1960s was the largest in any of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Construction was fast-paced as shopping developments and suburban residential subdivisions began to spread outside the Fayetteville city limits toward Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base. During the industrial development heyday of the 1970s, Cumberland County was reputed to be the third fastest growing community in the southeastern United States. Manufacturers including Kelly Springfield Tire Company, Black & Decker Power Tools, Fasco Industries, Purolator Auto Filters, Texfi Industries, Rohm & Hass and Monsanto made multi-million-dollar plant investments in Cumberland County. They employed thousands of residents with high paying jobs. More recently, Maidenform and Walmart opened large distribution facilities.

Forty years later, Kelly Springfield was absorbed by its parent company Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Texfi went out of business, Black & Decker was closed and its hundreds of jobs went to Mexico, where the company opened a new plant. Purolator was sold to new owners and still employs a small workforce. Rohm & Hass and Monsanto are no more. Maidenform closed its distribution center in 2014. Thankfully, Walmart’s new distribution plant is still with us. Over the last 25 years, industrial and population growth have been stagnant, and in the last five years virtually non-existent, according to updated data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

In 2005, Congress passed the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act, resulting in several new commands relocating to Fort Bragg. These include the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) and U.S. Army Reserve Command, both of which moved from Fort McPherson, Georgia. Local officials projected a significant population shot in the arm. More than 30,000 people, including field grade officers and Army civilians, were expected to relocate to the area with their families. It didn’t work out that way. Neighboring counties of Hoke, Moore and Harnett gained the Georgia transplants to a significantly larger degree than Cumberland.

When examining data from the 2010 Census and Census Bureau estimates from 2015, North Carolina counties have seen significant increases and decreases. The largest percentages of growth were recorded in the southern and central regions of the state. Brunswick County, the southernmost North Carolina county, grew by 13.48 percent, the largest rate of growth during the five-year period. Cumberland County and counties to the east and south either lost population or showed no growth. Cumberland had the smallest rate of growth of all the metropolitan areas of the state at 1.15 percent. The 2015 population estimate is 323,838, making it the fifth largest county in North Carolina.

Cynics in county government say the upside to zero population growth is no need for more schools, better roads or other new infrastructure. What they don’t like to talk about is taxes. Property values have gone down too. Greater Fayetteville hasn’t made a financial comeback as other communities have since the great recession of 2008, County Manager Amy Cannon observed in her budget message to county commissioners last spring. This year is an ad valorem property tax revaluation year. Taxable property values won’t be known until Jan. 16 when they’ll be released by Tax Administrator Joe Utley, said county spokeswoman Sally Shutt.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is in for a radical transformation if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on campaign promises to shake up the bureaucracy. Military veterans and their caregivers will watch closely in the year ahead to see how Trump moves on the plan he introduced during the presidential campaign, pledging “no more waiting backlogs” and “no more excessive red tape.” Some of the promises seem relatively easy to implement and monitor. Trump wants a commission to look into “all the fraud, cover-ups and wrongdoing that has taken place in the VA,” something he should be able to establish early next year. But most of his proposed changes will not be easy.

Trump wants Congress to pass legislation allowing VA officials to quickly fire misbehaving employees and rescind bonuses for others. Those proposals are likely to run afoul of federal workers’ unions and possibly the courts, as similar moves in the past have been struck down by judges. Trump has promised to increase the number of mental health care professionals at VA, something that President Barack Obama has struggled with in recent years because of shortages of specialists.

In an October essay in the New England Journal of Medicine, two leading members of a blue-ribbon commission charged with evaluating consultant assessments suggested that Veterans Health Administration primary care could be spun off to the private sector. Gail Wilensky, a former head of Medicare, and physician Brett Giroir wrote that the VHA’s model of providing “comprehensive care” to veterans could be shifted to one focused on specialized care like treatment of traumatic brain injuries, audiology, optometry or mental health services. RAND reported VA patients get care that is often higher quality than that in the private sector. The VA has developed into the only nationwide fully-integrated healthcare system in the United States.

A study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that men with heart failure, heart attacks or pneumonia were less likely to die if treated at a VHA hospital rather than non-VHA hospital. Integration affords veterans a level of care unavailable to most Americans. The treatment veterans receive is highly coordinated. For example, a veteran with a brain injury may also need a hearing aid or treatment for asthma or diabetes. Veterans seeing their primary care practitioners to discuss health problems can then walk down the hall and talk to a nutritionist about a diet, a pharmacist about how to correctly administer insulin or a mental health professional.

The VA healthcare system is huge. There are 150 medical centers, including four in North Carolina, and more than 800 outpatient healthcare centers. Fayetteville is fortunate to have one of each. The most recently available data indicates there were 5.69 million VA patients in 2013. Almost 9 million people were enrolled in the system. Fayetteville VAMC says it serves 70,000 veterans in 19 counties of Southeastern North Carolina and two counties in Northeastern South Carolina. National highly-publicized disability claims for which there were long wait times peaked in March 2013, at 611,000. The Fayetteville VA had one of the longest average wait times in the country. The president’s budget includes $182.3 billion for the VA in 2017. The Department of Veterans Affairs says “VA’s budget requests the resources necessary to increase veteran access to benefits and services, sustain progress on the disability claims backlog, and for ending Veteran homelessness.”

Cumberland County Chief Deputy Sheriff Ennis Wright is serving as interim sheriff until the 2018 election. He succeeds Sheriff Moose Butler who retired the end of December, two years before his term expires. County Commissioners unanimously selected Wright. He was one of 10 individuals who indicated an interest in serving. Commissioners set Wright’s annual salary at $145,025. It was based on the average of salaries of sheriffs in the seven largest counties in the state, said County Manager Amy Cannon. Wright is a 20-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and served as chief deputy for several years. He’s the first African-American to hold the position of sheriff of Cumberland County. The three highest ranking public safety officials in Cumberland County are black; Wright, Interim Fayetteville Police Chief Anthony Kelly and Fayetteville Fire Chief Ben Major.

Storm Damage Grants
The City of Fayetteville and County of Cumberland continue to help victims of Hurricane Matthew with housing repair grants. The Community Development departments are taking applications to help those in need recover from damage caused by the October storm. Assistance is available to low- and moderate-income homeowners and some rental property owners. The goal is to relieve the financial burden of property owners with housing repair costs not covered by FEMA, SBA or private insurance. The city is offering grants and no-interest loans of up to $5,000. Persons who meet HUD’s income guidelines are eligible to apply. The county is offering $10,000 housing rehab grants. The respective Community Development departments can provide information.

Hurricane Debris Collection
Storm debris collection in rural areas of Cumberland County has resumed. So far, the county’s contractors have picked up 270 tons of storm debris in neighborhoods outside the city limits. Cumberland County has contracted with two companies for debris-related services. Residents are asked to separate construction and building materials from leaves and tree branches. Major appliances should also be separated from other debris. Regular household trash should not be included with the debris. The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center at 923 Wilkes Road will be open on Jan. 14 and 28 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Questions regarding debris removal can be answered at 910-678-7633.

For several years, playing the “race card” has been an effective means of forcing actions that might not have otherwise come to pass. From the Cambridge Dictionary, race card is “to try to gain an advantage by drawing attention to someone’s race or to issues of race.” An editorial in the Fayetteville Observer titled, “Our View: School board creates drama with appointment” presents what has been the predominant response to race card playing and what appears to be a new reality. The editorial opens as follows: “Carrie Sutton says her fellow members on the Cumberland County school board did her wrong — and she thinks their motivation was racial. Member Greg West strongly pushed back against that notion. Either way, the board on Tuesday created needless tension with what should have been a pro forma appointment.”

The background here is that Carrie Sutton, who is black, was serving as vice-chair of the school board. The “pro forma” referred to in the editorial is that normally, although not policy, the vice-chair moves up to the chairperson position. During this election, Greg West, who is white, was elected chair on a 5-4 vote along racial lines. My assessment is the Observer’s editorial calls for the school board to bow to the race card. However, as is starting to happen across America, those five white members refused to bow. I hold that examination of this situation shows this to be an encouraging outcome. It points to the diminishing effectiveness of playing the race card.

An article by Alicia Banks titled, “Cumberland County school board members discuss vote on chairman” provides much information that allows for examination of this situation. Banks writes that some attendees at the meeting “called the vote to not choose Sutton ‘racially motivated’ and a ‘disgrace.’” Greg West is reported to have said, in part, “‘It’s unfortunate race was paraded around last night.’’’ In his column titled, “Sutton speaks her mind; I like that”, Myron Pitts indicates Sutton, in the meeting, “called the vote ‘so racial.’” Without doubt, Carrie Sutton, being black, has been made the centerpiece of objections to her failure to be elected chairwoman.

Did this 5-4 vote happen because Carrie Sutton is black? If not, the race card was played and, so far, has failed to force the desired result. I say “so far” because those who play this card hardly ever give up without a physically, and even financially, draining fight. Consider the following from Alicia Banks’ article: “Greg West said this week he was named to the position because of his ability to handle challenges for the school system next year. Some of those include securing more money from the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners and possibly seeking a bond to pay for delayed maintenance projects in schools. ‘Each year should be looked at as what’s best for this year because the challenges are different,’ he said. ‘And leadership style is what it came down to.

‘We need to come together and do what’s best for all the children,’ West said. ‘I want to work with everybody, and I haven’t given 14 years to stop now. I’m excited to lead the board forward.’”

Greg West is right. In this case, above all else, the primary decision point is leadership style. Even though what I have seen is from a distance, I have no problem at all choosing Greg West over Carrie Sutton when it comes to leadership style. What follows are some particulars.

In June 2016, my column titled, “Without Question-This is Discrimination” appeared in Up & Coming Weekly. I argued that Carrie Sutton’s vote against Vernon Aldridge, to replace Leon Mack, as the school system’s activities director was an act of discrimination. Aldridge is white and Mack is black.

Sutton’s reason for voting as she did was reported in Catherine Pritchard’s article headlined, “School board taps Vernon Aldridge as activities director amid controversy.”

“Sutton said then she couldn’t support Aldridge’s appointment because she felt the school system should have looked harder to find a qualified minority candidate for the job. She said she believed black students, particularly young males, need to see black people in leadership positions to imagine their own future possibilities.”

Sutton voted against Aldridge because he was white, not black. This kind of thinking is not indicative of a leadership style that promotes fairness or thoughtful working through of issues.

Then there is Sutton’s response to actions taken in the case of Lee Francis, the Fayetteville teacher who stepped on the American flag while teaching on the First Amendment. He was initially suspended for 10 days without pay. As of this writing, he is assigned to a non-classroom position pending further action. My column in October 2016 titled, “Framework as a Critical Element of Thought” made the case that Francis demonstrated extremely poor judgment is his flag-stepping and general approach to presenting this topic. During a school board meeting where Francis’ suspension was appealed, the suspension was upheld on a 5-2 vote. Sutton voted against upholding the suspension. In her article, “Suspension upheld for teacher who stepped on flag,” Alicia Banks quotes Sutton, as follows regarding her “no” vote:“‘I believe the whole thing was blown out of proportion, and I want strong African-American teachers who are innovative and creative. Was this the best judgment? No, it wasn’t. We don’t always make the best judgments.’”
When I review what I wrote in the column regarding Francis, I find Sutton’s thinking reflects poor judgment. Again, this leads me to question what would be her leadership style.

The Observer editorial referenced in the opening of this column indicates Alicia Chisolm, a black board member referring to the Francis hearing, offered a possible reason for votes against Sutton: “A majority of the board backed the schools’ superintendent’s decision to suspend Francis. Not Sutton, who Chisolm says, ‘questioned their Christianity for what they did to him.’” This is attacking individuals instead of examining facts and pursuing reasonable solutions.

In Myron Pitts’ column, he writes, “Sutton told me Friday she mentioned being chairwoman to fellow members as recently as three weeks ago, and no one raised objections.” I think the reason nobody voiced objection is reflected in what Greg West said to Alicia Banks as shown in her “...discuss vote” article above: “‘I guess she assumed she would get it. I knew this would upset her, but it’s what’s best for the board.’” What West says indicates a reasonable reluctance to present Sutton with positions contrary to her own.

Here was a candidate who, I contend, surely engaged in open discrimination, exercised poor judgment in the Francis case, inappropriately challenged the Christian standing of some board members, and fostered an atmosphere where she does not respect or tolerate disagreement with her thinking. I have seen, and had to deal with, the leadership style reflected in these actions and attitude. I believe those five white board members did what was necessary...they did not bow. This was not, and is not, about race. It is about leadership style. More importantly, it is about the lives and future of a bunch of young people who deserve much better than is indicated by this playing of the race card.

NOTE: Karl Merritt’s columns mentioned above can be read at following Up & Coming Weekly links:
Without Question-This is Discrimination...
https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3320
Framework as a Critical Element of Thought... https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/index.php?option=com.content&view=article&id=3526

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about upgrading and beautifying the gateways into our fine city. Lately? How about for nearly two decades. There are many tax-paying residents who feel this task is futile despite the hard work and good intentions of Mayor pro tem Mitch Colvin and the Gateways Committee. At this speed, progress may take another two decades. But, you know what? That may not be a bad thing. If shiny, new, attractive and well-groomed gateways were to materialize tomorrow it would equate to “putting lipstick on a pig” unless we address other related issues.

If you haven’t noticed, we have a serious litter problem here in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. Actually, I would say the problem is more of an epidemic. Cumberland County resident Tony Long stated it best when he called into WFNC’s morning talk show last week saying the amount of trash and litter on our community’s streets was disgusting, embarrassing and inexcusable. Many people agree. I agree.

It is commendable that the City has reinstated more litter patrols, however, this is typical governmental posturing where leaders treat the symptoms of a problem rather than the cause. So, what is the cause (of litter) you may ask? Well, in this writer's opinion there are several reasons for this trash epidemic:
Fayetteville’s current physical appearance does not inspire a sense of accomplishment or pride in our community. It does, however, nurture and cultivate a poor perception of our community.
Solving the litter problem is a low or no priority.

There is no enforcement of litter ordinances.

There is no public awareness of local litter ordinances and, what I feel is the most important reason for the problem: There is no city/countywide beautification awareness program.

In my opinion, addressing the litter problem, enforcing the anti-litter ordinances and instituting a “Keep Fayetteville/Cumberland County Clean and Green” campaign should all be included into the gateways development initiative. Otherwise, we will only be spending taxpayers’ money creating a false façade. I agree with those who say that our elected officials collectively do not have the political will to address the gateways development issues.

Property owners and businesses along the effected corridors look at the overall appearance of the community and ask, “Why should we be the ones to conform? What is our incentive?” However, if their compliance and cooperation was part of an overall city/countywide beautification initiative they may be more willing to be a part of this progress.

Political will? Really? It shouldn’t take political will to take pride in what your city and county looks like. It shouldn’t take political will to enforce ordinances or institute a countywide beautification program residents and businesses alike can take pride in.
In the past 14 years I have ridden my motorcycle over 80,000 miles from Fayetteville to Maine, Montana to Key West, Fla. I have cruised through thousands of cities, towns, villages and boroughs. It always fascinated me that as soon as I entered into a community, regardless of its size, I could tell immediately how much pride the citizens took in their community. I saw many clean streets, manicured medians, trees, shrubs and lawns, all well maintained with attractive trash receptacles conveniently located and signs. Welcome to Springfield, Ill. Where it’s clean and beautiful! Keep Brookfield, Mass. Clean and Green, Please Don’t Litter — Keep Ashville Clean & Green, Litterbugs Not Welcome, and Do Not Litter $500 Fine, are just a few of them.

Of course, I have also traveled into hundreds of cities with their own versions of Bragg and Eastern Boulevards. The point being, you can tell instantly where a community puts its priorities and how it feels about itself. This pertains to other quality-of-life aspects of the community.

Years ago I remember returning from a business trip in Wichita, Kan., and sharing an impressive observation about art with Deborah Mintz, president of the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Arts Council. I shared with her how impressed I was with the Wichita cultural arts promotion campaign “Art Lives Here.” In Wichita, art did live there! It was everywhere you looked within the city. Paintings and drawings lined the walls of the airport welcoming me to their city. Sculptures of various sizes and pottery pieces were also on display throughout

Sculptures of various sizes and pottery pieces were also on display throughout the terminal. As I left the airport, there was a metal sculpture practically three stories high. And, in downtown Wichita, sculptures adorned street corners and beautiful silk-looking banners promoting art galleries, exhibitions and live theatrical events flanked both sides of the streets. No doubt, they wanted to make a bold statement about quality of life. They did. By the way, the city was spotless. Litter free.

I hope that as we explore what our options are for improving Fayetteville gateways, elected officials and residents work together to recognize and address the litter situation as a real problem. I will close by saying that if you have not driven out into the Cumberland County countryside you should. It’s beautiful. Take River Road or Hwy. 53 or any secondary road out of town. You will see and enjoy some of the most scenic farms with green and rolling landscapes. You will also see the severity of the litter problem. Let’s clean it up. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Fayetteville Technical Community College has compiled data reflecting that in FY15, FTCC ‘s total impact on the Cumberland County economy was
$697.4 million in added income, which is equal to 3.4 percent of the region’s Gross Regional Product. A regional economic impact analysis was conducted by Economic Modeling Specialist International based in Moscow, Idaho. It examined the impact of FTCC on the local business community through increased consumer spending and enhanced business productivity.
The results were measured in terms of added income, and were organized according to three effects: 1) impact of college operations; 2) impact of the spending of students who relocated to the county, and; 3) impact of the increased productivity of alumni who were employed in the regional workforce during the analysis year.
Impact of college operations: In Fiscal Year 2015, the college employed 1,501 full-time and part-time faculty and staff. Payroll at FTCC amounted to $57 million, much of which was spent in Cumberland County for groceries, eating out, clothing and other household goods and services. The college spent another $46.2 million in support of its day-to-day operations. The net impact of college payroll and expenses in Cumberland County during the analysis year was approximately $69.9 million in added income.
Impact of student spending: Approximately 16 percent of students attending FTCC came from outside the county. Some of these students relocated to Cumberland County. In addition, some students would have left the county if not for FTCC. These relocated and retained students spent money on groceries, transportation, rent and more at local businesses. Their expenditures during the analysis year added approximately $28.5 million in income to the Cumberland County economy, the study concluded.
Impact of alumni productivity: Over the years, students who studied at FTCC entered or re-entered the workforce with newly-acquired skills.
Thousands of these former students are employed in Cumberland County.
Their accumulated contributions amounted to $599.1 million in added income during the analysis year. That’s the equivalent of 7,517 jobs .
“Approximately 88 percent of FTCC’s students remain in North Carolina upon completing their education goals,” said Dr. Larry Keen, FTCC President. “As our students earn more, they and their employers pay higher taxes through increased output and spending. Over the students’
working lives, state and local government in North Carolina will collect
$227.6 million in the form of higher tax receipts,” he added. Keen noted that “employers will earn more as their businesses become more productive.” It’s estimated that over their working lives, FTCC’s student population will generate a present value of $2.6 billion in added income in North Carolina.
Fayetteville Area Industrial Education Center was established in 1961, two years before the statewide community college system was formally established. It became Fayetteville Technical Institute (FTI) in 1963 and was renamed Fayetteville Technical Community College in 1988 to broaden the public image of technical and vocational postsecondary education and job training opportunities. Today, FTCC is the fourth largest school in the system serving over 40,000 students annually by providing over 200 occupational, technical, general education, college transfer, and continuing education programs. For more information visit FTCC’s website at www.faytechcc.edu.

Condemned Former Soldier Runs Out of Appeals A former Fort Bragg soldier who killed four women and raped others more than 25 years ago is again headed for execution. This time Ronald Gray has no further recourse. He lost his final appeal last month. Gray’s execution would be the first by the U.S. military in 55 years. Only the President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, can approve the execution of a death sentence. President George W. Bush condemned Gray on July 28, 2008. He was convicted in military court in 1988 for two murders and three rapes while stationed at Fort Bragg. He pleaded guilty in Cumberland County Superior Court to two other murders and five separate rapes that occurred off post and was sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed in the civilian domain. Gray is being held at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Army initially scheduled his execution for Dec. 10, 2008, at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. The president upheld the death sentence following completion of a full appellate process. Two petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court were denied during the appellate processing of Pvt. Gray’s case.

Child Fatality Task Force
Cumberland County Health Department Director Buck Wilson has been re-elected co-chair of the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force.
Wilson, who was first appointed to the task force by Gov. Pat McCrory in 2013, was elected to the leadership position by members of the task force. The Child Fatality Task Force is a legislative study commission that makes recommendations to the General Assembly and governor on how to reduce child deaths, prevent abuse and neglect and support the safe and healthy development of children. Recommendations are based on data, research and evidence-based practices and reflect hundreds of hours of volunteer input.

Impaired Driving
Traffic Fatalities resulting from impaired drivers are down 19 percent in North Carolina. In its 22nd year, the Booze It & Lose It education and enforcement campaign has created increased awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, as well as the penalties associated with driving while impaired. The governor’s Highway Safety Program has awarded grants to DWI Task Force teams that work nightly to catch impaired drivers. The teams are in Cumberland, Brunswick, Buncombe, Forsyth, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Robeson, Union, Wake and Wayne counties.

Fayetteville Technical Community College has compiled data reflecting that in FY15, FTCC ‘s total impact on the Cumberland County economy was
$697.4 million in added income, which is equal to 3.4 percent of the region’s Gross Regional Product. A regional economic impact analysis was conducted by Economic Modeling Specialist International based in Moscow, Idaho. It examined the impact of FTCC on the local business community through increased consumer spending and enhanced business productivity.
The results were measured in terms of added income, and were organized according to three effects: 1) impact of college operations; 2) impact of the spending of students who relocated to the county, and; 3) impact of the increased productivity of alumni who were employed in the regional workforce during the analysis year.
Impact of college operations: In Fiscal Year 2015, the college employed 1,501 full-time and part-time faculty and staff. Payroll at FTCC amounted to $57 million, much of which was spent in Cumberland County for groceries, eating out, clothing and other household goods and services. The college spent another $46.2 million in support of its day-to-day operations. The net impact of college payroll and expenses in Cumberland County during the analysis year was approximately $69.9 million in added income.
Impact of student spending: Approximately 16 percent of students attending FTCC came from outside the county. Some of these students relocated to Cumberland County. In addition, some students would have left the county if not for FTCC. These relocated and retained students spent money on groceries, transportation, rent and more at local businesses. Their expenditures during the analysis year added approximately $28.5 million in income to the Cumberland County economy, the study concluded.
Impact of alumni productivity: Over the years, students who studied at FTCC entered or re-entered the workforce with newly-acquired skills.
Thousands of these former students are employed in Cumberland County.
Their accumulated contributions amounted to $599.1 million in added income during the analysis year. That’s the equivalent of 7,517 jobs .
“Approximately 88 percent of FTCC’s students remain in North Carolina upon completing their education goals,” said Dr. Larry Keen, FTCC President. “As our students earn more, they and their employers pay higher taxes through increased output and spending. Over the students’
working lives, state and local government in North Carolina will collect
$227.6 million in the form of higher tax receipts,” he added. Keen noted that “employers will earn more as their businesses become more productive.” It’s estimated that over their working lives, FTCC’s student population will generate a present value of $2.6 billion in added income in North Carolina.
Fayetteville Area Industrial Education Center was established in 1961, two years before the statewide community college system was formally established. It became Fayetteville Technical Institute (FTI) in 1963 and was renamed Fayetteville Technical Community College in 1988 to broaden the public image of technical and vocational postsecondary education and job training opportunities. Today, FTCC is the fourth largest school in the system serving over 40,000 students annually by providing over 200 occupational, technical, general education, college transfer, and continuing education programs. For more information visit FTCC’s website at www.faytechcc.edu.

A local roadway project which has been on the drawing board for years is about to get underway. Construction was to have begun in December, but needed supplies were not immediately available to the contractor, said DOT Division Construction Engineer Randy Wise. Replacement of the aging Rowan Street Bridge will result in the most dramatic change to the western downtown gateway since the existing bridge was built 60 years ago. The overpass carries NC 24-210 (Rowan St) over CSX Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks and Hillsboro Street. The state Department of Transportation deemed the overpass structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. “That means that while it remains safe, it’s in deteriorating condition and needs to be replaced,” said DOT spokesperson Peggy Beach. “It was built to design standards no longer used in bridge building,” she added. DOT let the project in July of this year at an estimated cost of $18 million. The actual cost is $24.3 million, according to the bid awarded the contractor, S.T. Wooten Corp.
of Wilson, NC.
Utility companies have finalized the work of relocating utilities (power, phone, cable, other communications). In addition, the relocation of water and sewer lines has been authorized, according to PWC. Work on the sewer will be the first sign of actual construction work getting underway, said Wise. That requires the temporary closing of Hillsboro St. in the immediate vicinity of the project. That should take place any day now. A detour has been marked. Work on bridge fills and culverts will follow. “While there are already things going on with the project that are not really evident, the biggest sign to the public that the project has begun, will be the closing of Hillsboro St.,” Wise added.
The new bridges will be impressive, but the real change will be the reconfiguration of the streets. Rowan Street, Bragg Blvd., and Murchison Road will be realigned to join one another at a single intersection.
There will be no roundabout, which at one time had been considered. The acquisition by the state of properties along Bragg Blvd., Hillsboro Street and Murchison Road is complete. They included the popular Vick’s Drive-In, which had been there nearly as long as the bridge. The entire project will take an estimated three years to complete, said DOT. An animated likeness of the end result can be seen on YouTube at Rowan Street Bridge Project Virtual Flyover.

Condemned Former Soldier Runs Out of Appeals A former Fort Bragg soldier who killed four women and raped others more than 25 years ago is again headed for execution. This time Ronald Gray has no further recourse. He lost his final appeal last month. Gray’s execution would be the first by the U.S. military in 55 years. Only the President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, can approve the execution of a death sentence. President George W. Bush condemned Gray on July 28, 2008. He was convicted in military court in 1988 for two murders and three rapes while stationed at Fort Bragg. He pleaded guilty in Cumberland County Superior Court to two other murders and five separate rapes that occurred off post and was sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed in the civilian domain. Gray is being held at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Army initially scheduled his execution for Dec. 10, 2008, at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. The president upheld the death sentence following completion of a full appellate process. Two petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court were denied during the appellate processing of Pvt.
Gray’s case.

Child Fatality Task Force
Cumberland County Health Department Director Buck Wilson has been re-elected co-chair of the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force.
Wilson, who was first appointed to the task force by Gov. Pat McCrory in 2013, was elected to the leadership position by members of the task force. The Child Fatality Task Force is a legislative study commission that makes recommendations to the General Assembly and governor on how to reduce child deaths, prevent abuse and neglect and support the safe and healthy development of children. Recommendations are based on data, research and evidence-based practices and reflect hundreds of hours of volunteer input.

Impaired Driving
Traffic Fatalities resulting from impaired drivers are down 19 percent in North Carolina. In its 22nd year, the Booze It & Lose It education and enforcement campaign has created increased awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, as well as the penalties associated with driving while impaired. The governor’s Highway Safety Program has awarded grants to DWI Task Force teams that work nightly to catch impaired drivers. The teams are in Cumberland, Brunswick, Buncombe, Forsyth, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Robeson, Union, Wake and Wayne counties.

North Carolina Democracy? Shame! Shame! Shame!

An online article published in Slate magazine just before Christmas stated that a group of experts that rates the integrity of elections around the world found that North Carolina can’t really be considered a democracy anymore. It cited the findings of the Electoral Integrity Project, a nonpartisan organization that empowers citizen volunteers through education and training, to participate actively in protecting our freedoms and way of life. Its research team is based at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the University of Sydney. The criticism noted that our outgoing Republican governor, Pat McCrory, signed a bill stripping his Democratic successor, Roy Cooper, of certain powers.

In a related op-ed piece published in the News & Observer of Raleigh, Andrew Reynolds, an associate professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, wrote that North Carolina is the worst state in the U.S. for unfair legislative and congressional districting and also the worst entity in the world ever analyzed by the E.I.P.

The E.I.P. think tank placed North Carolina alongside the likes of Cuba, Indonesia and Sierra Leone when it comes to governance. North Carolina does so poorly on the measures of legal framework and voter registration that E.I.P actually ranked our state alongside Iran and Venezuela. Ugh!

Not good. And, it gets worse. When it comes to the integrity of voting district boundaries, no country has ever received as low a score as North Carolina.

“That North Carolina can no longer call its elections democratic is shocking enough, but our democratic decline goes beyond what happens at election time,” notes Reynolds. The most respected measures of democracy are those that reflect the fairness and execution of power by those elected to represent the people. The extent to which North Carolina’s legislature breaches these principles means our state government can no longer be classified as a full democracy. This should concern all Tar Heel residents. Unresponsive and irresponsible politics perpetrated by reigning Democrats and Republicans cannot escape the fair and equal blame for such outrageous governance. Shame! Shame! Shame!

Reynolds observes in his op-ed piece that democracies do not limit their citizens’ rights based on their born identities. However, this is exactly what the North Carolina legislature did through House Bill 2 and its attempts to reduce African-American and Latino access to the vote.

Professor Reynolds concludes that we need to address the institutional failures that have cost us our democratic ranking – unfair districting, denial of equal access to the vote and the abuse of legislative power.

No democracy in the world outside of the U.S. allows elected politicians to draw the lines. Voter registration and poll access should make voting as easy as possible and never be skewed in favor of any one element of society. Elected officials, regardless of their political affiliation, need to follow the core principle of democracy; that is to respect the will of the people. In our America, all true Republicans, Democrats, Independents and even Green Party members need to be fully dedicated and loyal to the inherent democratic principles of our Founding Fathers.

The questions that remain are: Where do you stand? Who will be the peacemakers? Who will be the first to set self-interest aside and step up to be the statesmen for fairness, decency, equality and the American way? In North Carolina, from both sides of the aisle, what we know for sure is that “Absolute power corrupts…Absolutely!”

Again: Shame! Shame! Shame!

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

From floating women in abandoned buildings to double-exposed portraits, photographs by Michele Bir evoke a second glance. Appearing as moments, the circumstance in Bir’s narrative ranges from dreamlike to the supernatural. While viewing Perceptions of Circumstance: Photographs by Michele Bir at Gallery 208, visitors may sense they have discovered something voyeuristically intentional; while other photographs evoke quite the opposite – we have interrupted something very private.

Whatever the intent of the artist, vulnerability is always present.

Bir’s background story as a photographer is unusual. She earned a Master’s in Public Administration and concentrated on Public Policy and Law and only became interested in photography when her husband was deployed in 2010. She purchased a 35mm Canon Rebel camera from eBay for

$50 and started to explore the urban environment as a hobby.

Since that relatively recent commitment, she doggedly researched the art of photography, photographers and Photoshop techniques. As recently as

2013 she decided to pursue photography as a career. Her talent, diligence and compassion were rewarded when she was able to work as a freelance photographer for the Fayetteville Observer and City View Magazine. Bir is presently employed as a photojournalist with the Sanford Herald in North Carolina.

Bir shared that she has been influenced by Surrealism and the idea of dream imagery.

Developed in the 1920s, Surrealism artists often utilizes the element of surprise with random objects and unpredictable juxtapositions that one might find in a dream. The irrational becomes the norm; it is a style that provides the freedom to convey feelings and thoughts.

For Bir, “It isn’t about capturing a moment in time or natural environments, but a way to recreate my dreams.” That can be a Surrealist approach, but which one? When I think about Bir’s images, I don’t think of Surrealist Salvador Dali and his famous melting clocks. Instead, I am reminded of a quote by Surrealist Giorgio de Chirico: ““Although the dream is a very strange phenomenon and an inexplicable mystery, far more inexplicable is the mystery and aspect our minds to confer on certain objects and aspects of life.”

Bir seems to be reflecting de Chirico’s “aspects of our mind confers on aspects of life” in her own way - creating an eerie mood, one that we might encounter in a dream. The artist combines multiple images taken at varying exposures, then merge them into a single image. The artist explained how an “image contains anywhere from six to12 different exposures and the incorporation of models allows for elevated storytelling.”

Bir shared that her “photographs are my dreams and my nightmares. My work is an attempt to convey my emotions without words. It inhabits the undefined space where my soul meets my body.”

For me, she is like many contemporary photographers and the photograph is a medium to evoke another way of seeing. All are backdrops for some kind of transformation or revelation located in places hidden from us, forgotten or abandoned.

The public is invited to attend the exhibit and the opening reception.

Perceptions of Circumstance: Photographs by Michele Bir opens on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, between 5:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Everyone attending the reception will get a preview of the exhibit and meet the artist. Bir will speak at 6 p.m. to briefly talk about her work.

The exhibit will remain at Gallery 208 until mid-March 2017. Gallery is located at 208 West Rowan Street, Fayetteville. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For information, call Up and Coming Weekly at 484-6200.

New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate. In fact, start early and enjoy a variety of events throughout the day.

Don’t let an early bedtime keep your young one from celebrating the new year. The Spring Lake Branch, Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center has a Noon Year’s Eve Party planned for 11 a.m. on Dec. 31. It’s geared to children eight and under and their responsible adults. The party includes songs, dancing, games and crafts. Guests are invited to dress up for the occasion and wear sparkly hats and tiaras. There will be a countdown followed by a ball drop at noon. Registration is recommended. Call 497-3650 to register. 

Celebrate Kwanzaa with the Umoja Group at Smith Recreation Center at Seabrook Park. The celebration includes a potluck meal and a variety of activities. Some of the highlights include a drum call, welcome song, tribute to elders, libation, parade of African kings and queens, college scholarship award, feast, children’s candlelight ceremony and traditional dance performance.  Bring a dish to share. The Umoja Group is also accepting donations of nonperishables for Operation Blessing. The celebration runs from 5-8 p.m. Call 485-8035 for details.

If you have never been to a Flea Drop, now is your chance. Eastover’s New Year’s Eve Flea Drop starts at 10 p.m. and includes a night filled with festivities. At midnight, the 3-foot-tall, 30-pound ceramic flea is lowered in conjunction with the countdown to 2017. This event is free. Call 323-0707 or visit www.eastovernc.com for information. 

Welcome 2017 with neon lights at Cape Fear Botanical Garden’s New Year’s Eve Glow Party at the Garden. From 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., enjoy a live DJ, dessert, entertainment and a New Year’s Toast. Tickets cost between $15 and $45 and include a dessert bar, champagne toast, one free drink, music and dancing. Call 486-0221 or visit www.capefearbg.org for tickets and information.

Before heading out to your party of choice, take in a hockey game at the Crown Coliseum. The Fayetteville FireAntz take on the Macon Mayhem at 7:30 p.m. Tickets run from $7 -$21. Find out more at http://www.fireantzhockey.com, or call 321-0123 for information.

The Round-a-Bout Skating Center will be open from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Dec. 31. It costs $15 to get in and the price includes skate rental as well as party favors. There are two locations: 115 Skateway Drive and 880 Elm Street. Call 860-8900 or 484-4465 for information.

Bowlers will have plenty of options this New Year’s Eve. B&B Bowling Lanes on Fort Bragg Road has several specials that include party favors, a balloon drop, glow bowling and a midnight celebration. Visit bandblanes.com to learn more.

Lafayette Bowling Lanes offers nine-pin games from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. It costs $35 per person. The event includes snacks, party favors, cash giveaways and a midnight toast. Call 484-0113 for more information.

Airborne Lanes on Fort Bragg is planning a family bowling event that includes party favors, nonalcoholic champagne and a buffet. It runs from 5-8 p.m. Tickets start at $7.

Fort Bragg’s Dragon Lanes is open from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. for a New Year’s Eve party. It includes unlimited bowling and shoe rental, party favors, champagne, hors d’oeuvres and a DJ. It costs $25 per person. Find out more at fortbraggmwr.com. 

If you are looking to get out of town, you don’t have to go far to find some fun.

Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery in Elizabethtown hosts Wine and Dine at New Year’s Time on Dec. 31. The Nina Repeta Jazz Trio will provide live entertainment with a special appearance by LA’s Beck Black. The fun starts at 7 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres. Dinner is from 8-9:30 p.m. DJ Howard Faircloth ushers in the new year with dance tunes from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. There will be a champagne toast at midnight accompanied by midnight “nibbles.” A full cash bar with all ABC permits will be open throughout the night. Tickets include party favors and more. Tickets cost $50 per person or $350 for a table of eight (gratuity and tax not included). Call 844-VINE-FUN for tickets and information, or visit www.capefearwinery.com.

First Night Raleigh has more than 100 performers lined up for several downtown venues. It kicks off around 2 p.m. with a celebration for children. This includes music dance, storytelling and crafts. The children’s portion ends at 6 p.m. Adult festivities are scheduled for late into the evening with an acorn drop at midnight. Visit firstnightraleigh.com for more information.

Temple Theatre in Sanford has a New Year’s Eve concert featuring Tommy Edwards and the Bluegrass Experience. Tickets are available at templeshows.com and cost $15.

Pine Hurst Resort Rings in the New Year with the Band of Oz at the Carolina Hotel Grand Ballroom starting at 9 p.m. Come for the night for $100 per person. Tickets include a champagne toast, a midnight breakfast buffet and party favors. Or stay the night. There are packages available starting at $249. The overnight packages include a gourmet dinner and a breakfast buffet. Call 855 235-8507 to make a reservation.

A Riverboat cruise aboard the Henrietta III awaits in Wilmington. Cruises run from 9:30 p.m. until after midnights. Boarding begins at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $87 per person and include a buffet, party favors and a champagne toast at midnight. Visit cfrboats.com for tickets and information. 

Cape Fear Studios is a nonprofit arts organization that provides a unique space for art in historic Downtown Fayetteville. The old brick building houses a combination of studio space and gallery space. It gives member artists not only a place to create, but also a place to display and sell their work. Even more important, however, is the community that the space creates. It brings together creative people from all over the area that may not have been able to meet otherwise. They can share their ideas, work and inspirations. It fosters collaboration. The discussions that members have amongst themselves here promote growth in the artistic community. There are exhibits that rotate out on regular basis. 

The organization also fosters the relationship between local artists and the outside public. Everyone is invited to come into the gallery and to engage with the art and artists present. This is especially true during 4th Fridays when the gallery is open late specifically for this reason. This commitment is even part of the organizations mission statement: “Our mission is to involve, educate, and enrich Cumberland County and surrounding communities with the opportunity to create and freely view art.” This also includes classes, workshops and mentoring opportunities. 

There are two galleries at Cape Fear Studios. The first is the retail gallery. Here, members display their works that are available for purchase. Members are voted in by a jury based on their work. They help to run the studio, but also benefit from the available space. There is a variety in styles and mediums of active member artists. At any one time the retail gallery may boast glass art, fine jewelry, paintings, sculptures, pottery, photographs, wood art and more. This variety of mediums is also beneficial for the artists. They can gain insight and explore new ideas, processes and techniques. Diversity is important for growth in any artistic organization. 

The main gallery is where the rotating exhibits are held. The themes and guidelines for these exhibits are continually different, which makes every exhibit fresh and interesting. One month it may feature local painters and the next it may feature national potters. Members submit months of their hard work and creativity to be put on display. 

 Buying a something here has long-reaching effects because it also supports local artists and Cape Fear Studios. It has a much more positive effect on the local community than purchasing a gift at a global chain. It is always fun to shop for gifts, but don’t ignore the potential power that every dollar has in shaping the community.

Cape Fear Studios is located at 148 Maxwell St. The gallery is free to the public. For more information, including information on how to become a member, classes or workshops visit the website: www.capefearstudios.com. 

The Umoja Group Incorporated presents “Kwanzaa 2016” on Saturday, Dec. 31, from 5 - 8 p.m. at the Smith Recreation Center at Seabrook Park.  

“The purpose of the event is to celebrate Kwanzaa, bring the community together, share information about African-American culture and to learn about the seven principles of Kwanzaa, which people can live by every day,” said Wanda Wesley, board member of the Umoja Group. “The seven principles are Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani.” These translate to Day 1. Umoja means unity. Day 2. Kujichagulia means self-determination. Day 3. Ujima means working together. Day 4. Ujamaa means supporting each other. Day 5. Nia means purpose. Day 6. Kuumba means creativity. Day 7. Imani means faith, especially faith in ourselves.

Wesley added that for each one of the principles they try to find an African-American person who exemplifies that principle. During the candlelight ceremony, a child will light a candle in honor of the person and share a little bit of information about the individual. They try to add different people who you do not hear about every day and have done great things to impact their local community and the African-American culture. 

The Umoja Group awards a scholarship each year to a high school senior in the E. E. Smith attendance area. “Our last Kwanzaa was January 1, 2016, and we gave Tyee Thomas a $1,000 scholarship, and she is now a freshman at Fayetteville State University,” said Wesley. “This year, on December 31, we are giving a $1,000 scholarship to a senior at E. E. Smith named Arianna Harmon.” Wesley added that the Umoja Group finds recipients for the scholarship through recommendations from the high school and they look at students who are actively involved in the community, support Kwanzaa events and have already taking steps to beautify the community.   

The program features a drum call, a unity song, sharing what Kwanzaa means, dancing, singing, the history of the Kwanzaa event, awarding of the scholarship, candlelight ceremony, a tribute to ancestors and the parade of kings and queens.  “Larry Johnson will portray Shaka Zulu and share the history on why Shaka is important,” said Wesley. “We will have little children participating as well as older people and seniors.” There will be a special section set aside like in a traditional African village where the elders can sit in an area of respect and honor as we value their knowledge, history and struggle.”                     

Bring your favorite dish to share and canned goods to donate to Operation Blessing.  Free books will be given to students and parents.  Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.  For more information, call 485-8035 or 527-2460.