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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But wait! There’s more.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BB guns and pellet guns will not be accepted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Homicide Unit is investigating.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Registration Link: tinyurl.com/SSFNC

Volunteer Link: tinyurl.com/SSFNCVolunteer

Sponsor Link: tinyurl.com/SSFNCSponsor

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

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

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

Theater companies

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

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

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

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

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

Museums and galleries

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

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

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

The exhibit is on loan until Nov. 3.

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

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

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

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

Music ensembles

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

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

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

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

Cultural groups

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

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

Film festival

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

‘Mini-grants’ cycle

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

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

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

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

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

Recollecting when she lived in Daytona, Florida, Demetria Murphy recalled seeing a house made out of glass from top to bottom.
The notion of the house made her realize that all individuals live in glass houses, she said; though actions can be observed, the full truth behind those actions can not be heard.

Some things which remain unheard could possibly push young people to join gangs, Murphy said.
Murphy seeks to curb the often unheard issues that can cause violence with an event of which she is an organizer, Heal the Ville. The event is designed to educate and connect community members with resources to reduce violent crime in Fayetteville while also bringing awareness to gun violence.

Heal the Ville originally took place last year, a gathering that Murphy said brought out over 200 people.

This year's event will serve the community with resources for housing, employment, treatment for substance abuse, religion and mental health, Murphy said.
A key takeaway Murphy said she wants to see is employment, as a steady income can help prevent crime. Additionally, Murphy said she wants the event to empower the youth in the community to feel important and willing to walk away from harmful influences.

“I want children walking away from there feeling very strong and that their voices are important and that they have the solution to help fix some of what’s going on,” Murphy said.

Vendors will also be present at the event. A simulated crime scene will serve as an additional feature of the event, demonstrating the horrific effects violence can have for those in attendance to see.
Murphy said she hopes the event helps motivate people to get involved in efforts to stop violence before they become affected by it.

Michelle Ford, one of the workers and supporters for Heal the Ville, said she hopes the event inspires positive action in addition to discussion.

“I’m hoping instead of just talking about the problem that we can start focusing on trying to change things here in Fayetteville,” Ford said.

This year, Murphy said she wants the event to educate the community on the impact violence has on children. Though deaths caused by violence affect community members, the trauma doesn’t fade for the families affected.

“When the dust really clears, we go back to our normal,” Murphy said. “We go back to work, we go back to doing whatever it was that we were doing, but that family still has that hole, that loss. So making people aware that that pain does not stop for that family.”

Ford said she believes the event could cause tangible change in the community by reducing the number of deaths caused by violent crime.

“If we can at least begin the dialogue and then begin to understand why we do what we do or why we shouldn’t do what we have been doing all these years, and then start working toward changing everything around. I think if we can key on those issues during this event [then] this time next year we won’t be seeing the same high numbers that we do now,” Ford said.

Heal the Ville will take place on Sept. 10 at Festival Park in Fayetteville starting at 12 p.m.

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette may not ring any bells today, but a little under 200 years ago, he was one of the most famous men in the world.
Known simply as Lafayette on American shores, the French nobleman fought in the Revolutionary War as an enthusiastic nineteen-year-old. He would later achieve military glory in his home country — thus becoming: “The Hero of Two Worlds.”

The weekend after Labor Day, the Lafayette Society will host its 15th Annual Lafayette Birthday Celebration to honor the man, after which Fayetteville is named, in a three-day event beginning Thursday, Sept. 8 and ending Saturday, Sept. 10.

Born on September 6, 1757, in Auvergne, France, Lafayette felt unsuited to the life of a nobleman inside the palace of Versailles and hungered instead for the glory of battle.
Lafayette considered colonial efforts against the British worthy enough to purchase his own ship, voyage to the New World against the wishes of King Louis XVI, and then join the Continental Army as a major general under George Washington.

Though Lafayette proved himself a capable soldier and military leader, he was sent back home to request French military support, which he was able to secure.
Lafayette and General Washington worked closely during the war, and as the “physical embodiment of the Franco-American Alliance,” Lafayette was considered a key figure in important battles such as Rhode Island and Yorktown.

Lafayette went on to achieve political and military success in his home country and was an outspoken advocate for natural law and the rights of man.
In 1824, President James Monroe invited Lafayette to America to embark on a grand tour where his status as the Hero of Two Worlds would command crowds of up to 100,000 in some major cities.

During his historic tour, Lafayette visited Fayetteville, the first city in America named after him.
Lafayette died in 1834 and is buried in France under a sprinkle of earth from Bunker Hill. Today, over 80 cities and counties in the United States are named for him as a testament to his bravery and loyalty to the then fledgling country.

The Lafayette Birthday Celebration, instituted in 2007 for what would have been Lafayette's 250th birthday, is an event that not only honors the man's birth but a life dedicated to military service, inquiry and action. The three-day celebration is an opportunity to see Fayetteville as he would have seen it, learn about a few of his contemporaries, and experience art and music from another world.
Now back to full form after two years of COVID-19 restrictions, the celebration will kick off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8, with a special concert at First Presbyterian Church on Ann Street. The French Music Concert, a popular staple in the Lafayette birthday tradition, is performed by Dr. Gail Morfesis and Friends.

The concert is a celebration of the strong alliance between France and America that still exists today. Tickets are $15 per person or $10 for students and can be purchased at the door, though advanced purchase is recommended.

“Our Lafayette birthday concert will be a special treat,” Morfesis told Up & Coming Weekly.

“As always, it will include members of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, but this year half of our program will be a tribute to the French contributions to American Jazz. We will highlight the works of Claude Boling,” she said.

This year’s concert is supported by the NC Arts Council and the Sandhills Guild of Organists. Three organists from the Sandhills chapter will also be featured.

“I know that classical music and jazz lovers alike will have a wonderful experience. There is a reception to follow with the artists,” Morfesis said.
Dr. Hank Parfitt of the Lafayette Society agreed. “There are six or seven different musical numbers, and it moves along quickly. It's a great chance to experience classical music in a fun environment. It's classical music for people who don't like it,” he joked.

Friday's event is a lecture hosted by Dr. Daniel Stewart and Fayetteville Technical Community College.
Dr. William Link will discuss his book on “Frank Porter Graham and the Rise of Modern North Carolina.”
A liberal Southern educator, Graham advocated for equality in education and believed, much like Lafayette, in equal rights for all humankind. Graham later became President of the University of North Carolina and worked as a consultant for President Franklin Roosevelt as he constructed the New Deal.

Dr. Link, retired Professor of History at the University of Florida, will have copies of his biography on Graham at the event. Guests may also purchase the book in advance at City Center Gallery & Books. The lecture starting at 2 p.m. is free to attend and will be held at the Tony Rand Student Center at Fayetteville Technical Community College. On Friday at 7 p.m., archives librarian Arleen Fields will showcase “The Lafayette Legacy” at Methodist University in the Davis Memorial Library.

Beginning at 6 p.m., a reception, complete with North Carolina barbecue, will take place before the presentation. Considered a “rock star” during his age, Lafayette's historic visit to the United States as “The Nation's Guest” will be viewed through artifacts, memorabilia, and merchandise generated by his tour.

Saturday at 8 a.m., guests are invited to take a trip back in time to see Fayetteville as Lafayette would have seen it in 1825. The Lafayette Trail Tour will treat guests to coffee and croissants as they embark on a journey beginning at the Museum of the Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry (F.I.L.I.) and ending around 11 a.m. at Lafayette Plaza in Cross Creek Park. Led by city historian and F.I.L.I Commander Bruce Daws, visitors will have an opportunity to see the original carriage Lafayette rode into town during his historic visit, ride downtown's Coldwell Banker Trolley, and end the day with cake.

Tickets are $20/person and are limited to 30 participants, so advanced purchase is necessary.
The Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry is the nation's second oldest independent militia, founded in 1793. President Washington encouraged cities to form militias to protect against attacks from foreign agents. When Lafayette visited Fayetteville in March 1825, the F.I.L.I. acted as his official escort.

On Saturday's Lafayette's Trail Tour, visitors will get a chance to experience Commander Dawes outfitted in the same uniform as the F.I.L.I. during that historic time.
As the crowning event of the three-day celebration, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 pm, “Camp Lafayette” will be set up for guests to take a step right into the pages of history.

In partnership with the Fayetteville Local History Museum, Camp Lafayette will be in Cross Creek Park between Green Street and Ann Street.

Both sides of “the creek” will have activities for the whole family. Musket demonstrations, tomahawk throwing, historical re-enactments and food trucks will make for a day of immersive historical fun.
The present can seem all-consuming with the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

“We’re so busy, we don't stop to think about the incredibly rich history we have here in Fayetteville,” Parfitt explained.

“This is a fun, educational opportunity for the whole family. You learn about history, and it's a chance to be with friends. The weather is usually nice this time of year — overall, it's a fun way to involve the community and the people who have a passion for history.”

Ultimately, this is a celebration for everyone. It's a way to sing a song for this country's brave formation and shine a light on an important man. Aside from being the city's namesake, Lafayette upheld beliefs long before his time and spoke to ideals still dear to this day. He opposed slavery and oppression in all forms, felt strongly about the advancement of women’s rights, and opposed capital punishment.
Parfitt, organizer of the event since its debut fifteen years ago, said, “there’s something in this celebration for everyone.”

“I hope people realize that we have more things in common than we do things that separate us — we’re all the same people. You can learn, through history, that we’ve had struggles living together on this planet, but we’ve always found a way through it. I hope this celebration is uplifting and helps build our sense of community.”

Tickets for the French Music Concert with Dr. Gail Morfesis and Friends may be purchased online at www.lafayettesociety.org/events.
Tickets for the Lafayette Trail Tour are limited to 30 participants and may be purchased online at www.lafayettesociety.org/events.

To purchase tickets in person or by phone, visit City Center Gallery & Books at 112 Hay Street or call 910-678-8899.

Friends of live music, chilling out and having a good time, Rock’n On The River is proud to present KISS ARMY and Reflections II on Sept. 16. The concert will take place at the Deep Creek Grill, located at the Campbellton Landing of the Cape Fear River, about two miles east of downtown Fayetteville.

“The first band, Reflections II, will begin at 6, and KISS ARMY will be approximately 8:30 to just after 10 p.m.,” said Greg Adair, organizer of the Rock’n On The River concert series.

KISS ARMY

Self-described as the “coolest band in the world,” KISS ARMY is from Kentucky, but performs once or twice a week in hometowns all over the country. Wearing the iconic KISS masks and garb, KISS ARMY provides an uncanny look at KISS’s 1970s line-up.

"When we go out there, we try to make people think it's KISS. That's the whole point to being a tribute band,” said Jim Seda, who has performed as the “Demon” for over 30 years.

For the uninitiated, according to KISS lore, each member has a persona. And each persona is important to what makes KISS special.
KISS’s 1970s era is considered vital because in 1980 the original four-piece phenom splintered, sending lead singer Paul Stanley (“Starchild”) and bassist Gene Simmons (“Demon”) to reform themselves, replacing drummer Peter Criss (“Catman”) with Eric Carr (“Fox”) in 1980, while officially replacing Ace Frehley (“Spaceman”) with Vinnie Vincent (“Egyptian Warrior”) in 1982.

“That's the difference between being a tribute band and a cover band. . . . With a cover band, you can add your own flair to it. People say, 'Man, you're giving me flashbacks.' [A tribute band] gives them that feeling of how it was the first time they saw Kiss [in the 1970s]," Seda said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.

In 1983, KISS decided to “unmask” themselves, ending what was considered the “real” KISS in favor of a more contemporary 1980s look, sound and vibe. However, beginning in the late 1990s, KISS reformed for a series of worldwide goodbye tours as the original band.

When KISS reunited for the first farewell concert, with the four original members, the demand for KISS skyrocketed, and his band was called upon to perform shows when KISS could not, Seda explained.

However, “when KISS is off and not doing anything, people [still] want to see them, so it works both ways.”

Reflections II

Opening the night will be Reflections II, which is a North Carolina-based variety band led by keyboardist / multi-instrumentalist Mike Donald, who is the owner of JML Pianos.

“We are a true variety band. We are a three-piece band, and we play live. We don’t do any pre-recorded stuff or anything like that, [which] a lot of small bands do,” Donald said.

JML Pianos has been in business since 1980. However, back then it was called “Costal Music” and located at the beach in Moorehead City. In 1986, JML opened in Fayetteville, where they have been selling musical equipment ever since. JML stands for “Jim, Mike and Linda,” named after father Jim, mother Linda and son Mike.

Mike Donald has run the family business since 2013. In fact, the first iteration of Reflections II was started by Jim and Mike back in 1980, as well.

“[Playing music is] kind of like a paid hobby to us,” said Donald. “Me and my members all have full time jobs and careers.”

Rockin' On The River

Rockin’ On The River opens at 5 p.m. Parking is $10 no matter the size of the vehicle or the number of people inside.

The stage will be set up right behind Deep River Grill, literally rockin’ next to the Cape Fear River.
Beer is sponsored by Healy Wholesale, and food will be provided by Deep Creek Grill. Food and beer sales will begin at 5 p.m.

No outside coolers or containers will be allowed. And no animals are allowed other than documented service animals, Adair said.
Deep Creek Grill is located at 1122 Person Street, on the eastern side of Fayetteville, just over the Person Street Bridge. There is a juncture of highways 24 and 53, and Clinton Road at the first intersection coming from the other direction. Note that at this intersection, Person Street changes to Clinton Road, where it heads deep in to eastern N.C.
Vice versa, Hay Street becomes Person Street right around the Market House circle.

For more information about Rock’n On The River, check out Facebook.com/pages/category/Live-Music-Venue/Rockn-On-The-River.
To learn more about JML Pianos, please visit JMLPiano.com. JML Pianos is currently open by appointment only. To contact JML Piano by phone, use 910-977-0809.

It's more than obvious that Ms. Terryberry is feeling the desperation that conservatives are experiencing now.
Her wild and preposterous speculations about the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 are very transparent and laughable.
It's more than obvious that Democrats are continuing to put in work to benefit the American people; In the meantime, what have conservatives done in the past year and a half?

Nothing but whine, obstruct and offer nothing more than rhetoric-filled excuses.
That will no longer work in the real world. The American people have had enough of Republicans doing nothing but blocking progress and attempting to drag America backwards.

Case in point: This Spring, when a bipartisan committee was formed to tackle the inflation problem, not one Republican even showed up, much less offered a workable solution. It's more than obvious that conservatives only care about millionaires and billionaires who put money in their pockets, while the American working and middle classes, who keep the economy going, are ignored and excessively taxed.

Here's the reality: After Democrats win a historic victory in the November midterm elections, they will be running the tables for the next decade, possibly beyond. Progress and prosperity will happen, and conservatives can thump all the bibles they want after the fact.

There will be a higher minimum wage, voting rights, abortion rights, and strengthening of social security and Medicare. Our nation's crumbling infrastructure will finally and realistically be dealt with. Much needed gun control laws will be in place to protect our school children so they can have a proper education without fearing for their lives.

Oh, teachers will be allowed to teach, without the conservative dogma.

As the late President John F. Kennedy once said: A great change is at hand.

And conservatives will no longer hold back America from the future and promise it deserves.
It's not about a BIG government, it's about a BETTER government — one that will benefit all Americans, instead of a privileged few.

—Keith Ranson, Fayetteville

Editor's note: The referenced article by Paige Terryberry ran in the Aug. 24 issue. It can be found at https://www.upandcomingweekly.com/views/8968-five-ways-the-inflation-reduction-act-harms-americans
Paige Terryberry is the Senior Analyst for Fiscal Policy at the John Locke Foundation.

Steve Foley, CEO/President of Bragg Mutual Federal Credit Union, has been named CEO of the Year by the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions.
Elected by the NAFCU Awards Committee which consists of a nationwide panel of Credit Union CEOs, Foley is being recognized for his vision, leadership and management that has led to 107% growth from 2018 to 2022.

“We knew when we hired Steve four years ago, we had someone who would lead our credit union to new levels of success,” said Bragg Mutual Chairman John Szoka.

“His dedicated efforts are reflected in the continued success of Bragg Mutual FCU demonstrating thoughtful leadership skills, as well as developing new ideas that are beneficial to our organization's growth.”

Leading the Fayetteville-based credit union with $110 million in total assets, Foley is being recognized as CEO of the Year among credit unions under $250 million in assets.
Under Foley’s direction, the credit union upgraded digital banking services, expanded the Field of Membership, diversified the loan portfolio, reduced expenses and placed a stronger commitment to compliance.

Furthermore, the credit union has seen a greater focus on employees, from quality education and training to an emphasis on outstanding member service to fostering a culture of teamwork. As a result, the credit union has seen record loan and asset growth during the past two years.

“Steve has led our credit union into becoming one of the fastest growing credit unions in our state,” Szoka said. “To be selected as the national award winner by his credit union peers reflects his exemplary services on behalf of our members.”

Bragg Mutual is now the 23rd largest credit union in North Carolina.
Earlier this year, the credit union expanded to serve 301 census tracts throughout the Carolinas and also opened a fifth location in Kenansville, North Carolina.

“Our team here at Bragg Mutual has tremendous spirit, dedication and servant hearts, which is how we’ve achieved the success we’ve experienced over the past four years,” Foley said. “I am truly grateful to have a team that is looking to improve the lives of many in our region.”

Foley will be honored during NAFCU’s Congressional Caucus in Washington, D.C., Sept. 11-14, and will be featured in the September-October edition of The NAFCU Journal magazine.
Bragg Mutual Federal Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative providing financial services to approximately 11,400 members with three offices in Fayetteville, one in Spout Springs, and one in Kenansville, North Carolina.

It is the fourth oldest active Federal Credit Union in North Carolina celebrating its 70th year of service to the people in the state. Membership is open to those who live, worship, work (or regularly conduct business in) or attend school in, and businesses and other legal entities located within various census tracts of 33 counties in the Carolinas. To find out more visit www.braggmutual.org.

Are you ready to imitate Jim Morrison and break on through to the other side? Ever wonder what awaits outside this vale of tears? You are on the road to find out.

John Lennon wrote a delightful little ditty called “She Said, She Said” containing the cheerful line: “I know what it’s like to be dead.”
A Russian proverb says: “If you wake up and you are not in pain, you know you are dead.”

Today we consider my recent near-death experience at the hands of a local financial institution. Come along and muse on the semi-finality of Mr. Death.
It was a sultry day. The heat index was waxing in the triple digits. It was also time to make a bank deposit. The lobby was cool and clear. All seemed merry and bright. Due to some bizarre corporate decree, the bank no longer used deposit slips. You walk up to the teller to present a bank statement and a check. Usually after consulting the computer, the nice lady takes your money. But not today, Bucko.

I had been using the bank for years without incident. This day was different. I presented my check. The teller began hitting computer keys when suddenly a strange expression clouded her face. She asked me my address. I knew it. She asked me for the last four digits of my social security number. I knew that, too. So far so good.

Her expression became colder. She called another teller to look at her computer screen. Teller #2’s wide smile suddenly morphed into anxiety touched with a tinge of fear. Uh oh. “This cannot be good”, thought I. No explanation was forthcoming.

Teller #2 then retrieved a bank manager to come over to ponder the screen. The manager’s face changed from a happy Chamber of Commerce “glad to meet you, look” to “holy mackerel, what fresh hell is this?” look as she perused the screen.

I still had received no explanation for what was happening during the usual mundane task of giving someone my money.
Suddenly, scenarios like sugar plums began to dance in my head. Had someone erroneously deposited $1 million into my account? Had an identity thief absconded with the balance? Had the IRS issued a double secret levy and emptied my account?
I verbally suggested all three possibilities to the trio of bankers silently frowning at the computer screen.

To misquote Julie Andrews in “Camelot”: “The silence at last was broken/ The Bank flung wide its prison doors.”
Finally, bank manager said: “According to the computer you are dead. You died in 2006.”

This was news to me. Of course, the decedent is usually the last one to know. No one had bothered to tell me I was dead.
I leapt at the chance to finally quote Mark Twain who had a similar experience of being erroneously reported as dead, I replied: “Like Mark Twain, reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
The manager’s explanation was that someone had mistakenly hit the bank’s death key back in 2006, but no one had noticed it until now — August 2022.

I felt some kinship to dead people in Chicago. I had been voting in many elections since 2006 despite being dead. It was a good feeling. My widow Lani had not remarried in the 16 years that I had been dead. She must really love me. My dogs still treated me as if I was alive. That was a plus.

We all had a good laugh at my return from the land of the dead to the material world. Then wanting to spoil the mood, I suggested darkly that like in the movie “Sixth Sense” perhaps they saw dead people.
Maybe the computer was right and I really was dead. Their laughter developed a nervous tinge. I threatened to come back from the dead to haunt them if they didn’t fix their computer.

They promised to tell their computer that like sweet Molly Malone in Dublin’s fair city who cried: “Cockles and Mussels that I was alive, alive, Oh!”
We parted strangers, thoughtless and free. They went back to banking. I went back to doing whatever ghosts do when they are not making bank deposits. I walked out through a wall, because as you know, ghosts don’t need doors.

Post script: In my incorporeal ghostly form I went to pet poor Freya the 1300-pound walrus who had been entertaining people in Oslo, Norway, this summer.
Freya had been climbing on fishing boats in the town harbor to sun herself.

Like the moron tourists in Yellowstone who get too close to buffaloes, the moron contingent in Oslo kept getting too close to Freya who could have done them serious bodily harm.
The Norway Fisheries Directory decided in order to save the morons from themselves, that Freya had to be killed. She was dispatched by government decree.

I asked Freya about this turn of events. She looked at me with very large sad walrus eyes and said “All I wanted was some herring and a place to sun myself.”
Rest in peace, Freya. We’ll meet again. Don’t know where. Don’t know when.

The first-ever Carolina Core Real Estate Summit will be held Sept. 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Wicker Civic & Conference Center in Sanford. The summit is hosted by 12 local REALTOR® associations from across the NC Core.

The Carolina Core brand was announced in 2018 by the Piedmont Triad Partnership. What many considered to be an audacious goal was set then for job creation — 50,000 office/industrial jobs to be created in the Carolina Core by 2038. That goal is well on its way to being surpassed. In only four years, more than 35,500 office/industrial jobs have already been announced.

“This meeting is open to everyone interested in learning more about the Carolina Core,” said Zan Monroe, CEO of Longleaf Pine REALTORS®, Inc. “We invite commercial and residential realtors, business leaders, economic developers, government officials, builders, investors and the media to join us.”

The Carolina Core region is a 120-mile stretch of central North Carolina along U.S Highway 421 stretching from Interstate 77 to Interstate 95.
The keynote speaker at the summit will be Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. He will speak on “The importance of regionalism, what it takes for the Carolina Core, or any region, to work well in economic development.”

The summit aims to inform leaders in real estate, in other business sectors and in government positions about the recent economic development successes and to understand what is needed to prepare for the region’s short-term and long-term future.

“Economic growth creates jobs, housing needs, and development potential, and it helps everyone in the area prosper,” said Mike Barr, CEO of the Greensboro Regional REALTORS® Association and the Greensboro REALTORS® Commercial Alliance.

Robert Van Geons, the President of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Development Corporation, is scheduled to speak about the use of a grant that helps retiring soldiers from Fort Bragg enter the regional workforce.

Other presenters at the summit will address the importance of regional approaches to economic development. Those speakers include the chairman of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners, the former mayor of Sanford, the former mayor of Greensboro and the president of the North Carolina Association of REALTORS®.

Mike Fox, president and CEO of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, said, “The Carolina Core has proven itself to be North Carolina’s third economic engine along with our adjacent neighbors in the Research Triangle and metro Charlotte regions. A big reason for the Carolina Core’s recent impressive economic development announcements has been an unprecedented amount of cooperation across county and city lines.”

The Carolina Core is a thriving region in central North Carolina. The region’s counties include Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Harnett, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin. The largest cities in the Carolina Core are Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, High Point, Burlington, Thomasville, Asheboro, Sanford, Kernersville, Clemmons, Lexington, Mebane and Pinehurst.

Wicker Civic & Conference Center is located at 1801 Nash Street in Sanford. To register for the event, go to: https://nccarolinacoresummit.com.

The Carolina Core Real Estate Summit is hosted by 12 real estate associations: North Carolina Association of REALTORS®; Longleaf Pine REALTORS®, Inc.; Greensboro Regional REALTORS® Association; High Point Regional Association of REALTORS®; Mid-Carolina Regional Association of REALTORS®; Orange-Chatham Association of REALTORS®; Winston-Salem Regional Association of REALTORS®; Johnston County Association of REALTORS®; Durham Regional Association of REALTORS®; Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS®; Triangle Commercial Association of REALTORS®; and the North Carolina chapter of CCIM.