07 new digestThe Salvation Army is accepting applications from individuals and families who are in danger of experiencing a cooling-related crisis this summer. Limited funds are available, and households are served on a first-come, first-served basis.

The program is administered by the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, but applications are made at the Salvation Army at 310 Dick St., Fayetteville, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Benefits cannot exceed $600. Households meet income eligibility if the total household income is equal to or less than 150 percent of the current poverty level. Each household will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if there is a cooling crisis. Once a crisis is determined, an applicant will be evaluated for assistance through other emergency assistance programs.

Additional information is available at the Salvation Army at 910-483-8119.

Additional Fort Bragg gate is planned

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is seeking public feedback on its proposal to widen and extend Odell Road in Spring Lake to relieve traffic congestion at Fort Bragg.

The Army plans to build an additional access control point on Reilly Road near Odell Road. By extending and widening Odell Road to serve Fort Bragg’s new gate, NCDOT anticipates congestion on Bragg Boulevard will be reduced during commuter times.

Odell Road would be extended from N. Bragg Blvd. (N.C. 24/87) to Reilly Road on post. NCDOT would add lanes in some spots along Odell Road to provide the entire roadway with four travel lanes. A raised median will be added along the road as a safety measure.

Construction is scheduled to start in 2020. The department of transportation will accept comments on the proposal through Aug. 9 at 919-707-6023.

Human trafficking arrest

A collaborative law enforcement investigation has broken up an eastern North Carolina human trafficking ring. Fayetteville Police detectives along with members of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Durham County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies executed several warrants at local massage parlors. They included Sunshine Studios on Hope Mills Road, Red Rose Studios on Cliffdale Road and Numi Day Spa Durham.

“The offenses occurred between January of 2017 and July of 2018,” said Fayetteville Police Sgt. Shawn Strepay.

Owner Angel Ming Lin, 46, of Winston Salem, was charged with promotion of prostitution and keeping a place for prostitution. Lin was apprehended in Raleigh and is being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center on a $1 million secured bond.

Strepay asks that anyone with information regarding human trafficking contact Fayetteville Police.

Alcohol consumption is rising in the military

A recent Department of Defense Health Related Behaviors Survey indicates binge drinking has increased among service members. About one-third of service personnel surveyed met the criteria indicating possible alcohol use disorder, with 30 percent reporting that they binge drank in the past month. The figure was higher among Marines, 42 percent. The rates were down from a previously reported survey from 2011.

This report came as beer and wine sales will be authorized at military commissaries. Until now, alcohol has been sold only at post exchanges.

“One of the big success stories has been the emphasis on cigarette smoking,” said Sarah O. Meadows, Rand Corporation co-principal investigator for this report. For the first time, cigarette smoking in the military has declined to the point that it’s now lower than rates in the general population, according to the report. Overall, 13.9 percent of those surveyed indicated they are current cigarette smokers, which is down from the 24 percent in the 2011 survey.

Defense officials have taken a number of steps to reduce smoking in the military, such as increasing the prices of tobacco in military stores, limiting areas where smoking is allowed and launching an extensive education campaign about the dangers of smoking.

Summer Camp Assistance

Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation has received funding support from the Cumberland Community Foundation and Florence Rogers Trust to operate summer camps at local parks. The Clark Park Nature Center, Lake Rim Park and Mazarick Park will share $8,000 in grants to help defray the cost of supplies and equipment. The camps are entitled “Outdoor and Summer Adventures,” “Growing Up Wild,” “Tiny Trailblazers” and “Survival Camp.” They are provided each summer by the joint parks and recreation department.