Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1191054
8 UCW DECEMBER 11-17, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Traffic along future I-295 West has already picked up in a busy local area. A $144 million road construction project, along a seven-mile stretch of the interstate, was completed last month. What will eventually be a 39-mile outer loop around the Fayetteville metropolitan area includes a new segment that parallels Reilly Road from the All American Expressway to Cliffdale Road. ere are interchanges at Gruber, Yadkin and Morganton Roads. e loop will eventually extend to I-95 just south of the Cumberland County line in Robeson County. NCDOT has awarded an $85.2 million contract to Barnhill Contracting Co., Sanford Construction and HDR Engineering for work on another stretch of the future interstate that is 3.1-miles long. Construction for this section began in August 2017. Traffic is expected to begin using the new section with a Raeford Road inter- change, by the end of 2020. Local teacher named a North Carolina Educator of Excellence Cumberland County School teacher Sheila Sochovka, an exceptional children's teacher, was recently named a North Carolina Educator of Excellence by the Department of Public Instruc- tion's Exceptional Children's Division. Sochovka has worked with elementary and secondary EC students for more than 15 years. "Ms. Sochovka has a heart for children," said Dr. Pamela Adams-Watkins, executive director of CCS Exceptional Children's Services. "She is an advocate for children ... always thinking of inno- vative ways in which to engage her students in her social skills lessons." e announcement came during a special din- ner at the annual Exceptional Children's Confer- ence in Greensboro in November. An educator from each school district was selected to be honored during the annual gathering. Recent restaurant sanitation ratings ere are hundreds of food handling establish- ments in Cumberland County. ey are routinely inspected by the Department of Public Health, a couple dozen or so at a time. During the period between Oct. 28 and Nov. 14, 55 local establish- ments were checked by environmental health inspectors. 50 of them received A ratings, ranging from 90.5% to 100%. A food truck, G-Ma's Fried Ribs and Southern Cooking and Super Compare Foods, which is located at 155 Bonanza Dr., got 100s with no violations found. e places that received B ratings were Super King Buffet, 595 N. McPherson Ch. Rd.; Bojangles, 3440 Ramsey St.; Zorba's, 2919 Raeford Rd.; Wing Company Bar & Grill, Suite A, 7071 Raeford Rd.; and the Circle K at 7910 Raeford Rd. Wing Company and the Circle K were within two points of receiving C ratings. e North Carolina Health Department inspec- tion scores are shown as numeric grades: (90- 100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C). Establishments are required to post their grade cards in conspicuous places for public viewing. Grants fund special holiday theater performances Cape Fear Regional eatre has received two grants from the Cumberland Community Foun- dation in support of the theatre's endowment fund. CFRT was awarded a Lilly Endowment Challenge grant, which will provide a dollar-for- dollar $25,000 match of contributions made to e Bo and Herbert orp Endowment. "We are so grateful to the CCF and the Ashton W. Lilly Fund for Philanthropy for this opportuni- ty to continue to grow CFRT's endowment, which has recently exceeded $1,000,000," said Artistic Director Mary Kate Burke. e theater also received a $5,000 Endowment Operating Support grant, which will allow CFRT to engage potential endowment donors. As part of the endowment campaign, three special perfor- mances of the 29th Annual "Best Christmas Pag- eant Ever" will feature Founding Artistic Director Bo orp Dec. 8, 14 and 15. Tickets will cost $30, half of which will go toward the endowment fund. Since 1962, Cape Fear Regional eater has pre- sented an annual series of plays, performances and special events. Fort Bragg commissaries gain new customer base e Pentagon is expanding access to on-post military stores for some 4.1 million veterans and caregivers, the Defense Department announced. e expansion, which begins Jan. 1, will grant veterans with documented service-related dis- abilities, Purple Heart recipients, former prison- ers of war and certain Department of Veterans Affairs veteran care givers access to commissaries and military exchanges at Fort Bragg and other posts within the United States. e changes were included in the 2019 National Defense Authoriza- tion Act. "ese new privileges recognize the service and sacrifice of these veterans and those that care for them," said A.T. Johnston, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military com- munity and family policy. Until now eligibility to shop at on-base commissaries and exchanges in the U.S. has been limited to active-duty troops, members of the National Guard and reserves, and military retirees and their family members. Sens. John Boozman, R-Ark., and Brian Schatz, D-HI, spearheaded efforts in recent years to open the services to more veterans, especially ones injured in combat or held prisoner. "If you have the Purple Heart, you should also have access to the commissary. It's as simple as that," Schatz said last year. e senators also noted the plan is an opportunity to strengthen the commissary system. Last year, the Defense Com- missary Agency announced its sales had slumped 20% during the previous five years. I-295 Extension to Cliffdale Road open by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS DIGEST JEFF THOMPSON, Reporter. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484- 6200. Sheila Sochovka