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/1298419
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 14-20, 2020 UCW 9 e 71st Ruritan Club announced that District 45 Representative John Szoka and Wesley Meredith, candidate for North Carolina Senator District 19, will be special guests at its regularly scheduled meeting Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. e public is invited, according to Ruritan spokesman Ronald Sharpe. e 71st Ruri- tan Club of Fayetteville meets every third ursday of the month and membersdedicate themselves to improving the community and building a better America through "fellowship, goodwill, and commu- nity service." e upcoming program is part of the regular series focusing on people, businesses, orga- nizations and programs that affect Fayetteville and Cumberland County's quality of life. ese programs have included representatives from the Fayetteville Police Dept., CrimeStoppers, Fayetteville Homeless Officer, Hospice, Warriors on the Water. e club also supports and sponsors organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Special Olympics, Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts, Warriors on the Water, Student Essay Contest, Scholarships and Fayetteville Beauti- ful. e public is invited to attend monthly meetings and get involved in their community projects. e 71st Ruritan Club is located at 240 Ruritan Drive. For more information, contact Ronald Sharpe 910-391-1241. Road rage gets out of hand Fayetteville Police detectives continue an investi- gation into a shooting that officers say stemmed from a road rage incident. Police spokesman, Sgt Jeremy Glass, did not describe the incident, saying only that the victim was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. e preliminary investigation indicates that the shooting involved the victim and another motor- ist who was driving a late model black Ram pickup truck. e police department's aggravated assault unit has requested the public's assistance in locating the suspect and vehicle involved in the incident that occurred on the night of Oct. 2 at Yadkin and Fillyaw roads, near an entrance to Fort Bragg. Glass said the suspect fled the scene in the Cottonade neighbor- hood. Police ask that residents with Doorbell or security cameras contact the police. Mail-in election ballot procedures are tight e Cumberland County Board of Elections is meeting frequently to review absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election. e meeting schedule and links for each session are posted on the Board of Elections webpage at www.electionready.net. e five-mem- ber board meets twice weekly through Oct. 16 and each weekday from Oct. 19 through Election Day. At the first absentee meeting on Sept. 29, the elec- tions board approved 6,793 mail-in ballots. Before each meeting, staff members review all absentee mail envelopes received. Staff members determine whether envelopes have been properly completed, and if so, recommend to the board that it approve the applications and ballots. During absentee meet- ings, board members review deficient ballots and perform random checks of those that have been recommended for approval by staff members. After each meeting, the board notifies voters that had problems with their ballots and provides them with a process to verify that the ballots are theirs. At least one member from each political party is represented at each absentee meeting when the board is approv- ing absentee applications. For more information on the Board of Elections, visit co.cumberland.nc.us/ departments/election-group/elections. School system COVID-19 information available e Cumberland County school system has cre- ated a COVID-19 dashboard to provide up-to-date information on positive COVID-19 cases. District staff updates the dashboard every Friday. "As we nav- igate through this pandemic, we encourage everyone to follow the guidance of health officials," said Shirley Bolden, director of Health Services for CCS. "It's im- portant that we continue to practice the three Ws." CCS is currently operating under Plan C, whereby students participate in remote learning through the end of the first semester. e origin of each CO- VID-19 case varies based on the individual; not all the cases listed in the dashboard originated on CCS campuses. To comply with federal privacy laws, the school district does not release information about individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 beyond what is indicated in the dashboard. e dis- trict remains in close contact with the Cumberland County Department of Public Health and continues to follow necessary protocols related to the coronavi- rus. To access the dashboard, visit http://bit.ly/CCSCOVID-19Dashboard. County employees have exclusive learning sites e Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has established temporary virtual learning centers at six of the county's public libraries for school-age children of county employees. County Manager Amy Cannon came up with the idea of using the librar- ies to assist employees who have been unable to report to work because they're at home with their children. It is "out of a dire need to ensure that criti- cal and needed services can be provided without delay or disruption," Cannon said. Approximately 160 children are expected to participate. Under the agreement, Cumberland County Schools will provide lunches and snacks for the children and assign staff members to assist with operation of the sites. Ruritan Club hosts speakers Oct. 15 by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS DIGEST JEFF THOMPSON, Reporter. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200.