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/1425179
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NOVEMBER 3-9, 2021 UCW 9 North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the sheriff of neighboring Hoke County was a man who "worked diligently to protect the people of his county in ad- dition to making a significant difference for good in public safety throughout our state." Hubert Peterkin, who had been sheriff of Hoke County since 2002, died Oct. 23 during a surgical procedure. It was reported that he had cancer. Peterkin was a law enforcement officer for more than 30 years, serving with the Fayetteville Police Department before joining the sheriff 's office. He received his bachelor's degree from Liberty University and held a master's degree in public administration and a doctorate in management, ac- cording to his bio on the sheriff 's office website. In 2015, Peterkin was elected president of the N.C. Sheriff 's Association and was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the state. Booster vaccines are available locally Cumberland County's Health Department is ad- ministering Pfizer booster shots for approved groups but not earlier than six months after second doses have been given. e Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people who have compromised im- mune systems receive booster doses of the CO- VID-19 vaccine. "We want all eligible citizens to get fully vaccinated before the anksgiving holiday," said Dr. Jennifer Green, Cumberland County, public health director. "We will offer Pfizer boosters at all of our vaccina- tion locations." e Health Department also provides free at-home COVID-19 rapid antigen testing kits. A list of approved groups and appointment appli- cations can be found at cumberlandcountync.gov/ covid19/vaccination. An online application form allows individuals to choose their appointment dates and times for the first, second or third doses. Two killed during home invasion Details of a Fayetteville home invasion in which the intruders were killed are still lacking. Police found two young men had been shot to death at a home on Brookstone Lane. Investigators identified one of the teens as Hunter Markham, 19. e other was a 17-year-old whose name was not released because of his age. e preliminary investigation indicated the teens were shot after forcing entry into the home. A third person was shot but he apparently lived in the home. His wound was minor. e person who did the shooting, evidently the homeowner, was not identi- fied by police. Police would not say whether it was a random act or if anyone else was involved. Police availability is down e Fayetteville Police Department is having to deal with a 14% officer vacancy rate. A 10% rate has been common in recent years. "We have 59 vacant sworn full-time of- ficer positions," police spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Glass said. e FPD's authorized strength is 433 officers. A new pay scale for the police may help the recruiting process. e starting wage has been increased to $41,000 from $34,000. An education incentive of $3,000 is available to officers with bachelor's degrees. Hiring incentives are also helping. Certified officers from other agen- cies who join the FPD receive $10,000 lateral entry bonuses. "Our recruiting unit is working diligently to recruit quality applicants for our upcoming December BLET [Basic Law Eenforcement Training] academy," Glass added. e shortage of street cops hasn't reduced service. "Our response times are within our goal, so we have not seen any significant reduction in our quality-of-service times." Police Chief Gina Hawkins instituted 12-hour pa- trol shifts which keeps more officers on duty to offset the personal shortage. Fayetteville mask mandate ends Mayor Mitch Colvin announced last week that he will be ending the Fayetteville mask mandate. Colvin issued a Sixth Amendment to the State of Emergency for the City of Fayetteville that ends the indoor mask mandate within city limits starting on Nov. 1. e mask mandate has been in place in the city of Fayetteville since Aug. 18. Colvin cites in the ammendment that the mask mandate lift comes as vaccination rates in Cumberland County have risen to 57% "I am grateful today to announce the rescinding of the city's mask mandates," Colvin said. "is is the result of the reductions we have experienced in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. We are very thankful and appreciative to all of you for your cooperation, patience and most of all for getting vaccinated. Let's continue this positive trend and keep each other safe as we work through this challenging time." Colvin says in the amendment that the City of Fayetteville "withdraws any consent, explicit or implied, to be included" in the county's indoor mask order. However, the Cumberland County mask mandate and the Cumberland County Schools mask mandate are still in place. Special Forces soldier dies during physical fitness training A soldier died Oct. 27 after a sudden and unex- pected medical event during physical fitness train- ing at Fort Bragg, according to U.S. Army officials. Sgt. 1st Class Calvin T. Rockward was attending the Special Forces Warrant Officer Technical and Tactical Certification Course when he passed away. Rockward enlisted in the Army in 2004 as a Special Forces candidate. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). Rockward is survived by his wife and daughter. Sheriff Hubert Peterkin is remembered by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS DIGEST JEFF THOMPSON, Reporter. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200.