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/1456275
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARCH 2 - 8, 2022 UCW 9 Approximately 5,000 soldiers from Fort Bragg are in Poland to train and operate alongside Polish forces and prepare for an influx of refugees as the Russian invasion on Ukraine escalates. According to the Department of Defense, the 82nd Airborne Division's mission is to assure NATO allies with a host of unique capabilities and conduct a wide range of missions that are scalable to meet mission requirements. e mission is not to engage in the fight. "Our forces are not and will not be engaged in a conflict with Russia in Ukraine," President Joe Biden said from the White House last week. "Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine, but to defend our NATO allies and assure those NATO allies in the east." Elements from the 82nd Airborne Division, 101st Airborne Division, the 16th Military Police Brigade and the 35th Signal Brigade have been dubbed Joint Task Force Dragon. e task force has been training with Pol- ish forces to better acquaint each other with equipment, tactics and capabilities. e Secretary of Defense announced last week that the 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Stewart, Georgia has been ordered to deploy to support Joint Task Force Dragon in assuring NATO allies and partners in the region. e U.S. has placed as many as 12,000 service members on "pre- pare to deploy orders" so they will be ready if called upon to participate in the NATO Response Force. No further deployments from Fort Bragg have been announced at this time, according to the 18th Airborne Corps Public Affairs. e latest information on this story can be found on our website at UpAndComingWeekly.com. Hodges family honored in Hope Mills Commissioners meeting e family of Samuel Jasper Hodges was honored Mon- day evening during the Hope Mills commissioner meeting with a proclamation and presentation. Samuel Hodges was a blacksmith, wheelwright, carpen- ter, horse trainer, medicine man, cook, chauffeur, success- ful farmer and was one of the first Black major landowners in Cumberland County. He and his family have contrib- uted significantly to the history of the town and the lives of the people in it. Hodges was a leader for Black citizens. He donated land for the first Black school and for a local Presbyterian church. Hodges and his family have left a lasting legacy in Hope Mills and his descendants have become successful leaders across the United States. To honor the family, Mayor Jackie Warner named Feb. 21 as Hodges Family Day in Hope Mills. "Sam Hodges' favorite saying was 'It's better to wear out than to rust out' ," Warner said. "He believed in hard work, he believed in encouraging that in his family. It's evident by the members of his family that continued to work hard and to add to not only our community, but the areas that they live. We thank you for everything you've done for Hope Mills." One dead, another seriously injured following shooting One man is dead and another is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries following a shooting in Fayetteville. On ursday, Feb. 24, officers with the Fayetteville Po- lice Department responded to a reported shooting along the 4600 block of Fen Court around 6:17 p.m. Officers and medical personnel arrived on the scene and located two men who had been shot. Both were trans- ported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries where one of them later died. e circumstances surrounding the shooting are under investigation by the Fayetteville Police Department's Homicide Unit. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective M. Waters 910- 635-4978 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477). Crimestoppers in- formation can also be submitted electronically, by visiting fay-nccrimestoppers.org New call center in Cumberland County expected to hire remote work employees Fayetteville Cumberland County Economic Develop- ment Corporation has announced that California-based IT and business management consulting company, For- tuna BMC, Inc., will be coming to Cumberland County. ey are expected to hire 50 call center employees, which are remote work opportunities. "We are eager to select Fayetteville for our expansion on the East Coast due to its proximity and connection to Fort Bragg, the largest military installation in the United States by population," said Jack Smith, CEO and founder of Fortuna BMC. "As a veteran of the United States Air Force, I can identify with the challenges presented by the military-to-civilian transition, such as fundamental career support, and helping others understand the skills I can bring to the table from serving my country in the armed forces. After our recent visit to Fayetteville, we are fully convinced that this is a welcoming community for organizations like Fortuna BMC that are passionate about connecting the military community to great job opportu- nities post-service." Fortuna BMC is an IT consulting and staffing company. ey will be working with Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville Technical Community College, NCWorks Career Center, JMH Group, Center for Economic Em- powerment & Development, e Small Business and Technology Development Center, Fort Bragg's Transition Assistance Program and the economic and community development departments for the City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County to help collaborate on workforce development and hiring initiatives. Fort Bragg Commander confirmed as new CENTCOM leader Fort Bragg's Lt. Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla will take responsibility for all U.S. military operations in the Middle East and neighboring nations in the coming weeks. e U.S. Senate voted unanimously to confirm Kurilla's nomination to lead U.S. Central Command and be pro- moted to a four-star general. According to the Pentagon, he will soon replace Gen. Kenneth McKenzie of the Marine Corps, who has com- manded CENTCOM since 2019. McKenzie is retiring in April. Kurilla is the commander of the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg. He is a West Point graduate who led special operations and conventional forces in Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan. He previously commanded the 82nd Airborne Division, the elite 75th Ranger Regiment and its 2nd Battalion. He has also served as the Assistant Com- mander of Joint Special Operations Command and as the Pentagon's deputy director for special operations and counterterrorism. Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the current 82nd Airborne Division Commander, was confirmed by Senate to be promoted to lieutenant general and take command of the 18th Airborne Corps in Kurilla's place. Fayetteville PWC To Temporally Change Water Treatment Process Beginning on March 1, Public Works Commission will temporarily stop adding ammonia to its water treatment disinfection process. e North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources requires all water systems that add ammonia to their drinking water to dis- continue its use for a one-month period annually. During March, fire hydrants will be opened frequently to flush the water distribution system. As a result of the change, some customers may experience discolored water as a result of the system flushing and chlorine may be more noticeable. During this time, traces of ammonia could remain in the water. PWC recommends that water customers who pre-treat should continue to follow procedures to remove chloramines during the changeover. PWC will resume adding ammonia to the water treatment disinfection pro- cess on Friday, April 1. Fort Bragg troops keep watch with NATO allies by HANNAH LEE & JESSICA MAY NEWS DIGEST