Up & Coming Weekly

May 10, 2022

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.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 11 - MAY 17, 2022 UCW 11 NEWS County Public Health Director Jen- nifer Green on Monday, May 2, gave the Cumberland County Board of Com- missioners an overview of the planning process needed to acquire the county's portion of money from a state opioid lawsuit. Dr. Green gave county commissioners a number of options to consider when requesting the funds and will ask for the commission's guidance during their up- coming May 12 agenda planning session. North Carolina is part of a $26 billion settlement that will provide money to help bring relief to communities affected by opioid addiction. e state, its 100 counties and 45 municipalities joined the agreement. e money agreement is a result of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies deemed to have been respon- sible for creating and fueling the opioid epidemic. Green told commissioners that the state will keep 15% of the money, with the remainder going to North Carolina counties and municipalities who are part of the agreement. She said Cumberland County will get about $16.9 million, and Fayetteville will get about $2 million. e state will distribute the money over an 18-year span. A memorandum of agreement between the state and local government directs how the opioid settlement funds are distrib- uted among the recipients. To access the money, local government must conduct annual meetings within each county; establish a special revenue fund, which cannot be co-mingled with other county funds; adopt a budget resolution that authorizes spending money, to include amount and time period, a spending strategy and forwarding information to the opioid settlement board. e requirements also include filing an annual financial report and annual impact reports. Additionally, the MOA requires local government to choose a plan of action, giving two options. Option A allows local governments to fund one or more strategies from a shorter list of "evidence-based, high impact strate- gies to address the epidemic." Option B allows local government to fund one or more strategies from a longer list of strategies after engaging in a collab- orative strategic planning process involv- ing a "diverse array of stakeholders". Green said the County could start with Option A and then switch to Option B, but it could not switch back and forth. e next steps to getting the funding underway is to get the Commission's guidance at the May 12 Agenda session; complete stakeholder and community feedback sessions scheduled for May and June; analyze the data, align the proposed strategies, and feedback from various stakeholders; and present the total find- ings to the county commissioners. e funding flow starts immediately, with $652,543 becoming available this spring, $1,435,068 later this summer, and the remainder increments each following summer until 2038. Commissioner Charles Evans asked if the money could be used to treat people addicted to other substances, such as crack cocaine. Green responded that the money has to be used for addiction treatment for opioids. "at's where the settlement comes from," she said. e commissioners also heard from Sharon Moyer, community engagement administrator for the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County. Moyer updated the commissioners on the Family Connects Program. e program provides in-home or virtual nurse visitation to families with newborns in Cumberland, Hoke and Robeson counties. e visits occur about three weeks after the baby is born. ere is no cost to the family. e visits reduce hospital visits and have decreased child abuse reports by 44%, Moyer said. e program addresses issues like postpartum depression, household safety and parent-child relationships, among others. Moyer said Cape Fear Valley Medical Center now allows trained nurses to contact new mothers and pro- vide them with an informational card prior to leaving the hospital. In other action, the Commissioners unanimously agreed to extend another three-year lease to Coastal Horizons Cen- ter, Inc., a Wilmington-based non-profit providing substance abuse treatment. e organization is housed in the county- owned building at 412 Russell St. e county's pretrial services and state parole and probation agencies also occupy the building. Coastal Horizons Inc. will pay the county $18,180 a year for 1,212 square feet of office space. Commissioners briefed on community programs by JASON BRADY JASON BRADY, Staff Writer COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com 910-484-6200. Bring in this ad for a FREE TOTE BAG! FOR TICKET OPTIONS VISIT SweetValleyRanchnc.com or call 844-622-FARM ENJOY EVEN MORE FAMILY FUN! Cattleman's Loft Museum Enjoy our 2,000 square foot museum with all types and sizes of fossils! Reptile House & Iguana Exhibit Check out our reptile house with snakes, lizards, macaws, and our infamous Aldabra tortoises, Bonnie and Clyde. Our iguana exhibit houses a variety of colorful iguanas for our guests to enjoy. Animals No trip to Sweet Valley Ranch is complete without seeing our animals. We have over 350 animals representing 5 continents! DINOSAUR TRAIL We're not just one of those "parking lot dinosaur attractions!" Take a shuttle ride to our paved quarter-mile Sweet Valley Ranch Dinosaur Trail nestled in the woods. Go back in time to when dinosaurs walked the planet and discover over 25 animatronic dinosaurs. After the trail enjoy Tiny's Adventures which includes one of North Carolina's largest inflatable parks, playground and animal meet-n-greet. Go Kart Nature Trail Ride Bouncy Castles Fishing at the Ranch Carnival Games & Rides Bring in this ad for a FREE TOTE BAG! FOR TICKET OPTIONS VISIT SweetValleyRanchnc.com or call 844-622-FARM ENJOY EVEN MORE FAMILY FUN! Cattleman's Loft Museum Enjoy our 2,000 square foot museum with all types and sizes of fossils! Reptile House & Iguana Exhibit Check out our reptile house with snakes, lizards, macaws, and our infamous Aldabra tortoises, Bonnie and Clyde. Our iguana exhibit houses a variety of colorful iguanas for our guests to enjoy. Animals No trip to Sweet Valley Ranch is complete without seeing our animals. We have over 350 animals representing 5 continents! DINOSAUR TRAIL We're not just one of those "parking lot dinosaur attractions!" Take a shuttle ride to our paved quarter-mile Sweet Valley Ranch Dinosaur Trail nestled in the woods. Go back in time to when dinosaurs walked the planet and discover over 25 animatronic dinosaurs. After the trail enjoy Tiny's Adventures which includes one of North Carolina's largest inflatable parks, playground and animal meet-n-greet. Go Kart Nature Trail Ride Bouncy Castles Fishing at the Ranch Carnival Games & Rides Bring in this ad for a FREE TOTE BAG! FOR TICKET OPTIONS VISIT SweetValleyRanchnc.com or call 844-622-FARM Swt Vaey Rch's ENJOY EVEN MORE FAMILY FUN! Cattleman's Loft Museum Enjoy our 2,000 square foot museum with all types and sizes of fossils! Reptile House Check out our reptile house with snakes, lizards, macaws, and our infamous Aldabra tortoises, Bonnie and Clyde. Animals No trip to Sweet Valley Ranch is complete without seeing our animals. We have over 350 animals representing 5 continents! DINOSAUR TRAIL We're not just one of those "parking lot dinosaur attractions!" Take a shuttle ride to our paved quarter-mile Sweet Valley Ranch Dinosaur Trail nestled in the woods. Go back in time to when dinosaurs walked the planet and discover over 25 animatronic dinosaurs, an abandoned research lab, observation booths and other special effect props. No detail has been spared! After the trail, stop by our Dino Playland with Fossil Dig, Small Bouncy Castles, and Kiddie Dino Rides! Enjoy a fun-filled day for the whole family! Go Kart Nature Trail Tour Bouncy Castles Fishing at the Ranch Face Painting OPEN 2990 Sunnyside School Rd Fayetteville, NC 28312 Friday 10am-8pm Saturday 10am-8pm Sunday 10am-6pm Join us Saturdays 8pm-9:30pm for an interactive rescue mission! SIL04471_BTM SIL04471_BTM.indd 1 SIL04471_BTM.indd 1 4/27/21 2:32 PM 4/27/21 2:32 PM ENJOY EVEN MORE FAMILY FUN! Cattleman's Loft Museum Enjoy our 2,000 square foot museum with all types and sizes of fossils! Reptile House TRAIL those "parking lot Take a shuttle ride to Sweet Valley Ranch OPEN 2990 Sunnyside School Rd Fayetteville, NC 28312 Friday 10am-8pm Saturday 10am-8pm Sunday 10am-6pm Join us Saturdays 8pm-9:30pm for an interactive rescue mission! June 25th (7pm) Sponsored By Dinosaur World RIVERMIST followed by KIDS OF AMERICA (80s TRIBUTE BAND) TICKETS ON SALE NOW! SVR Dinosaur World Bring in this FREE TOTE FOR TICKET OPTIONS VISIT SweetValleyRanchnc.com or call 844-622-FARM ENJOY EVEN MORE FAMILY Cattleman's Loft Museum Enjoy our 2,000 square foot museum with all types and sizes Reptile House & Iguana Exhibit Check out our reptile house with snakes, lizards, macaws, Aldabra tortoises, Bonnie and Clyde. Our iguana exhibit houses colorful iguanas for our guests to enjoy. Animals No trip to Sweet Valley Ranch is complete without seeing have over 350 animals representing 5 continents! DINOSAUR TRAIL We're not just one of those "parking lot dinosaur attractions!" Take a shuttle ride to our paved quarter-mile Sweet Valley Ranch Dinosaur Trail nestled in the woods. Go back in time to when dinosaurs walked the planet and discover over 25 animatronic dinosaurs. After the trail enjoy Tiny's Adventures which includes one of North Carolina's largest inflatable parks, playground and animal meet-n-greet. Go Kart Nature Trail Ride Bouncy Castles Fishing at the Carnival Games

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