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/1509833
4 UCW October 18 - 24, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR Alyson Hansen editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Sam Olsen assistanteditor@upandcomingweekly. com ART DIRECTOR Courtney Sapp-Scott art@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Isaiah Jones graphics@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITERS Aubrette Reid Amber Little Hannah Lee Carrie Jackson Lena Simmons Kathleen Ramsey Jamie Bishop Sheila Barker CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Margaret Dickson, Rep. Richard Hudson, John Hood MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ASSISTANT Sheila Barker salesassistant@upandcomingweekly. com COVER Cover design by Courtney Sapp-Scott Photos courtesy Sandhills Jazz Association Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: 910-484-6200- FAX: 910-484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Published weekly on Wednesdays, Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Liberty, Pope Army Airfield, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. © 2020 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Various ads with art graphics designed with elements from: pexels.com, Metro Creative Connection,, vecteezy.com and freepik.com. Association of Community Publishers is weekend we have witnessed a savage and unprecedented attack on our greatest Middle Eastern ally, Israel. e senseless violence in Israel is sickening, but we must be clear-eyed that this is an unprovoked act of war on a sovereign ally. ere should be no doubt that Israel has every right to defend itself, and the United States should stand shoulder-to- shoulder with our friend in this terrible time. Reports that Americans are among the hundreds killed or taken hostage is worrying. I am also outraged by the pos- sibility that the Biden administration's eagerness to give legitimacy and over $6 billion to Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorists including Hamas, may have contributed to this attack. I will continue to monitor this situation and will always stand with Israel. ese have been a challenging few weeks in Washington. Our House Re- publican majority is the only firewall against the extreme agenda of Washing- ton Democrats. I am doing anything I can to remind my colleagues of this and find a way forward by electing a new Republican speaker. My focus remains on cutting spending, securing our Southern border, and working on behalf of you and your family. As the crisis at the border rages, Sen- ate Democrats refuse to take any action on the House-passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, the strongest border security bill in history. is legislation restarts construction of the border wall, deploys technology to the Southern and Northern border, increases the number of Border Patrol agents, and provides them with bonus pay. e ongoing humanitarian and national security crisis at our Southern border continues to escalate, as record numbers of illegal migrants cross into the United States. In August alone, there were 232,972 encounters at the South- ern Border — a 27% increase from July, and more than double the population of Moore County. While Washington Democrats allow thousands of illegal immigrants into our country each day, they also refuse to acknowledge the ways their failed eco- nomic policies are impacting hardwork- ing families. Washington Democrats borrowed and spent at record levels under their one-party rule, fueling inflation and propelling our debt to an astronomical $33 trillion. Because of this, new polling data shows only 28% of Americans are satis- fied with the state of the economy. ese are serious issues facing our na- tion today — yet we have seen troubling times before. In the face of previous conflict and uncertainty, President Ron- ald Reagan believed that America's best days were always ahead. He also knew that uniting under con- servative leadership was the only way to secure our freedoms for future genera- tions. I believe in that too, especially be- cause House Republicans have solutions to each of the challenges we are once again facing today. House Republicans are focused on cutting wasteful spending, fully-funding programs for seniors, military families and veterans, securing our border, and passing solutions that fulfill our commit- ment to the American people. As your Congressman, I am commit- ted to building a safer future for you and your family. As internal debates con- tinue in Congress on how our majority can achieve those goals, know that I will always stay focused on the big picture and the issues that matter most to you. My goal is to always provide you with high quality constituent services and be accessible to hear your needs, thoughts, and concerns on the key issues facing our community and nation. My dedicated staff in our Southern Pines and Fayetteville district offices are here to serve you. To find out our office locations and office hours, visit Hudson.house.gov or call us at 910-910-1924. As your Congressman, I will never stop working with my House colleagues to advance common sense solutions that grow our economy, keep us safe, and help you and every American family succeed. Editor's note: Rep. Richard Hudson represents North Carolina's 9th Congres- sional District. REP. RICHARD HUDSON, R-N.C. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Committed to serving you by REP. RICHARD HUDSON PUBLISHER'S PEN