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/1511088
4 UCW November 8 - 14, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Without a doubt, news media is crucial for all cities and towns to keep them informed of local issues and, more importantly, keep a diligent eye on the goings-on in municipal governments. Anyone disappointed and skepti- cal of the effectiveness and compe- tency of Fayetteville and Cumberland County elected officials, or are famil- iar with the recent corruption and fiscal mismanagement of the Town of Spring Lake, or has witnessed the chaos and grief that has resulted from the victimizing of the Hope Mills mayor and town officials by a small group of local discontents and social media trolls, can see the similarities. What all three municipalities have in common is the absence of LOCAL media. I cannot overstate the media's role in maintaining a fiscally healthy and well-managed city or town. is is why the news media is often called the Fourth Estate. (e three branch- es/estates of government : Executive, Legislative, and Judicial). e Fourth Estate, news media, is the check and balance and infor- mational conduit keeping citizens informed of what is happening in government. rough investigative reporting, local news media uncovers corruption, conflicts of interest, or misuse of power in municipal gov- ernments. e effective use of news media is critical to preventing the abuse of authority. When elected officials are aware that we, the media, are scru- tinizing their actions, they are more likely to be on their best behavior and make decisions that are in our best interests. Accountability helps prevent negligence or unethical be- havior. Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper works closely with the newly reformatted CityViewToday's daily electronic newsletter to inform Cumberland County residents in all nine municipalities of important news and information. We applaud CVT for its com- mitment to bringing local news and issues to the forefront of the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Hiring former newspa- per publisher Bill Horner III as CVT Executive Editor and, most recently, Fayetteville Observer's veteran re- porter Paul Woolverton, is a massive step toward steering Fayetteville from becoming a "news media desert." Talented and knowledgeable, these news media professionals bring in- dustry expertise, integrity, and hard news reporting back to Fayetteville. More importantly, Woolverton retains local historical knowledge that's vital when making inquiries and contacts and connecting the dots on important community stories and events. If you are still unclear on how im- portant news media is to Cumberland County, consider media outlets like Up & Coming Weekly newspaper and CityViewToday newsletter's responsi- bilities to the community. Together, we provide transpar- ency and, whenever possible, serve as watchdogs, holding local city and county elected officials accountable for their actions. We ensure transparency on essen- tial decisions concerning projects, spending, and public funds alloca- tion. A lack of accountability caused the criminal loss of hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' money and threatened the existence of the Town of Spring Lake. Local news media encourages community involvement. It is vital to inform residents about important issues, meetings, and decisions that impact their daily lives. It enables and encourages citizens to participate in the democratic process. One of the significant reasons voter turnout is so poor in Fayetteville and Hope Mills is that the voters are not informed or engaged. ey do not know the issues or, more impor- tantly, the candidates. Without this engagement, knowledge, and com- munication, the motivation to vote or participate in local government is nonexistent. Additionally, and unfortunately, Fayetteville and Cumberland County have no local TV stations. In most communities nationwide, a local TV station and newspaper inform citizens about local issues, policies, initiatives, and events. Without such means, disseminat- ing crucial information to the public becomes virtually impossible. With- out these local news outlets, residents lose their voice and cannot share their opinions, concerns, or sugges- tions regarding municipal matters. Public input of this nature influ- ences decision-makers and leads to more responsive governance. Again, we welcome Bill Horner III to Fayetteville and Paul Woolverton back from the Dark Side (Just kidding, Paul!). e citizens of Fayetteville and all Cumberland County municipalities have our assurance that CityViewTo- day and Up & Coming Weekly com- munity newspaper will continue to serve in the best interest of the citizens by being trusted media resources that bridge local governments with informed citizens, assuring transpar- ency, accountability, and creating an engaged community. e Fayetteville community de- serves it. ank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. STAFF Association of Community Publishers BILL BOWMAN, Publisher. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. PUBLISHER'S PEN CityViewToday & Up & Coming Weekly: Fayetteville's News Media of Tomorrow by BILL BOWMAN 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 Dr. Shanessa Fenner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Pitt Dickey, John Hood, Joseph Dowless, D.G. Martin, Christopher Thrasher MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ASSISTANT Sheila Barker salesassistant@upandcomingweekly. com COVER Cover design by Courtney Sapp-Scott Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Urban Ministry 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.