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/1512222
4 UCW November 29 - December 5, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Bill Bowman's message to Up & Coming Weekly readers: by BILL BOWMAN e Up & Coming Weekly is NOT a non-profit news media organization. It is a 27-year-old weekly com- munity newspaper that has never waivered in its commitment to keep- ing the residents of the Fayetteville/ Cumberland County community informed, amused, and entertained, with a dedicated staff and excellent contributing writers like Margaret Dickson, Pitt Dickey, Karl Merritt and Dr. Shanessa Fenner who, for de- cades, have been the content founda- tion of our publication for commu- nity news, views, opinions, arts, and entertainment. And, even though we will contrib- ute to many local non-profit orga- nizations during this current Giving Tuesday campaign, we (U&CW) will not receive any such donations from the community. Our newspaper was the first to in- form Fayetteville residents about the crisis in the newspaper industry and its toll on local newspapers nation- wide. We were also the first to predict the dramatic negative impact the sale of the Fayetteville Observer would have on the community. Up & Coming Weekly warned everyone on how we would suffer if Cumberland County were allowed to become a "media desert." To our det- riment (meaning our financial risk), we have been continually diligent in trying to prevent this outcome. Our style of journalism is unique and steeped in the Southern tradi- tions of honesty, integrity and tenac- ity when it comes to principle. Our newspaper has paid a high price for such commitments. We have been threatened, sued, accused of being racist, and canceled by a "woke" society; however, we are still here. Our existence gives credence to the adage: "If you do the right things for the right reasons, you never have to apologize." Maintaining the confidence and trust of this community is our high- est commitment to the citizens of the Fayetteville community, and our commitment stands. Only the community can support a community newspaper. Again, we are a news media business, NOT a non- profit charity. Our revenue and total existence de- pend on local sponsors, partners, and advertisers. is being said, Novem- ber is the near-perfect time to ask our loyal U&CW readers for their support in the upcoming years. You can support the Up & Com- ing Weekly community newspaper in many ways, i.e., market and adver- tise your business or organization, promote your forthcoming event, and invest in a business profile to inform the community of your services. Of course, you can always send us a check supporting Free Speech, the First Amendment, and the Fourth Estate. Most importantly, we appreciate you, your friendship, and your read- ership. All three are greatly appreci- ated. Contact me personally if the Up & Coming Weekly community news- paper or I can assist you in any way. You can reach me at Bill@upand- comingweekly.com, or by calling 910-484-6200 and speak to me about advertising. I look forward to hearing from you. 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 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 Margaret Dickson Joseph Dowless, Ashley Kelsey MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ASSISTANT Sheila Barker salesassistant@upandcomingweekly. com COVER Cover design by Courtney Sapp-Scott Photo courtesy of Floyd Properties 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.