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/734847
OCTOBER 5-11, 2016 UCW 9 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Vice Presidential candi- date, Mike Pence BILLY RICHARDSON, Columnist. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200 In a few days, Doug Hewett will officially be named city manager. City Council decided dur- ing an evaluation session that he deserved to be elevated from his temporary position after five months on the job. Council is working out details of his employment including salary, benefits, severance and term of office. Council is consider- ing offering Hewett a one-year contract. It's not unusual for government executives to have renew- able contracts, although it's a first for Fayetteville. "Hewett had a very positive performance evalu- ation…and we have unanimously decided to ask (him) to accept the position of city manager," said Mayor Nat Robertson. Hewett didn't hesitate to accept the offer. During the personnel performance closed session, City Attorney Karen MacDonald received a 'satisfactory' rating according to Robertson. That's a midrange evaluation in a five step range. Free Smoke Alarms Distributed Every night in Eastern North Carolina about five house fires occur, leaving families helpless, confused and alone. In Cumberland County, Highlands Chapter Red Cross volunteers respond routinely to local house fires. Last month, nearly 300 Red Cross volunteers from 27 groups, including Fayetteville Firefighters, gathered in Fayetteville to install more than 1,000 smoke alarms in homes of military members and their neighbors. "Brave men and woman of our military work every day to make sure we are safe in our homes," said Barry Porter, chief executive officer, of the Red Cross in Eastern N.C. "We want to return the favor and protect them in their own homes with new smoke alarms." Four volunteers visited the home of Cory Hall, an active-duty military member and former firefighter. They installed four smoke alarms and tested his existing alarms. Hall said he feels confident his family is safe in their home should a fire start. "Over 500 households were reached in the Bonnie Doone, Shaw Heights, and Mont- clair Communities," according to Fayetteville Fire Chief Ben Major. Gilbert Theater's New Season Fayetteville's Gilbert Theater in the former City Hall Build- ing on Bow Street announces two projects thanks to a pair of grants from the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County says Robyne Parrish, artistic director. "This year, in addition to our usual five-show main stage season, we will continue our second stage this year," she added. It's called the 'next stage' and will feature six one-act plays and two glee club shows. "The Arts Council is proud to partner with Gilbert Theater in support of their 2016-2017 season," says Executive Director Deborah Martin Mintz. The Arts Council's programs and services are funded in part by contributions from busi- nesses and individuals and through grants from the City of Fayetteville, Cumberland County and the North Carolina Arts Council. Cumberland County Master Gardener Volunteer Training Cumberland County's Extension Master Gardeners Volunteer program is offering a training class for local residents interested in increasing their gardening knowledge and volunteering in the community. The extension service is providing advanced notice. The classes aren't scheduled to begin until Jan. 12, 2017. They'll be held weekly through May 4 in the Cooperative Extension Auditorium at 301 East Mountain Drive in Fayetteville. There is a fee to cover training supplies and the Extension Master Gardener Training Manual. Applications are now being accepted and can be obtained by calling 910-321-6405. Applications may also be found online at the Cumberland County Cooperative Extension Service website (https://cumberland.ces.ncsu.edu). The deadline for accepting applications is Nov. 18. Clarification A News Digest article in last week's edition misstated that Fayetteville Regional Airport has been awarded three $10 million dollar grants to renovate the 47-year-old terminal. Actually, it's receiving two such grants. Other federal funds include $6 million in entitlement funding and $2.8 million in passenger facility charges. A local airport share of between $5 and $7 million rounds out the revenue. Total funding for design and construction is estimated at $34 to $36 million, according to Airport Manager Brad Whited. For 25 years, our legislature adopted, funded and supported a novel concept to encourage our brightest students to enter teaching. The Teaching Fellows Program proved to be quite successful. It offered top graduating high school students four years of higher education at a North Carolina University. In return that student agreed to teach in our state for at least four years. It was so successful, 11,000 students entered the program; 8,500 of those graduated and entered into teaching in all 100 counties. Eighty percent stayed in teaching after their four-year requirement ended, two thirds were teaching six years after graduation and many stayed in education and became principals and assistant superintendents. Our very own Terry Sanford principal, Robert Guzman is one of them. Recently he told me he would not have been able to go to college without the program. He urged me to get the program back stating "the intangible of the program was it elevated teaching as a profession". To date, our Republican governor and legislature refuse, stat- ing it was just another "feel good" Democrat program. Ironically, another Republican House and Senate with the backing and insistence of its Republican governor, has requested help from our Public Schools Forum where the concept was originated. Unlike our legislature they wanted to encourage the top 20 percent of their high school students to apply for scholarships of up to $7,500 a year for four years, and upon graduation- teach. That state's leadership faced a dire need to entice qualified teaching applicants to stay in their state and frankly didn't care who made the idea work- just that it did. Indiana now has North Carolina's former teaching fellows program, and it is en- dorsed fully by Governor Mike Pence. Governor Pence is also Trump's vice president running mate. Ironically, Gov. Pence has received the backing and support of most of our Legislature. They cite his values and judgement as to why he should be our vice president. Yet the very program our legislature abolished is now the key teacher recruiting tool of Indiana. This begs the question: With our universities seeing applications to our schools of education down as much as 50 percent and teacher shortage rampant, why are we not reinstating a very successful program? Many believe, and I have heard it said, any Democratic program, successful or not, is not going to be adopted. There is a line in the song by the Who, "We won't get fooled again." It goes, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss". Republicans were elected in 2010 and with that election, they were given a mandate not to conduct business as usual and to stop being vindictive. They also ran on not passing mandates on local government and forming an impartial commission to draw legislative and congressional districts fairly. Again, this begs the question, why are they not keeping their promises to the peoples who elected them? It is past time to put our state's needs and our people's needs ahead of partisan messes. Governor Mike Pence did, as did his legislature, and Indiana is the better for it. Why won't our Governor and Legislature do the same? Hopefully, those elected will honor those mandates and not become what they once railed against. As for me- I am willing to cross lines, break barriers and work day and night with any Democrat, Repub- lican or Independent with a good idea to help our people, our state and our country prosper! (Credit goes to N. C. Justice Center for background) Hewett Named City Manager a STAFF REPORT Teaching Fellows Programs Work by BILLY RICHARDSON NEWS DIGEST OPINION