Up & Coming Weekly

August 22, 2017

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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AUGUST 23 - 29, 2017 UCW 11 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM It won't be long before the new Freedom Town Center opens at Skibo and Cliffdale Roads. With it comes an expected increase in traffic congestion. "We expect up to 50,000 cars per day on Skibo Road and 35,000 vehicles on Cliffdale," said city traffic engineer Lee Jernigan. "We'll be keeping a close eye on traffic in case signal lights need adjusting." Traffic signal changes have to be done manually because flooding destroyed the city's traffic signal sys- tem located on Alexander Street near downtown during Hurricane Matthew. e state is paying for a $6 million replacement of the system and the control boxes at the city's 229 signal- ized intersections, Jernigan said. City government is chipping in $190,000. It will take several months to complete the project. A new road through the Freedom Town Center, which is being paid for by the developer, is expected to relieve some of the congestion at the Skibo/ Cliffdale intersection. New Hockey Team Mascot e Fayetteville Marksmen hockey team and Cross Creek Mall will unveil the new team mascot Aug. 26. "e mascot is our way to en- gage with the community," Marksmen CEO and owner Chuck Norris said. "He is going to be actively involved with the community, in the schools and all around Fayetteville," he added. "e red fox was an easy choice for us," said team President and owner Jeff Longo. "It's native to North Caro- lina ... the fox is fierce, but also soft and cuddly." Fans wishing to attend the event can arrive at Cross Creek Mall beginning at 2 p.m., with the unveiling taking place in the center area next to the food court. After the unveiling and name announcement, fans will have the opportunity to purchase Marksmen merchandise, take photos with the mascot and talk with Marksmen staff until 6 p.m. Sunday Brunch Bill Passes Fayetteville City Council voted 8-2 last week to adopt a local ordinance au- thorizing the sale of alco- holic beverages at 10 a.m. on Sundays. e general assembly gave cities and counties local authorization to change on-premises and carry-out sale of alcoholic beverages on Sundays. Not all members of Council were aware of the extent of the law only minutes before they voted on it. Mayor Pro Tem Mitch Colvin, who voted against the measure, asked the city attorney if the ordinance would also allow stores to sell beer and wine early. Karen McDonald said, "Yes." Councilman Larry Wright also voted against passage. Two members of Council who said publically they were ethically opposed to the change, Bill Crisp and Bobby Hurst, voted in favor anyway. It's Tax Time Again e Cumberland County Tax Ad- ministration office mailed tax bills to property owners two weeks ago. Taxes are due Sept. 1, but a grace period gives taxpayers until Jan. 5 to pay with no penalties or interest. After that, unpaid tax bills will begin incurring interest. ere are several ways property owners can pay their tax bills. Go to www.co.cumberland.nc.us/tax/pay- ments and pay with an electronic check, major credit card or debit card. Convenience fees apply. Taxpayers can also set up online bill pay options with their banks. It is important that taxpayers using this method verify and update their tax bill number on file with their banks. Credit and debit card payments can be made by phone at 1-866-441-6614, but it includes a convenience fee. Every year, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association inducts new members to the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. is year, a group of eight were chosen, including local sports writer Earl Vaughan Jr. e NCHSAA announced the inductees at a live- streaming news conference at the NCHSAA Headquarters in Chapel Hill Aug. 17. is year's class is comprised of: Coach James "Jim" Biggerstaff from Belmont, Coach Allen Brown from omasville, Coach Dave Elder from Hickory, Robert "Bob" McRae of Kings Mountain, Coach Donnie Simpson from Elizabeth City, Coach Dave omas from Goldsboro, Earl Vaughan Jr. from Fayetteville and Coach Herb Sampsel from Statesville (posthumously). "We are so excited to recognize these eight individuals who have made a tremendous impact, not only on their students and communities but on the landscape of education- based athletics in North Carolina," said NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker. "is class represents many different areas of service over a vast number of years, and the members are to be commended for their out- standing careers and involvement in the NCHSAA." With the addition of this year's class, the total number of inductees is 188. e official induction at the annual NCHSAA Hall of Fame Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, April 14, 2018 at the Em- bassy Suites in Cary. Vaughan Jr. is a UNC- Wilmington graduate. He grew up in Fayetteville where he worked for e Fayetteville Observer for 44 years before joining the staff of Up & Coming Weekly. While working at the Observer, Vaughan Jr. was chairman of the NCHSAA's Athlete of the Year Committee for over 30 years. Other ac- colades include being named a Distinguished Service Award Winner by the NCHSAA, once in 1995 and again in 2008. Vaughan Jr. was also the first-ever two-time winner of the NCHSAA's Tim Ste- vens Media Representative of the Year Award. Vaughan Jr. also was inducted as a member of the Fayetteville Sports Club Hall of Fame. Vaughan Jr. will be the fifth person directly involved with media to be inducted into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. Previous media inductees are Tom Northington of the Greensboro News and Record, Tim Stevens of the Raleigh News and Observer, Tom Suiter of WRAL-TV and Mary Garber of the Winston-Salem Journal. Vaughan Jr. will be the first media person and the seventh person overall from Fayetteville and Cumberland County inducted into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame. Others were Cape Fear coach Doris Howard, Douglas Byrd and Seventy-First coach Bob Paroli, Fayetteville High coach R.E. "Buddy" Luper, E.E. Smith coach and Cumberland County administra- tor Bill Carver, former Cumberland County Schools superintendent Bill Harrison, Terry Sanford coach Gil Bowman and Harnett County coach Al Black, who lived in Spring Lake. Skibo Road Congestion to Get Worse by JEFF THOMPSON Local Sports Writer Earl Vaughan Jr. Inducted into NCHSAA Hall of Fame by STEPHANIE CRIDER NEWS DIGEST JEFF THOMPSON, Senior News Reporter. COMMENTS? news@ upandcomingweekly.com. (910) 484-6200. PROFILE STEPHANIE CRIDER, Associate Publisher. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. (910) 484-6200. Earl Vaughan Jr. (front, left) will be inducted into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame April 14, 2018.

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