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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STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Janice Burton editor@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS OFFICER Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR Stephanie Crider stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com ART DIRECTOR Alicia Miller art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Erinn Crider, Karen Poppele, Heather Griffiths DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/ OFFICE COORDINATOR Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Cynthia Deere cynthia@upandcomingweekly.com Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com Kristy Sykes kristy@upandcomingweekly.com Beverly Pone beverlypone@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street 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. Up & Coming Weekly is 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 Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. Subscriptions can be purchased for $30 for six months or $60 for 12 months, delivered weekly by first class mail. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. INSIDE Calendar ........................................... 14 Concert Connection ........................ 18 TV ..................................................... 20 Free Wheelin' Feelin' ....................... 22 PUBLISHER'S PEN Who's the Chief? by DAVID G. WILSON Given the recent controversy regarding additions to the manager should then present a funding plan which may include Fayetteville Police Department, a question about who is calling a property tax increase. By then the outcome of the COPS grant the shots is reasonable. City Manager Ted Voorhees has application that has been prepared and submitted will be known presumably suggested that 15 additional officers be added to and those monies can be given appropriate consideration as the force and a new police station be constructed somewhere. the funding for the chief's plan is formulated. If the plan for a This hard to criticize, at first consideration, plan was to be reconfigured city police department is sufficiently well done, funded by a one-cent increase in the city ad valorem tax rate the voters will favor it because the result should provide some — but hold on. Didn't additional relief from the Chief Medlock state crime that daily plagues publicly that he wanted our city and the value six months to carefully should be obvious. formulate a plan for a But in a larger reconfigured city police sense, the proposed department that would department upgrades involve hiring, training may not provide that and putting to work relief. In spite of the 35 or so additional police department's officers? daily efforts to reduce He also intends to crime by being analyze and determine proactive, the sad where the additional fact is that the police police station should be department is mostly located within the city. reactive. Our police So why is the city officers are constrained manager so eager to from stopping and City Manager Ted Voorhees has presumably suggested that 15 additional officers be added to jump the gun and searching known the force and a new police station be constructed. announce his plan, thus criminals unless they removing the planning are known parole or responsibility from Chief Medlock? Has Voorhees, at this very probation violators. The root of the career-criminal problem early date, lost confidence in the chief or does Voorhees simply in our city and most cities is a feckless criminal justice system see the outcry for action to be taken to combat crime in our city that allows criminals with multiple arrests and convictions as an opportunity for positive personal attention and some "atta to be released on a minimal bond. If a trial date is ever boys?" established they will plea to a small charge, pay a small fine We hope this is not the case. The next question is why do and be released back on the streets to rob, assault and murder. certain city council members and the mayor favor such an illThat is what they do and that is what they will always do. Until advised proposition? The issue is very simply who is the chief criminals are dealt with by the courts in a manner of police, the city manager or Chief Medlock? such that they can no longer prey on law-abiding The one-cent increase in property tax to fund the city citizens, no amount of additional police capability manager's scheme should also go. will significantly DAVID G. WILSON, Up & Coming Weekly, The chief will present a fully prepared plan and it will have been stop the street COMMENTS? editor@upandcomingweekly. carefully analyzed for costs to implement and sustain. The city crime in our city. com. Fayetteville's Weather Forecast Thursday June 20 Friday June 21 Call 910.354.1679 Sunday June 23 Saturday June 22 24 / 4 High 85° Low 67° Isolated Thunderstorms JUNE 19-25 2013 Horoscopes/Advice Goddess ......... 23 Classifieds ........................................ 24 Games .............................................. 26 Dining Guide.....................................27 High 87° Low 68° Partly Cloudy High 85° Low 67° Mostly Cloudy Monday June 24 Tuesday June 25 High 87° Low 70° Partly Cloudy High 91º Low 73º Partly Cloudy High 91º Low 72º Partly Cloudy 7 Forecast available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM