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: https://www.epageflip.net/i/18418
STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Janice Burton Joy Kirkpatrick editor@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITER Stephanie Crider stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Marybeth Leiby Marybeth@upandcomingweekly.com OFFICE MANAGER –––––––––––––– GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alicia Miller art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Soni Martin, D.G. Mar tin, Pitt Dick ey, Margaret Dickson, Bob Cogswell, John Hood, Shanessa Fenner, Erinn Crider, Karen Poppele, Heather Griffi ths, Beth Solzsmon-Carpenter –––––––––––– 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 infor- mation 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 per- son. 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 PUBLISHER’S PEN by BILL BOWMAN When Mel Henderson’s downtown entertainment complex Docks folded up shop and left creditors and employees holding the bag, only those residents, Chamber of Commerce and city government offi cials steeped in denial were surprised. You see, Docks’ demise was predicted by many unheard voices as far back as 2005. Articles and editorial that appeared in our newspaper, written by David G. Wilson and me, predicted and warned of the impending disaster. Wilson again wrote about Docks current situation several months ago. We posted his 2005 article adjacent to it. The similarities were remarkable. Everything Wilson predicted based on common sense and logic unfortunately came to pass. The same can be said for many other issues our community newspaper has covered and weighed in on over the years, such as: The legitimacy of a $250 million dollar ethanol plant, building a Cumberland County jail that was too small from the onset, the mismanagement and ultimate demise of the Prince Charles Hotel, the unrealistic growth and expansion expectations of the Fayetteville Museum of Art and, of course, the fi asco we are currently having to deal with concerning the Festival Park Lundy Building. None of these situations are mysteries. However, they are the perfect examples of what happens when our civic, business and government leaders just don’t listen to logic and goose step to their own self-serving personal agendas. Situations of this nature are easily recognized because they all defy sound logic. You know, if it walks-like-a-duck, quacks-like-a-duck logic. Well, if you missed following the above issues, you will have another chance to witness similar shenanigans. Keep your eyes on these issues: Prince Charles Hotel: Rather than condemning it and tearing it down to make way for a legitimate venture that would serve as a downtown stimulus, it will probably be sold randomly at auction and doomed to fail again. Fayetteville Museum of Art: In a take-it-or-leave- Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast October 29 Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast Friday Thursday October 28 Saturday October 30 High 76° Low 55° Partly Cloudy High 78° Low 57° Sunny 4 UCW OCTOBER 27 - NOVEMBER 2, 2010 High 74° Low 55° Sunny it scenario, the return and resurgence of the Fayetteville Museum of Art will be undermined and hindered from the start by a poor location downtown that will neither benefi t, nor showcase the City of Fayetteville or the museum itself. Parking Deck: The new parking deck, once built, will not entice downtown visitors, nor will it provide parking relief for large venues taking place downtown or at Festival Park. (It should have been located across from the Headquarters Library where it could have served downtown merchants, visitors and Festival Park attendees). Last, and probably the most blatant example of poor stewardship of taxpayers money, is the location approved for the multi- modal transportation complex, which is designated for construction on Robeson Street across from Highsmith Hospital. Why? First, the city hired specialized consultants to make site recommendations for the facility, then ignored the fi ndings on all three of their recommendations. Second, the project requires a minimum of two acres and the city’s favored location barely squeezes into that specifi cation. Third, just like the Cumberland County Jail situation we are struggling with now, it is being built too small. Only this time, unlike the jail, there is no room for future expansions. And, this facility is supposed to last us 20 years? As we prepare for the positive effects of BRAC and the accompanying boost in stature our community will receive from hosting North Carolina’s Veterans Park, local leadership should do everything within its power to make responsible decisions that we will not have to apologize for in a few short years. This is unbecoming to a community that is so much better than what is refl ected by local leadership. Doing the right thing for the right reason always works. I hope it catches on! BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, Up and Coming Weekly. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. Call 910.354.1679 Monday Call 910.354.1679 Sunday October 31 November 1 Internet Directory ............................ 12 Calendar ........................................... 16 Concert Connection ........................ 22 TV ..................................................... 23 Movie Review ..................................24 Free Wheelin’ Feelin’ ....................... 26 What Does the Future Hold? News of the Weird ........................... 27 Horoscopes/Advice Goddess ......... 27 Classifieds ........................................ 28 Games .............................................. 30 Dining Guide .................................... 31 Tuesday November 2 Forecast available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. High 74° Low 56° Mostly Sunny High 76º Low 59º Mostly Sunny High 80º Low 56º Sunny WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 24 24 / 7