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/31819
STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Janice Burton Joy Crowe editor@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITER Stephanie Crider stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Marybeth Leiby Marybeth@upandcomingweekly.com Julie Donahue Marketing Consultant OFFICE MANAGER Laurel Handforth officemanager@ upandcomingweekly.com –––––––––––––– GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alicia Miller art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Soni Martin, D.G. Mar tin, Pitt Dick ey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, 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 Well, I guess Ben the Bear is becoming quite the topic of conversation these days and why not? Domesticated, big, cuddly looking bears don’t usually stir up much of a fuss unless, of course, they are declared “wild animals” and incarcerated in a 12’ x 22’ wire cage and, allegedly suffering from depression and emotional distress. For nearly two decades Jambbas Ranch has kept a pretty low profi le out in the country on Tabor Church Road. The ranch has quietly been providing tours and catering to groups, schools and other organizations by providing a petting zoo experience for the entertainment and education of young children — and the not so young — for several years it was a stop on the Leadership Fayetteville Farm Day. Unfortunately, for Jambbas Ranch and its owner, James Bass, controversy is emerging on several fronts. It’s mostly focusing on Ben the caged bear, who has become a cause celebre with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Members of PETA want to rescue Ben and place him in a safe wild- animal sanctuary. That effort has made headlines all over the country and even had retired game show host Bob Barker, of The Price Is Right, writing letters to our Cumberland County Commissioners on behalf of PETA and Ben the Bear. Adding to the zoo’s woes was a misdemeanor charge earlier this year against Bass, for owning and housing wild and exotic animals. Because of these charges, Bass was having diffi culty getting his operating permits renewed by the N.C. Wildlife Commission so he sought relief from the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. Bass requested that his business, Jambbas Ranch, be exempt from the law. And, in a matter of weeks, not months, and with little discussion or action except perhaps a wink and a nod, it was done. Jambbas Ranch was exempt! Was this exotic-animal-gate? Business as usual? Quid pro quo? Who knows? I don’t. But, we all will soon. I will, however, go on record letting you know I am not a PETA fan or supporter. I think their methods of communicating and demonstrating on behalf of their causes are mostly absurd, i.e. throwing chicken blood (red paint) at people wearing fur coats or protesting and picketing Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. My way of thinking is Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast Thursday May 19 Friday May 20 Saturday May 21 that you have to kill a chicken before you can eat it. However, you must admit, these circumstances make for extreme suspicion and drama, of which, I might add, will end up not being complimentary to our community or county. Should Ben the Bear stay or go? I’m not sure. What I do know is this: Jambbas Ranch is a business. And, Ben the Bear is a real money maker. The most disturbing thing I came across when researching this issue was that last year the USDA, in a scheduled inspection of Jambbas Ranch, fi led a report that stated a dead goat was found in the pasture and the rest of the goat herd was infected with a disease. Additionally, the animals had not received any veterinarian care because the owner was not aware the goats were even sick. Really? They didn’t know the goats were sick? How could that be in a caring, loving environment of this farm? According to one authority with more than 10 years experience in raising goats, the animals are extremely temperamental, delicate and prone to disease. They take constant care and attention to keep them healthy and safe. One dead goat and an infected herd adds a lot of credence to the various PETA complaints that the care, health and well being of the animals are not the number one priority. So, as you can see, there are many circumstances and scenarios swirling around Ben. The actions of James Bass, PETA, the Cumberland County Commissioners, the USDA and the N.C. Wildlife are all under national scrutiny. This situation is no longer just about the welfare of Ben the Bear. In closing, I will go on record as saying some of PETA’s causes are admirable and I think petting zoos featuring domestic animals are wonderful attractions for families, children and educators. Unfortunately, Ben the Bear is a wild animal and should not be caged. It is cruel. Agreed, he no longer is able to live and survive in the wild, but, Ben should be entitled to live out his life in a proper, licensed wild-animal sanctuary. Thanks for reading Up & Coming Weekly. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, Up & Coming Weekly, COMMENTS? Bill@upandcomin- gweekly.com CalCall 910.354.1679l 910.354.1679 Sunday May 22 Monday May 23 Tuesday May 24 Calendar ........................................... 14 Concert Connection ........................ 18 Movie Review .................................. 20 TV ..................................................... 21 News of the Weird ........................... 23 Horoscopes/Advice Goddess ......... 23 Classifieds ........................................ 24 Games .............................................. 26 Custody Battle over Ben the Bear High 78° Low 59° Partly Cloudy 4 UCW MAY 18-24, 2011 High 81° Low 62° Partly Cloudy High 84° Low 64° Sunny Forecast available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. High 85° Low 64° Partly Cloudy High 85º Low 66º Scatter Thunderstorms High 87º Low 67º Sunny WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 24 24 / 7