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 bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Janice Burton Joy Crowe MANAGING EDITOR Caroline Goins stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com hal@upandcomingweekly.com Linda McAlister Brown ltmcmd01@aol.com OFFICE MANAGER Laurel Handforth officemanager@ upandcomingweekly.com Mary Catherine White ACCOUNTING accounting@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alicia Miller art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Mar tin, Pitt Dick ey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Jhana Lewis, Erinn Crider, Karen Poppele, Heath- er Griffi ths, Beth Solzsmon-Carpenter, Shannon Angry –––––––––––– 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. MARKETING/SALES Hal Nunn ASSOCIATE EDITOR Stephanie Crider PUBLISHER Bill Bowman INSIDE PUBLISHER'S PEN by BILL BOWMAN Politically speaking, I would say the winds around Cumberland County and our state are starting to blow precariously. The gusts seem to have begun when Gov. Bev Perdue decided not to seek re-election anticipating she would be run over by the same political train that delivered her to Raleigh four years ago. However, this time a Republican (Pat McCrory) is at the throttle and blowing the whistle. All aboard! What? No passengers? Stop! Wait! Oh my, it's too late. Everyone, mostly Democrats, seem to be getting off the political train. This is not surprising when you look at the dismal leadership we have tolerated at all levels of government. Bad decisions, greed, incompetence, wasteful spending, no accountability, immoral conduct and worse, an extreme apathy toward doing the right thing for constituents at all levels. After all, why would fair and decent-minded people want to serve in the political process this corrupt, inept and dysfunctional? The last time I looked, the U.S. Congress had an approval rating of 9 percent. What 9 percent? That's beyond terrible. Think about it, would you eat at a restaurant with a 9 percent approval rating? Or, let a surgeon operate on you with a 9 percent success ratio. Would you fly in an airplane with a maintenance quality record of 9 percent? I think not. Fayetteville's Weather Forecast February 17 Thursday February 16 Saturday February 18 Fayetteville's Weather Forecast Friday Yet, we encourage and elect those who make the laws of the land to these exulted positions and wonder why the U.S. Constitution and our personal rights are slowly deteriorating. At some point, I pray this madness will stop before we reach a point of no return. Good, honest, competent people will not want to participate in the democratic process as long as this culture of corruption in the political atmosphere exists. So, as we all enter this politically charged season, locally and nationally, I'm urging all my family, friends and associates to examine each candidate closely and ask yourself two questions: 1. What's in it for them (the candidate); and, 2. What's in it for you, your fellow constituents and your country? Do this and if you find yourself scratching your head while questioning the ability, character and capabilities of a candidate then scratch them off. Then maybe, just maybe, we can get good leadership through the process of elimination. Let's hope so. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com CalCall 910.354.1679l 910.354.1679 Sunday Monday February 19 February 20 Calendar ........................................... 14 Concert Connection ........................ 18 TV ..................................................... 20 Movie Review .................................. 21 Free Wheelin' Feelin' ....................... 22 Horoscopes/Advice Goddess ......... 23 Classifieds ........................................ 24 Games .............................................. 26 Political Winds Are Blowing Tuesday February 21 High 65 Low 49° Partly Cloudy High 65° Low 37° Mostly Sunny 4 UCW FEBRUARY 15-21, 2012 High 61° Low 37° Partly Cloudy Forecast available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. High 61° Low 38° Partly Cloudy High 63º Low 43º Partly Cloudy High 68º Low 45º Partly Cloudy WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 24/24 7