4 JANUARY 13-19, 2016
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
For heaven's
sake, pay at tention
Fayet tev ille! We have
a major decision to
make in eight week s
about the f ut ure of
our communit y. I'm
not t alk ing about just
voting in the upcoming
March 15 Primar y
Election for local
and national elected
off icials, but rather for
the local $35 million
bond issue that will
increase Fayetteville's
degree of livabilit y.
When it comes to
economic development,
there is no doubt that
one of the reasons
why we cannot attract
lucrative industry to
enhance our stature is
lack of amenities like
parks and recreational
facilities.
I am amazed and
disappointed at the
lack of awareness local
resident s have about
this critical upcoming
decision. Even more
dist urbing is how many folk s are misinformed about the
P & R Bond and it s potential impact on our communit y
and qualit y of life.
Admit tedly, local government 's rationale for
determining the communities needs and formulating the
right package has lef t many of us scratching our heads
and rolling or eyes. But now it 's done. In the week s to
come the Cit y of Fayet tev ille has ever y intention of
prov iding resident s information and det ails about the
initiative. To the cit y 's credit an intensive education
and awareness campaign has been implemented. It
will include communit y meetings, public hearings, a
media campaign and
communit y outreach.
The information will
be out there. Now,
it will be up to the
Fayet tev ille citizens to
pay at tention, access the
available information,
ask questions and make
an intelligent and well-
informed decision. Af ter
all, it is our f ut ure.
On another note,
but still on the same
page, it is too bad that
the cit y didn't buy
air time during the J.
Cole Concer t Special
that aired on HBO last
Sat urday night . Not only
did HBO do a great job
showcasing this t alented
native son, but they,
like most misdirec ted
media, made sure
A mer ica got to see our
seedy neighborhoods,
r un dow n houses and
t rashy st reet s. T hey
didn't leave out Brag g
Boulevard's shady icons
and, of course, our
communit y of homeless
resident s liv ing under our dow ntow n br idges.
To the detriment of our communit y, but perhaps a
wake up call for us, HBO made a great case to vote yes
for the March 15 Park s & Rec Referendum. The realit y
is, this is the way Fayet tev ille is v iewed by the out side
world and we are the only ones who can change that .
Get smar t . Get involved. Get informed.
Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.
PUBLISHER'S PEN
Knowledge Is Power: Residents, Get Informed
by BILL BOWMAN
STAFF
PUBLISHER
Bill Bowman
Bill@upandcomingweekly.com
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Janice Burton
editor@upandcomingweekly.com
EDITOR
Stephanie Crider
stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com
SENIOR REPORTER
Jeff Thompson
jeff@upandcomingweekly.com
ART DIRECTOR
Sara Smith
art@upandcomingweekly.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey,
Margaret Dickson, John Hood,
Erinn Crider, Jim Jones,
Shanessa Fenner, Heather Griffiths
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Karla Allen
karla@upandcomingweekly.com
SALES ADMINISTRATOR/
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Laurel Handforth
laurel@upandcomingweekly.com
ACCOUNTING
Paulette Naylor
accounting@upandcomingweekly.com
MARKETING/SALES
Linda McAlister Brown
linda@upandcomingweekly.com
Beverly Pone
beverlypone@upandcomingweekly.com
Melissa Zalaznik
melissa@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 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 publi-
cation consideration, but assumes no responsibil-
ity 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. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved. Reproduction or use
of editorial or advertisements without
permission is strictly prohibited.
BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP &
COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS?
BILL@
upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200.
Fayetteville's
Weather Forecast
Call
910-354-1679
for more info.
January 14
Sunny
January 15
PM Showers
January 16
Mostly Sunny
January 17
AM Showers
January 18
Sunny
January 19
Sunny
THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY
HIGH
54
HIGH
57
HIGH
58
HIGH
51
HIGH
47
HIGH
43
LOW
35
LOW
44
LOW
42
LOW
30
LOW
25
LOW
26
