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/674818
MAY 4-10, 2016 UCW 9 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved the nomination of Army General Curtis "Mike" Scaparrotti to be the top American com- mander in Europe. Scaparrotti assumed command of the 82nd Airborne Division in October, 2008, and deployed to eastern Afghanistan where he served as Commanding General of Combined Joint Task Force 82 and Regional Command East. He most recently served as Commanding General of 8th Army and U.S. forces in South Korea. In March, General Joseph Votel took command of the U.S. A.rmy's Central Command from General Lloyd Austin, who retired. Austin is a former Commanding General of 18th Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg. Votel served as a Deputy Commanding General of the 82d Airborne Divi- sion in Afghanistan. He was subsequently assigned as the Deputy Commanding General and later Commanding General of the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg. Votel most recently served as the Commanding General of U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. The panel also confirmed Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson to be commander of U.S. Northern Command, the first female officer to lead one of the military's warfighting commands. Robinson joined the Air Force in 1982 after graduating from the University of New Hampshire. Their nominations now go to the full Senate for approval. Bergdahl Pretrial Hearing to Resume A military appeals court has cleared the way for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's pretrial hearing to resume at Ft Bragg. The U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals rejected prosecutors' argu- ments that defense attorneys were given too much leeway on accessing classified documents. The court also lifted a stay from February on pretrial proceedings being heard at Fort Bragg. Bergdahl faces charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy after he walked off an outpost in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held by the Taliban and its allies for five years. The latter charge is relatively rare and carries a punishment of up to life in prison. Court proceedings are being held at Fort Bragg because charges were preferred by the commanding general of Forces Command which is headquartered there. Car Dealer Murdered Fayetteville Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of used car dealer Joseph Wallace. Detec- tives with the FPD's Homicide Unit obtained warrants against Ambrose Dumone Murray, 48, of Powatan Street. He's charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and larceny of motor vehicles. Police say Murray used to work for Wallace. The cause of death has not yet been determined. Murray was apprehended without incident at a home on Pearl Street. Patrol officers located one of two cars which were stolen during what police say was an apparent robbery at Wallace's Quality Automotive dealership in the 200 block of Person Street. Three stolen independent dealer plates have not been recovered. Murray is being held in the Cumberland County Detention Center without bond. FTCC gift Fayetteville Technical Community College has received a $50,000 gift from the Cumberland Community Foundation. It's from the Robert H. Short/Cumberland Community Foundation Scholars Program endowment. The late Mr. Short founded Major Appliance Co. of Fayetteville. Recipients must be enrolled or plan to enroll in associate-level degree programs and must have graduated from a Cumberland County high school within the past 24 months. They must have maintained 3.0 grade point averages and are planning to major in AA or AS programs for two years at FTCC, and then transfer to a four-year institution. Further, recipients must be 23 years old or younger and be enrolled in 12 credits or more. FTCC was established in 1961 and serves over 42,000 students annually by providing over 200 education programs. Hospital Expansion Cape Fear Valley Medical Center continues to grow. "The objective is to eliminate long wait times in the E.R.," said Vince Benbenek, vice president for marketing and outreach. Patients can't move from the trauma center until beds in the hospital are available. Cape Fear Valley is one of the largest hospitals in the state with 600 beds. More than 120,000 people are seen in the E.R. each year. The 90 beds ordinar- ily fill up early each day. "On aver- age, 20 people a day are held over," Benbenek added. An expansion at the medical center to provide 50 more hospital beds is expected to be completed in September. "That will eliminate the wait times," Benbenek said. Cape Fear Valley operates one of a dozen trauma centers in North Carolina, among the state's more than 100 hospitals. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services defines trauma centers as providing specialized medi- cal services and resources to patients suffering from traumatic injuries. Local Utility Rates Increase New water and sewer rates are in effect for Fayetteville PWC customers. They went into effect May 1. According to the Public Works Commission, the cost of water for customers in Fayetteville using 6,000 gallons a month increased $1.56 from $25.24 to $26.80. The typical monthly cost for sewer will rise from $38.34 to $40. PWC is quick to point out that its water and sewer rates are still lower than those in neighboring counties as well as Raleigh, Durham and Cary. "Like utilities across the nation, PWC is faced with increased costs of maintaining and replacing the infrastructure we rely on," says PWC in a mailer reminding customers of the rate increases. The utility is currently up- grading water meters with digital technology that will allow customers to track and control their water usage. To encourage conservation, PWC offers monetary incentives, and for a small fee will conduct home efficiency audits on homes built before 2006. Local Official Honored Cumberland County Health Director Buck Wilson has been named to the board of directors of the North Caro- lina Alliance of Public Health Agencies. The NCAPHA is a nonprofit organization that assists the more than 30 local public health departments and the State Division of Public Health with staffing. The organization's mission is to support, promote and enhance public health across the state by meeting the staffing needs of the various agencies. Wilson served as president of the North Caro- lina Association of Local Health Directors in 2015 and was named Health Director of the Year in 2013. Wilson currently serves as a member of the North Carolina Child Fatality Task Force. He has been Cumberland County's Health Director since 2009. Information about the Cumberland County Health Department's pro- grams and services, is available at 433-3600. Or sign onto the county's website at co.cumberland.nc.us/health.aspx. The Health Department is located at 1235 Ramsey St. Fayetteville. NEWS DIGEST Former Fort Bragg Generals Get New Assignments a STAFF REPORT Gen. Curtis "Mike" Scaparrotti Gen. Joseph Votel Buck Wilson Gen. Lori Robinson Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl Ambrose Murray