Our Publications

Views

Publisher's Pen: Fayetteville Liberty opener a success! Now, what are we going to do about it?

Details
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Written by Bill Bowman

4Friday, March 6, at the Crown Arena was nothing short of electric. The Fayetteville Liberty tipped off their inaugural season in The Basketball League with a 93–86 victory over the Raleigh Firebirds, and the energy inside the building was undeniable. The Hoke County High School Marching Band set the tone early, filling the arena with excitement as fans, sponsors, city and county officials, and community leaders packed the stands to witness the arrival of professional basketball—done right—in Fayetteville.
For those who have lived here long enough, the story of local sports teams is familiar. Over the past 40 years, we’ve seen team after team come and go—basketball, hockey, indoor football, you name it. Even the Fayetteville Patriots, our NBA Development League team, came in with promise in 2001 and folded by 2006. And the reason was always the same: they never truly connected with the heart of this community: Its people.
Enter Robert Edwards.
In January 2025, I sat down with Robert Edwards, a 17-year U.S. military veteran who founded the Fayetteville Liberty in December 2024. I remember that conversation vividly. I laid out the history—the pitfalls, the rabbit holes, the mistakes that had doomed so many teams before. And Robert listened. Not because he was worried, but because he was committed.
From the beginning, Edwards made it clear he wasn’t just building a basketball team. He was building an organization rooted in community engagement, youth development, values, and opportunity—a franchise that reflects the identity and spirit of Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
And he has delivered.
Robert Edwards and his team have honored every commitment they made to this community. Now it’s our turn. Fayetteville and Cumberland County residents must step up and support the Liberty. Edwards has given us something of quality, something that reflects positively on our community across the country. It’s up to us to sustain it.
Community Leaders Agree
Cumberland County Commission Chairman Kirk deViere, seated courtside with his wife Jenny and son Greyson, summed it up perfectly.
“The Fayetteville Liberty opening game was bigger than basketball. When Robert Edwards brought the Liberty to Cumberland County, he gave this community something powerful: a reason to come together, cheer together, and believe in what we are building here together. This game was not just the start of a season. It was the start of something that belongs to all of us.”
Also seated courtside and weighing in on the Fayetteville Liberty’s inaugural debut, representing the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce was George Breece, Director Emeritus of the Chamber Board of Directors.
“Our community is very fortunate to have this Liberty team ownership whose focus is not just great basketball but community outreach. A good team, great fans on opening night, a great venue in the Crown Arena with a very supportive Crown management and staff. Now that’s a recipe for success in our Can Do County,” he said.
George is right about the Crown team. The Crown Complex has always taken risks to support local sports, often losing money in the process, because they understand how important a successful sports venue is to a thriving community. Crown General Manager Seth Benalt is fully committed to the Liberty because he knows professional basketball fills a major gap in our local entertainment landscape.
So What Now? Everyone who attended the March 6 game will tell you the same thing: it was fun, exciting, and just the beginning. But for this team to thrive, we must do our part. Partner. Sponsor. Buy a ticket. Bring a friend. Bring a group or just show up! The next home game is March 21 against the DMV Soldiers (not the Dept. of Motor Vehicles), a first-year team representing Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, and coached by Maryland Terrapins National Champion Byron Mouton.
This is our moment, Fayetteville. Robert Edwards has done his part. The team is doing theirs. Seth Benalt and the Crown Complex are doing theirs. The stage is set. Now it’s up to us. Follow the Fayetteville Liberty all season long in Up & Coming Weekly—the official newspaper of the Fayetteville Liberty. We couldn’t be prouder to support the Liberty in this community.
Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

(Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Liberty)

Truth matters: community involvement matters

Details
Tuesday, 03 March 2026
Written by Barbara Porter

I want to address something about the Republican Primary for House District 43. There seems to be some people who want to claim that Clarence Goins, Jr. is the person who will make things happen in our county and state. I wish to point out that in all the years he has been in Cumberland County, that would be all of his life, he has not done anything to help anyone except himself.
He has never volunteered to work with any civic organization to better the community. He has never joined any organization within the community that would give him the knowledge or experience to understand just what the community needs and the different ways that we as a community can accomplish those goals.
He can say that he is for conservative values but, without having ever done anything to help the community or the state to push for those values, the words are empty rhetoric.
I would like to ask everyone to do some research before deciding who is the best Republican Candidate to represent us in Raleigh. Look at the website “justfacts.votesmart.org” and compare what is on there about Clarence Goins and what is on there about Diane Wheatley.
I believe you will see a big difference and understand that while Clarence Goins talks about wanting to do things, Diane Wheatley actually goes out and does them.
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/.../92358/diane-wheatley
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/.../178289/clarence-goins-jr

Barbara Porter
Fayetteville, NC

Ruling Could Lighten Carolinians’ Load

Details
Tuesday, 03 March 2026
Written by John Hood

4When the U.S. Supreme Court released its long-awaited ruling in the “emergency tariff” case, President Donald Trump called the decision “ridiculous,” its reasoning “stupid,” and the justices who wrote or supported it “fools,” “lapdogs,” and the agents of nefarious foreign powers.
At the same time, Trump and other defenders of his protectionist policies insisted that the 6-3 decision was “irrelevant” and that “all of those tariffs remain,” because the administration has or will soon cite other statutory authority to reapply them.
These two sets of claims are, at best, in tension. The president does, indeed, possess some legal authority to impose taxes on imported goods, authority specifically assigned to the executive branch to address national security or concerns about illegal trade practices. But these tariff powers are more cumbersome to exercise and limited in scope than the “Liberation Day” taxes he initially sought to impose.
And the latest 15% tax on most imports Trump is now seeking to apply to replace much of the revenue loss from the Supreme Court decision, relies on a 1974 law that gives a president the power to impose tariffs for up to 150 days to address “balance-of-payments deficits.” But the United States does not have a balance-of-payment deficit. We haven’t had such a deficit in more than 50 years, ever since we let the value of the dollar float on international currency markets rather than fixing the exchange rate to gold or some other standard.
A balance-of-payments deficit isn’t equivalent to a trade deficit. The latter exists when Americans buy more goods and services produced in other countries than Americans sell to consumers in other countries. Under floating exchange rates, the flipside of a trade deficit — formally called a current-account deficit — is almost always going to be a capital-account surplus. That is, virtually to the dollar, every $100 billion in trade deficit is offset by a net inflow of $100 billion in investment.
That’s why, contrary to popular belief, a trade deficit isn’t a signal of economic weakness. If you’re a net importer of capital investment, you will also be a net importer of goods and services. That’s what a balance of payments looks like under a system of floating exchange rates. Only when exchange rates are fixed can there be the kind of currency crisis for which the 1974 Trade Act was enacted (unnecessarily, as it turned out).
In short, Trump’s new global tariff is also illegal. When it is legally challenged, it will go poof. Ideally, the federal courts will intervene to block it.
For long-suffering North Carolina households — and for businesses that sell foreign-made goods or use them as components to produce their own goods and services — such legal relief would be most welcome. According to the Yale Budget Lab, the United States taxed imports at an average rate of about 16% before the Supreme Court ruling, generating about $2.62 trillion over the next 10 years (collected mostly from Americans in the form of higher prices and other costs). After the ruling, the average tariff rate should have dropped to 9.1%. Over time, that would have saved North Carolinians alone many billions of dollars a year.
Lower import taxes would serve our interests in other ways, as well. In a recent report published by the John Locke Foundation, North Carolina State University economist Jeffrey Dorfman observed that foreign governments often respond to American tariffs by levying their own taxes or restrictions on American imports — including pork, poultry, lumber, tobacco, cotton, sweet potatoes, and other goods produced for export by North Carolina farmers and agribusinesses. Using scenarios based on historical examples, he estimated that retaliation to American tariffs could eliminate 8,000 North Carolina jobs and impose $1.9 billion in direct and indirect costs on the state’s economy.
“The easiest way to avoid the risks from countries retaliating against the U.S. for placing restrictions on international trade,” Dorfman wrote, “is not to put restrictions on international trade in the first place.”

Editor’s Note: John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His books Mountain Folk, Forest Folk, and Water Folk combine epic fantasy with American history (FolkloreCycle.com).

Faith, family, & fight for educational accountability

Details
Tuesday, 03 March 2026
Written by Tracy C. Pelt-Waterford

6aMany families in Cumberland County believe the time has come to decide whether faith is simply professed or actively lived out. For them, the issue at hand is not only political but spiritual, moral, and deeply personal. It centers on protecting children, empowering parents, and standing for truth when systems fall short.
Supporters argue that faith driven responsibility begins with stewardship. Scripture teaches that parents are entrusted with their children’s development, and when educational systems fail to recognize legitimate needs or delay support, families carry the burden. Believers, they say, cannot remain silent when policies or practices deny children the help they need to thrive.
A recent case before the Office of Administrative Hearings reflects what many parents say they experience quietly. One mother reports seeking an Individualized Education Program, called an IEP, for nearly three years. According to her complaint, she alleges repeated denials and claims that grades were altered to make her son appear more successful than he was.
Advocates say her story mirrors a broader pattern across North Carolina.
“Here we go again”
Parents point to a July 25, 2025 decision from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, which found Cumberland County Schools in violation of federal regulations and state policies regarding Child Find obligations, timely referrals, and evaluation procedures. Child Find laws require schools to identify and evaluate students suspected of having disabilities. DPI concluded that delays and failures to open referrals did not meet legal requirements.
Families say similar concerns continue today.
Faith and advocacy
For many believers, the debate extends beyond policy into questions of justice. Faith leaders emphasize Scripture’s call to defend those who cannot defend themselves. When a child struggles academically or medically, they argue that child deserves timely support—not delay.
The complaint filed Jan. 20, 2026, alleges that verbal requests for evaluation were made over multiple school years but were not acted upon within required timelines. Parents navigating the system often describe feeling overwhelmed or unheard, making community awareness essential.
A statewide effort for accountability
The issue now reaches beyond Cumberland County. A federal lawsuit, Cynthia Lee, et al. v. Cumberland County Schools, et al. (EDNC No. 5:25 cv 746), seeks certification that could include families statewide who experienced similar delays or denials.
Parents or guardians who requested testing, asked for an IEP referral meeting but were denied, or received a meeting after the 90 day legal timeline may contact attorney Robert Ekstrand at 919-452 4647 or rce@ninthstreetlaw.com for information about their rights.
Advocates say help often begins with a single phone call or email.
They argue that strong families build strong communities—and protecting children must become a clear priority. When systems drift from accountability, they say faithful citizens must respond with courage and conviction. Kingdom influence means standing in the gap for parents who feel unheard and for children whose futures depend on timely support.
The question before the community, advocates say, is simple: Will citizens remain silent, or will they lead?

Editor's note: Tracy C. Pelt-Waterford is PR chair for the Cumberland County Republican Women’s Club and writes on parental rights, education accountability, religious liberty and community leadership. She is founder of C2C Equipping Institute and advocates for civic engagement rooted in God, country, family and freedom.

Troy's Perspective: Honoring Rev. Dr. Aaron Johnson

Details
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Written by Troy Williams

6Rev. Dr. Aaron J. Johnson, 93, is one of those rare individuals whose life has been defined not by applause or recognition, but by steady, faithful service. His type of service seeks no attention yet still makes a significant impact. In acknowledgment of his contributions, the Fayetteville City Council honored Dr. Johnson with a City Proclamation and a coin on Monday, Feb. 9. Although he was unable to attend the meeting, Councilman D.J. Haire and Mayor Pro Tem Derrick Thompson made the official presentation to him at his home on Friday, Feb. 13.
Councilman Haire said, "Dr. Aaron Johnson is my friend. He has been a pioneer in many areas and remains a significant influencer for our Black communities!"
Communities aren't built on grand speeches; they are formed through small, consistent actions and dedicating hours behind the scenes to ensure that everyone is cared for. Dr. Johnson has embraced this truth and, in doing so, has become something invaluable: a living example of what community truly means.
Dr. Johnson was elected to three terms on the Fayetteville City Council (1979 - 1985) and served as mayor pro tem. Marshall Pitts, Fayetteville's first African American mayor, said: " As a young man who was new to the local political scene in the late 1990's, I quickly discovered that most of the established politicians of the day were anything but warm and friendly towards me; however, Rev. Johnson was just the opposite. Even though we were from different political parties and different generations, I always found him to be encouraging and supportive."
In 1960, Dr. Johnson arrived in Fayetteville to become the Pastor of Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church. During his time in this role, several significant developments took place: a new church building was constructed, a daycare center was established, and a housing complex for low-income families was created.
Some people spend their entire lives discussing what should be done, while others act and make it happen. Dr. Johnson dedicated his service to the community as the North Carolina Secretary of Corrections (1985 - 1992) during Governor Martin's administration. He was also appointed to the Public Telecommunications Commission, the Governor's Drug Cabinet, the Governor's Crime Commission, and various other positions.
For decades, Dr. Johnson has been a steadfast presence in our community—always showing up, helping others, and leading with humility. What makes his story even more remarkable is that he has never led with ego. Born on March 6, 1933, in Willard, NC, he grew up in humble circumstances. Dr. Johnson earned his B.A. in Social Studies from Shaw University and his B.D. in Theology from Shaw Divinity School. He also received two honorary degrees: Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Humane Letters from Shaw University.
Throughout his journey, he has never felt the need to dominate a room or demand recognition. Instead, he leads with kindness, integrity, and a quiet strength that has earned him respect across generations.
We should honor our elders while they are still alive, not only after they are gone. This is one of those moments.
So today, we pause to say thank you.

(Photo courtesy of Troy Williams)

More Articles ...

  1. Do political parties come with perks? A simple look at how local politics works
  2. Demographic Challenge Isn’t Going Away
  3. Greek mythology: What’s love got to do with it?
  4. Bigger Congress would be better Congress

Latest Articles

  • Community invited to Step Up for Health at Methodist
  • Mac & Cheese Fest celebrates food in all its ooey gooey glory
  • An Evening with Cross Creek Chorale at Trinity Episcopal
  • "On Golden Pond" showing at the Gilbert Theater
  • CFRT brings "Driving Miss Daisy" to their stage
  • Government Watch:Public forum launched for City Council meetings; Public hearings to be held throughout County
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More

Popular Articles

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Up & Coming Weekly Calendar
  

Login/Subscribe