Good morning, and happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In today’s newsletter, health reporter Morgan Casey gives us a look at lunchtime on Fort Liberty. About 600 soldiers pass through Spears Ready Warrior Restaurant — the Army-run dining facility, or DFAC, along Goldberg Street — every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fort Liberty’s seven facilities feed over 5,000 soldiers daily.
But how those soldiers are fed at two DFACs is about to be updated, as leadership aims to modernize soldier dining by providing more options that meet a variety of diets. “We realize we cannot continue to feed soldiers like we have in the past,” Col. Mary Ricks, director of public affairs for XVIII Airborne Corps, told CityView. “Fort Liberty leaders continue to look for ways to improve and transform the dining experience for soldiers.”
Welcome to CityView Today. With the ongoing cold nights, Cumberland County commissioners plan to add $80,000 to the Operation White Flag winter weather shelter program for homeless people. Plus, NCDOT’s Bicycle Helmet Initiative is trying to put a small dent in the number of local bicyclist deaths and Cumberland County organizations are encouraged to join the effort.
Thanks for reading,
Maydha Devarajan
Interim Editor-in-Chief
Campus-style dining is coming to Fort Liberty
Fort Liberty leadership and an yet-to-be-selected private contractor are revamping dining facilities on the military installation into campus-style dining halls. The goal is to modernize soldier dining by providing more options that meet a variety of diets. Continue reading.
More from CityView
With more freezing nights, county to double funding for White Flag shelters
Related decision: More shelters may be established in West Fayetteville, Spring Lake and east of the Cape Fear River.
Want to decrease bicyclist deaths in Fayetteville? Apply for the state’s Bicycle Helmet Initiative
The initiative wants local organizations to hand out between 25 and 100 helmets to low-income children and provide education on bike safety.
ICYMI: Here’s what closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Fayetteville
And other local events to celebrate the holiday.
Events
TAI CHI IN THE GARDEN
- Where: Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Fayetteville
- When: 10-11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21
- What: A Chinese martial art and system of calisthenics with very slow controlled movements taught by Rich Martin.
CHRONICLES OF YARNIA
- Where: Main Library, 455 McKinney Parkway, Lillington
- When: 10-11 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21
- What: Join our informal hangout for crocheters, knitters, and more!
HOUSE PLANTS 101 SEMINAR
- Where: Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Fayetteville
- When: Noon, Tuesday, Jan. 21
- What: Join us for “Feed your Mind: House Plants 101,” a fun and informative session designed to help you get started with house plants.
Obituaries
Phyllis Jean Dixon
Phyllis Jean Dixon, 72, of Fayetteville, passed away on Friday, Jan. 17.
Marie Melvin Morang
Marie Melvin Morang, 76, passed away on Saturday, Jan. 11.
Jimmy Stoney McKnight
Jimmy Stoney McKnight, 83, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
Until tomorrow!
📆 If you’re curious about the 15-year battle to establish MLK Day, I recommend reading this article by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture.
~ Maydha
