Businesses around Fort Bragg in North Carolina are facing a challenge now that the Trump administration has once again renamed the military post. Fort Bragg and other military installations that were once name for Confederate figures from the Civil War were rebranded under the Biden administration. Fort Bragg became Fort Liberty.
Israel accepts a US proposal for a temporary Gaza ceasefire and Hamas gives a cool responseFaizan Zaki wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee a year after finishing runner-upThe US academic partnership with China, under strain for years, faces its biggest threatMcDavid and Oilers going back to Stanley Cup Final after 6-3 win over Stars in Game 5Most workers would need to work 2 or 3 lifetimes to earn what an S&P 500 CEO made last yearAstronomers discover strange new celestial object in our Milky Way galaxyFACT FOCUS: Trump blames other countries for high US drug prices.
Experts say it's not their faultHarrison Ruffin Tyler, preserver of Virginia history and grandson of 10th US president, dies at 96Watch: 7 chair yoga poses you can incorporate into your daily routine Workers are saying 'no' to toxic environments. Here's how you can set limits or know it's time to leaveAP News AlertsAP PHOTOS: Highlights from the second round of the French Open tennis tournamentThe World in PicturesSwiss glacier collapse renews focus on risks of climate change as glaciers retreat around the worldCOVID vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, Kennedy saysEasily distracted? How to improve your attention spanMost workers would need to work 2 or 3 lifetimes to earn what an S&P 500 CEO made last yearIt's not a reprint. Why Sacred Harp singers are revamping an iconic pre-Civil War hymnalWho are the Sacred Harp singers using a more than 180-year-old hymnal todaySe forma la tormenta tropical Alvin en el Pacífico frente a la costa occidental de México¿Qué sucede con los aranceles de EEUU ahora que un tribunal los ha anulado? Experts say it's not their faultHarrison Ruffin Tyler, preserver of Virginia history and grandson of 10th US president, dies at 96Watch: 7 chair yoga poses you can incorporate into your daily routine Workers are saying 'no' to toxic environments. Here's how you can set limits or know it's time to leaveAP News AlertsAP PHOTOS: Highlights from the second round of the French Open tennis tournamentThe World in PicturesSwiss glacier collapse renews focus on risks of climate change as glaciers retreat around the worldCOVID vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, Kennedy saysEasily distracted? How to improve your attention spanMost workers would need to work 2 or 3 lifetimes to earn what an S&P 500 CEO made last yearIt's not a reprint. Why Sacred Harp singers are revamping an iconic pre-Civil War hymnalWho are the Sacred Harp singers using a more than 180-year-old hymnal todaySe forma la tormenta tropical Alvin en el Pacífico frente a la costa occidental de México¿Qué sucede con los aranceles de EEUU ahora que un tribunal los ha anulado?Ralph Rodriguez poses for a portrait at his pawn and gun shop in Fayetteville, N.C., Friday, May 9, 2025. An American flag flaps in the breeze outside the Fort Liberty Federal Credit Union on Friday, May 9, 2025. The business changed its name after Fort Bragg was rechristened, and is now having to change it back. Army veteran and mayoral candidate Freddie de la Cruz poses with a semiautomatic shotgun he’s raffling off at Fort Liberty Pawn & Gun, Friday, May, 9, 2025. Ralph Rodriguez, left, chats with Army veteran Sidney High at his Fayetteville, N.C., pawn shop. Friday, May 9, 2025. Ralph Rodriguez, right, chats with Army veteran Sidney High at his Fayetteville, N.C., pawn shop, Friday, May 9, 2025. Ralph Rodriguez poses for a portrait at his pawn and gun shop in Fayetteville, N.C., Friday, May 9, 2025. Ralph Rodriguez poses for a portrait at his pawn and gun shop in Fayetteville, N.C., Friday, May 9, 2025. An American flag flaps in the breeze outside the Fort Liberty Federal Credit Union on Friday, May 9, 2025. The business changed its name after Fort Bragg was rechristened, and is now having to change it back. An American flag flaps in the breeze outside the Fort Liberty Federal Credit Union on Friday, May 9, 2025. The business changed its name after Fort Bragg was rechristened, and is now having to change it back. Army veteran and mayoral candidate Freddie de la Cruz poses with a semiautomatic shotgun he’s raffling off at Fort Liberty Pawn & Gun, Friday, May, 9, 2025. Army veteran and mayoral candidate Freddie de la Cruz poses with a semiautomatic shotgun he’s raffling off at Fort Liberty Pawn & Gun, Friday, May, 9, 2025. Ralph Rodriguez, left, chats with Army veteran Sidney High at his Fayetteville, N.C., pawn shop. Friday, May 9, 2025. Ralph Rodriguez, left, chats with Army veteran Sidney High at his Fayetteville, N.C., pawn shop. Friday, May 9, 2025. Ralph Rodriguez, right, chats with Army veteran Sidney High at his Fayetteville, N.C., pawn shop, Friday, May 9, 2025. Ralph Rodriguez, right, chats with Army veteran Sidney High at his Fayetteville, N.C., pawn shop, Friday, May 9, 2025. FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — When it came to a picking a name for his business, Ralph Rodriguez rolled the dice. He went with Fort Liberty Pawn & Gun.“That’s signage, uniforms, stationery, business cards, advertising, and state licensing changes and federal changes,” he said. When he was filing his incorporation papers last fall, Rodriguez knew one of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises was to restore the names of Confederate officers — like Gen. Braxton Bragg — to military installations rebranded under the Biden administration. But it seemed to Rodriguez that he should go with the installation’s name as it was at the time. “We were trying to attach ourselves to the military base and show support for them, because we know that’s going to be our customers,” he said with a shrug. “I could care less about Braxton Bragg.” Less than a month into Trump’s second term, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the installation rechristened Fort Bragg, this time in honor of World War II paratrooper Roland Bragg of Maine.California track-and-field final enters spotlight for rule change after trans athlete’s success“The first thing I said was, `It’s going to be expensive.’ And the second thing was, `Who’s going to get mad about THIS?’” People were telling Rodriguez he should call his shop Fort Bragg Pawn & Gun even before Trump won the election. After all, it’s located on Fort Bragg Road.“We came to work and we seen a yellow line across the `Liberty,’” he said. Rodriguez is used to catching flak for his Michigan roots or the peace sign tattoo on his right arm. And then there’s his wife’s crystal shop next door.And what do her customers call his?As a sop to her husband’s clientele, Hannah Rodriguez carries a few stones carved in the shape of pistols and hand grenades.But when it comes to Bragg vs. Liberty, it’s no laughing matter. “Look, there’s no middle ground in Fayetteville. They’re extremely either right or left,” Ralph Rodriguez said. “If you tilt one way or another man, you’re going to lose customers ... But we would definitely have lost more if we would have kept it Fort Liberty Pawn and Gun.” Several other businesses in and around Fayetteville also went with Liberty, including the local federal credit union. It has already changed back, though it will take a while to redo all the signs.“We came up with this whole name based on the alliteration, because I’m a big writer geek,” said Sabrina Soares, broker in charge at the real estate firm Fort Liberty Living. “So, we’re probably just going to keep it as is.” In 2023, the state spent $163,000 to change all the Fort Bragg highway signs to Fort Liberty. Switching them back is expected to run over $200,000.On a recent sultry afternoon, retired Army officer and mayoral candidate Freddie de la Cruz stopped by to chat and check up on a purchase: a semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun, painted with the Stars and Stripes, which he’s planning to raffle off.“It was a smart move there,” he said. “At the time.”“It doesn’t bother me at all,” he said, resting his cola on a glass gun case. “I call it Fort Bragg all the time anyway. So, it doesn’t make any difference to me.” Rodriguez figures it will take about six months to get everything switched over. He’s looking forward to putting this chapter behind him. “I just want to be in business,” he said. “I want to be happy. I want everybody else to be happy. And it’s hard. It’s hard, and you can’t keep both sides happy.”Federal court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs under emergency powers lawJudge refuses to temporarily block the Trump administration from removing Copyright Office director
Pete Hegseth Ralph Rodriguez North Carolina Fayetteville General News National NC State Wire AP Investigations U.S. Department Of Defense Retail And Wholesale Roland Bragg Sabrina Soares Hannah Rodriguez United States Government Taxes Business Military And Defense U.S. News Sidney High Politics U.S. News
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sam Bragg's Hooves Of Death Jumps From Webtoon to PrintSam Bragg's Hooves of Death is a YA graphic novel previously published as a webcomic from Webtoon. Alexandra Merkel at HarperAlley acquired the world print publication rights from Lara Allen at Wattpad Webtoon, for release in hardcover and paperback on September the 23rd, 2025.
Read more »
Animal advocates demand Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg go harder on pigeon catchers after poacher's arrestToday's Video Headlines: 05/07/2025
Read more »
For Natasha Cloud, ‘a point guard’s dream’ comes true in her New York Liberty debutCloud stepped right into a starring role with the reigning champs, scoring 22 points and dishing out nine assists in a statement win over the Las Vegas Aces.
Read more »
'Recidivist No. 1' exposes Alvin Bragg's failed revolving-door justiceThe woke policies of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg have allowed a career criminal to keep wreaking havoc in NYC — while racking up an astonishing 134 arrests.
Read more »
Bragg: New discovery law removes judges' handcuffs — so my prosecutors will try more casesAlbany’s changes to the discovery statute give us the tools we need to reverse the skyrocketing number of case dismissals we’ve seen in recent years.
Read more »
What's in a name? A small fortune for businesses around Fort BraggFAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — When it came to a picking a name for his business, Ralph Rodriguez rolled the dice. He went with Fort Liberty Pawn & Gun.
Read more »