On the recommendation of Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr., the Board of Education approved five district-level appointments and one principal appointment at a meeting Wednesday, July 20. The special meeting was held largely in closed session and focused on the personnel changes.

Lawrence Smalls was approved as principal of Ramsey Street High School. After joining the system as an administrative intern in 2011, Smalls was an assistant principal and athletic director at both E.E. Smith High School and, most recently, Pine Forest High School.

In 2007, Smalls earned his master’s degree in teaching and a special education general curriculum license from Fayetteville State. Smalls earned a principal certification from Sandhills Regional Education Consortium in 2012 and completed the local school district’s Aspiring Principals Program in 2016.

The new district-level appointments follow the naming of four new associate superintendents and two other district administrators in June. Five former associate superintendents retired over the summer.

The appointments approved Wednesday include:
Christine Catalano, assistant superintendent for K-12 curriculum and instruction. Catalano is new to the district and most recently worked for Durham Public Schools as executive director of K-12 curriculum and instruction, CCS said in a news release. She began her career as an exceptional children and regular education teacher in Halifax County. She held multiple jobs as she advanced to leadership roles with Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools. After obtaining her master’s degree in education administration from East Carolina University, Catalano earned a doctorate in education leadership in 2018 from ECU.
Donell Underdue, assistant superintendent for district transformation and strategic initiatives. He joined CCS in 2018 and most recently was principal of E.E. Smith High School. Underdue began his career in education as a teacher in 1993 after serving in the Marine Corps Reserve. He has certifications and licenses in Florida, Illinois, Georgia and North Carolina. Underdue obtained his master’s degree in school administration from ECU in 1998.

Christopher Young, executive director of technology. Young's career with the school system started in 2002. While working as a network systems administrator, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in business education with a focus on information technology from ECU in 2012. The release said Young is a member of several professional organizations and technology committees, including the N.C. K-12 Cybersecurity Advisory Council.
John A. McMillan, director of exceptional children's services. McMillan joined the district in 1998 as a teacher's assistant and bus driver at Howard Hall Elementary School. He has been in numerous jobs, including special education teacher, assistant principal, athletic director and principal. Most recently, McMillan was the district’s exceptional children's programs coordinator. After earning a master's degree in school administration from Fayetteville State University in 2009, he earned his education specialist degree from Wingate University in 2015.

Ann-Marie Palmer, Title I coordinator. Palmer joined the school district in 1995 and most recently was principal of Massey Hill Classical High School. She obtained her master’s degree in school administration from Fayetteville State in 2004.
In addition to arts education, Palmer has served the district as an exceptional children’s resource teacher and case manager. She has been a school administrator in multiple CCS elementary and high schools since 2002.

People who stand up to violent criminals resonate with Americans of all walks of life. The courage to fight back against crime is heroic. Everybody believes this today except the woke prosecutors in our midst.
One of the most notorious woke prosecutors is New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He brought charges against Jose Alba, 61, who stabbed an ex-con and assailant to death at a bodega shop he owned. After an earlier argument with the attacker’s girlfriend about not paying for an item, Alba defended himself when the perpetrator went behind the counter to assault him.

The New York City bodega owner was stabbed multiple times by the attacker's girlfriend. Despite the incident being caught on security footage, the district attorney’s quest for a scalp of somebody who dared to defend himself overrode common sense. The girlfriend who stabbed Alba was not charged, according to news reports. Bragg’s office not only charged Alba with murder but even tried to throw excessive bail at him, sending Alba to the notorious Rikers Island jail.

Fortunately for Alba, a judge lowered the bail, allowing a bond to be secured for his release. And eventually, weeks later, given clear evidence in favor of Alba’s actions and public pressure, charges against him were dropped. Still, Bragg’s office sent out the message that they aren’t afraid to criminalize those who act in self-defense.

The right to self-defense is inherent and something John Locke called a “fundamental right of nature.” Yet, woke prosecutors are increasingly concerned about social engineering over rights or justice.

“Jose Alba should never have been charged with a crime, but New York city’s anti-self-defense authoritarians are determined to protect criminals over citizens,” says Jordan Stein, Southeast region director for Gun Owners of America. “NYC should take heed of the Supreme Court's recent decision, which not only affirmed the God-given right of self-defense but also affirmed the right of the people to bear arms in public.”

Thankfully, North Carolina has better laws than New York City, including stand-your-ground protections that extend to one’s workplace or vehicle. Self-defense protections are generally strong if one has a legal right to be present at a property or place of business. New York has a duty-to-retreat law, meaning somebody is required to try and flee a violent aggressor outside of one's home. Still, if one legitimately fears for their life and can’t escape — as in the case of Alba — they do have legal protections. Alba’s encounter shows that New York’s law empowers agenda-driven prosecutors, not citizens. If there was no security footage or public outcry over

Alba’s charges, one can only wonder how much ruin he would have faced.

Residents in North Carolina and across the country see what woke prosecutors in increasingly left-wing urban environments want to accomplish. Woke prosecutors, who are attracted to the profession because they decide what and whom to prosecute, often make excuses for criminals. Furthermore, as revealed again in the Alba or Kyle Rittenhouse cases, they criminalize those who try to push back against rising crime if they choose to defend themselves.

Fortunately, soft prosecutors are paying the price for their pro-crime social engineering. Chesa Boudin, the former district attorney of San Francisco, was recalled and removed from office by voters on July 8. “There are no victimless crimes, and we have to send a strong message that repeat offenders will face the consequences for their actions if they continue to choose a life of crime,” declared Brooke Jenkins. After Boudin’s removal, the San Francisco mayor appointed Jenkins as district attorney.

Rising crime and lawlessness are bad enough that we shouldn’t have to worry about prosecutors taking the side of criminals. Soft-on-crime policies only lead to death and destruction. The only humor in the rise of a woke criminal justice system is many of the same government officials talking about taking away firearms from law-abiding citizens.

Ever hear the old saying “Heck hath no fury like a woman scorned”? There may be grain of truth the size of Mount Everest hidden in that proverb. If you have ever said to an angry woman, “Just calm down,” you are yet another clueless man. That helpful advice didn’t work, did it? Gentlemen, consider this column a learning experience to help you deal with women of the female persuasion.

Today we return to the land of Greek Mythology to visit our old friend Medea. She was not a woman to be trifled with. Actually, trifling with any woman is a good way to regret your birth. Medea was a mortal woman, but her granddaddy was Helios the Sun God. She had some pretty impressive magic powers, the most impressive of which was her skill at revenge. Think of Glenn Close on mega steroids in the movie "Fatal Attraction" and you begin to approach Medea.

History has given Medea a pretty bad rap. But she didn’t mean nothing by it. Medea fell in love with Jason who was the leader of the Argonauts. Jason had family troubles. His Uncle Pelias had killed Jason’s daddy who had been the King. Pelias sent Jason on a suicide mission to bring back the Golden Fleece in return for restoring Jason as King.

Jason knew he was going to need help on his quest. He also knew Medea had magic powers which could come in handy. Like Meat Loaf’s famous song “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” Medea and Jason were smitten by each other. Whoopie was about to be made. But as Jason neared home plate, Medea said: “Stop right there! / I gotta know right now! / Before we go any further/ Do you love me? / Will you love me forever? /

Do you need me? / Will you never leave me? / Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life? / Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?” Like many men before and since, Jason promised to marry her and love her forever until the end of time. Spoiler Alert: This will not work out well.

Jason had three tasks to get to the Fleece. First, he had to plow a field with a team of ornery fire-breathing oxen. Medea made him a magic skin cream poultice of Sunblock 9000 which kept him from getting burned by ox breath.

Next he had to sew the plowed field with Dragon Teeth. The problem with Dragon Teeth is they immediately sprout into armed psychotic soldiers who want to kill Jason. Medea saved Jason’s bacon by telling him to throw a rock into the soldiers. The soldiers then started killing each other instead of Jason.

The last task was to grab the Golden Fleece which was guarded by a dragon who never slept. Medea whipped up an ancient version of Ambien. Her Sleep Potion Number 9 put the dragon right into dream land, thus allowing Jason to flee with the Fleece.

Uh oh. Wouldn’t you know it? When Jason got the Fleece back to Uncle Pelias, the deal was off. Medea came up with a plot to have Pelias’ daughters kill him. Media got his daughters together and chopped up an old ram. She dropped the ram parts into a magic stew pot. Immediately, a young ram jumped out of the pot dazzling the daughters and going on to become UNC’s mascot Ramses. Thinking that their Daddy Pelias could use a return to his youth, they chopped up Pelias and put him in a pot. Unfortunately for Pelias, nothing happened but Dead King Stew.

Jason and Medea high-tailed it to Crete. They married, had kids, and lived happily for ten years until their love sell by date expired. Jason imitated "Mad Men’s" Don Draper. He fell in love and married Princess Glauce. Abandonment by Jason after she gave him the best years of her life did not sit well with Medea. Seemingly forgiving, she sent the newly wed Glauce a beautiful poisoned dress as a wedding present. Although the dress killed Glauce, it did give Putin his idea for poisoned Polonium tea.

Boiling the family bunny was not enough for Medea. Not content to be left alone in the castle with their kids, she was still mad at Jason. Medea murdered two of Jason’s sons as an act of revenge. She refused to let Jason bury the boys. She left town on a chariot pulled by flying dragons sent by her Granddaddy Helios taking the corpses of the boys with her. This is one angry lady.

So, what have we learned today? Jason would have done better to have taken Meat Loaf’s advice by staying with Medea and praying. Mr. Loaf advised: “So now I’m praying for the end of time/ To hurry up and arrive/ Cause if I got to spend another minute with you/ I don’t think that I can really survive/ Praying for the end of time/ So I can end my time with you.”

If you make a commitment, stick to it. You don’t want any chariots pulled by dragons showing up at your front door.

I have strong opinions — but not about how to perform brain surgery, write an app, design a golf course, or produce a hip-hop album. Perhaps you do have a strong view about one of these, but almost certainly not about all four.

Why? Because none of us can simultaneously be a surgeon, a software engineer, a golfing expert and a music producer. When it comes to our work, we specialize in a few things and then trade what we produce for the goods and services other specialists produce. The exchange makes us all better off.
We live most of our lives engaged in such exchanges. There is a great deal of specialized knowledge, with more produced every day. But individually, we possess or are even aware of only a tiny fraction of that knowledge. It would be too difficult or costly to acquire. We don’t need it. We just need to trade for its fruits.

Among specialists or other discrete communities of interest, however, there is often robust debate. Surgeons learn, practice, and disagree about the merits of new ways to attack brain cancers. The rest of us don’t typically know which side to root for in these contests. We just root for them to keep at it, so we as potential cancer patients can benefit, and otherwise leave them alone as we go about our own business.

Now consider what happens when goods and services are provided by government agencies and public employees rather than private companies and independent professionals. Suddenly, we all feel the need to express our expert opinions about the best ways to rehabilitate a prisoner, treat a mental illness, or teach a child to read — even though we can’t possibly possess expertise about so many different and challenging fields, and even those possessing such expertise may lack consensus.

The problem is that, unlike in the earlier cases, we can’t simply sit back and let the professionals fight it out. If we don’t like a new smart-phone app or hip hop album, we don’t have to buy it. If a particular brain surgeon or hospital seems to have poor results, we can go elsewhere.

But what if we don’t like the outcomes produced by our prisons, public health agencies, or public schools? It’s either impossible or highly expensive to “take our business elsewhere,” as it were, by relocating ourselves and our tax dollars to another state. Instead, we seek to change the mix of professionals providing those services by casting ballots in the next election.

This is not nearly as effective an accountability mechanism. For one thing, we may be outvoted. Even if our preferred candidates win, they may not be in a position to swap out the personnel in question or overrule their professional judgments. And through it all, we end up doing the very thing I’m suggesting we lack the capacity to do well — engaging in debate about matters we don’t and can’t fully understand.
There is no magic wand one can wave here. Ensure more competitive elections? Great. Collect more data and encourage more experimentation and research? Sure. But the problem will remain in some form. It is endemic.

I submit that the best response is to minimize the extent to which people are compelled to receive services from professionals they don’t select. That argues for more choice and competition in education, health care and transportation, even when those services are substantially funded by governments. The next best thing is for governments to pay for measurable performance, by public or private providers, rather than focusing on inputs or dictating procedures.

More fundamentally, this argues for limiting the scope of the public sector. In fact, I think it’s one of the best arguments for limited government. Although you may care and worry about me as a person, it does you no harm if I have a wrong idea, do a foolish thing, or hire an incompetent doctor. You can even learn from my mistakes.

City Manager Doug Hewett said he plans to work with a recruiting firm as he looks to find a replacement for Police Chief Gina Hawkins, who announced last week that she intends to retire early next year.

Hewett said he also plans to get input from the community.

As the city manager, Hewett is responsible for hiring and firing the police chief.

“This doesn’t happen often, thankfully, that you’re having to replace a police chief or a position of this magnitude,” he said Friday. “I want to make sure that we do this right and that it’s not something that’s rushed. I appreciate people’s input, whether it’s good or bad. This is a professional process, and it takes time.”

Hawkins announced on July 15 that she plans to retire effective Jan. 17.

“I want to thank her, of course, for her time here in service to the city and for giving me, hopefully, enough time to do a thorough search,’’ Hewett said. A “comprehensive and nationwide search to find our next police chief.’’

He said the process starts with finding a recruiting firm that will help identify candidates and that will set out the process for selecting the next chief.

He said the city will have a structured process “to make sure that we notify as broadly as possible any candidates who are interested.’’

Councilman Johnny Dawkins said he expects Hewett to hire a consulting firm that will gather resumes and probably pick the top eight or 10 candidates for the post.

"And my hope is that we get someone who is a lawman or lawwoman very focused, very experienced, in dealing with gangs and drugs," he said. "Those are the two areas in our society that create a lot of crime."

Dawkins said he also hopes that Hewett will hire someone experienced in solving drug crimes and someone who has dealt with aggravated assault. Both, he added, are prevalent in Fayetteville, along with gang activity.

"Now it's much more violent," he said of the city. "Now there are so many guns."

Mayor Mitch Colvin said the council needs to be clear as to what the expectations are and that will help Hewett make a better decision.

"I have confidence that he understands that the City Council sets the policy for this hire,’’ Colvin said. “We'll have that conversation when we come back."

The City Council has primarily taken off the month of July and will begin meeting again in August.

Colvin said the next police chief needs to be someone who connects with the community.

"Basically, they need to be someone that is willing to connect with the community and not over police,’’ he said. “But they also have to understand the law enforcement side — the necessity to enforce the law and be a pragmatic person and understand the diversity of the community."

"Be community police orientated and the law enforcement component, as well, to enforce the law in our community to keep us safe," he continued. "Sometimes that's a difficult balance, but I know there are people capable of doing it. At the end of the day, what I'm looking for are the results of their efforts. I want to have some clear matrix to show there's progress being made."

He said he supports a national search but is not opposed to an in-house hire.

"You don't know what's out there if you don't look," he added.

The search process

Hewett said he is still trying to put his thoughts together as to what would be the best approach to take. A significant part of the recruitment will be identifying the skills and traits of the candidates. To do that, he said, he plans to have discussions with members of the Police Department, the City Council and the community.

He said that will help him prepare a recruitment profile.

Hewett said he also wants to spend time with Hawkins, the Police Department and the community describing where the city is when it comes to public safety.

“That way, anyone who is interested in applying, not only are they trying to sell themselves to us, but we’re also trying to sell our community to them,” Hewett said.

“There are several ongoing issues that we have as a community which aren’t really different from what is going on (at) a national level,’’ he said. “But really, (we) owe it to any candidate seeking the position to make sure they understand where we are as it relates to our crime reduction strategies, where we are as it relates to our recruitment issues and challenges, where we are trying to work with our state and federal partners.”

He said the city “will be looking for a leader who can take the recent success of our department and build upon it for the future while fostering a strong working relationship between the department, the city and the residents we serve.”

A decision to retire

In North Carolina, a police chief is eligible to retire after a half-decade, and Hawkins is already surpassing the five-year mark.

“The chief is not resigning; the chief is retiring,” Hewett said. “And when she was hired – she came to us from another state. How the retirement process works in the state of North Carolina is that you’re eligible to retire after you have served for five years.”

“I was not surprised that the chief chose to retire now,” Hewett said. “She has served our community for five years.”

When asked if Hawkins was retiring on her own or would otherwise be forced to step down, Hewett said: “That’s not any consideration that I had. That’s not even an adequate question.”

“This was her decision alone to retire, and I had no conversations with her about anything other than that,” he said.

Hawkins has come under fire by members of the community in recent years. She has been criticized for telling officers to stand down when protesters became violent and tried to burn down the Market House on May 30, 2020, following the death of George Floyd. An independent review of Hawkins’ handling of that situation by an organization called the Performance Evaluation Review Forum – or PERF — also found issues with morale in the Police Department and officers leaving in numbers higher than national averages.

The city has increased salaries for new officers and offered other incentives as it works to recruit officers.

Hewett said looking back at the tenure of chiefs since Tom McCarthy – who was chief when Hewett first came to Fayetteville in 2004 – they have almost all served five to six years before retirement.

The late McCarthy headed up the Fayetteville Police Department for six years. Former chief Tom Bergamine served for five years. Harold Medlock, Hawkins’ predecessor, held the position for about 3 ½ years.

“By the time Chief (Hawkins) retires in early 2023,” Hewett said, “she will have been with us for 5 ½ years. Just in Fayetteville, that seems to be the tenure.’’

Hewett said he “would love to keep folks as long as we can, but I definitely respect her decision to retire.“

“This last five years,” he said, “has been a challenge for the country, it’s been a challenge for the city, and it’s been a challenge for the Police Department, including Chief Hawkins, as well.”

A Sanford man was arrested Thursday and charged with statutory rape and 23 other counts in a sexual assault case, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said.

William Darryl Wright, 56, was arrested by detectives with the Special Victims Unit. He also was charged with six counts of indecent liberties with a child, six counts of felony child abuse, six counts of crimes against nature and five counts of second-degree sexual offense, the Sheriff’s Office said in a release.

He was being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $1.2 million bond, the release said. His first appearance was scheduled for Friday afternoon at the detention center.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact detective S. Odenwelder at 910-677-5477 or Fayetteville / Cumberland County CrimeStoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

A Fayetteville man has been charged with robbing a business on Ramsey Street on Saturday afternoon.

Officers with the Fayetteville Police Department were dispatched to a business on the 5300 block of Ramsey Street at 3:48 p.m.

The Police Department said in a release that a clerk was helping a customer when a man got in line behind the customer. Once the customer left, the man placed a bag on the counter and demanded money from the clerk. The man left with money from the register, the release said.

Officers were given a description of the robber and the vehicle he left in, a red Chevrolet Cruze, the release said. Officers located the vehicle, and the suspect fled on foot, the release said. He was detained by officers and taken into custody.

Josiah Jennings, 22, of the 7000 block of Bucktail Road, was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, common law robbery, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and possession of stolen goods, the release said.

Police said the vehicle that Jennings was driving had been reported stolen from Walmart on Skibo Road the day before.


Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact detective S. Berrios-Rivera at 910-703-6243 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

In response to dangerously high temperatures this week, Cumberland County Government has opened several County facilities as cooling stations for residents who do not have access to air conditioning.

The National Weather Service predicts high heat and humidity for the entire week of July 25-30. Beginning Monday, July 25, the heat index may be over 100 degrees daily. The heat index will peak with 106-degree temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday. Cumberland County Emergency Services urges residents to take precautions as this is the second consecutive week of high heat and humidity.

The Department of Social Services, located at 1225 Ramsey St., has opened the auxiliary lobby as a cooling station. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The lobby is on the first floor waiting area by the reception desk. Masks or face coverings are optional. However, masks and and social distancing are encouraged.

The first-floor lobby of the Cumberland County Department of Public Health, located at 1235 Ramsey St., is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Anyone entering the Health Department is required to wear a mask and pass a temperature scan. Masks will be provided to anyone who does not have one.

All eight Cumberland County Public Library locations are open as cooling stations. Libraries are open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Headquarters Library at 300 Maiden Lane, Fayetteville, along with Cliffdale, North Regional, and Hope Mills branches are also open Sundays from 2 to 6 p.m. To find your local library, go to cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/library-group/library.

The 18 Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation Centers are open to the public year-round, during normal operating hours and can be used by residents as respite from the heat. Recreation center locations, hours, contact information and programming schedules are posted at fcpr.us/facilities/recreation-centers/.

Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working outdoors. Cumberland County Emergency Services reminds residents to take precautions during the hot weather. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sun, avoid strenuous work, check on relatives and neighbors, and never leave children or pets unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.

Stay informed by visiting the County’s website at cumberlandcountync.gov or County social media pages at facebook.com/CumberlandNC, facebook.com/CumberlandCountyNC911 and
twitter.com/CumberlandNC.

On a podcast in May, City Council candidate Tyrone Williams denied that the FBI investigated a secretly taped conversation in which Williams tells the project manager of the Prince Charles Hotel properties that he can make “a cloud” on a lien disappear for $15,000.

On the same podcast, Williams blamed his former wife for creating a false accusation about him molesting a 10-year-old boy and threatening to tell the media unless he paid more in child support.

But Billy West, the district attorney for Cumberland County, and Jordan Jones, the Prince Charles project manager, said the FBI did investigate Williams.

And Cumberland County court records show that an arrest warrant was taken out against Williams on Aug. 30, 2018, charging him initially with the felony offense of taking indecent liberties with a child. The alleged incident happened between Dec. 21 and Dec. 22, 2017, according to the court records. Williams was served the warrant on Sept. 11, 2018.

On Oct. 21, 2019, the records show, Williams entered into a conditional discharge on a charge of assault on a child under 12, a misdemeanor, and received 30 months of unsupervised probation, which came with specific conditions he was ordered to follow if he were to have the charges later dismissed. The records show that Williams did not meet those conditions.

On April 4 of this year, a judge revoked the conditional discharge and Williams was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of assault on a child under age 12. He was sentenced to 60 days suspended for 12 months and placed on supervised probation.

Williams, who reluctantly resigned from his City Council seat shortly after the audio recording of him surfaced, is again running for election in District 2. He faces incumbent Councilwoman Shakeyla Ingram in the July 26 general election. Ingram received 26.29% of the vote in the May primary. Williams was the second-highest vote-getter with 24.48% of the ballots cast, which qualified him to compete against Ingram in the general election.

Williams was reached by phone Tuesday but declined to comment about his past before politely hanging up. He was sent a text message asking him to call back. He responded, “Out at the poll helping my people.”

He was reached again Wednesday and said he would provide court records showing he was not convicted of sexually abusing the boy and then hung up again.

He is correct in that respect: The felony charge was lowered, and he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child abuse.

Williams interviewed on a podcast

About 10 days before the primary, Williams appeared on a podcast – "UP Zone" – hosted by former Fayetteville Councilwoman Tisha Waddell; former state Rep. Elmer Floyd, who is again running for election to the state House; and former Councilman Wade Fowler.

During the podcast, Williams alleged that the audio recording of him offering to remedy a lien on the Prince Charles properties for $15,000 had been doctored.

“There was a lot of those cut-and-paste, and I didn't realize at the time, but that's something that can be done with audio. He can change places, names and words and put it together and paste it all together,” Williams said.

The “he” Williams is referring to is Jones, the project manager in the Prince Charles properties. Jones made the recording on his laptop in December 2017 during a meeting with Williams and a man identified as Fayetteville businessman T.J. Jenkins. Jones later shared the recording with The Fayetteville Observer and the FBI. He said the recording had never been doctored.

Jones said he met multiple times with the FBI to discuss his dealings with Williams. West, the district attorney, also said the FBI investigated Williams. Jones and West said they do not know the outcome of the investigation. An FBI spokeswoman said she could neither confirm nor deny that Williams was investigated.

Williams: ‘There was no FBI investigation’

“There was no FBI investigation,” Williams said during the podcast. “This was City Council. I was never charged with anything, never was any bribing. I didn't get a call from the FBI. This was all council.”

At another point in the podcast, Williams emphatically said, “There was no FBI investigation. Never. I never went and talked to any FBI. There was no contact from the FBI. There wasn't nothing to investigate. It was all city individuals.”

Williams also denied during the podcast that he abused a boy, but he didn’t say that he was convicted of misdemeanor assault on a child a month earlier. He also didn’t mention that he had been given the opportunity to have the charges dismissed if he abided by the conditions of his probation.

One of those conditions was that he complete 24 hours of community service within 120 days. Williams said in the telephone interview Wednesday night that he mistakenly did his community service work through an organization that had not been approved by the court.

The District Attorney’s Office has a different account.

“He never provided any proof to the court that he completed community service,” Senior Assistant District Attorney Alicia Marks said in a message to West. “He was supposed to submit it to the court within 120 days of the plea, and he did not. He was supposed to immediately obtain a mental health assessment, complete treatment and provide regular reports to the court of his treatment every six months, and he did not.”

Williams said he did nothing inappropriate with the boy. He said his former wife threatened to tell the media he had abused a child unless he paid her $2,800 in monthly child support. If he agreed to her demands, Williams said, his ex-wife told him she would “squash the story.” He said he didn’t agree, and the story went public. Williams’ former wife could not be reached for comment.

According to a grand jury indictment, Williams “did unlawfully, willfully and feloniously take and attempt to take immoral, improper and indecent liberties … for the purpose of arousing and gratifying sexual desire” with a child under the age of 16.

Despite his conviction, Williams denies that ever happened.

“It was actually nothing more than grabbing him and sitting him down and disciplining him,” Williams said. “But she (the ex-wife) took it to another level and had no evidence of anything.”

Williams insists that he was convicted only of hitting a boy — not sexually abusing him — and emphazied that the original felony charge of taking indecent liberties with a child was lowered to the misdemeanor charge of assault on a child under age 12.

The matter of a lien

In the matter of the lien, Williams said he loaned former Prince Charles owner John Chen $100,000 for work that needed to be done on the then-ailing hotel. He has said publicly that he both didn’t get repaid and that he did get his money back. Records show that he was paid and that any liens on the property had been satisfied before Prince Charles Holdings bought the properties.

Williams also has said that another $15,000 worth of work he did for Chen was canceled when the hotel was sold to Jones’ company.

Then why did he tell Jones he could clear up the lien for $15,000, according to the audio recording?

“So looking forward, you'll see that the property transferred without having the lien released,” Williams said during the podcast. “So what happened was an individual tried to get a loan on the property and the lien came up. I got a phone call (that) the lien needs to be satisfied before we can fund it.”

Jones said there were no outstanding liens on the properties when his company — Prince Charles Holdings Inc. — bought them. Those properties are now the sites of Segra Stadium, the renovated hotel and a parking garage.

Williams gives reasons for running again

Williams said on the podcast that he wants to return to the City Council because he believes District 2 has fallen deeper into social ills and he believes he can help fix the problems. The district includes the B Street, Old Wilmington Road and Massey Hill communities, some of the city’s poorest areas. Williams said he moved back to the district from Norfolk, Virginia, some years ago to be closer to his family.

“I rode through my district and it looked worse than ever,” he said. “The people I know, the people I talked to, was doing far worse. Homelessness everywhere, poverty everywhere. It's like it's been totally let go. … Mental health is everywhere on the streets. It’s like we forgot about District 2.”

Jones said he was surprised when he heard that Williams is running again.

“We do live in a democracy, so it is up to the voters to decide what to
do,” he said. “If I was a resident of District 2, I would not be voting for Mr. Williams.”

Students will not have to wear uniforms in Cumberland County public schools in the coming school year.

School uniform requirements will be waived for the 2022-23 term, according to a news release from Cumberland County Schools.

The pause is the result of supply-chain problems that the district has verified with major retailers in the area.

“Some stores said that it would likely be late September or October before they received sufficient inventory,” according to the news release.

Parents of children who attend schools that usually require uniforms may choose to dress their children in uniforms, but there will be no penalties for students who don’t wear a uniform.

The student dress code will remain in effect for all students, meaning their attire must be school-appropriate, the release said.
The Board of Education waived the dress code and uniform policy in the 2020-21 school year because of the financial impact of COVID-19 on families.

The Fayetteville Technical Community College board of trustees met Thursday in a special called meeting to receive recommendations from the Presidential Search Committee on the potential successor to President Larry Keen.

In January — after nearly 15 years of service at the school off Hull Road — Keen announced his plan to retire on Jan. 1, 2023.

“The full board met today almost entirely in closed session to discuss recommendations of the candidates that were recommended by the search committee,” said Catherine Pritchard, a spokeswoman for FTCC.

She said some candidates were interviewed last week before the Presidential Search Committee determined its recommendations for the job. Those applicants were then presented to the full board at the special called meeting.
After emerging from the approximately 30-minute closed session, Pritchard said, the full board accepted the recommendations from the search committee.

“They will invite those recommended candidates to campus for interviews the first week of August,” she said. “These are the finalists for the job.”

The names of the finalists were not released.
Pritchard said she didn’t know how many applicants remain in the running for the job and, if she did, she would be unable to release that information at this time. Likewise, she didn’t know the overall number of applications the school received for the position.

Keen’s successor will be the fifth president in the history of FTCC. Keen joined FTCC as the college’s president on Aug. 1, 2007.

The board of trustees is scheduled to meet again on Aug. 15, when its members are expected to discuss the finalists and may come to an agreement on its top candidate.

Once the board comes to a consensus, its recommendation will go before the State Board of Community Colleges.

“It would be anticipated that the state board would consider and, hopefully, approve the candidate in September – Sept. 23,” Pritchard said.

Fayetteville Tech serves roughly 28,000 students annually.

The Fayetteville Police Department has identified the man who was found shot to death Wednesday in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Frankie Avenue.

Tony Ray Parker, 64, of the 1800 block of Frankie Avenue, was pronounced dead on the scene, police said in a release Thursday.

Officers were dispatched to the 1800 block of Frankie Avenue just after noon. They found Parker in the parking lot of the apartment complex.

No charges have been filed, and the investigation is continuing.

Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact detective D. Arnett at 910-929-2565 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

The Fayetteville Police Department is asking the public for help identifying a man it says robbed two Family Dollar stores of cash and cigarettes on consecutive nights.

The robberies happened at the Family Dollar stores on Owen Drive and Raeford Road on Monday and Tuesday between approximately 9 and 9:30 p.m. In both instances, the robber entered the store with a handgun and demanded money from an employee, the Police Department said in a release. Each time the robber left with cash and cartons of cigarettes, the release said.

After the robbery on Tuesday, the man was seen getting into a black Nissan Versa. Police released a photo of the man and the vehicle.

“Through the investigation, detectives have reason to believe the suspect is the same in both of the robberies,’’ the release said.

Anyone with information regarding the identity of the man or this investigation is asked to contact detective K. Glass at 910-605-1975, Sgt. C. Hudson at 910-703-1058 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

The Fayetteville Police Department is investigating after a man was found shot to death in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Frankie Avenue Wednesday afternoon.

Officers were dispatched to a shooting on the 1800 block of Frankie Avenue just after noon, police said in a release. Frankie Avenue is off Bingham Drive.

They found a man with gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the apartment complex. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said in the release. His name is being withheld until next of kin can be notified.

“Those involved in the shooting remained on the scene and are cooperating with the investigation,’’ the Police Department said in the release.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact detective D. Arnett at 910-929-2565 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

 

Shakeyla Ingram is campaigning to keep her District 2 seat on the Fayetteville City Council. Challenging her is former Councilman Tyrone Williams, who is running for office again after reluctantly resigning four years ago when allegations emerged that he tried to solicit money from a developer.
Both are Fayetteville natives who grew up in District 2. Both regard themselves as entrepreneurs.

Neither responded to repeated requests for a phone interview or to answer questions by email.

District 2 encompasses the entire downtown district and areas across the Cape Fear River including the Cedar Creek Road area, part of the Baywood subdivision to Dunn Road, and everything up to the Gillespie Street and Massey Hill areas as well as the Holiday Park neighborhood.
Ingram says she's able to understand what the needs are in Fayetteville after living in Atlanta while attending school.
Looking back, Williams says his family took a chance, leaving his parents’ 14-acre farm in Raeford to move to Fayetteville for the chance at a better life.

“I don’t want the investment of my parents to be a bad investment,” he said during the Greater Fayetteville Chamber general election forum on June 30. “I want District 2 to be the district and not to be a bad investment.”

Over the years, he said, he has served on the Economic Development Board in Norfolk, Virginia, and the Safety and Procedures Board of the Norfolk and Southern Railway.

In 2018, Williams resigned from the City Council after weeks of pushing back against calls for his removal. Williams was under investigation by the FBI after allegedly asking Prince Charles Hotel developer Jordan Jones for $15,000 in exchange for handling a favor related to the property’s title.

He maintained that he had done nothing wrong. In his resignation letter, he wrote: “I did not violate any law, or ordinance, or other legal authority.” He placed the blame on the media for “false and misleading accusations.”

Williams has denied there was an FBI investigation, but Jones and Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West said the agency did investigate. A spokeswoman for the FBI said she could neither confirm nor deny that there was an investigation.
In 2018, Williams was accused of inappropriately touching a 10-year-old boy. He was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child, according to court records.

In October 2019, he entered into a conditional discharge on a charge of assault on a child under 12, a misdemeanor, and received 30 months of unsupervised probation and was ordered to follow specific conditions to have the charges later dismissed, according to court records.
As part of the agreement, Williams returned to court on April 4 of this year to determine if he had fulfilled the terms of his conditions and probation. The conditional discharge was revoked and a judgment was entered for a conviction of assault on a child under 12, a misdemeanor, according to court records. Williams was given a 60-day sentence that was suspended for 12 months as well as supervised probation, according to court records.

Williams did not respond to emails or phone messages seeking comment on the allegations.

Neither candidate responded to CityView TODAY’S requests to discuss issues facing the city. The following responses were culled from their answers during the Greater Fayetteville Chamber candidates forum.

Crime in the city continues to rise. Are city officials – specifically, the police chief and Police Department – doing enough to address crime? If not, what should be done differently? (Note: Police Chief Gina Hawkins has since announced that she plans to retire effective in January.)

Ingram: “Yes, we are. We’re doing all that we can to address crime in the city of Fayetteville. I would like to lean on the other side to say that I think we, as a community, have to do a little bit more to help with the efforts by City Council to better the crime here. We have made many investments where police officers are being paid more.

We’re now at 8% staff (low) where that number within the last six months was a bit higher. Our staffing for police officers has gone up comparably to other large cities. We're doing a bit better than most in North Carolina where it comes down to staffing. As it relates to being able to pull in our community to help with crime, we started the community safety micro-grants where we are giving money to help with crime in the city of Fayetteville. You can’t arrest your way out of everything. And so we have to bring in our partners in the county and judicial system to ensure that the laws – when people are being charged with something, it sticks. Because what you will see are repeat offenders who continue to get out and not learn their lesson, for whatever reasons, and continue to commit the same crimes. Those are the things we’re doing to help better the crime.”

Williams: “The city police, Chief (Gina) Hawkins, they’re doing a good job. Are they doing a good enough job? No, they are not. And I’m saying that because my brother got killed three years ago right here in the city of Fayetteville. And I understand they’re doing a lot, but it's never enough. I feel like I’m personally responsible for my community. And I think the citizens and also City Council feels the same way. If something happens in our district, we should know about it. Some way or other, there should be some individual who knows that person and that we should go talk to. … These are the people who need to get involved in the city to curb the crime, to curb the homelessness and to curb what’s going on in our city and also District 2, which I’m focused in. These are the people I would talk to start the programs, pilots, STEM programs. The people that they already respect. But the problem is we’re geared now to so much crime going on over America, seeing the blue suits show up. There's a problem. We need to get back to local leaders that have the respect and the leadership to have things done.”

Sometimes it seems almost like there are two District 2s. There’s the District 2 that includes downtown, where we’ve seen lots of investments, lots of opportunity. Then there’s the other District 2, where people are struggling. Some of the struggles have already been mentioned. What specific ideas would you bring to that (part of) District 2, where there’s a great need and people are trying to make ends meet and they’re dealing with crime? What investment opportunities would you specifically say to target that part of District 2?

Williams: “One of the things I’ve been following is Fayetteville Technical Community College. They just gave a program that’s just awesome. I give kudos to the Cumberland County board. They put a program together when you’re coming out of jail, if you are felony offenders, you can come and apply for a program that puts you through an eight-week course. You can become a plumber, electrician, you can become an HVAC person or a contractor. If you go through that program, it’s subsidized by the county. Half the money the employer who hires them to be paid is by the employer who hires them to give initiative. And then they work on-the-job training. I was actually part of on-the-job training. In high school, I went to Terry Sanford. I was bused out of the community. What happened is, that program — that two summers I went to school – I learned a trade. And it was construction. And to this day, I do construction. They paved the way. That OJT (on-the-job training) — I’m all for it – 100%. You have to put the work in the programs that they can get into.

Felonies, offenders, you’ve got to give them a chance. Not only change their generation but also change the next generation. And by them changing that next generation, it changes your people where you are and their family and gives them a job. You’ve got to make them employers, not employees. You’ve got to raise people up like never before.... It’s not two District 2s; it's one. The other one’s coming to the district downtown and making statements.”

Ingram: “I’m going to tell a very short story about how I got here. … I had been talking with my grandmother when I moved back. I was talking with my grandmother about what I was seeing. I used to live in Atlanta for school. I was talking a lot with my grandmother about what I was seeing and why the community was looking the way it was. I was concerned because I was seeing the development of a new baseball stadium, but I was seeing where my grandmother lived in Haymount, it was just up and down. I attended a forum the mayor was having at that time. Then I went to a hospital room where my grandmother was pronounced deceased.

From that time on — I was actually going to move to Durham. But that changed because I was very concerned about what was happening in my community. Concerned about the mindset of two different District 2s. … What I think makes this district conclusive, we have to bring up equity, to get everybody’s needs. What council has done, we have added a lot of money into to our corridors, in our communities, for beautification and homeownership. We’re also added money to the workforce development. So those three things — along with our community safety efforts and making sure we educate our citizens about these opportunities. I believe this work the council is doing now will be able to help spread equity not just across Distinct 2 but the city of Fayetteville.

There is a lot of concern among the residents of District 2 and all districts about community safety, property damage and especially our murder rate, which is escalating. There is also talk about police accountability. You see those words a lot. The police chief heads up the Police Department, and she works for the city manager. How do you define police accountability?

Ingram: “So back in 2020, of course, we had a specialist come in to talk about community policing. With community policing, we learned that community policing is not the police officer's job. We learned that community policing is how and what we want to (do) within our own community. When it comes down to police accountability, and let me say this, when it comes down to violent crimes, gun violence, I have been on the receiving ends of both where I've had family members that have committed gun violence, and I've had family members who have been victims of gun violence. So being in the middle of that and understanding what police accountability looks like, it looks like this: We call our officers to do a job and respond to what our needs are.... Accountability is our officers showing up and presenting constitutional law and enforcing within the right manner. It is up to us to recognize when the law is not working, and we have to be educated, in short.

To me, police accountability is having the education and knowing what your rights are as a citizen. Knowing what jurisdiction the police officer has. Knowing not just what the police officers do but knowing what the Sheriff's Department does as well as your N.C. special police officers. You must as a citizen know and feel the need to build a relationship and get to know your police officers. There's contact information on the website where you can reach out if you see something going on. You have every right to ask an officer what is going on. You have every right to report something. That is accountability, not just for police but citizens, as well."

Williams: “Police accountability, we have lost that. And tell you why we've lost it. Because of the media, the TV and all the activity going on. District 2, when you turn on the TV, you see all the murder, you see all the abuse, all the claims of people who died and got shot by a police officer with their back turned.

So you must understand that is what they see, that is what they understand. So what we have to do now is to go back to the middle schools and the elementary schools and have the police officers showing up. They have to come in with their blue uniforms and talk to the kids and let them understand that is not who they see on TV. Encouragement. Good words. Now the older generations, it's going to be a task. But if you start with the younger generations, and they go home and tell mother how the police officers came today and how he taught the class and how he showed a few things, those types of things are going to evolve over time and you could make this a better system. But the system — as calling the police initially went up, there's already animosity going on and the thoughts already in their mind — it's a critical situation. Sometimes it escalates it even more. I love the police officers. I know half of their names.

When I see them, I shake their hands on the street, pat them on the back and tell them, 'Thank you for your service.' Also, the Fire Department. I understand their work is very hard. It's not because of the individuals; it's because of the sense of who they are. … So we have to go back to the elementary schools. We have to go back to the middle schools and retrain the kids over the next generation. And, hopefully, they would change the parents' view. Just a whole other level of policing. We have to get human nature involved. We have to love one another to make this world go round and round."

Shakeyla Ingram
Occupation: Entrepreneur in marketing and community relations
Elected office: Fayetteville City Council, one term
Contacts: 910-644-0368; shakeylaingram@fayettevillenc.gov; votesingram@gmail.com; https://www.facebook.com/smifaync/; https://twitter.com/IngramDistrict2; https://instagram.com/IngramDistrict2

Tyrone Williams
Occupation: Owner of Veteran’s Reality and Community Advancement Awareness, real-estate investor and developer; Navy veteran
Elected office: Fayetteville City Council, partial term
Contacts: 910-584-9249 or tyrone.williams70@yahoo.com

Fort Bragg soldiers who were training with Somali forces in Mogadishu went from training mode to responder mode when a civilian plane crashed Monday morning, the U.S. Army said in a press release.

Three 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade soldiers provided emergency care to 30 passengers when a Jubba Airlines aircraft crash landed at Mogadishu International Airport around 10:30 a.m., the release said.

The Fort Bragg soldiers were conducting medical training with a platoon of Somalia’s Danab commandos when the crash occurred.

The plane skidded to a halt upside down near their training location, the release said. The Danab and SFAB soldiers climbed a razor-wire fence to reach the plane.

Members of the Danab commandos pulled injured passengers from the aircraft while the SFAB team members established a triage station and helped local emergency responders evacuate 16 injured passengers to nearby medical facilities, the release said.

The Army identified the soldiers as Sgt. 1st Class Caleb Vanvoorhis, Staff Sgt. JoAnna Baxter and Staff Sgt. Taylor Palmer. They were training with Somalia’s Danab Brigade as part of an ongoing effort to train and enhance Somalia’s military medical capability, the release said.

Leaders of the SFAB praised the reactions of the soldiers and the Danab commandos.

“I am very proud of the team and their partners, the Danab,” Lt. Col. Sean Nolan, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd SFAB, said in the release. “Their combined actions demonstrated the agility, quick thinking and decisive action that is essential to the advisor mission.”

Col. Michael Sullivan, 2nd SFAB commander, offered similar comments.

“In our minds, the key thing to highlight is the Danab’s reaction to the crisis,” Sullivan said in the release. “Our soldiers supported their response, which was highly professional and demonstrates the value of our commitment to long-term security cooperation efforts in the region.”

The SFAB soldiers are part of the Maneuver Adviser Team 2231, which is working with the Somali National Army Danab Brigade to help its mission to conduct offensive operations against violent extremist organizations, the release said.

The U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa employs the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade to train, advise and assist African partner militaries on a number of ground force tactics, techniques and procedures, the release said.

North Carolina officials have confirmed 11 cases of monkeypox, a disease caused by the monkeypox virus, in the state as of Wednesday.
Of those cases, 10 involve North Carolina residents, and one involves a nonresident.

At least 929 people in the United States — and over 7,500 people around the globe — have been infected with it since May 18, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

North Carolina’s first case during this outbreak was diagnosed in Haywood County and announced by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on June 23. Mecklenburg County announced its first case four days later on June 27. Durham County confirmed its first case on Tuesday.
While some individual counties are announcing infections, DHHS said it is not providing a county-by-county breakdown or saying where new cases have occurred, citing a desire to protect patient privacy.

Monkeypox is part of the Orthopoxvirus genus, which also contains the virus that causes smallpox. According to the CDC, most outbreaks of monkeypox are linked to countries in central and western Africa.
The West African strain involved in this outbreak has a high survival rate but can be “extremely painful” and leave lifelong scars, according to the CDC.

Treatment and prevention

While the West African strain of monkeypox has a survival rate of over 99%, the CDC lists several common factors that may increase the risk of death from monkeypox, including individuals who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children younger than 8 years and individuals who have had eczema or who are immunocompromised.

Monkeypox can cause a rash with a fluid-filled blister that later dries and scabs over.

“People who have been diagnosed with monkeypox outside of Africa have all had skin blisters,” UNC Health notes. “Some have only a few — or even a single lesion — on the penis, anus, hands, feet, arm, legs or face. Sometimes blisters form on the palms or soles of the feet, which are unusual places to have a rash.”

According to UNC Health, some patients might experience other symptoms before they notice any bumps. Some individuals may feel ill, be fatigued, experience headaches or notice swollen glands, according to the website.
While asymptomatic individuals can spread COVID-19, the CDC says individuals infected with monkeypox can spread the virus only if they have symptoms.

“Monkeypox is transmitted person to person through direct skin-to-skin contact, having contact with an infectious rash, through body fluids or through respiratory secretions,” according to DHHS.

“Such contact often occurs during prolonged, face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling or sex. While anyone can get monkeypox, in the current outbreak, many of the cases are in men who have sex with men.”

There are other ways to contract the virus.

“Touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids is another way monkeypox spreads,” according to the CDC.

“It’s also possible for people to get monkeypox from infected animals, either by being scratched or bitten by the animal or by eating meat or using products from an infected animal.”

Symptoms can last for two-four weeks, and infected individuals can be contagious until their rash disappears and new skin covers the affected area, according to the CDC.

“Anyone who has symptoms consistent with monkeypox and those who have had contact with someone who has monkeypox should isolate at home away from others and notify their health care provider,” said Sarah Henderson, health director for Haywood County.

“It is important to remember that anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.”

Dr. David Weber, medical director for UNC Hospitals’ departments of hospital epidemiology (infection prevention) and associate chief medical officer of UNC Health Care, said there is “always concern about mutations” with the virus.
Weber said that since genome sequencing has been completed, it can help reveal if the virus has mutated.
Weber said there are two primary worries when it comes to mutations: whether the virus can become more transmissible and whether it might become increasingly “capable of causing serious disease.”

North Carolina cases

According to Dr. Raynard Washington, director of Mecklenburg County Public Health, Mecklenburg’s patient is not thought to be tied to another case within North Carolina.

Henderson said the Haywood County Health Department has received a small number of phone calls regarding monkeypox.

To protect the Haywood patient’s privacy, Henderson could not say whether there were any other potential cases under investigation or how many contacts the Health Department needed to reach out to regarding the case.

“Following the initial press release, we received a few calls from local providers regarding sample collection and the algorithm for testing,” Henderson said via email.

“We have also received a few calls from residents seeking further information and education. If we were to have an increase in cases in the future, we would communicate that with the residents of Haywood County.”
Once a case is diagnosed, the state assists organizations in determining the next steps.

“When a monkeypox case is identified in a North Carolina resident, (DHHS) works closely with the CDC, local health departments and health care providers to identify and notify individuals who may have been in contact with an infectious person and to assess each individual contact’s level of risk,” a spokesperson for DHHS said via email.

Henderson said Haywood County is equipped to handle the outbreak.

“Public health response to a communicable disease varies slightly based on the illness that we are dealing with,” Henderson said via email.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light our response on a larger scale, we at the local level are prepared to respond to public health issues and emergencies as they present themselves.”
In Mecklenburg, Washington said, public health experts are constantly learning.

“Our public health teams continue to build on lessons and experience gained via public health response to include COVID-19 response for case investigation, contact tracing and vaccination efforts,” Washington said via email.

On June 28, the White House announced that it would begin sending vaccines to areas that needed them the most.

“With today’s national monkeypox vaccine strategy, the United States is significantly expanding deployment of vaccines, allocating 296,000 doses over the coming weeks, 56,000 of which will be allocated immediately,” the White House said in the press release.

“Over the coming months, a combined 1.6 million additional doses will become available.”
Last week, DHHS announced the state will receive 444 doses that will go to Buncombe, Durham, Forsyth, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Pitt and Wake counties.

JYNNEOS is a two-dose, FDA-approved vaccine for high-risk individuals 18 years old and older and can help reduce the chances of contracting monkeypox and smallpox.

A spokesperson for DHHS said more vaccines will be distributed as availability increases.

“Because of limited supply, vaccination will first only be offered to individuals with known or suspected exposure to monkeypox,” the spokesperson said via email.

“This includes people who have been in close physical contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox and men or transgender individuals who have sex with men and have had multiple sex partners in the last 14 days in either a venue where monkeypox was present or in an area where the virus is spreading.”

Additional vaccines should be sent soon, though no firm date for the next shipment has been announced.

“The second wave of JYNNEOS distribution, likely arriving next week, will allow (DHHS) to implement a broader strategy for preexposure vaccinations,” the spokesperson added. “(DHHS) is continuing to work with local health departments and community partners on education efforts and to be prepared if a wider push for treatment is needed.

Health officials ask that people with symptoms of monkeypox have a doctor examine them.

“Though this is the first confirmed case in the county, we know there are likely other cases,” Washington said in a press release when Mecklenburg’s case was first announced. “We are encouraging doctors to consider this in people who have a rash or skin lesion that looks like monkeypox.”

Detection

According to the CDC, individuals infected with monkeypox can only pass on the disease if they are showing symptoms, unlike COVID-19, which can be spread by asymptomatic people.
Dr. Rachel Noble, a professor of marine and environmental microbiology whose lab is helping lead COVID-19 monitoring in wastewater in North Carolina, said the state could begin checking wastewater for monkeypox, if necessary.

“We have developed the methods and have established the capability to do surveillance for (monkeypox) in wastewater,” Noble said via email. “However, at this time, we have not been called upon by the state of North Carolina to do so, we are ready if it becomes a need.”
The N.C. Wastewater Monitoring Network began tracking SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wastewater in January 2021. The wastewater data is about six days ahead of the COVID-19 clinical testing data and can provide a heads-up when an outbreak occurs, even before symptoms become

widespread.

“For monkeypox, it may be better to conduct clinical testing because of the need for an individual to be symptomatic in order to transmit the disease, but these are decisions that will be made in the near future,” Noble said.

A spokesperson for DHHS said there is no timeline yet for making the decision.

“We are currently evaluating the laboratory tests for identifying monkeypox in wastewater and how to interpret this data into public health action,” the spokesperson said.

The representative said it is possible the state may add a dashboard to allow the public to monitor the spread in North Carolina, similar to the dashboard that was implemented for COVID-19.

“We use our reportable disease surveillance system, NCEDSS (N.C. Electronic Disease Surveillance System), to track cases and are considering a public-facing dashboard to display case and vaccine data,” the NCDHHS spokesperson said. “In the meantime, the CDC has up-to-date information on case numbers and ASPR (the U.S. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness & Response) will be sharing vaccine distributed.”

Neither Haywood nor Mecklenburg plans to create a local dashboard in the near future. With a low number of patients, adding a dashboard could threaten patients’ privacy, according to Washington.

Misconceptions

While monkeypox can be spread through physical contact, including during sex, monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease.
Weber addressed some common misconceptions about monkeypox.

“Monkeys are not the source/reservoir of the disease — carriage by rodents is the reservoir,” Weber explained. “(It is a) generally mild disease, unlike smallpox. (It is) transmitted generally by direct contact, although close, prolonged contact may lead to droplet transmission.”

Weber said vaccines should be used for high-risk individuals as well as those exposed to the virus. If it is administered within four days of exposure, the chances of infection decline. Within four-14 days after exposure, receiving a vaccine may help lessen the severity of the infection.

Weber also pointed out other key lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as identifying needs for “public health interventions, transparency, global cooperation [and avoiding] stigmatization.”

To learn more about monkeypox or for the latest case numbers, visit the CDC’s website.

“Good morning, Hornet family!”

With that opening delivered over the intercom, Principal David Greene kicked off the new school year Monday morning for the 525 students who attend Anne Chesnutt Middle School on Skibo Road.

The school system’s other year-round schools, E.E. Miller Elementary and Reid Ross Classical, also welcomed students Monday.
At Anne Chesnutt, vehicles were lined up in the parking lot Monday morning waiting to drop off children who attend the school’s sixth through eighth grades.
After being dropped off, the students moved along at a steady clip to go indoors. One girl stopped to hug Assistant Principal Whitney Iglesias before turning the corner with the rest of the students.

Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr. said the parents were probably more excited than the students.

“We’re pretty happy to get her back in school,” Fred Hardison, who is 72, said of his 12-year-old daughter, Valentina. “In the classroom. Face to face.”
Last year, she attended Cumberland County Virtual Academy.
And what were Valentina’s thoughts on returning to school — this time among fellow students?

“She’s got mixed feelings,” Hardison said just outside the school. “She was happy to get back, but she’s never been a big fan of going to school.”
Earlier in the morning, Connelly greeted some of the parents and caregivers who drove their children to school.

“Good morning. We are back. Cumberland County Schools are open,” Connelly told reporters. “We never really closed. We’ve been open all summer. Year-round starts back today at Anne Chesnutt Middle, EE. Miller Elementary and Reid Ross Classical.”

More than 1,600 year-round students kicked off a new school year Monday, according to Connelly. He also said the district has 16 school buses on the road.

"We are excited to have our children back in the building," he said. "Everyone is excited to try to move forward from the pandemic. We realize we’re still in it, but we’re ready.”

In terms of how the system will continue to address in-school COVID-19 concerns, he said the system will rely on the steps that were taken last year to keep the numbers as low as possible.

“The measures we had in place last year – wear your mask, wash your hands, social distance when you’re able to – they worked last year as well as encouraging everyone to get vaccinated,” the superintendent said. “If you’re eligible, get the booster.”
Masks are optional for students and staff.

Spanish Immersion program

Anne Chesnutt offers a Spanish Immersion choice program. For students in that program, instruction is primarily in Spanish throughout the day.
About 60 students are taking that program this year, Greene said. The Spanish Immersion choice program has been offered at Anne Chesnutt for about a decade.

The students also are taught social studies, science and math in Spanish.

“Anne Chesnutt is a choice school. One of our options is our year-round schedule, and what I call our crown jewel is our Spanish Immersion program,” Greene said. “The program has meant a lot to this school in that it has allowed us to grow.

“So we have students that would have started the Spanish Immersion program in elementary,” Greene added. “They get to come to us. If they make it through the eighth-grade year, they earn two high school credits in Spanish and are basically fluid in Spanish.”
Four Spanish instructors, all from Colombia, talked with reporters about the importance of the students learning the language and studying the Hispanic cultures.

“Right here – this program. It allows students to get a different look at culture,” Spanish teacher Andres Rangel said. "I think the program teaching is really important. Spanish people are emerging in the (U.S.) population.”

Angelica Restrepo, another Spanish teacher at the school, said "international teachers need to work through the learning. When we share our culture, our language and our heritage, we give them different perspectives. For me, this is the best part.”

Bus app

Kristi Harden, the school system's director of transportation, talked about the "Here Comes the Bus" tool that allows families with access to view the real-time location of their child's school bus on a smartphone or computer.

Parents can sign up or learn more about the app at the "Here Comes the Bus" website.
Aicha Kine, who is 29, said her family had just moved to Fayetteville from Texas. This was her 12-year-old niece’s first year at Anne Chesnutt. She said her niece has been excited about returning to the classroom. With a laugh, Kine said, her niece had been talking about it “all the week.”

A called meeting of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners was canceled Monday evening because a majority of the commissioners did not attend.
County Manager Amy Cannon had been expected to ask the board to consider creating two more water and sewer districts to combat a growing accumulation of forever chemicals in part of the county’s well-water supply.

But board Chairman Glenn Adams adjourned the meeting moments after the 6 p.m. start time.
The new water and sewer districts would serve an existing district in the Linden and Vander areas in an effort to stem the pollution of drinking water by forever chemicals that leech into the Cape Fear River and groundwater.

The chemical compound GenX is a byproduct of the manufacturing process used by Chemours chemical company. Formerly known as DuPont, the company has a plant on the Cumberland and Bladen county line. In 2017, chemicals associated with Chemours’ manufacturing process were discovered in the Cape Fear River. Since then, additional chemical contaminants have been found in hundreds of private wells.

Adams and Vice Chairwoman Toni Stewart and Commissioner Jeannette Council attended Monday’s meeting. Commissioners Larry Lancaster, Michael Boose, Jimmy Keefe and Charles Evans were absent.

Adams said he was not aware beforehand that a majority of the commissioners would not attend Monday’s meeting.
In the past, board members who could not attend a meeting in person had the option to participate by phone or online stream.

Former commissioners Chairman Marshall Faircloth, currently an at-large candidate for a seat on the board, said he was surprised and concerned that a majority of commissioners failed to show up for the meeting just a week before the state is scheduled to hold a public information session about chemicals in private wells in the county.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public information session at 6 p.m. on July 26 at the Crown Coliseum complex. Registration starts at 5:30 p.m.
Assistant County Manager Brian Haney said Monday evening’s meeting will be rescheduled.

On Monday night, the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners agreed to place a temporary moratorium on certain businesses while the town’s staff works to create an overlay district.

The moratorium is effective immediately and will stay in place until January, the same month the staff plans to introduce the town’s new overlay districts.
The temporary moratorium allows the town to restrict and even temporarily hold business licenses until an overlay district can be put into place. Overlay zoning is a regulatory tool that creates a special zoning district over existing zoning. It can include additional or different regulations that apply within the district.

“The overlay only affects the commercial district,'' said Chancer McLaughlin, the town’s planning and economic development director.
The board will decide during work sessions which business will be allowed in what commercial areas.

“It just stops certain businesses from being in those particular commercial areas,” McLaughlin said.

“Businesses think we are limiting their uses outright, we are not,’’ he told the board. “We are just saying for a period of time we are not allowing you to move forward.”

McLaughlin said he was still getting calls from concerned business owners about the moratorium and the overlay districts. However, those calls are mostly from businesses that have just been approved and are preparing to go forward. The new policies will only affect businesses that have not applied for a license and are in their current planning phases.

The board held a public hearing on the proposed moratorium before the vote. No one spoke during the hearing.
The moratorium includes the following businesses:
● Motor vehicle parts and accessory sales.
● Motor vehicle repair and/or body work.
● Motor vehicle rentals.
● Motor vehicle sales, new and used.
● Retail establishments primarily tied to smoke shops and vape establishments.

The board also heard an update on the public safety building project from its architect, Scott Garner, and unanimously passed a requested change order for nearly $75,000.
Before the vote, Commissioners Joanne Scarola and Grilley Mitchell raised concerns regarding one of the items listed on the change order — a motorized damper listed at $12,873 for the kitchen’s four-burner gas stove.
Both asked whether the change was necessary.

Garner stepped aside to allow Steve Lopez, the town’s operations chief, to better explain the expense. The motorized damper was required for the stove and allowed firemen who live at the station to access the stove in large groups. Lopez said that on some days, as many as 40 firemen would need access to the kitchen at one time and that particular damper was required by code. The expense also paid for additional ducts and wiring.

After hearing from Lopez, the board approved the change order.
In other business, the board also voted to move forward with its proposed splash pad and voted to allow the town manager to negotiate the deal with Carolina Parks and Play.

The splash pad will have a baseball theme, making it unique to the town.
Before the vote, Commissioner Bryan Marley expressed his excitement about the project and the board’s ability to get it done.

“This is another item that all the citizens have asked for,’’ Marley said. “Once again, this board is finally getting it done and moving forward with it.”

After the vote, Town Manager Scott Meszaros took a moment to recognize Parks and Recreation Director Lamarco Morrison for his drive in making the town’s vision a reality.

Two men are being sought in connection with a road-rage incident that left a man with gunshot injuries on July 11, according to a Fayetteville Police Department news release.

The victim’s wife and infant child were in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, the release said.
Demetrius Tydre McNeill, 27, of the 3500 block of Town Street in Hope Mills, and Alphonza Demorris Teasley, 45, of the 2800 block of Baywood Road in Eastover, have been charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury; shooting into an occupied vehicle; and felony conspiracy, the news release said.

Just after 5 p.m. on July 11, Fayetteville police officers responded to reports of a shooting near the intersection of Cliffdale and Pritchett roads. The officers found a man lying on the ground and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
The man, his wife and their year-old child were in their vehicle when the shootings occurred. The wife and child were not harmed, the police report said.

Witnesses described the shooters’ vehicle as a gold Jeep Cherokee that left the scene on Skibo Road. The vehicle was located and the suspects were identified.

McNeill is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall; 140 pounds; and having black hair and brown eyes with tattoos on his face, neck and arms.

Teasley is described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 155 pounds. He is bald, has brown eyes, and has multiple tattoos on both arms.

McNeill and Teasley are considered armed and dangerous, the news release said.
Anyone with information about the suspects or the shooting is asked to contact Officer A. Wolford at 910-705-2141 or Crimestoppers at 910-483-TIPS (8477).

Crimestoppers information also can be submitted at http://fay-nccrimestoppers.orgor by downloading the fre “P3 Tips” app available for Apple devices in the Apple App Store and for Android devices in Google Play.

Fairies, flowers and rainbows set the stage for a fantastic downtown adventure on July 29 and 30.

Expect a hint of enchantment in the air as Midsummer Magic returns for its seventh year with more fairy fun for the entire family.
Inspired by William Shakespeare’s tale of magic and mischief, “A Midsummers Night’s Dream,” the fun-filled two-day scavenger hunt will send participants on a journey around downtown Fayetteville to search for clues.

Following a fairy journal, which can be found online or at several downtown businesses, those participating will journey to a fairy door, behind which will be a letter to help reveal a secret message.
And, like any good guidebook, the fairy journal will also point out where participants can find special promotions, points of interest and special activities.

Everyone is encouraged to dress in their most fantastic fairy, sprite, goblin, dwarf or wizard ensemble for a chance to win this year’s costume contest. Participants only need to tag their picture on their personal social media page with #MidsummerMagicFayNC to enter for a chance to win prizes.

The costume contest is separated into categories for pets, groups, adults and children aged 12 to 17, 5 to 10 and 0 to 4 years old.
The LlamaCorns of Midsummer Magic will return for their second year, provided by Shaky Tails Party Animals, and performers will be scattered throughout the event to delight those on their quest.

The day promises a wealth of unique sights and sounds, which is what Betsy McElwee, former social media marketing coordinator for the Downtown Alliance, is looking forward to the most.

“I love walking around downtown and seeing people and talking to them. I’m really excited to see the new performances this year. I’m looking forward to just being downtown,” she said.

According to their social media page, “The Downtown Alliance’s mission is to encourage business and retail growth in downtown Fayetteville, and to promote the success of downtown businesses.”
Conceived as a signature event for the Downtown Alliance, Midsummer Magic is a unique opportunity to bring the people of Fayetteville together for a tour of the businesses downtown has to offer.

Each participating business is tasked with creating a unique theme-driven experience for potential customers so that each stop will provide something new and different.

“Even if you don’t want to do the scavenger hunt and quest, it’s still fun to go down and see everything,” McElwee explained.

“We want people to know about the businesses and shops downtown. It’s really about getting people to engage with the businesses, see how great downtown is and circulate through the area.”

The festivities begin at 11 a.m. on July 29 and 30, but there’s no official “start” time for the scavenger hunt.

Midsummer Magic is free and open to the public, but some activities will have an associated cost.
All fairy journals must be turned in by July 30 to be eligible for prizes.
For more information regarding Midsummer Magic and to download a fairy journal, visit https://www.faydta.com/our-events/downtown-fayetteville-scavenger-hunt/.

How did a Salisbury woman beat the powerful forces of Smithfield Foods, Inc. and its hog farming allies?
As described in my column last week, Mona Lisa Wallace and her law firm won $32 million in verdicts against the Smithfield group for its nuisance damage to the homes and lives on properties near hog farms.
In a letter promoting his new book, “Wastelands; The True Story of Farm Country on Trial,” for use in college and law school classes, the book’s author, Corban Addison, explains how he learned about Wallace and her efforts.

“Three years ago, a friend called me and told me a story that sounded almost too good to be true. It was about a lawyer he knew, a woman named Mona Lisa Wallace from his hometown in North Carolina.”

Addison’s Salisbury-connected friend is best-selling author John Hart, whose most recent novel is “The Unwilling.” Addison continues, “In 2013, Mona took up the banner of a rural community ‘down east,’ as the locals call it, a community comprised of mostly Black people of modest means. Over the course of a generation, that community had seen its ancestral land — as well as its air and water — degraded by pollution from factory farms tied to the world’s largest hog producer, Smithfield Foods. They had agitated for change, but the change never came. Not until Mona took Smithfield to court.

“Her mass action required seven years to litigate. It sparked rallies in the streets, a firestorm on social media, death threats to the lawyers, witness intimidation and an attempt by the industry’s bedfellows in the state legislature to modify the centuries-old definition of nuisance retroactively to prevent the lawsuits from ever reaching a jury. Notwithstanding these headwinds, Mona and her co-counsel persisted, bringing five cases to trial and winning five plaintiffs’ verdicts.”

Of course, Wallace could not have done the whole thing by herself. Lawyers and paralegals interviewed people who had been impacted by the hog farming, mostly people whose homes were nearby, mostly in Duplin, Bladen, Pender and Sampson Counties. They did the research and drafted motions and briefs. And Wallace engaged a talented and energetic
co-counsel, Mike Kaeske, a Texas lawyer with working class roots. Kaeske handled the trial witness presentations, cross examinations and, most important, opening and closing arguments, for which he spent hundreds of hours in preparation and practice.

All the work paid off in trials in a Federal District Court, but the defendant appealed the verdict to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Although one judge dissented, the panel of three judges, including conservative J. Harvie Wilkinson, voted to assure Smithfield’s loss.
Addison noted that Wilkinson, in a concurring opinion, wrote “with Mosaic thunder,” saying that the Smithfield group’s “interference with their quiet enjoyment of their properties was unreasonable. It was willful, and it was wanton.”

For Smithfield, Addison writes, the ruling was a devastating blow. Its public relations team launched a preemptive strike in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. Its press release “then regurgitates the same warmed-over pablum that the hog barons have served up for more than a generation — that no one understands the industry, that all the negative media and lawsuits and jury verdicts are biased and unfair, that Smithfield cares about farmers, and that it is committed to feeding the world.”

But writes Addison, “The press release, however, is not just propagandistic. It contains a nugget of news: ‘We have resolved these cases through a settlement that will take into account the divided decision of the court. Information about the terms of the settlement will not be disclosed.’”

Unfortunately, the book ends on this note, leaving the reader to guess how much more Smithfield had to pay to each plaintiff and whether the settlement will significantly change Smithfield’s methods.

Still, the book has gained national attention, including a detailed review in the July 10 edition of The New York Times Book Review. Stay tuned. The hog wars are not over.