Local News

Fayetteville police chief: Homicides not ‘random acts of violence’

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Tuesday, 04 February 2025

Written by Evey Weisblat, CityView Today

Despite a dramatic reduction in homicides in 2024, eight homicides occurred in the first 24 days of the new year in the City of Fayetteville.
The crimes were not “random acts of violence,” according to Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden, who addressed concerns about the recent murders at the Fayetteville City Council meeting on Monday. The violent start to the year, Braden said, does not mean that violent crime in the city — which was expected to be lowest in the decade by the end of last year — is increasing again.
“Like anything else, there’s going to be the ebbs and flows of what happens within our community,” Braden said. “We just have to be ready and prepared to adjust the way we handle those things.” Braden said police have already solved seven of the eight murders, while detectives are still working on investigating the latest homicide, which occurred during the snowstorm on Jan. 22.
“In each of those cases, the suspect and victims were known to one another,” Braden said of the solved cases.
Of the eight homicides, Braden said detectives have confirmed that:
• Two were “crimes of passion with no history of domestic violence”
• Two involved “negligible handling of firearms”
• Two were “lifestyle related incidents”
• One was a result of a “mental health crisis”
No juveniles have been involved in the crimes, Braden said. He emphasized that the homicides were also not examples of “retaliatory violence,” or primarily gang-related violence that involves taking revenge and often includes youth offenders.
“These incidents are a contrast to the domestic violence and retaliation-style violence we experienced in 2023 when we had a total of 52 homicides that we investigated,” Braden said.
“Again, if you remember, we talked about some of the retaliatory stuff from our youth, the gangs and things of that nature. These don’t fit that bill and we’re dealing with something totally different.”
City council members congratulated Braden for maintaining the high clearance rates that have characterized his tenure as chief with the recent cases.
“Although it was eight homicides, seven arrests were made,” Council Member Courtney Banks-McLaughlin said. “So that’s seven individuals that are off the streets, so I just want to commend you and your department for your efforts.”
Responding to questions from city council members, Braden said the police department is continuing to take proactive steps to reduce gun violence in the city, including gun safety education initiatives, violence prevention programs and partnering with the Phoenix Center, Fayetteville’s rape crisis center, to reduce domestic violence homicides.

(Photo: Police Chief Kemberle Braden addressed concerns about the homicide rate in Fayetteville throughout January. Photo courtesy of Fayettevillenc.gov) 

FTCC accepting participants, mentors into Y.E.S. Program

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Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Written by Richard McDonald

The Y.E.S., You + Effort = Success, program at FTCC supports male and female students by helping them achieve their educational, personal and professional objectives. The program achieves these objectives by treating each student as a unique individual. Students meet with mentors who help them design an innovative blend of academic enhancement, character development, and leadership training tailored to each student's needs. Every student in the program enjoys numerous benefits including career coaching, academic workshops, team-building events, scholarships, field trips, access to the program’s lounge on campus and much more.
Students in the Y.E.S. program enjoy unique opportunities to escape the classroom and take trips that are both fun and educational. For example, Y.E.S. program students recently partnered with other students from FTCC and from Fayetteville State University to attend the Student Leadership Conference in Selma, Alabama. The five-day trip also included visits to the Jubilee Festival as well as the Intergenerational Hip Hop Summit.
“I had very high expectations, and it didn’t disappoint,” FTCC student Joshua Farley said. “We went to different museums, and we saw just how big of an impact civil rights leaders made back then, especially our ancestors and what they went through.”
The Selma Trip is just one example of activities available to Y.E.S. program students. Read more about this trip at www.faytechcc.edu/blog/ftcc-students-connect-real-world-with-classroom-lessons-on-selma-trip/.]
Jesse Watts, an FTCC student, shared his thoughts about the program: “The Y.E.S. initiative has been a key component in my success at Fayetteville Technical Community College. It has allowed me to fellowship and connect with other male minorities who are looking to better themselves both academically and professionally. It has afforded me the opportunity to be able to exchange ideas or words of encouragement which help groom and mentor other minority males for success. Being a mentor for Y.E.S. initiative has been rewarding. Since becoming a member, I have been able to ensure other young minority men go on to continue their journeys academically at four-year universities or professionally by entering into the workforce. The Y.E.S. initiative is a program well suited for all young minority males. The culture of encouragement and challenge results in growth and overall success.”
The Y.E.S. program is open to all male and female students at FTCC. Participation in the program and all program activities are available free of charge. Are you ready to learn more about the Y.E.S. program?
Contact them today by calling 910-486-3940, emailing Richard McDonald, Program Coordinator, at mcdonalr@fayetechcc.edu, or by visiting the office at 2201 Hull Road, General Classroom Building Room 216. Office hours are held Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

(Photo: Students with the Y.E.S. program pose for a photo during a gathering. Photo courtesy of FTCC)

Yellow Crayons: Carving a path in design

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Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Written by Kathleen Ramsey

“I want the little people to win,” says Paco Gonzalez, owner of Yellow Crayons. “When I started, it was always about the small guy and the one who couldn’t afford the 25s.”
Gonzalez leans back in his chair for a minute. On his desktop two large monitors sit with a current graphic design project pulled up that he was working on just minutes ago. It’s late on a Friday afternoon but Gonzalez doesn’t seem like he’s going anywhere, anytime soon. His truck is parked out front in his parking spot with a sign his employees gave him just months ago that reads, “Parking for the Boss Man.”
He has big plans for his business Yellow Crayons but nothing concrete.
“I have thought about expansion,” he says smiling. “It’s up in the air. The way this venue has taken me, it's carved its own path in a way.”
Gonzalez says as long as he comes into work and he is happy, he will continue to do it. He began Yellow Crayons in 2017 as a graphics design company. As he mentioned, the company carved its own path. Many of his clients would request small orders for shirts or hats and he would refer out to other businesses as he never set out originally to make those kinds of items. However, there weren't a lot of businesses that could accommodate small orders for smaller businesses. Gonzalez found himself at a fork in the road and with a serious desire to provide good service to small businesses.
“So I said, ‘You know what, I’ll do it myself.’”
He soon found himself needing more space than the rooms he rented in the Metropolitan building. He loved the feel of downtown, the festivals and the foot traffic of Hay Street. So Gonzalez set his eyes on Hay Street specifically and officially opened his first store front for Yellow Crayons in downtown Fayetteville.
“It started going well with the printing,” he says. “ … we started embroidery. That did pretty well. Next thing you know, we are bursting at the seams.”
At the beginning of his business, Gonzalez said it was more like a Build-a-Bear Concept to promotional items. Since then, however, it has really grown but something, he says, hasn't changed.
“I still love focusing on small businesses and up -and-coming businesses and making them successful.”
Gonzalez has a place in his heart for the “little guy” as he identifies with the challenges of trying to make it. Before he began this business, he found himself in several corporate jobs and doing side hustles for graphic design work. When he found out he was having a child, he had to put some things on hold like his graphic design degree at Fayetteville Technical Community College. He would later pick this back up.
As he often says, for Gonzalez, he’s got to keep growing and he’ll do anything if “the juice is worth the squeeze.” Eventually, he said he knew he had to make some changes and leave his corporate job that had nothing to do with his love for graphic design.
“I thought if I am going to ask everyone to believe in me, I need to put my all into it,” he says leaning back in his chair again. “I’m going to put my all into this. If I fail, I fail … I needed to see if I could make a run for it.”
Gonzalez has been running ever since. Now his business has seven employees and makes more in a day than he ever used to in a week when he started. And it evolves all the time.
“Every year we grow … trying to be the best we can be,” he says. “I try to listen to my customers. If the juice is worth the squeeze, then I pull the trigger.”
Gonzalez, who grew up with only brothers and a single working mom, is now surrounded by females, he says laughing. He has a daughter and a partner at home and at work his “right hand man” is even a woman. That woman happens to be his project manager, Diane Regensburger. Regensburger loves her boss.
“He’s probably the best boss I’ve ever had,” she says, glancing between her purchase orders on her computer and around the store. “He’s fair but he’s firm. He puts out what he expects of you but he gives grace when it’s due.”
One thing Regensburger says Gonzalez really does have is vision and somehow, she says, they come through every time even when she has thought they couldn’t.
“End of the day,” Gonzalez says walking around the store, “it’s all about getting the job done.”
For Gonzalez and his business, that will always be about carving his own path.
Yellow Crayons is open Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 10:30 to 2 p.m.

(Photo: Paco Gonzalez, owner of Yellow Crayons, believes in providing good service to small businesses. Photo courtesy of Paco Gonazalez)

Healthy Conversations Program encourages barbers, stylists, promotes health in Cumberland County

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Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Written by Jamie Bishop

In an innovative effort to bridge health education and community engagement, the Cumberland County Department of Public Health launched the Healthy Conversations program, enlisting local barbers and stylists as advocates for promoting preventive health behaviors. With $134,601 in funding approved by the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners for the 2023-24 fiscal year, this initiative has already had significant impact in its pilot year.
"Barbers and stylists are trusted community leaders who can have brief, meaningful conversations with their clients about critical health topics," said Tamra Morris, MPH, Deputy Health Director of the Cumberland County Health Department.
A Trusted Chair for Health Advocacy
Barbershops and salons have long served as hubs of community interaction, particularly in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by poor health outcomes. Recognizing this, Healthy Conversations trains barbers and stylists to discuss heart health, cancer prevention, and the importance of routine screenings. Participating barbershops include:
• McNeill's Barbershop and Beauty Salon
• Cumberland Awesome Barbershop
• Tru Blendz Barbershop
• Red Carpet Barbershop and Salon
• MM Grooming
• Kut-N-Kalypso, Inc.
Morris emphasized the unique role of barbers, noting, "Barbers in the Healthy Conversations program have become lay leaders and expanded community health advocacy in Cumberland. They can share information on risk factors, symptoms, and how to connect with healthcare providers in a relatable and trusted way."
Breaking Barriers Through Familiar Spaces
The program addresses common barriers to healthcare, including stigma and lack of awareness. By leveraging the casual and comfortable setting of a barbershop chair, conversations about health feel less intimidating.
"There are no expectations set in these discussions," Morris explained. "Clients can simply listen to what the barber shares. The barbers use easy-to-understand, accurate, and actionable information, often aided by educational materials and visual models."
Such approachable methods have led to tangible results, including clients scheduling preventive care appointments and discussing health with their families.”
Measurable Impact
The program's pilot year saw impressive results:
• Ten trained barbers facilitated over 2,000 health-related conversations.
• Prostate Cancer Awareness Month featured a panel discussion that highlighted the program's unique approach. This innovative method of using barbershops as platforms for health education is a refreshing take on community health initiatives. Campaigns such as Go Red for Heart Health and a Colorectal Awareness Month initiative encouraged clients to embrace wellness.
"Healthy Conversations was very successful in its first year," said Morris. "As we move into year two, we are expanding to train 20 barbers and anticipate an even greater impact on the health of the Cumberland community."
The Road Ahead
Building on its early successes, the program aims to broaden its reach and deepen its impact. Morris expressed gratitude for Commissioner Glenn Adams, whose advocacy has been instrumental in the program's success.
"This initiative allows for real connections and reliable linkage to care for clients in our local barber chairs," she said.
As the program gears up for 2025, the community looks forward to more barber-led advocacy efforts that promote preventive care and foster healthier lives in Cumberland County.
For more information about the Healthy Conversations program, contact Carlotta Winston, Public Health Educator II, at cwinston@cumberlandcountync.gov or 910-321-6440.
About Cumberland County Department of Public Health
Dedicated to enhancing the quality of life, the Cumberland County Department of Public Health offers comprehensive services to address the community's needs. Visit cumberlandcountync.gov/publichealth or call 910-433-3600 for details.