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Monday, 23 March 2020
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Written by Jeff Thompson
Two children and an adult died early March 19 in a house fire on Portsmouth Drive in West Fayetteville. Firefighters were dispatched to the home in the 6400 block of Portsmouth off Bunce Road just after 2 a.m., according to a fire department statement.
The first unit on the scene reported heavy fire visible from the one-story house. Dispatchers had indicated residents were trapped inside. When a fire crew searched the home, they found two young brothers, ages 5 and 9, and their 30-year-old mother had died. Three other family members — including cousins of the deceased — escaped the blaze, a family member said.
Fayetteville Fire Chief Mike Hill said scenes like this are difficult for firefighters. “We have our own ways to cope, but it’s something that never goes away,” Hill said.
Fire and police department investigators continue to probe the blaze. Bunce Road connects Raeford Road and Cliffdale Road in 71st Township. The event was the first fatal fire in Fayetteville since 2018.
COVID-19 brings changes
North Carolina has been facing limits on coronavirus tests since the outbreak began, but officials are saying the testing capacity is expanding. Dr. Mandy K. Cohen, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services explained earlier this month that work is being done to increase testing. More than 500 people in the state have been tested, she said. The numbers are incomplete and include only tests done by the state lab and LabCorp that have revealed positive results. Other private companies are testing, but they are required to notify the state only of positive results, not total tests performed.
Gov. Roy Cooper said testing is a priority for his administration, and he wants the state to get complete totals from private contractors.
Cohen said she hoped to announce community testing sites in the coming days, including drive-thru sites.
Fayetteville cancellations and closures
The 38th annual Fayetteville Dogwood Festival scheduled for the weekend of Apr 23–26 has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Cape Fear Regional Theatre has canceled remaining performances of “Murder for Two” plus the show scheduled for April.
The Fayetteville Arts Council Fayetteville/Cumberland County in downtown Fayetteville and the Airborne & Special Operations Museum have been closed to the public until further notice.
Interested residents are encouraged to check the Arts Council website at theartscouncil.com for the latest information about its events and scheduled programming.
At the ASOM, all scheduled events, including Vietnam Veterans Day, Ed Stever Day and the Easter egg Hunt, are canceled. Tickets for the Easter egg Hunt have been refunded. Both facilities will continue to keep the public informed through social media and their websites.
Fayetteville Tech expands online classes
Fayetteville Technical Community College has shifted classes to online instruction. FTCC athletics and other college events are suspended at this time. FTCC already has about 7,000 students enrolled in courses that are entirely online and has provided all-online instruction to other students over the past two years.
“We’re experts at this,” FTCC President Larry Keen said. “We’re still going to expect higher-education activities to take place.” The college has suspended all official travel outside of Cumberland County.
PWC rates change
The Fayetteville Public Works Commission has approved a 4.7% decrease in time-of-use electricity rates for residential customers beginning May 1, 2020. The board action reduced the off-peak electric rate per kilowatt-hour from 9.1 cents to 8.4 cents. Off-peak rates apply most of the time during an average week. The decrease applies to electric usage outside of the 6-10 a.m. peak hours during the winter, and 3-7 p.m. period during the summer.
A typical PWC residential customer, using 1000 kilowatt-hours per month, should see bills drop $5.20 after May 1. PWC’s electric time-of-use rates began in 2019 as an effort to reduce peak demand when the cost of electricity from PWC’s wholesale power provider, Duke Energy, is the highest. The rate reduction comes after a renegotiation of PWC’s contract with Duke Energy, which provided $33 million in savings beginning January 2021.
“PWC is not-for-profit and we are able to take the savings of the new contract and give it back to rate payers, instead of shareholders,” said Evelyn Shaw, PWC chairwoman.
FAST goes green with hoped-for new buses
Fayetteville Area System of Transit Director Randy Hume hopes to acquire four new electric buses using grant money specifically allocated for them. Hume describes it as a means of updating public transit service that will help move the city in a positive direction. He says he will submit an application to the Federal Transit Administration for the grant and should receive notification by the end of summer. Hume noted it is a competitive, process as most FTA grants are, but that based on the established criteria, he believes the city has a good chance of winning approval.
Mayor Mitch Colvin said the city could save nearly $160,000 annually in fuel costs and more than $81,000 annually on bus maintenance. “This is just one of many examples of what city staff and your council are doing to make our city ... move in a more environmentally-friendly direction,” Colvin said.
Proterra electric buses come with a price tag of nearly $600,000 each. Proterra has an east coast manufacturing facility in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Tuesday, 17 March 2020
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Written by Avery Powers
The health of members in our community is important. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, as a precaution, several events have been cancelled throughout the community. Please call to confirm events.
On March 27 and 28, the Fayetteville Public Works Commission will host its most beloved yearly event. The 6th Annual Power & Water Conservation Expo is a free event focused on connecting with the community and teaching the public how to take care of their homes and the environment.
“We’re much more than just a power company or water company — we’re customer focused,” said Courtney Lucas, communications/community relations associate at PWC. That’s why the expo includes tote bags for the firsts 500 attendees and educational hands-on activities.
PWC sets up displays with on-the-job tools, like transporters and tripods, for the public to interact with. The company will also hand out free LED lightbulbs, which are more energy efficient than standard lightbulbs.
The expo will have all types of giveaways, Lucas said, including shower timers, dye tabs, tree seedlings and hose washers, which prevent leaks. “You can’t always hear a water leak, but that’s the biggest source of water waste at home,” said Lucas. Not only is a water leak problematic for homeowners, but it harms the environment as well.
“We care about the environment because … our water comes from rivers. It’s really important that that water is as clean as possible, (so) we clean it way beyond BPA standards,” Lucas said.
To encourage healthy home habits along with environmental friendliness, PWC will give out Fat Trappers and educate attendees on how to take care of pipes and drains. According to Lucas, fat trappers are plastic containers with bags inside that collect fat and oil and keeps it out of the drain. “Grease very quickly turns into a solid, and solid and drains are bad.”
There will also be a Kids Korner with fun and educational activities, not to mention Kidsville News’ mascot Truman the dragon. “It’s important to start kids young (and) get them in the habit of doing things now,” said Lucas, referring to environmentally friendly practices like turning the water off when brushing your teeth.
Along with these child-friendly activities, PWC will present its new Community Solar project, which is the first municipal power program to open in North Carolina. Participants can subscribe to up to five panels out of 3,384, which provide shared renewable energy, without having to install solar panels in their own homes.
A customer service table will be available if customers have questions about bills, HR purchasing, getting a job at PWC or doing business with PWC, and more. Several community partners will also participate this year, including The Salvation Army, Fayetteville Urban Ministry, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers and more.
The entire community is encouraged to come out and connect with employees at PWC. “Come in, grab your free tote, meet people, make connections, learn more about what’s going on in your community, play with some toys,” Lucas said.
PWC’s 6th Annual Power & Water Conservation Expo takes place March 27 from 12-9 p.m. and March 28 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at SkyView on Hay, 121 Hay St. Admission is free, but PWC asks that customers bring a nonperishable food item for Second Harvest Food Bank. Visit https://www.faypwc.com/pwcexpo to learn more.
