Local News

Cumberland County strategic planning update

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Tuesday, 11 February 2025

Written by Jami McLaughlin

Publisher's Note: U&CW has had a close relationship with the Greater Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce for over three decades. Like our newspaper, advocacy is the cornerstone of their organization.
Government Watch is a new bi-weekly report on what's happening in local government that affects our residents. Unbiased and straightforward, seasoned reporter Jami McLaughlin is covering governmental affairs for the Fayetteville Chamber. Every week, she will attend and report on Fayetteville and Cumberland County meetings and monitor updates on the local level, state, and federal legislation to protect our community's interests.
A strong local government and active engagement of the Chamber of Commerce ensures us a strong voice in shaping policies, driving economic success, and building a thriving community. To learn more, visit www.faybiz.com.
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— Bill Bowman
On Thursday, Jan. 30, and Friday, Jan. 31, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, county department heads, and various community members gathered to discuss the strategic plan for 2025. The retreat was led by Rebecca Jackson of True North Performance Group and Chris Rey with RC Strategy Group.
Both Jackson and Rey have ties to Cumberland County. Jackson was the former Chief of Staff and Chief Performance Officer for the City of Fayetteville, and Rey was the former mayor of Spring Lake.
Workshops were held during the retreat to identify unfinished strategic initiatives and emerging community needs.
The seven strategic priority areas identified over the two days focused on fostering Economic Prosperity, encouraging Quality, Smart Development, championing Responsive, Transparent Government, supporting a High-Performing Education System, providing increased Culture & Recreation opportunities, enhancing Health and Wellness and ensuring a Safe Community for all residents.
Federal lobbyist Ron Hamm of The Hamm Consulting Group also updated at the retreat on key issues in Congress that could affect Cumberland County. Those issues included water infrastructure, social services, public health, childcare assistance, and economic development. An entire federal advocacy strategic plan can be developed after the county's priorities and objectives are identified through the overall Strategic Plan.
In addition to the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, State Sen. Val Applewhite, State Rep. Diane Wheatley, Hope Mills Mayor Jessie Bellflowers, and Cumberland County Register of Deeds Andra Brewington attended the retreat.
The seven SPAs created at the retreat were broken down into goals, objectives, and key strategic actions and initiatives, which will be developed into the overall strategic plan. The draft of the Strategic Plan will be presented to the board for approval at an upcoming commission meeting and will be used as a tool to drive decision-making and initiatives, according to county officials.
Joint City of Fayetteville — Cumberland County Liaison Committee
On Jan. 27, the Board of Commissioners also met with the Fayetteville City Council in a Joint City of Fayetteville - Cumberland County Liaison Committee meeting. Their theme for 2025 will be "Enhancing Quality of Life for a Healthy City, County, and Community." The committee spoke about health and wellness at the meeting and will discuss public safety and economic development at future meetings.
The city and county meet jointly to discuss ways they can further collaborate and communicate effectively. The next meeting will be held on Feb. 17 in the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.
City of Fayetteville Update
The Fayetteville City Council met on Monday, Feb. 3, for a work session and discussed a new standards guide for Fayetteville's historic districts and local landmarks. The proposed Historic District Design Standards guide would replace the design guidelines manual adopted in 2000, updating various text amendments to further comply with state law. It would also create a less restrictive district for property owners downtown.
The new standards guide encompasses the Downtown Local Historic District, the original commercial center of Fayetteville, and the Haymount Local Historic District, one of Fayetteville's oldest neighborhoods. Fayetteville has over 30 locally designated historic landmark properties.
The council also provided consensus to approve solutions from the Beaver Creek 2 Watershed Master Plan for the staff to identify and pursue grant opportunities.

(Photo: Cumberland County Commissioner Henry Tyson speaks during the Cumberland County strategic planning retreat, Jan. 30. Photo courtesy of Cumberland County Public Information Office)

PFAS filters to be installed at Gray’s Creek, Alderman Road elementary schools

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Tuesday, 04 February 2025

Written by Paul Woolverton, CityView Today

Cumberland County plans to install PFAS “forever chemical” filters at Gray’s Creek Elementary and Alderman Road Elementary, and possibly dig new drinking water supply wells for the schools.
Students and staff have been told for years they must not drink the water in their schools because the water was contaminated with GenX, a PFAS chemical from the Chemours Co. factory south of Gray’s Creek. They use bottled water instead.
Gray’s Creek resident Ron Ross, who has long lobbied the government on the contaminated water issue, was glad to hear the news. His grandson used to attend Alderman Road Elementary.
“If they do it, the kids will be able to drink the water out of the fountains,” Ross said. “They’ll be able to safely use the water in the kitchen. … It’s something until we run water lines out to the schools.”
The PFAS contamination of southeastern North Carolina, which was first reported in summer 2017, also affected homes and businesses in Gray’s Creek. There are long-term plans to extend public water to Gray’s Creek from the Fayetteville Public Works Commission. Those efforts are continuing, County Manager Clarence Grier said, and an update is expected in two to three months.
Researchers have linked PFAS chemicals to adverse health effects, including increased risk of cancer. They are known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment. The county has a lawsuit pending against Chemours.
While residents wait for a public water system to replace their contaminated wells, the county Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Monday to place the PFAS filters at Gray’s Creek Elementary and Alderman Road Elementary.
The commissioners decided on Monday to install 12 filter systems at each school as a stopgap effort to clear up the water. This is estimated to cost from $90,000 to $115,000 and take two to four months to install. Grier said the installation would be done in the summer.
Operating costs for the filter systems are estimated to total $20,745 to $48,000 per year, according to a county memo.
The commissioners also voted to have the county staff evaluate a different type of filter system, that is estimated to cost $150,000 to $245,000 to install, plus annual operating costs of $18,000 to $35,175. The estimated installation time is seven to 11 months.
And the commissioners told the staff to study whether deep water wells could be dug to reach uncontaminated water. This is estimated at $200,000 to $245,000, and seven to 11 months.
“Our children there, and our children in all the parts of the county, deserve to have clean drinking water at their schools,” Commissioner Henry Tyson said. “Right now, these schools, they’re drinking out of bottled water. So it’s important that we as a board are pushing forward with this item.”

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)