Good morning. In January, the UNC Street Drug Analysis Lab received a drug sample from Cumberland County. It tested positive for xylazine.
Xylazine, an FDA-approved veterinary sedative, is increasingly popping up in illicit drugs across the country and has been linked to fatalities in humans. Among the 26 North Carolina counties where the lab detected xylazine, Cumberland County had one of the highest rates of drug samples that tested positive for the substance.
Now, Fayetteville State University researchers are partnering with the Cumberland-Fayetteville Opioid Response Team (C-FORT) to investigate xylazine, hoping to better understand its prevalence in the county’s drug supply and its impacts on people who use drugs and the physicians treating them. Read more in our lead story today.
Welcome to CityView Today. Also in today’s newsletter: People convicted of crimes in Cumberland County can seek to get their records cleared this year, and for free, through an expungement clinic being offered by the Project Fresh Start nonprofit organization. An info session is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University. HomeFront columnist Jaylin Kremer also shares a Black History Month movie recommendation, highlighting the 6888th Central Post Directory Battalion, an all-female, all-Black Army unit formed in 1944.
Thanks for reading,
Maydha Devarajan
Interim Editor-in-Chief
FSU and county opioid response team conducting one of largest xylazine studies in the nation
The study, “Understanding the Role of Xylazine in the Opioid Crisis,” will recruit 900 people who use drugs and 300 physicians to investigate the prevalence of xylazine in the county’s drug supply and its impacts.
More from CityView
Got a criminal record in Cumberland County? Expungement clinic could help you clear that
Project Fresh Start meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday at Seabrook Auditorium at Fayetteville State University
More than a military movie
HomeFront columnist Jaylin Kremer recommends you watch The Six Triple Eight, about the exceptional women of the 6888th Central Post Directory Battalion, an all-female, all-Black Army unit formed in 1944.
Events
FAYETTEVILLE MARKSMEN VS BIRMINGHAM BULLS
- Where: Crown Coliseum, 1960 Coliseum Drive, Fayetteville
- When: 10 a.m. today
- What: Watch as the Fayetteville Marksmen face off against the Birmingham Bulls!
CHRONICLES OF YARNIA
- Where: Main Library, 455 McKinney Parkway, Lillington
- When: 5-7 p.m. today
- What: Join our informal hangout for crocheters, knitters, and more!
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PRESENTATION
- Where: Robeson Community College, 5160 Fayetteville Road, Lumberton
- When: 10-11 a.m. today
- What: Dr. Angela Bracey, an actress from Tyler Perry’s hit film The Six Triple Eight, is scheduled to speak during RCC’s Black History Month Presentation: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future.
Obituaries
James Seth Ray
James Seth Ray passed away on Thursday, Feb. 20.
Bobby Gene Knight
Bobby Gene Knight, 78, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Charles Leon Byrd
Charles Leon Byrd, 75, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
Until tomorrow!
🤝 Are you or someone you know part of a local nonprofit that concentrates on health and human services, religion and faith, public safety and emergency preparedness, education and youth development, or arts, culture, and community development? You might be eligible to apply for a $50,000 Community Impact Grant being offered by the county. County staff are holding a virtual information session this Wednesday. The application, which closes on March 21, is available online here.
~ Maydha
