Cumberland County is joining communities nationwide today in commemorating September 11, 2001, when 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four U.S. commercial airliners and flew two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon and another apparently targeting the U.S. Capitol or the White House before crashing into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
“I was in a network operations center here in Fayetteville that morning,” Kirk deViere, a former Army officer and current chair of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, said Wednesday. “I saw it in the network traffic before I saw it on a screen. Everything erupted at once, and you knew. Within days, men I served with in the military were deploying. On Friday, we remember the lives lost that morning, and every life lost since.”
Observances are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. today at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum and the John W. Hodges Public Safety Center Monument Garden in Hope Mills, and 6:30 p.m. at Segra Stadium. And the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse will be illuminated in red and blue from today through Sunday in memory of the nearly 3,000 people, including 343 New York City firefighters, who lost their lives on that infamous day 25 years ago.
Contaminate a community’s drinking water, and you will be held accountable and you will pay, Chemours learned Thursday as Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced a $455 million settlement Thursday with the company for dumping toxic forever chemicals—PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances— into the Cape Fear River. Cumberland County will receive $161.5 million.
“A historic settlement that ends years of litigation,” County Commissioner Kirk deViere said at a news conference held in Gray’s Creek. “But today, for us, today is not about a lawsuit or a dollar amount. It’s about the people for far too long families in our community have lived with contamination they didn’t create… Let me be clear, I’m not standing here today to say the problem is solved. I’m standing here today to say that Cumberland County fought for the people, fought for accountability and fought for solutions… I want to thank the residents who refused to let this issue fade away, people like Mike Waters and Vicki Mullins, and so many neighbors in Gray’s Creek, Cedar Creek and surrounding communities. They showed up asking hard questions and demanded that we continue to push forward and fight. This settlement can make a difference for generations.”
Call it a historic day for the long-suffering residents in east Cumberland County.
Roger Strasser, founding dean emeritus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Canada, will deliver the keynote address today at the 64-member Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Heath School of Medicine White Coat Ceremony, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Huff Concert Hall on the north Fayetteville campus.
“The White Coat Ceremony is an important milestone in a medical student’s journey, representing the trust, responsibility and commitment that comes with becoming a physician,” Hershey Bell, the School of Medicine’s founding dean, said in a news release. “We are also looking forward to welcoming Dr. Strasser and Dr. Sarah Strasser, and having them spend time with our students, faculty and community in the days leading up to the White Coat Ceremony. Their experience building a medical school from the ground up offers a unique perspective for our students, and we are honored to have him share in this important moment as the students begin their journey toward becoming physicians.”
A reception will follow the ceremony in the Union-Zukowski Lobby & Gallery.
Good news is welcome news, and the good news is that the Fayetteville Public Works Commission has lifted its Stage 1 alert imposed on July 6 in response to a city water shortage because of dry conditions. Recent rainfall has improved, and the utility said its customers can resume normal water usage.
The historic Belmont House has a date with the wrecking ball. “The contractor who focuses on historic properties is coming to reclaim the pieces that are in good shape” this week, said Mary Kate Burke, artistic director for the Cape Fear Regional Theatre, which owns the property. “Then the rest of the project to build a parking lot will start later this month.” The additional parking will be a part of the $25 million remodeling of the theatre on Haymount Hill.
Disheartening to hear that Fort Bragg leaders are closing Stryker Golf Course, the 18-hole Donald Ross designed course, because of some $750,000 to operate the layout that first opened in 1946. I spent many days in the 1960s there with my late father, and they made the best hamburgers in the grill. The course, according to CBS 17, is scheduled to close on September 30.
Those who believe artificial intelligence is the way of the future may wish to consider that artificial intelligence never will replace the emotions of the heart. Just saying.
Winter will be here before we know it, and heating oil is running about $4.72 a gallon, which amounts to $472 for my 100-gallon oil drum. Regular gasoline is $3.94 a gallon Fayetteville, according to AAA. Just looking ahead, and things aren’t looking too promising.
Manna Church is bringing back Worship & Baptism in the Park, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday at Festival Park. “Last year, 193 people were baptized at Festival Park, an event that was also featured by CBN News,” Katelyn Fletcher, who handles marketing and communications with the nondenominational church, said.
Folks at the Arts Council of Fayetteville | Cumberland County are offering a reminder that the 48th International Folk Festival is just around the corner, and they are in need of volunteers to assist with the September 25-26 downtown cultural tradition. Help is needed for supporting performers, directing festivalgoers, and behind-the-scenes assistance. Call 910-323-1776.
Myrover-Reese Recovery Homes is planning its 65th anniversary celebration, which is from 11 a.m.–2 p.m on September 19 with food trucks, live music, games for all ages, and tours of the campus at 560 Wilkes Road. The facility assists those in search of recovery from alcohol and substance abuse. All are invited to attend.
We may not always know their names, but they are the lineworkers up on those transformers and power lines and poles when severe weather, power outages, and emergency situations come our way. “These accomplishments reflect the skill, dedication and commitment to safety that our line workers demonstrate every day,” Timothy Bryant, chief executive officer and general manager for the Fayetteville Public Works Commission, said in a news release about Blaine Nunnery, Clayton Davis, Cody Jonaitis and Dustin Britt. They demonstrated their respective skills at the 2026 North Carolina Association of Municipal Electric Systems Lineman Rodeo, held May 19–21 in Dallas, North Carolina. Nunnery took second place in the overall competition, Davis was third in the Lightning Arrestor Change-Out, Jonaitis was third in Hurtman Rescue, and Britt was third in Load Transfer. “Whether responding to severe weather, restoring power during an outage or performing routine system maintenance, our customers can count on these professionals to serve our community safely and reliably,” Bryant said. A lineworker’s job is a dangerous one.
Coming Sunday: A Fayetteville resident has a date with her athletic past.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
