A mixed crowd of veterans, active-duty soldiers and other residents gathered at Freedom Memorial Park on Monday to remember those who served the country and paid the ultimate sacrifice.

In May 2020, Fayetteville native George Floyd was killed when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on the Black man’s neck for 9 minutes and 30 seconds. That racial reckoning led not only to the murder conviction of Derek Chauvin, the officer who killed Floyd, but also led to bans on police chokeholds in some states; the removal of Confederate monuments, including in Fayetteville; and eventually the decision to rename military installations honoring the Confederacy.

Homicide detectives are investigating the shooting death of a woman in the 100 block of Westwick Lane, according to the Fayetteville Police Department. 

As Fort Bragg becomes Fort Liberty, it is important to remember the history of the military installation.

Community leaders tasked with recommending a new name for Fort Bragg had no shortage of options as they combed through the installation’s 100 years of history. The question that plagued local leaders throughout the renaming process, which so many struggled with amid an avalanche of suggestions, was: “How could you choose just one?”

Dick Blount was one of the good guys to pass our way. He was as down-to-earth as anyone could be. He saw much of life through the camera’s lens, and there are countless photographs in The Fayetteville Observer photo archives that offer testimony to his work of 25 years at the newspaper office on Whitfield Street, and Hay Street before.

Three people were killed in a traffic collision at Murchison and Shaw Mill roads Saturday afternoon, according to the Fayetteville Police Department.

A 19-year-old woman was shot to death late Friday on Fort Bragg Road, according to the Fayetteville Police Department. The victim was identified as Ayanna Thompson, according to a news release.

Heavy rainfall across North Carolina this weekend could make travel treacherous, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. Drivers are urged to pay extra attention and slow down on what could be slick roads, DOT said in a news release.

Retired Maj. Gen. Willliam Kirkland is scheduled to deliver the Memorial Day ceremony address at 10 a.m. Monday at Freedom Memorial Park. This will be the 26th consecutive year that Don Talbot, a veteran who developed the park, will direct and produce the ceremony.