Mayoral candidate Efrain “Freddie” de la Cruz is all worked up and peeved with Jeff Goldberg and Cumulus Radio, claiming that Goldberg, aka Goldy, is tilting the city mayoral race in favor of incumbent Mayor Mitch Colvin. “The primary election date is Oct. 10,” de la Cruz sends with an Aug. 7 copy of a letter to the radio station. “I am requesting ‘equal time’ on WFNC radio’s morning show or cancellation of the ‘Ask the Mayor’ show broadcast on Thursday mornings until after the election. A review of the podcast (Podcast Pepper), which WFNC’s Jeff Goldberg hosts, will clearly show that the incumbent mayor (Mitch Colvin), who is running for re-election, isn’t just talking about city business (news) but instead talking about his re-election campaign. Favoritism — and the host put his thumb on the scale and tilts it in favor of Colvin. Equal time is most common in local politics. Over-the-air broadcasting is the most critical force shaping public opinion and voter behavior. Candidates for the same office must be treated in an equal manner. Colvin is ‘using’ the station (WFNC), and other candidates should be entitled to the same opportunity to use the station equally. Four legally qualified candidates have filed for the office. I hope we can reach an amicable agreement that will be fair to all concerned.” Well, de la Cruz does have a point, and it is true that former city councilman and county commissioner Charles Evans and Quancidine Hinson-Gribble are mayoral candidates, too. Jeff Goldberg is a fair and reasonable radio host. It is his call and a call for the radio station. And the mayor, if what de la Cruz claims is true, should avoid any conversation about his re-election campaign when he is guest-talking about the city. I would just suspend the “Ask the Mayor” broadcast until after the Nov. 7 general election. That’s a reasonable resolve.
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No word thus far on whether the City Council will vote to provide legal counsel in a civil lawsuit for Officer Zacharius Borom and Sgt. Timothy Rugg, the Fayetteville police officers involved in the July 1, 2022, death of Jada Johnson at her grandparents’ Briarwood Hills home when the 22-year-old woman refused to put down a firearm after a prolonged negotiation that put the lives of all in peril. “We have not heard anything about them taking another vote,” says Melissa Reid, executive director of the Fayetteville Police Foundation. “So, we are with the understanding they are still not providing legal representation for the officers.” The woman, according to an autopsy, was shot 17 times. The police officers were absolved of any criminal wrongdoing by the state Department of Justice, a decision supported by N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein. The young woman’s grandfather, Rick Iwanski, repeatedly has called on the city not to provide legal counsel for the lawmen in the civil suit.
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Thirty-three homicides in the city to date, according to the Fayetteville Police Department, and one more than this time in 2022. There were 44 homicides in 2022.
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“We believe in the power of prayer to uplift and inspire,” the Rev. Sharon Thompson-Journigan says in a news release about the United for Education Prayer Event scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday at J.P. Riddle Stadium, 2823 Legion Road, as educators, students and parents prepare for the 2023-24 school year. “As we pray together, we’re aiming to create a shield of safety around our students, staff and families. We’re looking ahead to a peaceful and successful school year, with strong support from our community.” The event will be led by local pastors and faith leaders.
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Melody Chalmers-McClain, an associate superintendent in charge of student support services, is the recipient of the 2023 Dr. Joseph Locklear-Ricky Lopes Central Services Employee of the Year award, according to Cumberland County Schools. The award, according to the school system, was established in 2015 to honor the legacy of Locklear and Lopes, school administrators who gave unselfishly to the Cumberland County Schools for many years.
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When Cumberland County Schools selected Steven Barbour as Teacher of the Year for 2024, the school system got it right. The 52-year-old AP world history teacher at Terry Sanford High School is the kind of teacher every student should hope to have in the classroom.
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Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin; Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Toni Stewart; Chief Operations Officer Daniel Weatherly of Cape Fear Valley Health; Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Marvin Connelly; Melissa McKinney, president of Longleaf Pine Realtors; and N.C. Department of Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson are scheduled as guest speakers at the Greater Fayetteville Chamber State of the Community luncheon set for 11:30 a.m. Aug. 31 at the Crown Expo Center.
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Speaking of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber, businessmen Ralph Huff and William Hedgepeth II have joined the chamber’s board of directors, and that’s good news for the chamber, particularly with the no-nonsense business acumen of Huff.
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Prisoners of War and Missing in Action military men and women will be remembered at noon Sept. 9 at the Crown Complex in a solemn ceremony presented by the Purple Heart Foundation of N.C. and Military Order of the Purple Heart Department of North Carolina. “We hope for an outstanding audience to honor the POWs and the MIA families in attendance,” says Linda McAlister with the POW-MIA committee. Tickets are $25 each. Visit eventbrite.com/e/powmia to purchase tickets.
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An archaeological design group with offices in Detroit, Charleston, S.C., and Toledo, Ohio, is identifying historic homes in the Seabrook and Broadell neighborhoods to trace the background of how they came to be and who owned and resides in the dwellings, according to Cynthia Leeks, president of the Seabrook-Broadell Neighborhood Community Watch. Documenting history always is a good thing for a community.
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Brothers Aiden and Jackson Stillman represented Cumberland County in the 85th running of the All-American Soap Box Derby held July 16-22 in Akron, Ohio. The Gold Star siblings of the late Jack Stillman, an Army sergeant who lost his life while serving his country, qualified for the national competition here on May 29 in the Super Stock and Stock divisions, respectively, along with 330 other competitors “from as far away as Japan,” says Warren Hahn, a local event organizer with the sponsoring Kiwanis of Cape Fear Foundation. While the brothers didn’t bring home top honors, just making it to Akron is an achievement in itself, and one the brothers will remember for the rest of their lives.
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“Thank you for your vote of confidence about my filling Bruce Dantzler’s shoes at CCF,” Gail Appenzeller Riddle writes in an email about our July 21 column that she will succeed Dantzler as chair of the Cumberland Community Foundation. The foundation was in good hands with Dantzler, and the foundation will continue to be in good hands with Riddle as chairwoman.
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“Greetings, Mr. Kirby,” Cynthia Leeks writes in an email about her work as president of the Seabrook-Broadell Neighborhood Community Watch in our Aug. 2 column. “Just wanted to thank you so, so much for the kind words and wonderful article you printed. I’m not one for the spotlight, but I do love my community and I love what we have accomplished as a team. We have so many wonderful residents in our community, and I have great expectations for continuing to make progress engaging folks.” I have no doubts, Mrs. Leeks, about what the Seabrook-Broadell Neighborhood Community Watch means to you.
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“Hi, Bill. That was a beautiful tribute to David Lloyd Jr.,” Mary Zahran writes in an email about our Aug. 6 column about the late David Lloyd Jr. and his valiant battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. “You always do a wonderful job of capturing the essence of someone and conveying it to your readers. He sounds like a remarkable and courageous man who was taken too soon.” David Richard Lloyd Jr. died at age 52 on July 25 at his Cary home. I knew him from the day he was born, and he was a remarkable human being.
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Cool Spring Downtown District is the recipient of two 2023-24 Project Support Grants from the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County totaling $20,000 in support of the Fourth Friday District Vibe performances and cultural programming for Coldwell Banker Can Do Trolleys. “Cool Spring Downtown District is pleased to receive funding from the Arts Council in support of our cultural programming for downtown Fayetteville,” Bianca Shoneman, president and chief executive officer of Cool Spring Downtown District, says in a news release. “With this support, we will be able to offer regular monthly events on our beloved trolleys, as well as expand the engagement of regional performers for the District Vibe at Fourth Fridays, a limited series within the regular Fourth Friday event that brings artists, vendors, food trucks and performers to the streets of the downtown district.” The 2004 Molly Trolleys were given in 2021 by Ralph and Linda Huff of Coldwell Banker Advantage Real Estate, according to the release, and they transport downtown visitors to events such as the Holly Jolly Trolley of downtown Christmas lights and decorations, etc. The District Vibe @ 4th Fridays was introduced in the summer of 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Last year’s series, according to the release, included local talent DJ TommyGeeMixx, DJ Big Bruce, DJ HeavenKnows, Moises Inostroza, Jimmy Roman Band, Camila, Fayetteville Latin Dance, Takiri dance group, Lotus Sun and the Living Dead, and Nirvani.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
