It’s only natural to think of love during February. Grocery stores fill with red- and pink-wrapped candies and heart-shaped cakes. TV and streaming services are flooded with ads of couples on romantic dates, promoting Valentine’s Day specials.
While it’s normal to associate love with romance, we want to remind you that love also shows up in other places: friendships, family, community, hobbies, and more. CityView’s February magazine highlights our community’s love for our veterans, for our pets, and for our health.
The Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity selected U.S. Army veteran Phyllis McCroskey for its 2025 Veterans Build. The annual event brings awareness to the housing challenges veterans face after service and gathers community volunteers to renovate veterans’ houses. The program highlights our town’s capacity for love, support, care, and acceptance.
Ten years ago, CityView wrote about a popular duo who regularly stroll Hay Street, meeting—and perching on—new friends. Robert Lints and his pet Macy the Macaw are still regularly seen dining downtown (yes, even Macy) and strolling through local festivals. We caught up with them to see how they’ve been this past decade. Spoiler alert: the love for his animal companion has stayed strong.
Just in time for American Heart Month, Omer Register, an avid kayaker who lives in Hoke County, recounts his experience receiving a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) at Cape Fear Valley Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. In a sponsored feature by Cape Fear Valley Health, doctors from the hospital system explain the procedure and more.
Plus, our partners at The Assembly analyzed data from the Department of Defense, showing that U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians die by suicide and illness at a higher rate than other soldiers. The Assembly spoke with a facilities manager and an EOD captain at Fort Bragg, which is home to the 192nd Ordnance Battalion.
Our columnists this month explore their connections to love and Black History Month: The first is from CityView’s new Editor-in-Chief Matt Hennie, a veteran reporter and editor who has made his way back to the South and to local reporting. The next writes about his many loves—his family, dogs, and Fayetteville. Another writes about what “’til death do us part” looks like in her marriage. Our bilingual columnist writes an open letter for Valentine’s Day, reminding you to love yourself, too. And the last recommends eight books to read and learn about Black history in honor of Black History Month.
Our To-Do List this month is jam-packed, of course, with Valentine’s Day events at Scented Wicks Candle Bar, Cape Fear Botanical Garden, The Sip Room, and Crown Complex, as well as arts and entertainment events by The Arts Center and the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, plus sports events at Methodist University.
However you choose to express and experience love this month, I hope this magazine shows you how abundant it is in our beloved community.
Thanks for reading!
Editor’s note: The “New Year, New Skills” story in the February “New Year, New You” magazine misidentified a partner with the Airframe and Powerplant Systems License Prep Course at Fayetteville Technical Community College. The article has been updated to reflect that Heroes MAKE America initiative and Cape Fear Aviation Maintenance are collaborating with FTCC.
Read CityView Magazine’s “The Love Issue” February 2026 e-edition here.