Town resident John Martinson had plenty of praise at the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners meeting Monday for Mayor Pro Tem Hope Page and commissioners Lisa Tremmel and Cynthia Hamilton.
“I voted for the three ladies sitting in front of me tonight and I don’t regret that vote one bit,” he said of the first-term commissioners. “They’ve done good things, good work, respectable work. Things like not renewing the town manager’s contract. I consider that a good thing. And then tonight, they put two-year terms on the agenda for discussion. I think that’s a good thing.” And if Mayor Jessie Bellflowers, commissioners or others disagree, “ … you look ‘em in the eye and you tell ‘em ‘Suck it up buttercup,’ we’re going with two-year terms.”
Commissioners Bryan Marley and then-commissioners Kenjuana McCray and Joanne Scarola voted for 4-year staggered terms in July 2025. Page, Tremmel, and Hamilton proved themselves popular commissioners Monday with Hope Mills residents, voting to change the mayor and commissioners from four-year staggered terms to two, with applause from the audience. Commissioners Marley and Grilley Mitchell voted in opposition. The mayor said after the vote it could be 2029 before the town will see two-year terms for the full board. “We will start the process, but it will not be effective until after 2029,” Bellflowers said, “And I got that directly from our town attorney Dan Hartzog.”
Nat Robertson has offered a reminder about the “Greater Fayetteville Chamber Candidates Forum,” which is scheduled from 5:30–9 p.m. Tuesday at the Tony Rand Student Center, 2201 Hull Road, on the Fayetteville Technical Community College campus. “Our role is to make sure the voice of the business community is heard on the issues that affect our economy, our workforce, and the future of Fayetteville and Cumberland County,” Robertson, president and chief executive officer for the chamber, said in a news release. “The candidates forum is an important part of that effort. It gives our members an opportunity to hear directly from candidates, learn more about their positions on issues important to the business community and become more informed and engaged citizens.”
Candidates for the state Senate and House, Cumberland County Commissioners, and Cumberland County Board of Education have been invited to talk about their respective platforms heading toward the November 3 election.
The deadline to register to vote is today, with in-person early voting starting October 15. Check CityView’s 2026 Voter Guide for more details on voting, candidates, and ballot measures.
Speaking of politics, the 55th annual Gray’s Creek Woman’s Club “Country Buffet and Bazaar” is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Gray’s Creek Community Building, 3024 School Road, in Hope Mills. You name it, and the ladies with help from some of the gents, are cooking it. Plates are $15. And the politicians and candidates will be there, too.
It’s been a long time coming, but work on that perilous three-way intersection leading from Northview Drive in the VanStory Hills neighborhood onto Morganton Road and across from Morganton on Dundee Drive is here. “Closure of Dundee at Morganton now is set for October 12,” said Andrew Barksdale, a spokesperson with the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT). “Traffic signal construction to be done later this fall. No completion date yet for when the new signal will go into operation.”
Dundee Drive will be closed and become a cul-de-sac, according to a news release. The work will take about two weeks. It will include metal poles with mast arms to support the new signals, as well as marked crosswalks and pedestrian signals. The work will add a left turn signal for westbound drivers on Morganton Road turning onto Northview Drive. Most of the time, according to the release, the left-turn arrow will flash yellow, meaning drivers must yield and turn only when there is a safe gap in oncoming traffic. At other times, the arrow will turn green, giving left-turning drivers the right of way. An estimated 25,000 motorists. according to the release, daily travel that section of Morganton Road.
Speaking of our roadways, the NCDOT is studying plans to reconstruct a 7-mile section of Ramsey Street from the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway to Bethune Drive north of Interstate 295 into six lanes with a raised median, according to a news release. The roadway currently has three lanes traveling south and two running north. The plan is to ease congestion, plan for future growth in traffic volumes, and to improve safety and bicycle and pedestrian access. You can learn more about the plan at two workshops scheduled for 5–7 p.m. on Wednesday at First Baptist Church, 302 Moore St., and on Thursday at Cedar Falls Baptist Church, 6181 Ramsey Street. If you can’t be at the workshops, you can give your thoughts by emailing RamseyStreet@publicinput.com or calling 984-205-6615 (enter project code 2502). Visit more details online.
Cumberland County Commissioner Pavan Patel will deliver the keynote speech at the 26th Annual Cumberland County Emergency Services Memorial on Saturday. The event will be held at 11 a.m. at Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Regional Fire & Rescue Training Center, 775 Tom Starling Road. The memorial honors Emergency Medical Services responders, firefighters, and others who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the community.
Former Cumberland County Schools Superintendent Bill Harrison is said to be among retired educators pushing for the school system’s Operations Building to be named for Tim Kinlaw, the late associate superintendent for auxiliary services. “Tim was the consummate professional,” Harrison, superintendent from 1997-2009, said in 2023 about Kinlaw, who twice served as interim superintendent in his 25-year career. “He was smart, had an incredible work ethic and developed positive relationships with all with whom he worked. His integrity was unquestioned.” The school board is scheduled to vote during its meeting on Monday. Kinlaw, who retired in 2019, died at age 71 on September 18, 2023.
A 32-year-old man is dead after Fayetteville police were dispatched at approximately 11:22 p.m. on Saturday to the 1900 block of Bain Drive near Murchison Road, according to a news release. And a 20-year-old man is dead after Fayetteville police responded around 6:46 p.m. on October 1 to a shooting in the 8200 block of Cliffdale Road, according to police. An 18-year-old male was arrested on October 2 and charged with first degree murder. There have been, according to Fayetteville police, 22 city homicides in 2026.
Winter isn’t here yet, but it will be coming soon enough. If you have an oil furnace, the cost per gallon the last time I checked is $5.39, and that’s expensive to keep warm.
Sad to learn of the passing of Kenneth Matthews, who is being remembered for his soft-spoken and humble ways at Seventy-First High School, class of 1966. He returned to teach at the school for 32 years, where he was devoted to bringing out the best in his students and took pride in watching them achieve their dreams. Kenneth Fate Matthews was 78 when he died Monday.
Wayne Byrd looks forward with a humble heart to Saturday’s induction into the Terry Sanford High School Booster Club Hall of Fame. “He has so many memories of his Terry Sanford days and all the athletes and students who meant so much to him,” Sue Byrd said this week about her husband’s years from 1960 to 1963, when Wayne Byrd was a football, basketball, and baseball standout at the school before starring in football at Appalachian State University. “I have been given an amazing life, and I thank my Lord for walking with me every step of the way,” he said. Byrd, who later served as a Cumberland County Schools principal, will be one of 10 former athletes to be inducted around 7 p.m. at Highland Country Club.
“Gold Star Families belong to a heartbreaking club that no one seeks to join,” Gov. Josh Stein said recently as he and the N.C. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs recognized September as Gold Star Families Month. “North Carolina is committed to being the very best state in the nation for veterans and military families, and our commitment to Gold Star Families does not end once their loved one’s service has been tragically cut short. This Gold Star Families Month, and every month, we must do everything we can for military families to honor all that they have sacrificed for our country and its freedoms.” The governor said it well. Not one month, but every day of every month.
Credit: Fayetteville Rotary Club
“Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus right down Santa Claus Lane” the late Gene Autry sang in 1947. But we may want to change the lyrics to “right down Hay Street,” for the 27th Annual Fayetteville Rotary Club Christmas Parade, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. on December 12. “There’s nothing quite like seeing downtown Fayetteville come alive with holiday spirit, and we’re excited to once again bring families together for the Rotary Christmas Parade,” Brandon Price, the parade chair, said in a news release.” The parade continues to create lasting memories for generations, and we look forward to celebrating the season with our community and showcasing our outstanding residents and organizations, including this year’s grand marshal, Gavin Williams.” A graduate of Cape Fear High School, William is a pitcher for Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians, the 2026 American League Central Division champion. Old Santa likely is a bit busy these days at the North Pole, but the jolly fat man has Fayetteville on his schedule to celebrate the holiday season.
Coming Sunday: A gentleman lawyer with a love of life remembered.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
