N.C. State fans are paying tribute and respect to the late Jim Valvano’s grave at Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh as the Wolfpack men’s basketball team (26-14) prepares for Saturday’s Final Four appearance against Purdue (33-4) in the NCAA semifinals at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix. Valvano, who died at age 47 on April 28, 1993, coached the Wolfpack to a 54-52 victory over Houston for the 1983 national title. Lorenzo Charles, who scored the winning basket as time expired, is buried not far from his old coach. Charles was 47 when he died in an Interstate 40 bus wreck in Raleigh on June 27, 2011.
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You can be assured longtime N.C. State fan Jim Lewis will be pulling for the Wolfpack in the NCAA semifinals against Purdue. “I’m proud of them,” says Lewis, a 1960 graduate of N.C. State. “Our program is in the best place it’s been in a long time. We’ve got an excellent coach and Kevin Keatts is doing a good job.” Lewis says the Wolfpack team reminds him of the 1983 national title team under the late Jim Valvano. “We came out of nowhere in ’83, and everything is happening in the same manner. We’ve got some good athletes and D.J. Burns has got a great touch. He’s just got a good feel for the game. They’re playing with confidence and everyone on that team believes they can win. And I’m pulling for the women, too,” Lewis says about the Wolfpack (31-6), which Friday plays unbeaten South Carolina (36-0) in the NCAA women’s semifinal at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
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Nothing quite as beautiful as pink George Tabor azaleas in the spring.
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When the fire alarm sounds, Kevin Dove says his firefighters will answer the call no matter the hour. But the new Fayetteville City Fire Chief says it’s not just about fighting a blaze. “There are several disasters we see every day that could have been prevented,” Dove was saying this week at a badge pinning ceremony at City Hall. “Fire prevention awareness is one of my top priorities and an effort I will continue to push throughout our community.” Dove was named as the top firefighter on March 4.
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Ryan Aul has been appointed by the Cumberland Board of County Commissioners to the Cape Fear Valley Board of Trustees. Prudent choice on the part of the commissioners.
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The Cape Fear Valley Cancer Center – Central Harnett Hospital waiting room in Lillington will be named in honor of Dr. P.K. Vyas, according to a news release from the Cape Fear Valley Health System, after Vyas pledged $500,000 to the cancer center. “I am grateful to be able to financially support a cause that is near and dear to my heart, rural health,” Vyas says in a news release. “The addition of a full-service cancer center to Harnett County will bring the same resources and treatments, once only available in large cities, closer to my patients and their families. It is my hope this donation will give everyone the opportunity to prevent, detect, treat and survive cancer." Vyas is founder of Eastern Carolina Medical Center in Benson. Harnett Health and Cape Fear Valley broke ground on the facility last May, according to the health system. It is scheduled to open in December.
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Betsey Vera has been named Cumberland County Schools’ 2024 Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year. “Be yourself, be there for your students, make them your priority and listen to what they say because you are sometimes all they have,” Vera is quoted in a new release from the school system. A Health Science teacher at Jack Britt High School, Vera will represent Cumberland County Schools in the Sandhills Regional CTE Teacher of the Year competition.
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Four principals, two directors and one executive director have been approved by the Cumberland County Board of Education for new assignments, according to a county school system news release. Christin Etchison takes over at Luther “Nick” Jeralds Middle School after previously serving as assistant principal at Mac Williams Middle School; Donald McAllister has been promoted as principal at Howard Learning Academy after serving as assistant principal; James Blue will be principal at Seventy-First High School after serving as assistant principal at South View High School; Niesha Witherspoon, who currently serves as the principal at Seventy-First High School, will transfer to Cumberland Polytechnic High School as principal; Ayanna Richard, who most recently served as the principal of Howard Learning Academy, will become executive director of Exceptional Children’s Services; Yimiya Pearson, currently a secondary mathematics curriculum specialist, will serve as the new director of Professional Development for Academic Services; and Chad Barbour, who currently serves as the principal at Cumberland Polytechnic High School, will be the new director of Student Activities. Recommendations were at the request of County Schools Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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