Good morning. About 100 people gathered at the Market House in Fayetteville yesterday afternoon to protest North Carolina Court of Appeal Judge Jefferson Griffin’s ongoing effort to cancel the ballots of more than 66,000 voters across the state.
Griffin, a Republican, faced off against Democratic candidate and incumbent Associate Justice Allison Riggs for a seat on the N.C. Supreme Court last year. Griffin, who has yet to concede his loss, trails Riggs by just 734 votes — meaning the removal of some, if not all, of the ballots could turn the results in Griffin’s favor.
While the matter is pending with litigation in the North Carolina courts, protesters in Fayetteville this weekend expressed anger and frustration about the efforts to overturn the results of the election. Read our lead story for more.
Welcome to CityView Today. Democratic philanthropist and former U.S. Ambassador Jeanette Wallace Hyde died last week; she called Fayetteville home for about a decade, and spent time working as a county social worker and running a local boutique while living in the city. Read more about Hyde’s local ties below. And catch up on news from Spring Lake; the town’s board of commissioners have approved the conditional rezoning of about 15 acres of land in northeast Spring Lake as part of a residential development plan.
Thanks for reading,
Maydha Devarajan
Interim Editor-in-Chief
Fayetteville protesters rally against GOP effort to cancel 66,000 ballots in N.C. Supreme Court election
About 100 people gathered at the Market House in Fayetteville on Sunday to protest against North Carolina Court of Appeal Judge Jefferson Griffin and his ongoing effort to cancel the ballots of more than 66,000 voters across the state from the November election.
More from CityView
Democratic philanthropist, former U.S. Ambassador Jeanette Wallace Hyde had Fayetteville ties
Hyde died at 86 on Monday. She spent a decade in Fayetteville before moving to Raleigh and helping establishing the heart of the state’s Democratic Party.
Spring Lake rezones land for residential development
Spring Lake’s Board of Commissioners voted to approve the conditional rezoning of about 15 acres of land abutting the Caelin Farms neighborhood.
Events
GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT
- Where: Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve – Visitor Center, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines
- When: 8:30-10 a.m. today
- What: We will observe birds for 45 minutes before compiling our list of species and sharing our data with others around the globe.
TECH TIME AT NORTH REGIONAL LIBRARY
- Where: North Regional Branch Library, 855 McArthur Road, Fayetteville
- When: 2-3:30 p.m. today
- What: Whether you need help setting up an email account, learning how to use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) or anything in between, we’re here to help you with your computer, tablet or smartphone questions. No appointment necessary.
TAI CHI IN THE GARDEN
- Where: Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Fayetteville
- When: 10-11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 18
- What: A Chinese martial art and system of calisthenics with very slow controlled movements taught by Rich Martin.
Obituaries
William Evans
William Evans, 65, of Lumberton, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
Belinda Marie McCallum
Belinda Marie McCallum, 72, of Rowland. We extend our condolences to the family and all that are connected.
Robert Leroy Smeal
Robert Leroy Smeal, 68, of Fayetteville, passed away on Saturday, Feb 8.
Until tomorrow!
🏆 A team from Fayetteville’s Village Christian Academy won a regional North Carolina Mock Trial competition in Fayetteville this month and will advance to the state championship March 14 and 15 at Campbell Law School in Raleigh.
In mock trial competition, high school students take on the roles of lawyers and witnesses in a lawsuit and argue a case before a real judge and a group of three “jurors” who will evaluate their case and decide the winner. There are 114 Mock Trial teams statewide.
Eight teams competed in the regional round at the Cumberland County Courthouse on Feb. 8.
The roster of the Village Christian Academy winning team: Ava Powers, Brian Ha, Chrissy Osterkamp, Emanuela Adeyemi, Gavin Hairr, Miles Seppelt, Nolan Pait and Xavier Evans.
~ Paul
