Good morning. A Superior Court judge surprised homeowners on Friday when he unexpectedly dismissed their lawsuit against the City of Fayetteville and ended their trial moments before their case was set for jury deliberations.
At issue was a decade-long fight from homeowners’ associations who said the city was responsible for damage to their neighborhood dams after Hurricane Matthew. Read more in today’s lead story.
Welcome to CityView Today. This week, we’ve asked our staff to highlight a few of their best stories from the year—required reading for 2026 or reporting they were just really proud of.
I’m Paul Woolverton, CityView’s senior reporter. (They give “old guy titles” to the old guys.) I’ve been bringing you the news from Fayetteville for more than 30 years.
Some of the stories I worked on in 2025 include the demise of the Crown Event Center, the unusual drama—including assault charges and a candidate with a criminal record—of the Fayetteville City Council elections, and the revival of the effort to build a new skyscraper on top of the Hay Street Parking Garage in downtown Fayetteville.
These are just some of the stories that I think were important or interesting to CityView’s readers this past year. I have a long list of more to do in 2026.
Thanks for reading,
Paul Woolverton
Senior reporter
Judge Rules Fayetteville Not Required To Pay For Four Burst Dams
A nearly decade‑long legal battle over whether Fayetteville taxpayers should repair private dams blown out by Hurricane Matthew abruptly ended Friday when a Superior Court judge dismissed the case moments before it was set to go to the jury. Continue Reading.
The Best of 2025
Cumberland commissioners kill Fayetteville performing arts center
Fayetteville’s long-planned downtown performing arts center and meeting space has been quashed after the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday voted 5-2 to discontinue the project.
Florida company may build overdue tower on Fayetteville’s Hay Street parking deck
Fayetteville is in talks with a new developer to build on top of the Hay Street parking deck overlooking Segra Stadium.
Confrontation at voting site leads to election complaints in Fayetteville mayoral race
The complaint paperwork says the State Board of Elections will review the complaints promptly.
Events
TAI CHI IN THE GARDEN
- Where: Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Fayetteville
- When: 10-11:30 a.m. today
- What: A Chinese martial art and system of calisthenics with very slow controlled movements taught by Rich Martin.
SANTA PHOTOS
- Where: Cross Creek Mall, 419 Cross Creek Mall, Fayetteville
- When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. today
- What: Experience the magic of the holiday season and create lifelong holiday memories by visiting Santa’s Workshop!
TUESDAY NIGHT MUSIC BINGO
- Where: 22 Klicks Bar and Grill, 2653 Hope Mills Road, Fayetteville
- When: 8-10 p.m. today
- What: Come hang out with Fayetteville Disc Jockey at 22 Klicks Bar and Grill for music bingo!
Obituaries
Casondra Boone
Casondra Boone passed away on Wednesday, December 17.
Tammy Jo McNeill
Xavier JaQuan Griffin passed away on Sunday, December 14.
Dorothy Williams Strickland
Dorothy Williams Strickland, 95, passed away on Tuesday, December 16.
Until tomorrow!
🎭When I wasn’t reporting and writing for CityView, I was busy on stage this past year. I appeared in five plays with the Sweet Tea Shakespeare theater company, and will be busy again in 2026 with Sense and Sensibility in January, followed by Twelfth Night in April. 📺 This past fall, you may have caught me on television on ABC’s 20/20 (I was interviewed for a story about the murders of two soldiers in 2008) and the Investigation Discovery channel’s Mother, May I Murder (an episode about a teen whose mother pressured her into killing her adoptive father). Going into the new year, I hope to up my game with 📽️ video as CityView continues to bring you the stories of Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
~ Paul Woolverton
