Good morning. For Fayetteville firefighters, the simple process of having their blood drawn means something big this year: getting tested for over 20 types of cancers.
The blood test, called the OneTest, is new to this year’s Fayetteville Fire Department’s annual physical. It’ll provide key information, as occupational cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty firefighter deaths.
“We know that the risk is real and it’s here and it happens,” Assistant Fire Chief Adam Ferguson told CityView‘s Morgan Casey. “We’re trying to do all that we can for our folks to reduce the risk for them.” Read our lead story for more.
Welcome to CityView Today. In today’s newsletter: the City of Fayetteville has signed an interlocal government services agreement with Fort Liberty for solid waste collection for the installation. Ongoing cold weather led the Cumberland County commissioners last month to quadruple funding for Operation White Flag, the program that provides homeless people a place to stay on cold nights. And Senior Columnist Bill Kirby Jr. spoke with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis about his response to President Donald Trump’s recent pardons of Jan. 6 rioters.
A quick editor’s note: An earlier version of an article we posted yesterday incorrectly stated that Fayetteville’s water supply was contaminated with 1,4-dioxane from a chemical discharge by the City of Asheboro Wastewater Treatment Plant into the Cape Fear River basin. Concentrations of 1,4-dioxane from the discharge sample did far exceed EPA’s lifetime health advisory limit. But the good news for Fayetteville residents: Asheboro’s discharge did not reach city water, PWC spokesperson Gavin MacRoberts told CityView.
” … It looks like it was diluted to the point it was non-detectable by the time it reached us,” MacRoberts said. This article has been updated with the correct information, which is linked below. We apologize for this error.
Thanks for reading,
Maydha Devarajan
Interim Editor-in-Chief
Protecting the force: Fayetteville’s firefighters are being tested for cancer
For Fayetteville firefighters, the process of having their blood drawn means something big this year: getting tested for over 20 types of cancers. The blood test is new to this year’s Fayetteville Fire Department’s annual physical.
More from CityView
Fayetteville to take over commercial solid waste collection at Fort Liberty
The City of Fayetteville has partnered with Fort Liberty, soon to be renamed Fort Roland L. Bragg, in a new agreement that will see city contractors provide commercial solid waste collection services to the military installation.
County quadruples funding for cold-weather shelters as winter drags on
Operation White Flag gives homeless people a warm place to sleep.
THE KIRBY FILE: Sen. Thom Tillis parts company with Trump over some Jan. 6, 2021, presidential pardons
“Regardless of whether violence against law enforcement comes from radical groups in the streets of progressive cities or a mob at the Capitol, it is never acceptable” says North Carolina’s senior lawmaker in Washington, D.C., “and those who commit such acts deserve the harshest punishment allowed under the law.”
Toxic chemical discharged by Asheboro wastewater plant into Cape Fear River basin
Quantities of the likely carcinogenic chemical 1,4-dioxane were released into the Cape Fear River late last month.
Events
TIGHT’N IT UP SPECIAL WORKSHOP
Sponsored by Greater Life of Fayetteville
- Where: 351 Wagoner Drive, Charles Morris Room, Fayetteville
- When: 5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday Feb. 20
- What: A free workshop geared towards young men. Focusing on men, women, the children in our lives, and how we reconnect the pieces of the family as we build our community, starting with the family. Register here.
TODDLER STORY TIME
- Where: Main Library, 455 McKinney Parkway, Lillington
- When: 11 a.m.-noon today
- What: Join our informal hangout for crocheters, knitters, and more!
LEGO BRICK BUILDERS
- Where: Throckmorton Library, 3346 R. Miller St., Fort Liberty
- When: 3:15-4:45 p.m. today
- What: Take the Lego Brick Building Challenge at Throckmorton Library! Join us on the second Wednesday of each month to see if your building skills are up to the monthly themed challenge!
Obituaries
Christine Lockhart
Christine Lockhart, 67, of Fayetteville, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Ronald Kocher
Ronald Kocher, 78, of Lumber Bridge, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Alice Detter Kiley
Alice Detter Kiley, 81, of Fayetteville, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 9.
Until tomorrow!
🏆 We had a lovely time honoring our Community Impact Award winners yesterday during a luncheon at Segra Stadium. If you didn’t get a chance to read about the work of Ralph and Linda Huff, Antonio Jones, Emily Ruth Perry and Jeremy Fiebig to improve Cumberland County and our community, check out our feature stories here.
~ Maydha
