Donnie Stafford is a retired Fayetteville firefighter who is remembering Corey Comperatore. Comperatore was the 50-year-old Pennsylvania firefighter who died Saturday shielding his wife and daughter when a 20-year-old opened fire with an AR-style rifle from a rooftop at a Republican rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, for former President Donald Trump. The incident left two other spectators wounded. “The American flag that I fly in my front yard has been lowered to half-staff,” says Stafford, who resides near Eastover.
“I was working the day of a terrorist attack on my country” when “343 firefighters lost their lives trying to save lives,” Stafford says about the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist assault on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. “This past weekend a firefighter lost his life protecting his family,” Stafford says about Comperatore, a father of two daughters and former fire chief for the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company in Sarver, Pennsylvania. The FBI is currently investigating the incident as a potential domestic terrorist act. “I will always be a proud firefighter,” says Stafford, a retired captain with the Fayetteville Fire Department, where he served 33 years.
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“My art business has traveled with me around the country, but I am now happy to consider Fayetteville home,” watercolorist Katie Crawford says in a news release as the first artist in residence at the Arts Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County. A graduate of James Madison University with a B.S. in anthropology and a minor in art history, the Virginia native’s works of nature and animals will be on exhibit as part of Crawford’s six-month residency. In addition to expanding her portfolio with the creation of new works, Bob Pinson, president and chief executive officer for the Arts Council, says Crawford will lead arts education activities such as exhibit tours and gallery talks throughout the fall.
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“I’m excited about this program,” Cumberland County Manager Clarence says in a news release about the county’s 2024 internship program, where more than 30 students are taking part to learn about potential careers in fields such as planning and inspections, social services and technology. “It provides an opportunity for high school and college students to learn more about Cumberland County and government. We hope they pursue a career in public service after graduation.” The program began July 8 and continues for several weeks.
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Removing that frying pan smog residue from a glass top stove is a job, and for some of us, it’s near impossible.
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Someone was asking recently if I have a cleaning service for vacuuming, mopping, dusting and whatnot for my home. Indeed, I do. Call me Molly.
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Dr. Dave Gilbert has taken on the task of writing a history of Highland Country Club, circa 1945, along Raeford Road, and there is a wealth of golfing history and more. If the retired cardiologist really wants to know the club’s history and stories, Gilbert might want to locate the notebook of Cliff Newman, the late bartender, who heard about every hole-in-one, every missed putt and every story from just about every member in his long employment. A quiet man, old Cliff heard it all and knew it all. Clifton Elwood Newman was 78 when he died Sept. 9, 2010.
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Should you find yourself receiving a telephone call from a so-called “Sgt. Hamlett” saying he’s a law enforcement officer with legal documents and for you to call back immediately … don’t take the bait. “If you receive any such communication,” Sgt. Mickey Locklear with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release, “it’s a scam.” The Sheriff’s Office, according to Locklear, never will contact you by phone or email to request money, credit card information or Social Security information, etc. The number calling residents, the release says, is (910) 479-5277. Take caution and be aware it’s a scam, and report it immediately by calling the Sheriff’s Office at (910) 323-1500 or the N.C. Dept. of Justice and the N.C. Attorney General’s Office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or 1-919-717-6000.
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Fayetteville Urban Ministry on Whitfield Street has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Spectrum Community Center Assist program, according to a Spectrum news release. The $30 million philanthropic initiative is about revitalizing local community centers and investing in job training programs in underserved rural and urban neighborhoods where Spectrum operates. The $40,000 donation is the third for Fayetteville Urban Ministry through the Spectrum Community Center Assist program, bringing total Spectrum support for the ministry to more than $140,000 over the past three years.
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Pedestrians will welcome high-visibility and improved crosswalks at the intersection of Blue Street and Murchison Road, according to a city news release. The upgrade includes white striping, curb ramps and signage, and all in the name of promoting safety for pedestrians and motorists alike. The work was completed in partnership with the city and the N.C. Dept. of Transportation, the release says, and comes at the request of several members of the Fayetteville City Council.
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City bus routes have a new service coming our way on Aug. 1, according to a city news release, as the Fayetteville Area System of Transit plans to add a route from the downtown FAST Center to Procurement Circle, which is near the Amazon Fulfillment Center along Bragg Boulevard. The route is available every day of the week at hour intervals. It will provide access to the Amazon facility, Cross Creek Mall and University Estates, among other locations. FAST also plans to soon add service from the new Senior East Center on Washington Drive to Murchison Road.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
Next: Remembering the genuine Southern gentleman lawyer in the seersucker suit
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