Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins will be among four candidates to date in the Fayetteville City Council District 5 primary scheduled for Oct. 10, with the general election scheduled Nov. 7. “There is still work to be done to improve public safety by focusing on ways to reduce crime, e.g., more cameras, more license plate readers, more police officers, install ShotSpotter, just to name a few,” says Dawkins, 64, who will be bidding for his fifth council term. “We must continue to grow our economy, and we must invest much more in our stormwater infrastructure. Plus, we need to implement the voter-approved bond issue.” Dawkins is the son of the late J.L. Dawkins, the longest-serving mayor in city history. Johnny Dawkins served on the council in 2003-05, 2017-19, 2019-22 and 2022-23. Other candidates who have filed in District 5 are Fred G. LaChance III, Justin Roush Herbe and Lynne Bissette Greene.
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Two young men have been arrested in the May 22 afternoon shooting death of a 37-year-old man in the 4900 block of Schmidt Street, according to the Fayetteville Police Department. One of the shooters is identified as an 18-year-old. The second, who was arrested July 11, is age 20. Both face first-degree murder charges. Think about it: One life lost; two other lives, although everyone is innocent until proven guilty, could spend years behind bars. Such a sad state of affairs.
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Kudos to the N.C. Department of Transportation, which says a state contractor will construct a $36 million bridge with ramps at the interchange of N.C. 87 and N.C. 11 in Columbus County, where currently the roadways have four-way stop signs. “This highway is an important corridor in southeastern North Carolina and a popular route to area beaches,” Drew Cox, who oversees the department’s Division 6, says in a news release. “This interchange will vastly improve the safety, traffic flow and operation of this intersection.” The four-way stop has been there since 2017, according to the DOT, and the project will begin this summer, with completion scheduled for 2026. N.C. 87 is the most popular route for motorists heading to Wilmington and Southeastern N.C. beaches, and the four-way stop is as dangerous, as many of us have come to know. Again, kudos to the DOT. You will save lives.
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Aubrey Jackson, a junior at Gray’s Creek High School, recently served as a page at the N.C. Capitol, according to a news release from Cumberland County Schools. To serve as a page is always an honor for young high school students. And with it, Jackson found herself congratulated by Gov. Roy Cooper at the Governor’s Mansion in Raleigh.
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“We are trying to guide any of our students who may have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out to a successful plan toward graduation,” Roni Winston, the Cumberland County Schools district student recovery and Section 504 coordinator, says in a news release about a “Stepping Into Success” Teen Wellness event scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday at Alger B. Wilkins High School, 1429 Skibo Road. “Our hope is to help remove the barriers that keep students from their greatest successes by providing opportunities to create attainable graduation plans, to utilize mental and physical wellness techniques, and to connect with community resources.”
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Let me count the ways. Or, shall I say, the dollars as a result of inflation from increases in my household bills from Spectrum to my automobile insurance to my Blue Cross-Blue Shield Medicare health supplement to Fayetteville PWC. And not to mention a run to Harris Teeter for groceries. Our dollars will only stretch so far in these economic times.
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“Bill,I’m sure you know this is just the tip of parking enforcement issues downtown,” Bruce Arnold writes in an email about our July 12 column on a malfunctioning pay station that led to a June 22 violation and a $15 Park Fayetteville fine that I am disputing because the meter would not accept payment from my debit card. “I have not been involved in a while, so information may not be 100%. The parking violations do not create enough income to pay the contract. Enforcement is dependent on who you are; several business owners or employees do not receive tickets.The meters will take payment on days there is no paid parking, like holidays, and some customers have said on weekends as well. Keep up the good work.” Bruce and Molly Arnold own two downtown businesses.
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“Hi, Mr. Bill Kirby: I just wanted to forward a message to you that I wrote and sent to a City Council member in March in reference to Park Fayetteville,” Stacey Wickersham writes in an email about downtown parking. “I read your article in CityView about Park Fayetteville and wondered if you’d find my experience with the system of interest as well. My incident is resolved, however. Like you wrote in your article, the principle is not resolved. I agree that the Park Fayetteville system is dysfunctional and negatively affecting Fayetteville’s economy and community.For the record, the City Council member who I sent my incident report to did respond to me and agreed a dysfunctional parking system wouldnot be healthy for our downtownbusiness district.” Mr. Wickersham says he was told by Park Fayetteville his parking citation had something to do with a synching issue and a faulty pay station button.
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“If you park in the handicap parking in front of the main library at 300 Maiden Lane, you must then walk or roll your wheelchair 100-plus yards away from the entrance, pay your fee, then walk or roll yourself back to the library front door,” Matt Hurley weighs in with an email about downtown parking. “Don’t move too slow or you’ll get a parking ticket while walking to pay the fee.We can do better.” Hmmm, didn’t know about that. Some of us don’t spend much time downtown anymore, and one reason is parking issues.
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“Mr. Kirby, in 1970 a U.S. Army Reserve major general (who was an editor of one of the Indianapolis newspapers) talked to the Finance Corps Career Course at Fort Harrison,” Carl Broadhurst writes in an email about the malfunctioning pay station column. “The only thing I remember from his presentation is, ‘Do not argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel.’” Yes, Mr. Broadhurst, I have heard that, too. However, the column was not about ink by the barrel. The column was about a faulty downtown parking pay station, and the Park Fayetteville folks repeatedly failing to respond to my inquiries of appeal.
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“Bill, without doubt one of your best columns ever, and that’s saying something, old friend,” John Holmes writes in an email about our July 9 column on Staff Sgt. Sanford I. Finger, the American soldier who befriended the neighborhood youngsters along Skye Drive and Summertime Road in 1969 before losing his life when his Warrior 143 CH-47BChinook helicopter crashed Oct. 26, 1971, over waters while flying from Tuy Hoa to Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. “Sweet, sweet story.”
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“Your article on Sandy Finger and the Skye Drive boys was just excellent,” Linda Tillman writes in an email about Staff Sgt. Sanford I. Finger, who was buried on June 16 at Arlington National Cemetery, with many of the Skye Drive and Summertime Road kids now grown in attendance. “I read it with nostalgia for the times when an entire neighborhood was a child’s playground and local families took advantage of opportunities to connect with our military neighbors.”
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“Julia (Strain) told me this story last week,” Carol Quigg writes in an email about our column about Staff Sgt.Sanford I. Finger. “You have done a wonderful job of bringing it to life for me as well as to all who will read it.All of those men, plus Pat (Paschal), are special individuals who played a huge part in a young soldier’s life as a newcomer to Fayetteville and Fort Bragg. Keep up the good work.”
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“Bill, I just read your article about Sandy Finger and the remarkable tribute given to him by the ‘boys of Summertime and Skye Drive,’” Calvin Riddle writes in an email. “I know most of those guys, and their actions are very special and deserving of recognition. Thank you for always doing such a wonderful job in writing about the really meaningful things in life.”
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“Bill, great story about Sandy Finger,” Holden Thorp, one of the Skye Drive kids, writes in an email about Staff Sgt. Sanford I. Finger. “(Brother) Clay and I were not at the funeral. I did know about Sandy but mainly remember the neighborhood kids wearing the (POW) bracelets. I’m the same age as Paul (Paschal) but the other guys are a bit older. I did meet up with Paul the next day and we went and found Sandy’s name on the (Vietnam Memorial) wall.” Holden Thorp is the son of the late Herb and Bo Thorp, both of whom founded Cape Fear Regional Theatre in 1962. Holden is the former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and now editor-in-chief of Science Family of Journals.
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“Very moving article about Sandy Finger, Bill,” Steve Kenny of Portland, Oregon, writes in an email. “A Fayetteville friend forwarded your column to me. Glad that she did.”
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“Hi, Bill: I just read your moving story about Sandy Sanford,” Jinny Purcell Apple writes in an email all the way from her Sulphur Springs, Texas, home after growing up in the VanStory Hills neighborhood. “You are still a fine writer.” I had, Jinny, a fine story about a fine soldier and some fine people to write about.
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Michael Melchionda Jr. was one of the good guys in this town, and no one says it better than Jimmy and Mary Peaden on Melchionda’s obituary tribute page. “Fonzie will be deeply missed,” they write of their friend, who affectionately was known to friends as Fonzie. “He was an incredible man and his kindness flowed out of him with everyone he met. Our deepest sympathy is with his family, friends and anyone he may have given that sweet smile or kiss on the cheek to. It was our privilege to have known him. Rest in peace, dear friend.” Michael Melchionda truly was one of the good guys. A memorial service for the Army veteran is scheduled for 11 a.m. July 28 in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Michael Melchionda Jr. was 75 when he died June 29.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reachedatbillkirby49@gmail.comor 910-624-1961.
