Mum is the word from the Fayetteville Police Department, which says partial skeletal remains have been discovered in a search and investigation regarding two missing city youth, who once lived in west Fayetteville. London Deven, now 27, last was seen in 2019, according to police. Blake Deven last was seen in 2022 at a Walmart in north Fayetteville. The FPD isn’t revealing where the skeletal remains were discovered but says it was not at the Berriedale Drive home recently searched and where the family once lived. The remains, according to the FPD, have been sent to the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Raleigh. If you have information to help locate Blake Deven or London Deven, call the Fayetteville Police Department at 910-578-2697 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI or visit online at tips.fbi.gov.
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Since the Fayetteville Woodpeckers played its first game on April 18, 2019, the Single-A Houston Astros minor league affiliate has made a difference in the community. “The Woodpeckers have had a tremendous positive impact on our community, not just in revitalizing our downtown area, but also with the tax revenue the team generates for our city,” Mayor Mitch Colvin says in a news release. “This project has helped everyone see how Fayetteville continues to grow and improve and is a wonderful place to live, work and recreate.” More than 800,000 fans have attended home games at the downtown Segra Stadium, the release says, and the number is expected to reach 1 million this summer. The team has contributed, according to the city, $1.15 million in sales tax.
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“The arts are big business in Cumberland County with $72.2 million in economic activity, $9.5 million in tax revenue creating 1,111 jobs,” Kennon Jackson Jr., chief of staff for the Arts Council of Fayetteville Cumberland County, says in a news release. Jackson’s comments reference data from a recent Arts and Economic Prosperity Survey 6 and its impact on Cumberland County, as reported by CityView. The Arts Council is scheduled to celebrate its 50th anniversary on June 6 at Cape Fear Botanical Garden.
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There was a time in the 1960s when Fayetteville’s logo was “Friendly Fayetteville.” Today, the city logo is “America’s Can Do City.” Ever thought of “Fayetteville — The City of Dogwoods”? That would be a far more appropriate logo.
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Nothing irritates some of us more than calling this city “the Ville.” It is Fayetteville, and we should speak of our historic city with more respect and reverence.
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Apparently, we are a caffeine-crazed community. Seems like there’s a coffee shop drive-thru on every corner.
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No need to be concerned about the behind-the-scenes troubles of the 42nd Annual Fayetteville Dogwood Festival that kicks off a three-day run on April 26 at Festival Park and downtown streets. It will be fine, and you’ll find festivalgoers enjoying the spring, the sunshine, the food vendors, the crafts and just being a part of it all, just like John Malzone, the late Jimmy Little and late mayor Bill Hurley envisioned.
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Earl Vaughan Jr. brings his 50-year sports reporting journey to a close. In a notable career, this community found him on the football fields, the basketball arenas, or wherever high school games were played. His writings covered hundreds of thousands of young athletes and coaches. If ever there was a “godfather of high school sports” in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, his name is Earl Vaughan Jr.
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“Bill, I dropped a tear after reading the article on Gary,” Sandy Hurley writes in an email about our April 14 column on Gary Wilson, the longtime Fayetteville resident who died at age 79 on March 28. “I’m glad I got to know him. I saw him exactly the way you wrote.” It’s OK, Mrs. Hursley, to shed a tear. He endured so much loss in these past four years. Gary Wilson, like his brother, Jerry, was one of the good ones who passed our way.
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“Dr. Jackson was an extraordinary educator who worked in numerous capacities throughout the district that included teacher, assistant principal, principal, director and associate superintendent,” Dr. Marvin Connelly Jr., superintendent of Cumberland County Schools, says in a news release about David Jackson, who was the founding principal at Douglas Byrd High School. “The long-time educator made an indelible impact on our school system and the lives of countless students, educators and families that he served.” David Jackson was 79 when he died April 10.
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Dr. Keith Gallaher has been honored as Physician of the Year, Dr. Su Su Winn as Resident of the Year and Kathy Jones, a physician assistant, as Advanced Practice Provider of the Year by the Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation Caduceus Society. Gallaher is a neonatologist, who has practiced in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit since 1992. Winn is in the Class of 2024 of Internal Medicine. Jones was honored for her compassion and care for her patients in the hematology and oncology departments.
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Cape Fear Valley Health has expanded visitation hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and reduced the minimum age requirement from 12 to 6 years old in most areas, according to a news release from the health system. All minors must be accompanied by an adult. Masks for patients and visitors will no longer be required in Emergency Room and Express Care locations, the release says, unless you are experiencing respiratory symptoms.
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The Master Gardener Annual Spring Plant Sale is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Cooperative Extension Center at 301 E. Mountain Drive, according to a news release from the Cumberland County Cooperative Extension. Locally grown plants for sale include vegetables, herbs and house plants. Horticulture experts from the Extension Master Gardeners, the Fayetteville Rose Society, the Fayetteville Camellia Club, the Sandhills Orchid Society and the Sandhills Daylily Club will be on hand to answer questions about anything gardening. Call 910-321-6882.
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The Cape Fear Valley Foundation’s Step Up 4 Health and Wellness Expo is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at Methodist University’s Duggins Soccer Stadium with a 4K and one-mile run, and a variety of family-friendly activities. “The partnership between Methodist University and Cape Fear Valley Health to establish a School of Medicine provides the perfect backdrop to this event,” Sabrina Brooks, vice president of the Cape Fear Valley Foundation, says in a news release. “We invite everyone to come out and enjoy the day, while learning more about healthcare in our community.” The event will include information booths, food trucks, a kids’ area, music and giveaways. Funds raised, according to the release, benefit Cape Fear Valley Health Friends of Cancer Center, Children’s Services, the Community Alternatives Program, Cumberland County Medication Access Program and heart care. Cost is $35 for adults and $30 for children, no charge for children age 3 and under.
Next: FHS, class of 1967 “end of the beginning”
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Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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