Local News

Honoring Heroes: Memorial Day at St. Joseph of the Pines

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Tuesday, 02 June 2026

Written by John Riggio

A Memorial Day event offered a time to pause, remember, and give thanks at PACE program, LIFE St. Joseph of the Pines. For program members, the day holds special meaning, as some participants and their families have a history of service in the U.S. military.
Ahead of the holiday, the LIFE community marked the occasion with a simple tribute. Outside of the center, Chaplain Robert Wilson opened the gathering with a prayer honoring those who lost their lives in service. Participants then placed small American flags around the grounds.
Jessica Gonzalez, recreational therapist said, “Participants used this observance as a powerful way to honor and recognize the many lives lost, with each flag representing a fallen service member.”
The observance offered those in attendance a shared moment of remembrance, a reflection of the program’s focus on connection and community.
LIFE St. Joseph of the Pines offers a full range of medical and social services that support older adults in living safely at home with dignity. This includes access to spiritual care, with chaplain services available to support participants of all backgrounds. Moments like the Memorial Day prayer highlight the role of spiritual support in honoring the life, loss, and service of those in the community.
Though Memorial Day has passed, its message continues throughout the year. Participants and colleagues alike carry forward the importance of remembering those who gave their lives in service to the country.
To learn more about LIFE St. Joseph of the Pines, call 910‑483‑4911 or visit lifestjosephofthepines.org.

Four unique moments in United States history

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Tuesday, 02 June 2026

Written by Staff Report

Americans celebrate the founding of their country every July 4. School children learn that the Second Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, forever changing the world with the establishment of the United States of America.
Since that fateful day in July 1776, many a unique and notable event has occurred in the United States. Some of those events are lesser known than others, and the following are four unique moments in American history.
1. George Washington's troops are saved from starvation at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-78. According to the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, the Oneida, one of six nations that were part of the Iroquois Confederacy, brought much-needed food and supplies to Americans at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-78. One Oneida, Polly Cooper, even remained at Valley Forge throughout the winter, when she served as Washington's cook and taught troops how to prepare white corn and make it edible. Though they were offered payment for their life-saving services during this pivotal winter, the Oneidas declined to accept it.
2. Maria Stewart might not be a name that's well-known by many modern Americans, but she nonetheless is a trailblazer in U.S. history. Stewart was an African American writer and lecturer who spoke before the African-American Female Intelligence Society on April 28, 1832, thus becoming the first American woman on record to address an audience comprised of both men and women and Blacks and whites.
3. Henrietta Wood is awarded restitution for having been enslaved. Wood was born as a slave in Kentucky around 1818, but was ultimately freed as an adult. However, after her emancipation, Wood, living as a free woman in Cincinnati, was kidnapped and sold back into slavery in 1853. Wood lived in slavery until after the American Civil War. In 1869, Wood filed a lawsuit against her kidnapper, Zebulon Ward, seeking $20,000 in lost wages and damages. A federal court awarded Wood $2,500, which marks the largest known sum ever awarded as restitution for slavery.
4. Social Security numbers are integral to modern American life, but they are not even 100 years old. The first Social Security number was issued to 23-year-old John David Sweeney on December 1, 1936. The Social Security Board, which issued the number, was a byproduct of the Great Depression and then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's responses to it.

Radio Fayetteville podcasts amplify city voices

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Tuesday, 02 June 2026

Written by Jamie Bishop

In 2021, Radio Fayetteville launched with a simple goal: create a platform where Fayetteville could hear itself. What began as a city-driven digital media initiative has steadily evolved into a growing collection of podcasts highlighting public safety, youth leadership, local government and community storytelling. Now, several years later, the platform is expanding its voice, and according to city officials, there is even more on the horizon.
Under the leadership of the City of Fayetteville’s Marketing and Communications Department, Radio Fayetteville has become less about traditional government messaging and more about creating conversations that feel accessible, local and personal.
“We wanted to meet residents where they are,” said Sherri Kropp, Communications Manager for the City of Fayetteville. “Podcasts gave us an opportunity to pull back the curtain a little bit and allow people to hear directly from the individuals serving this community every day.”
Since its launch, Radio Fayetteville has expanded into multiple podcasts, each with its own audience and personality while still maintaining a shared mission of civic engagement and community connection.
Among the most recognizable is The FayPD Beat Podcast, produced in partnership with the Fayetteville Police Department. The show focuses on policing, community partnerships and public safety conversations that residents might not normally hear outside official press conferences or social media updates. The podcast allows officers and department leaders to speak in a more conversational setting, helping humanize law enforcement while also providing transparency on issues affecting the city.
Another standout is the Fayetteville Fire Podcast, created alongside the Fayetteville Fire Department. Featuring firefighters, emergency personnel and department leadership, the podcast explores everything from fire safety education to behind-the-scenes stories about emergency response and community service.
Kropp said those public safety podcasts have become especially important because they create space for conversations that cannot always fit into short-form social media posts or traditional news releases.
“People want authenticity,” Kropp said. “They want to hear the personalities behind the uniforms and understand the work happening in the city from a human perspective.”
The platform has also broadened beyond emergency services. Mic’d Up with FCYC shines a spotlight on the Fayetteville-Cumberland Youth Council, giving young leaders a platform to discuss issues affecting their generation and community. The podcast reflects a growing emphasis on youth voice and civic participation in Fayetteville.
Rather than adults speaking for young people, the show allows youth leaders to shape conversations themselves, an approach Kropp said has helped diversify both the content and audience of Radio Fayetteville. Meanwhile, the broader Radio Fayetteville Podcast serves as an umbrella platform for citywide storytelling, public information and interviews tied to community initiatives, development projects and local events.
Visually, the podcasts carry distinct identities while still feeling connected to the city’s larger branding strategy. Bold microphones, headphones, emergency-service imagery and bright city-centered graphics reinforce the idea that Fayetteville’s story is being told directly by the people living and working within it. But the evolution of the platform has not simply been aesthetic. According to Kropp, the city quickly realized podcasts created a different level of engagement than traditional communication channels.
“In a podcast setting, people hear tone, emotion and personality,” she said. “It becomes less formal and more relatable, and that helps build trust with the community.”
That shift mirrors broader national trends as municipalities increasingly embrace podcasting and digital storytelling to connect with younger audiences and residents who consume information differently than previous generations. For Fayetteville, however, the podcasts also serve another purpose: documenting the city in real time. Episodes capture conversations surrounding public safety, local leadership, youth advocacy and civic development in ways that feel immediate and conversational rather than institutional.
Kropp said one of the most rewarding parts of the platform’s growth has been watching departments and community organizations become excited about participating.
“What started as an idea in 2021 has grown into something collaborative,” Kropp said. “Now people come to us with ideas and want to be involved.”
That momentum appears to be continuing. While Kropp remained careful not to reveal every future development currently in the works, she hinted that additional programming, expanded storytelling opportunities and new creative directions are already being discussed behind the scenes.
“There are definitely exciting things ahead,” she said. “We’re continuing to look at ways to evolve the platform and tell more stories that matter to Fayetteville.”
As podcasting continues to reshape how communities share information, Fayetteville’s approach reflects something larger than digital media trends alone. At its core, Radio Fayetteville has become an audio snapshot of the city itself, its voices, challenges, personalities and ambitions. And if the platform’s evolution over the last several years is any indication, Fayetteville may just be getting started.
Listeners can find Radio Fayetteville on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Listen Notes, IHeart Radio and TuneIn. For more information, visit https://www.fayettevillenc.gov/City-Departments/Marketing-Communications/FayTV

Be FAST: Knowing symptoms of stroke can save time

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Tuesday, 02 June 2026

Written by Lia Tremblay

Last October, Gladys Kirkland began experiencing some strange symptoms. It started with a cold, tingly sensation in her right arm. Later that week, there was a slight slur in her speech.
“I just figured I was tired,” she said. “I wasn’t too worried about it.”
Shortly after that, in the pickup line outside her granddaughter’s elementary school, Kirkland opened a book to pass the time until the bell rang. When she had trouble focusing on the story, she sensed something was really wrong.
“So, I called my daughter to tell her I was going to the urgent care,” she said. “And she told me, ‘No, you need to go to Cape Fear Valley.’”
As soon as she arrived at the emergency department, Kirkland said, there was a flurry of activity around her. By this time, there was a noticeable droop to her right eye.
“I had a CT scan,” she said. “And after that, they told me, ‘You’ve had a stroke.’”
It was a hemorrhagic stroke, meaning that a blood vessel in her brain had begun to leak and put dangerous pressure on the surrounding brain cells. It’s one of two main types of stroke and accounts for only about 15 percent of cases.
“The other main type is an ischemic stroke,” said Christian Bacheler, MD, a board-certified neurologist who serves as Medical Director of the Stroke Program at Cape Fear Valley. “That means there’s a blockage, so the blood flow and oxygen to the brain are restricted.”
Dr. Bacheler said it’s not unusual for stroke symptoms to appear subtly and gradually, as Kirkland’s did.
“Every stroke is different,” he said, “and it doesn’t always feel like an emergency. Sometimes the symptoms are very mild, and sometimes they come and go.”
It helps to know the possible signs of a stroke, so you can spot them even when they aren’t obvious. Dr. Bacheler recommends an acronym known as BE FAST:
Balance: Watch for a sudden loss of balance or coordination or feeling dizzy.
Eyes: Be aware of sudden vision changes, such as blurry vision, double vision or loss of vision in one or both eyes.
Face: You might have an uneven smile, facial drooping or numbness on one side of the face.
Arms: Notice if there is weakness, numbness or drifting in one arm (or leg) when raised.
Speech: Don’t ignore slurred speech, confusion or difficulty understanding others.
Time: If any of these signs are present, call 911 immediately.
“Time is especially important,” said Dr. Bacheler, “because the faster you get treated, the more brain you’re saving.”
This year, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center is poised to save even more of that precious time by becoming a thrombectomy-capable stroke center. This means it will be equipped to remove blood clots after an ischemic stroke, quickly restoring blood flow to the brain. It’s a level of care that was previously only seen at larger hospitals elsewhere in the state.
“Instead of giving a clot-busting medication and then transferring the patient to other facilities, we will be offering a mechanical thrombectomy here at home,” said Mena M. Samaan, MD, Director of Neurointerventional Services. “This can make a big difference in terms of recovery, and the family does not have to go miles out of town because we can do this here at home.”[LT1.1]
Kirkland feels fortunate that her stroke was relatively mild and caused no lasting damage. After three days in the hospital, she was discharged with new awareness about its potential causes: A pharmacy mishap had caused her to go a week without her blood pressure medication, and persistent knee pain had her relying heavily on aspirin and ibuprofen to get through the day. Together, it all heightened her risk of stroke.
“I’m being very careful with all of that now,” she said. “I don’t want to end up in the hospital again.”
Although it’s not an experience she wants to repeat, Kirkland has high praise for the hospital staff who kept her calm during a frightening time. She recalls receiving a thorough, reassuring explanation of her condition from Melissa Stamates, MD, and a particular ED nurse who kept her anxiety at bay.
“Her name was Andrea,” she said. “She was really on top of things, and she made little jokes to keep me from worrying too much. And everyone on 4 South was awesome.”
Thinking back on that day in the school pickup line, Kirkland is also grateful that her daughter encouraged her to go to Cape Fear Valley.
“I hate to think what would have happened if I’d picked up my granddaughter, gone home and gotten worse,” she said. “I have to say God was really watching us that day.”

(Photo courtesy of Cape Fear Valley Health)