Local News

Government Watch: Cumberland County, City, weigh data center issues

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Tuesday, 18 August 2026

Written by Jami McLaughlin

Across the nation, demand for streaming and business software collides with a boom in artificial intelligence, and behind every swipe and tap lies data centers working in the shadows to sustain our digital habits.
Fayetteville is weighing multi-million-dollar technology investments that could reshape the local economy, with business advocates highlighting the commercial tax base and infrastructure upgrades that data centers can bring to Cumberland County.
The Fayetteville City Council hosted a public hearing on Aug. 10 at Fayetteville City Hall. The purpose of the hearing was to discuss and vote on proposed changes to the city's Unified Development Ordinance regarding the regulation and zoning of high-density data centers.
At the public hearing, over a dozen speakers spoke regarding the proposed data center legislation.
While some speakers aired concerns, others spoke in favor, including former North Carolina State Representative John Szoka, who chaired the House Energy and Public Utilities Commission and the Joint Legislative Commission on Energy Policy while in office. As current CEO of the Conservative Energy Network, a clean energy advocacy organization, Szoka said that the proposed framework was the best he had seen across the 26 states that he works in.
Council members discussed all verbalized concerns regarding noise, power consumption, water usage and the need for stricter setbacks. Mayor Mitch Colvin and council members who traveled to Loudoun County, Virginia, to inspect operational data centers firsthand shared their observations as well.
The Fayetteville City Council opted against an immediate construction moratorium and delayed final action on data center guidelines. Council members voted 7-3 to send proposed Unified Development Ordinance changes back to staff for revisions to address community concerns ahead of an October review.
The county's existing moratorium on data centers runs into December. To guide the development of a permanent regulatory ordinance, Cumberland County officials also invited residents to weigh in on the future of local data center development through a series of community input sessions. This included an Aug. 6 town hall in Stedman and another on Aug. 11 forum at the J.D. Pone Recreation Center in Gray's Creek, where residents voiced concerns over noise, water pollution and power grid strain.
Residents seeking more details can review project updates and frequently asked questions at cumberlandcountync.gov/datacenter. The county also has an online survey, which can be taken at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/datacenterinput.

In other City of Fayetteville news
A task force working under a joint city-county resolution met on Aug. 4 to finalize an interlocal agreement. They voted to create a nine-member governing board, which includes a seat for a military representative, to oversee a single, consolidated Fayetteville-Cumberland County 911 facility. The agreement must be finalized by Sept. 6.
The task force included Mayor Mitch Colvin, Mayor Pro Tem Derrick Thompson and Council member Deno Hondros from the City of Fayetteville as well as Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Chair Kirk deViere, Vice Chair Veronica Jones and Commissioner Henry Tyson.

Cumberland County
At their work session on Aug. 10, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners supported ongoing interagency collaboration on behavioral health and public health initiatives.
They also considered a request from the Cumberland County Civic Center Commission for an economic impact study for the Crown Complex and directed staff to look at a scope and available partners like the Fayetteville State University business school.
On Aug. 3, board members issued local proclamations, recognized staff achievements and honored the late Commissioner Johnny Evans. Additionally, planning officials presented upcoming zoning standards for data centers, outlining future public town halls to gather resident feedback on environmental and infrastructure impacts.

North Carolina General Assembly
Both the House and Senate passed joint resolutions setting a tentative framework for the remainder of the year, with lawmakers scheduled to return periodically for non-voting or specific administrative check-ins rather than active daily legislative sessions.
The North Carolina Senate reconvened at the end of July to advance pre-negotiated conference reports including a technical corrections package and a regulatory reform package following the passage of the state budget. Key provisions included $10 million for the Rural Health Care Stabilization Program, restrictions on SNAP funding and new investment guidelines for county bonds.

Greater Fayetteville Chamber
Listen to live updates from community leaders at the Greater Fayetteville Chamber State of the Community on Tuesday, Aug. 25 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event brings together leaders from the City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County to discuss regional growth, economic development, healthcare, education and military partnerships. Guest speakers include Congressman Richard Hudson, State Auditor David Boliek, Cumberland County Commissioner Chair Kirk deViere, Mayor Mitch Colvin, along with Cape Fear Valley Health CEO Dan Weatherly, FSU Chancellor Darrell Allison, Longleaf Pine Realtors Vice President Paula Dingwall and Fayetteville PWC CEO Tim Bryant. Tickets are available to the public and can be purchased at www.faybiz.com.

About the Greater Fayetteville Chamber
Advocacy is a cornerstone of the Greater Fayetteville Chamber. Every week, the Chamber dedicates staff to attend City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County meetings as well as monitoring updates on the state and federal levels. We monitor legislation locally, statewide and federally to protect our community’s business interests. With 91% of U.S. adults recognizing a Chamber of Commerce's impact on growth, membership ensures a strong voice shaping policies, driving economic success and building a thriving business community—together. To learn more, visit www.faybiz.com or email jmclaughlin@faybiz.com.

100 Years Ago: Historical events from August 1926

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Tuesday, 11 August 2026

Written by Staff Report

The month of August has been home to many historical events over the years. Here's a look at some that helped to shape the world in August 1926.
• A thrown dagger narrowly misses the head of Spanish dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera on August 1 in Barcelona. A 34-year-old anarchist is arrested for the failed assassination attempt.
• The French passenger ship S.S. Lotus strikes the Turkish freighter S.S. Bozkourt on August 2. Eight passengers drown, and the captain of the Lotus is eventually charged with liability for the deaths by Turkish authorities.
• On August 3, the Mount Batur volcano on the island of Bali erupts for the first time since 1917. The village of Karang Anyar is destroyed during the eruption, but all residents safely evacuate.
• Shortly before noon on August 3, the first traffic lights in London come into operation at Piccadilly Circus.
• Sultan bin Zayed Khalifa Al Nahyan is killed by his half-brother, Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on August 4. Four years prior to his death, Sultan bin Zayed had teamed up with Saqr bin Zayed to kill their brother, Emir Hamdan bin Zeyed, and seize the throne of Abu Dhabi.
• Magician and escape artist Harry Houdini survives being sealed in a coffin and lowered into a swimming pool at a New York City hotel on August 5. Houdini, who would die from peritonitis less than three months after the stunt, used controlled breathing to remain conscious within the coffin for one hour and 31 minutes.
• The first British Grand Prix is held at the Brooklands motor racing circuit near Surrey, England, on August 7. Frenchman Louis Wagner wins the inaugural race.
• A hurricane strikes Nova Scotia on August 10. Two fishing boats capsize during the storm, claiming the lives of 48 individuals.
• Richard Reese Whittemore, the leader of a group of bank robbers active in the mid-Atlantic and eastern United States in the mid-1920s, is hanged on August 13. Whittemore's wife, Margaret, was also arrested but was never convicted for her role in the robberies.
• Father Luis Batiz Sainz is arrested by Mexican government agents in the state of Zacatecas on August 14. The arrest is part of a government-orchestrated purge of Roman Catholic clerics, and Batiz is executed by firing squad the next day.
• A coffin brought from Norway arrives in London on August 16. The coffin is believed to contain the remains of British Army officer and colonial administrator Field Marshal Herbert Kitchener, but the coroner finds the coffin contains only tar upon opening it in the presence of police. The stunt is later deemed a hoax.
• Marshal J—zef Pilsudski conducts a purge of the Polish military on August 21. The purge is conducted to remove any potential challenges to Pilsudski's authority.
• A bloodless coup overthrows Greek dictator Theodoros Pangalos on August 22. The coup is led by General Georgios Kondylis, who places Pangalos on the naval destroyer Pergamos.
• Popular Italian film actor Rudolph Valentino dies in New York on August 23. Valentino, just 31 at the time of his death, underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix eight days prior to his death, but was stricken with a case of then-untreatable pleuritis while convalescing on August 21.
• Forty-four coal miners are killed after an explosion at a Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation mine in Clymer, Pennsylvania, on August 26.
• Dutch Levsen of the Cleveland Indians starts and wins both games of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox on August 28. Levsen is the last pitcher in Major League Baseball to start and win each game of a twin bill. Levsen, who won just 21 games over the course of his six-year career, is also the last pitcher to throw two nine-inning complete games on the same day.
• The last voting rights of Italians are removed when the Fascist government abolishes the popular elections of municipal officials on August 30.

Kinlaw’s files plans to rebuild after 2-year wait

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Tuesday, 11 August 2026

Written by Luis F. Fuentes, CityView Today

Nearly two years after a fire decimated Kinlaw’s Supermarket, the longtime Fayetteville staple has filed plans with the city to rebuild with a 7,500-square-foot building.
Founded by Tommy Kinlaw and his brother Bobby, the meat market has continuously operated in east Fayetteville since its opening in 1979. On October 19, 2024, fire caused by an electrical short destroyed the original market’s building. Much of the structure was reduced to rubble.
“We’ve got a total plan already in place,” Tommy Kinlaw told CityView after the fire.
Kinlaw’s reopened the market in a temporary building at the same site on December 20, 2024. It offers a smaller selection of goods than the original market.
Proposed Plans for Rebuilding Kinlaw’s
Plans from Fayetteville-based Crawford Design Company feature a 7,500-square-foot building—more than double the footprint of the existing temporary market, which sits at around 3,000 square feet. Kinlaw’s Welcome Grill, which is also on the site and was not damaged in the fire, is about 4,300 square feet.
The new building will be located on the concrete pad between the existing buildings of the restaurant and market. Plans call for 34 parking spaces for the market, along with 20 existing spaces for the restaurant. Landscaping plans include adding a dozen trees and 143 shrubs to the site.
Kinlaw has said he aimed to fully reopen the store by August 2025, but rebuilding efforts were slowed by insurance settlements after the fire. The site and landscape plans were most recently reviewed by the city’s Technical Review Committee in late June. The TRC includes city staff members and representatives from outside agencies, such as the Fayetteville Public Works Commission, and ensures that developments comply with city codes and ordinances. After the TRC’s final approval of plans, they are valid for two years.
No date has been publicly announced for the project’s groundbreaking.
Though business is open with limited access inside the temporary market for shoppers, orders are fulfilled online and sales continue at the physical storefront.
Kinlaw, the store, and Crawford Design have not responded to repeated requests for comment.

America 250 mural brings local history into public view

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Tuesday, 11 August 2026

Written by Jamie Bishop

A mural can do something a textbook cannot. It can meet people where they are.
On the side of Cumberland County’s Headquarters Library, Fayetteville’s America 250 mural turns local history into something residents can encounter on the way to work, during a walk downtown or before stepping inside the library. Artist Max Dowdle designed the piece to do more than commemorate a milestone. He wanted it to make people curious about the city they call home.
“I wanted viewers to see that America’s story is made up of many voices, struggles and acts of courage across generations,” Dowdle said.
The mural, located on the Ray Avenue side of the Headquarters Library, is part of Cumberland County’s celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. It was supported through the America 250 North Carolina initiative and reflects the county’s broader effort to connect national history with Fayetteville’s own story.
Rather than center the piece on one person or one moment, Dowdle created a visual history that stretches across generations.
The Marquis de Lafayette represents Fayetteville’s connection to the Revolutionary era. But the mural also includes figures such as author Charles W. Chesnutt and Lewis Sheridan Leary, along with soldiers and activists whose lives reflect later chapters in the city’s history.
“My hope is that people leave recognizing that Fayetteville has been part of a larger American story that is still unfolding today,” Dowdle said.
For Dowdle, the project was personal as well as historical.
“I lived in Fayetteville when I was very young, so it’s always had a special place in my heart,” he said.
That connection deepened as he researched the city and its past. What stood out, Dowdle said, was how often Fayetteville found itself connected to larger moments in the American story.
“What stood out was Fayetteville’s deep connection to pivotal moments in American history and its role as a crossroads of different experiences and perspectives,” he said.
Lafayette remains one of the city’s most recognizable historical names, but Dowdle said he was equally interested in those who continued working toward the country’s ideals long after the Revolution. That decision gives the mural a broader purpose.
It does not present American history as something completed in 1776. Instead, it invites viewers to consider what came afterward: abolition, literature, military service, activism and the continuing struggle to define freedom and citizenship.
“Fayetteville’s history is rich, layered and uniquely suited to a mural that bridges past and present,” Dowdle said.
Public art is especially suited to that kind of storytelling.
Museums and historical collections preserve important records, but people usually have to make a decision to visit them. Murals work differently. They become part of the streetscape and place history directly in front of people who may not have been looking for it.
“Murals bring stories into everyday life,” Dowdle said. “People encounter them while going about their daily routines, often sparking curiosity about the histories and people depicted.”
That curiosity is part of what gives public art its value.
A child may notice a face and ask who it is. A longtime Fayetteville resident may recognize a name but learn a part of the story they never knew. A visitor may leave with a broader understanding of the city beyond its modern military identity.
“They serve as accessible entry points into local history, encouraging learning and conversation,” Dowdle said. “By placing history in public spaces, murals help keep those stories visible and relevant for future generations.”
The Headquarters Library is a fitting home for that mission.
The library, located at 300 Maiden Lane, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and has become one of the centers of Cumberland County’s America 250 programming. The library’s Local & State History Department has also worked to expand public understanding of the area’s Revolutionary-era history through programs and research projects tied to the Liberty Point Resolves.
Dowdle said the location made sense from the beginning.
“The library is a civic space dedicated to learning, discovery and public access to knowledge,” he said. “It welcomes people from all backgrounds, making it an ideal location for a project centered on history and community.”
In that way, the mural extends the library’s mission beyond its doors.
“The mural extends that mission beyond the building’s walls,” Dowdle said, “and invites visitors to engage with history before they even step inside.”
That may be what makes the project especially fitting for America’s 250th anniversary.
It does not ask Fayetteville simply to celebrate the past.
It asks people to look more closely at it.
And in a city whose history includes revolution, literature, military service, abolition and activism, the mural serves as a reminder that Fayetteville’s story has never belonged to one generation alone. It is still being written.
Visit the Cumberland County website for more information - https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/library-group/library/america-250-nc/america-250

(Photo: The finished America 250 mural on the side of the Headquarters Library at 300 Maiden Lane, celebrates Fayetteville's place in American history. Photo courtesy of Cumberland County Library)