Assistant Chief James Nolette is calling it a career after 24 years with the Fayetteville Police Department. “The plan was always to retire this year, and when Chief (Gina) Hawkins made her six-month announcement to retire, I tabled that talk in order to apply for the position of chief of police,” says Nolette, 48. “When Mr. (Douglas) Hewett announced to me that he would be selecting Chief Braden as the chief of police, I informed him that I would be seeking employment elsewhere with an organization that has been actively recruiting me or explore those options. When Chief Braden and I spoke after he was selected, I informed him of the same plans. I am eligible to retire, and shortly after Chief Braden was selected, I began exploring timelines to be able to exit. In short, I have a 12-year-old son and a wife I love. I have spent over 24 years dedicating my life to the citizens and the causes of this city, sacrificing weekends and receiving late-night phone calls every day for the past 10 years, and I did it willingly. Now it is time to focus on the family and my walk. It was always the plan to retire this year unless I was selected as the chief of police. It is now still the plan to retire this year.” Nolette has been an asset to the Police Department throughout his career, a policeman with a calm and reassuring way and with mitigation skills every police officer should learn from in their own careers. Nolette is devout in his Christian faith and the son of a retired police officer, and he leaves big shoes for Chief Kem Braden to fill when James Nolette departs the Police Department on June 1.
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“I want to express how disheartening it is to know that Miss Jada Johnson was shot 17 times,” former District 3 Fayetteville City Councilman Antonio Jones writes in an email about the death of the 22-year-old woman at the hands of a city police officer on July 1, 2022, in the Briarwood Hills neighborhood. Police officers responded to an emergency call from the home. “Seventeen: That is horrendous on any account,” Jones says. Police, according to published reports, have said Johnson was brandishing a gun and her grandmother and Johnson’s young daughter were in harm’s way. Grandfather Rick Iwanski also was in the home. Family members have filed a federal lawsuit against two police officers and the city.
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“We have some new council people, and when you have a person that's new to a job and you can't reach them or their advice to you is put it in faith, fix it or I may get to you in three to five days or but I'll eventually get back to you. We don't want to hear that,” Nubian Mitchell said Monday night at the public hearing on changing City Council members’ terms from two years to four years. “That's not why we elected you, and if that's what you're there for, then why bother. And I certainly don’t want to not have the option to choose someone else if that’s what I’ve been listening to for the last two years.” Miss Mitchell is right. There are those council members who fail far too often in responding to inquiries from their district constituents, as well as responding to media inquiries. And those council members should not be council members.
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“I’m excited that our wonderful city is recognized again as a finalist for the All-America City award,” Mayor Mitch Colvin says in a news release about Fayetteville qualifying as one of 20 cities in the running for the All-America City award sponsored by the National League of Cities. The 2023 awards for 10 cites nationwide are scheduled for June 9-11 in Denver. “With all the great things taking place throughout Fayetteville, it’s no wonder that we are one of the only 20 finalists in the entire country. I am proud we will be represented by our professional city staff in June.” The city has been awarded the honor previously in 2011, 2001 and 1985.
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Phil Barnard says he and his wife recently took a tour of the Cumberland County Memorial Arena and discovered those vintage photographs of Elvis Presley’s 1976 performances in the arena once on display have gone missing again. “I honestly don't know what to think at this point,” Barnard writes in an email. “I don't know if you want to get involved with this again or not. I just find it disheartening to know that these historical lost photos were once found in the dumpster, then stored in a backyard shed for years and then recovered years later, thanks to your efforts. And now possibly lost again.” I know where one is, Mr. Barnard. And CityView used a number of them for a Summer in the City party in 2022, but they were returned to the Crown. Otherwise, your guess is as good as mine. But it is a shame if they are lost again.
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Elizabeth Simmons will be among the many supporting the Step Up 4 Health and Wellness Expo scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Methodist University. “Initially, I got involved with the Ribbon Walk to support family and friends who were going through cancer and in memory of those who had died from cancer,” Simmons says in a Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation news release. “In 2015, it became even more personal for me with my own cancer diagnosis. It was during my cancer journey that I saw the help that was given to the cancer patients from the money raised from the walk. So, I have taken a more active role, not just as a participant but also by being a member of the planning committee. Now that the walk has been expanded to include a wellness expo and support many areas of care at Cape Fear Valley Health, I’m that much more excited to be involved. It gives me so much joy to be able to help others who are going through cancer, and I will continue to do it as long as I am able.” The 4K and 1-mile walk are scheduled for 10 a.m. The Wellness Expo is from 10:15 a.m to 1 p.m. There is no cost to attend the expo. For more information, send email inquiries to kcarpenter@capefearvallet.com or call 910-615-1514.
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A Seabrook/Broadell Neighborhood Community Watch is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 27 at Arthur D. Smith Recreation Center, 1520 Slater Av., according to Cynthia Leeks, the community watch president. Something you should know about Cynthia Leeks: She knows how to lead a community watch.
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Former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill basketball standout Tyler Zeller will be the guest speaker for the ninth annual Maxwell 3 on 3 Dinner scheduled for 6 p.m. May 11 at the Snyder Memorial Church fellowship hall. “This year, we are going to be launching a new chapter as we move to make more of an impact in the lives of youth throughout the year,” says Hunter Bell, an organizer of the tournament in memory of Billy Maxwell and his family including wife Kathy Maxwell, son Cameron Maxwell and daughter Connor Maxwell. Zeller was a member of the 2009 Tar Heels team that won the NCAA national championship and was the 2012 ACC player of the year before enjoying an eight-year career in the National Basketball Association with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. Tickets are $40, or you may purchase a table for eight for $300 or a table for eight in a preferred location for $500, which includes two tickets for a reception with Zeller. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit maxwell3on3.com, send emails to hunterpbell@gmail.com or call 910-366-7961. The tournament, with the mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, is scheduled for May 13 at Freedom Courts Sportsplex.
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The late Nancy Blackmon was a teacher and assistant principal at Terry Sanford High School, where she is remembered as an educator with a positive influence on students. The school was just a part of her DNA. She is being remembered at the second annual Nancy H. Blackmon Legacy Scholarship Golf Tournament scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start on April 29 at King’s Grant Golf & Country Club. A light breakfast is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. prior to the four-golfer team captain’s choice event, where organizers are hoping to raise $25,000 for an endowment to create an annual scholarship for a graduating senior at the school. The entry fee for a four-golfer team is $250. The individual entry fee is $75. Registration deadline is April 22. To register and for more information, visit https://www.eventcreate.com/e/nhbscharship or call 910-978-9058. Nancy Hedrick Blackmon was 79 when she died Nov. 4, 2010.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
