Page 18 - Steve Devane News Today

LILLINGTON — Harnett County deputies are looking for a man who is accused of killing one man and shooting another. James Lee Jones Jr., 38, of Spring Lake, is charged with murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, possession of a firearm by a felon and six counts of assault with a deadly weapon with a minor present, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office. Jones also is known as “Goldie” or “Jimmy,” it said. Jones is acc...

The Fayetteville Observer Police have identified a man who was found dead in a backyard on Slater Avenue early Tuesday and said a second man died after being shot. Officers were called to the house on the 1800 block of the street just before 12:15 a.m. Tuesday after shots were reportedly fired in the area, according to a statement released by the Fayetteville Police Department. Trevonte Dawaine Parker, 24, of the 1100 block of Armadillo Drive, died. He had multiple gunshot wounds, the statemen...

Heather Merritt was in jail five and a half years ago when she decided to end her addiction to opioids. Now she wants to be sure people facing similar struggles aren’t forgotten in a world dominated by COVID-19. “I understand that we’re in a pandemic,” she said. “At the same time, people are still dying of drug overdoses.” Heather Locklear, who is in a treatment program, has similar feelings. She said six of her friends have died of overdoses in the past year. “Opioids are killing...

Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States today during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. He is scheduled to take the oath of office at noon. Biden becomes president during one of the more tumultuous times in the nation’s history. The country is facing a pandemic caused by COVID-19, rough economic conditions after businesses lost customers and employees lost jobs, and racial tensions related to how law enforcement officers treat Black people. The situation intensified Jan. 6,...

Cumberland County teachers say they’re ready to take the COVID-19 vaccine because it will help protect their students, their families and the community. The county Health Department is working on plans to be sure teachers can be vaccinated. Health Director Jennifer Green is holding weekly meetings with educators to be sure they are familiar with how to register to get the vaccine. Marvin Connelly Jr., superintendent of Cumberland County Schools, said teachers could start getting the vaccine l...

Cumberland County will start offering the COVID-19 vaccine to those who are 65 years old and older Friday. The county made the move after the state expanded its vaccine protocols to include residents who are that age. The vaccine had previously only been available to those who are 75 years old and older. The vaccine also has been available for healthcare workers, with an emphasis on those who treat patients with COVID-19. The new protocols allow any healthcare workers to get the vaccine. Cumber...

Cape Fear Valley Health system needs nurses, and its willing to pay them.  The system wants to increase the number of nurses it hires by 20% this year because of COVID-19, with the hope of hiring as many as 100 nurses in the next two months. A national nursing shortage is making it hard for hospitals to care for patients with the disease, which is caused by a highly infectious coronavirus. More than 100 COVID-19 patients were in Cape Fear Valley Medical Center on Thursday, including 11 in the...

Covering a mural around the Market House that said in part that “Black Lives Do Matter” on Monday was “incredibly bad timing,” the mayor of Fayetteville said. Mayor Mitch Colvin made the comment at the beginning of a City Council meeting Monday. The meeting was shown on the city’s YouTube channel. Colvin apologized and said he took ownership of the mistake. He said a contractor covering the words might not have considered the sensitive nature of doing the work after the events in Wash...

Students in Cumberland County Schools will return to in-person classes March 15 under a plan presented to the Board of Education on Tuesday by Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr. The board voted in November for in-person instruction to begin this month, but gave Connelly authority to delay the opening if COVID-19 cases were high in the area. Connelly said the metrics used to measure the amount of disease are not low enough for students to return to school buildings now. Connelly said he hopes t...

Fayetteville prepared to spread sand and salt on city streets if snow falls, but police say residents should stay off of slick roads if possible.