Chatham News & Record Vol. 148 Issue 48

VOLUME 146 ISSUE 48 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2024

CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM

C HATHAM NEWS & R ECORD THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

the

BRIEF

CHATHAM’S MOST TALENTED TEEN WRITERS Late last year, the Chatham Library held a writing contest for the county’s teens. The library and the winners generously allowed us to print the winning submissions.

This week we have secondplace winner Aubin Elise, a homeschooled student from Siler City.

this week

Join Chatham Republicans to donate blood The Chatham County Republican Party is sponsoring a Red Cross blood drive at Mt. Pisgah Church in Apex on Saturday, Feb. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Red Cross urgently needs donations of blood and platelets to restock supplies in North Carolina.

Visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or to find other drives in the area.

COURTESY PHOTO

Aubin Elise

HELLO! I’m Aubin Elise.

At 14 1⁄2, I began writing a coming of age story about a girl who must unsolve a murder case before her father prosecutes the wrong man. I published that book, The Second

Nature of Indigo, three months after turning 17. I am now 18, and have wrien 13 short stories and am currently working on the second and third books of the Indigo series. I live with my lovely family in Siler City.

While I’m bending my back on my lyra hoop, my head is full of Japanese vocabulary and new story ideas. To learn more about my story, go to AubinElise.com.

This story is a mix of familiar and foregin. Playing cards is a family tradition. I play all sorts of games with my grandparents: diminishing, crib-

bage, hearts, spades, honeymoon bridge, peck, you name it. Music is also something deeply rooted in me. Whether I’m listening to other’s music or singing to myself, the rythem has shaped me. On the other hand, I’ve never been in an active war zone or lived in a world without my native language. Familiar or not, I wanted to share a lile of the beauty I find in simple things like those busted ol’ playing cards and a certain dirty kitchen table.

Turn to page A10 to read “Music Sparks a Memory...”

Chatham State of Our Schools address The State of our Schools address will take place on Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. at the new Central Services building at 468 Renaissance Drive in Pittsboro. Enjoy student performances and a presentation on investing in the future.

Chatham’s best spellers to gather The Chatham County Schools district-wide spelling bee will take place Feb. 7th at 6 p.m at Chatham Central High School. The winners of spelling bees from local schools will gather to determine who best dominates the dictionary.

Local colleges host ‘FAFSA Day’ Jan 27 60 universities and community colleges across North Carolina will host free “FAFSA Day” events later this month to assist students and parents with filling out the new financial aid form.

Locally, Central Carolina Community College in Sanford and Randolph Community College in Asheboro will participate, on Saturday Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Visit the CCCC Academic Assistance Center (Marchant Hall) on the Lee Main Campus at 1105 Kelly Drive in Sanford, or RCC’s event in rooms 106 and 108 in the Continuing Education and Industrial Center on the Asheboro Campus.

The FAFSA form allows eligible North Carolinians from households making $80,000 or less to access the Next NC Scholarship, a combination of the federal Pell Grant and state-funded financial aid that can fully cover tuition and fees at NC community colleges — or half, or more, of the costs to attend any public university in the state.

PJ WARD-BROWN | CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

J-M, Cummings game suspended due to brawl The varsity basketball game between Jordan-Matthews and Burlington Cummings was suspended with 4:54 left in the fourth quarter after an altercation involving a group of Cummings fans broke out in the stands. Jamari Amir Jones, 18, of Burlington, faces charges of assault on a school employee and disorderly conduct after he knocked Jordan-Matthews Principal April Burko to the ground as she tried to restore order. Turn to page B1 for more.

Cops seize firearm after Northwood High student brought gun to school Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — A firearm brought to Northwood High School by a 14-year old student was seized after reports were made that the student had brought the weapon to school, shown it to another student, and made threats of conducting a shooting at the school.

According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 17, and deputies visited the student’s residence where they found and confiscated the firearm. The department said it was preparing to file juvenile petitions with the Department of Juvenile Justice in relation to the incident.

“The safety of our students is our top priority,” said Chatham Sheriff Mike Roberson. “We will not tolerate any actions that jeopardize the well-being of our school environment. School safety is everyone’s responsibility, and we urge the public to be vigilant.”

Dr. Anthony D. Jackson, Superintendent of Chatham County Schools, echoed this sentiment. “Ensuring the safety of every student is our top priority in the Chatham County School system,” Jackson said.

“Unsafe and dangerous behaviors will not be tolerated, accepted, or ignored. Students who violate our Code of Civility may face disciplinary consequences, including the possibility of long-term suspension.”

Jackson also praised the immediate response of the Northwood administration and the Sheriff’s Office. “Safety is a shared responsibility,” he added. “We encourage everyone to report any potential threats to school safety promptly to the appropriate authorities.”

The Sheriff’s Office and the Chatham County Public School System have assured the community that there are no additional concerns regarding school safety related to this matter. However, as a precautionary measure, additional Sheriff’s Office staff were on hand at Northwood High School on Friday to provide support and ensure ongoing safety. School counselors were also available for students and staff.

The department said it was preparing to file juvenile petitions with the Department of Juvenile Justice in relation to the incident.

Chatham commissioners consider Seaforth Road water treatment facility and new Verizon tower

By Robert Owens for Chatham News & Record THE JANUARY 16TH regular session of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners convened at 6:00 PM and after opening with the pledge of allegiance moved item 235011 from the consent to the regular agenda for the evening meeting. The amended agenda was approved unanimously and the floor opened to comment from the public and matters of business.

Betty Krause, President of the North Chatham area addressed the decline of global insect populations and her work surveying the presence of bumblebees in the county. She reported that in the process of photographing over 150 bees, she discovered that there are five different species currently living in the county including the four major species expected for the climate of the region. Ms. Krause informed the board that she had received negative feedback about the presence of bees in parks and emphasized the importance of native plants and the presence of pollinators on public land. She ended her time suggesting the board consult with local experts before taking any action that might harm the local bee population.

Following Ms. Krause, Commissioner Delaney then addressed 23501 and stated their opposition to rezoning of lots for development types that may not be currently permitted. A motion was then made to rezone parcels on behalf of Catalyst

Capital Partners to allow for the creation of commercial residential space in Baldwin Township with an aim of increasing access to affordable housing. This motion carried unanimously and will hopefully see more affordable accommodations in Baldwin.

Presenters for and speakers opposing the construction of a water treatment facility on Seaforth Road both presented their views on the project. The facility is proposed as a solution to meet the long term needs of the surrounding community and is a partnership between multiple cities and private entities. Project planners emphasized that the treatment facility would retain a pleasant appearance and be non disruptive to the community. Potential neighbors such as John Chappo who presented in opposition, believe that the size and scope of the project is too large to not negatively impact the value of nearby homes and rural life quality of residents. Additionally a health and safety impact report needs completion to more accurately gauge viability. Pat Gallelli anSee MEETING, page A2

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

A2 THURSDAY

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From the Sexton Family Thank you to everyone for all the kindness, thoughts, prayers, and food that was given during the time of losing Lonnie.

“Join the conversation”

Also, thank you to Bob Wachs, Wesley Thomas, and Donaldson Funeral Home for doing such a wonderful job.

Lonnie Sexton Sep. 3, 1942 ~ Jan. 6, 2024

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:

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The Chatham News & Record (USPS #101-160) is published weekly, 52 weeks a year, by North State Media LLC, 303 West Raleigh Street, Siler City, N.C. 27344.

MEETING, from page A1 other neighbor to the proposed site, was concerned about the speed limit of the nearby roads in the event of construction, and proposed lowering it for public safety. All matters related to the water treatment plant were referred to the planning board and the hearing closed.

A special use permit from The Towers LLC for a telecommunications tower in Cape Fear Township was submitted to the Commission and referred to the planning board. John Hegley speaking for The Towers indicated that the new development

would expand Verizon coverage in the area. The agreement with Verizon is in place pending the construction of the tower preventing a delay finding a service provider for the project. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund Award recommendations for 2023-2024 received approval.

The program began in 2018 has funded housing projects for low income families and will continue you to work toward equitable housing solutions.

Commissioner Delaney reported a positive experience visiting the Lumbee tribe community event and suggested the council look for ways to honor in-

digenous residents in Chatham County. Delaney also reported a visit to the North Carolina Economic Forecast run by the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Other topics of concern presented during public comment to the Commission included suggestions of ending mail in ballots due to multiple residences allegedly getting more then a single ballot per person, hand counting of paper ballots, listing of no trespessing properties to assist hunters and oppositions to the late tax listing penalty.

Chatham County Board of Commissioners meet on the third Monday of the month.

N.C. POSTMASTER Send address changes to The Chatham News & Record, PO Box 290, Siler City, N.C. 27344

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We closed 58 properties for a total of $23,395,650 and 975.212 acres.

We expect 2024 to be another above average year and look forward to helping more of you with your real estate needs.

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THIS WEEK’S VIDEO 10 Things You Need To Know when Buying Land in North Carolina

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Families are invited to join us at the Chatham Community Library (197 NC Hwy 87 N, Pittsboro) in the Lakritz Story Time Room for a weekly story time. Hear stories, sing songs, and more! Story time is geared toward children who have not yet entered kindergarten (ages 2-5), but anyone is welcome to join in on the fun! For more information, contact Youth Services via email at youth.services@ chathamlibraries.org.

Preschool Story Time

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Families are invited to join us at the Chatham Community Library (197 NC Hwy 87 N, Pittsboro) in the Lakritz Story Time Room for a weekly story time. Hear stories, sing songs, and more! Story time is geared toward children who have not yet entered kindergarten (ages 3-5), but anyone is welcome to join in on the fun! For more information, contact Youth Services via email at youth.services@ chathamlibraries.org.

Feb. 1 Red Cross Blood Drive 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

The Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at the Siler City Moose Lodge (721 Alston Bridge Road, Siler City). Walkins welcome or make an appointment online at redcrossblood.org

Publisher Popup at Flyleaf Books 6 - 7 p.m.

An exclusive bookish showcase with Penguin Random House. Get a behind-the-scenes view of the publishing industry with this lively talk given by sales reps from PRH! Sherry & Michael will present the very latest books and will offer a sneak preview on forthcoming hot titles to look out for. Tickets are available at flyleafbooks. com for $5 and includes admission to the talk, drinks & snacks, other free stuff (free books perhaps), and the chance to win some fun raffle prizes.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

Pittsboro simplifies electricity bills ing to promote affordable housing them the one base rate and then usage on top of that.”

The move will take effect in February and will not be retroactive.

“This is a very important topic that has come up in regard to affordable housing in multiple ways,” said Mayor Kyle Shipp.

“We appreciate the work and our partners in Sanford for working with us on this to make this policy.”

In addition, the board amended the budget ordinance fee schedule to remove the related language from there as well.

A hearing on an annexation request by Friendship Road, LLC for 5.6 acres of property located at 45 The Whites Way was held.

“This particular petitioner, who did have a conditional zoning approved in 2021, now has a site plan approved and is ready to get started on construction,” said Planning Director Randy Cahoon-Tingle. “This is actually 204 feet from the town limits and this particular piece, as a condition of their conditional

rezoning, was supposed to come before you and ask for non-contiguous annexation into the town limits.”

Following the hearing, the board approved the extension of the town’s corporate limits.

The board appointed Brian Finnigan, the lone applicant, as the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s ETJ member and then reappointed Alfreda Alston and Charity Mize to the Planning Board for the In-Town and ETJ representatives respectively.

The board was also presented with the results of their FY 2023 audit report which returned a clean opinion.

“You guys got an unmodified opinion, which is the best opinion you can get on an audit,” said Sharpe Patel PLLC senior audit manager Jacob Allen. “We did have some adjustments to the audit but they were routine adjustments. Ones we have every year. There was nothing out of the ordinary.”

The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will next meet Feb. 12.

January 11

January 14

x Braxton Howard Edmondson, 33, of Pittsboro, was arrested for failure to appear-driving while intoxicated, failure to appeardriving while license revoked/ impaired revocation, and failure to appear-possession of open container of alcohol in passenger area.

x Pedro Eduardo Martinez, 23, of Burlington, was arrested for failure to appear.

x Terrie Elizabeth Fields, 39, of Bear Creek, was arrested for larceny of a motor vehicle, felony larceny, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and 2 counts of possession of stolen goods/ property.

January 13

x Corey Robert Rives, 37, of Bear Creek, was arrested for larceny of a motor vehicle, felony larceny, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, possession of stolen goods/property, and conspire to commit felony larceny.

By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO – The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners met Monday, Jan. 8.

Owners of some multi-unit buildings will see lower electricity bills thanks to an ordinance change on monthly utility charges.

“For apartment complexes or anything that has one meter servicing multiple units, we have been charging our base rate times the number of units in that location,” said Finance Director Heather Meacham. “So if there are 40 apartments and our base rate is $23, it’s 40 times 23 and then usage on top of that. In line with our strategic plan and wanting to be a community that is open for affordable housing and those options, we want to remove that language from our Code of Ordinance.

“The way it will go essentially, is that those apartment complexes and any place that has multiple units hooked up to one meter, we would just be charging

CRIME LOG

x Trevon Lamont Easton, 28, of Apex, was arrested for assault with physical injury on a law enforcement officer, second degree trespassing, and resisting public officer.

x Darius Jeron Jones, 36, of Siler City, was arrested for felony possession of cocaine.

January 15

x Autumn Perez Hernandez, 50, of Pittsboro, was arrested for larceny of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a firearm by a felon and not following lawful commands. x Carson Kenneth Joyce, 29, of Bear Creek, was arrested for felony larceny and breaking and entering into motor vehicle.

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A3 Biden visits North Carolina, a state he hopes to win in November, to promote internet access

By Josh Boak The Associated Press RALEIGH — President Joe Biden on Thursday, Jan. 18 unveiled $82 million for North Carolina to help connect 16,000 new households and businesses to high-speed internet, delivering an election-year pitch about policies he says are “just getting started” at improving the United States.

Biden, the Democratic incumbent who is campaigning to win a second term, coupled his economic message with a few jabs at his predecessor, Donald Trump, currently the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination and his most likely future challenger.

Biden brought up Trump’s recent comment that he hoped the economy would crash soon because he doesn’t want to preside over job losses if he were to be reelected in November. Biden told his audience that Trump already was like Herbert Hoover, who held office during the 1929 stock market crash.

“He’s the only president to be president for four years and lose jobs,” Biden said of Trump.

Biden said the work his administration is doing in North Carolina, on high-speed internet, infrastructure and more, is happening in communities across the country, regardless of the politics.

“What we’re doing here in North Carolina is one piece of a much bigger story,” he said. Biden said he was keeping his promise “to be a president for all America, whether you voted for me or not.”

Biden talked about all the people who need high-speed internet because they work from home, businesses who need it to reach customers and students who need to do their school work.

“High-speed internet isn’t a luxury anymore. It’s an absolute necessity,” he said in Raleigh, the state capital. “The investment in high-speed internet means something else as well: good-paying jobs.”

Biden’s reelection campaign has made winning North Carolina and its 16 electoral votes a top priority. The Democrat narrowly lost the state in 2020 by 1.34 percentage points to Trump. They are expected to face each other again in November.

Fast-growing North Carolina is considered a presidential battleground, but only twice in the last 40-plus years has a Democrat won the state’s electoral votes: Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Barack Obama in 2008.

Trump won the state in both 2016 and 2020, with the latter victory in part a result of massive

turnout for Republicans in rural and non-urban counties overcoming increasingly Democratic strongholds in and around Raleigh and Charlotte.

Republicans hold narrow veto-proof control of the state legislature and a majority on the state Supreme Court. But voters still appear comfortable with a Democratic state chief executive who attempts to counteract GOP policies, which recently have included more abortion restrictions and expanded private school vouchers. Democrats have held the governorship for all but four years since 1993.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is term-limited from running this year, spoke before Biden on Thursday, boosting Biden and criticizing Trump.

“I want a president who wakes up every morning thinking about the American people instead of a president who wakes up every morning thinking about himself,” Cooper said.

Polling shows that the economy has been a weakness for Biden, a reflection of inflation hitting a four-decade high in June 2022. Easing inflation rates since then have yet to pull Biden’s approval ratings back to their levels at the start of his presidency. The president has tried to empathize with voters grappling with higher inflation, but he has stressed that his policies are fostering the creation of factory and construction jobs with middle-class wages.

“When jobs grow, everything grows,” Biden said as he ticked through federal spending on projects made possible by his pandemic aid package and an infrastructure law.

The president later picked up a burger, fries and shake from Cook Out and held what his campaign described as a “kitchen table conversation” at the home of a family that benefited from the administration’s student loan forgiveness programs.

The administration is committing a total of $3 billion to build and fund internet connections in North Carolina. The administration estimates that an additional 300,000 state residents will be able to access the internet by the end of 2026.

One way the administration says it has lowered costs for families is by providing discounted internet service to 880,000 households in North Carolina. But the administration is calling on Congress to renew the Affordable Connectivity Program, a separate source of funding that is set to run out of money in April. The program has helped 22 million people save $30 to $75 a month on their internet bills, the administration says.

Hello Chatham!

Are you looking for a meaningful volunteer experience?

Chatham Literacy is seeking volunteers to serve as instructors (to adults 18+ years old) for:

The Pittsboro Rotary Club, in partnership with the Chatham YMCA and Chatham County Schools, hosted over 100 community members for their first MLK Day of Service Project. Over 600 bags filled with donated personal hygiene items were delivered to CORA Food Pantry and Love Chatham. Thank you to our partners & community members for supporting this amazing cause!

• Reading, Writing and Math; • English for Speakers of Other Languages; • Citizenship Preparation; • Financial Literacy Basics; and • Spanish Literacy (must be bi-lingual) As a volunteer tutor, you will teach 1-2 classes per week for 2 hours each time.

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

A4

OPINION Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

COLUMN | ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN

A surprise saint

I truly believe that such saints live all around us.

OUR TOILET WAS CLOGGED. Although I plunged and cursed at it repeatedly, I could not fix it. I called my friend and asked for a recommendation for a plumber. “I know just the guy,” he replied. “He’s a real character!” This was a cryptic comment, but I was in need. I texted his guy, and he answered right away. He promised to come to our house at lunchtime.

An unassuming van pulled into our driveway. I opened the back door for this older man, who wore overalls and a work shirt. He had white hair and an even longer white beard. He smelled faintly of pipe smoke. His face was ruddy, his eyes twinkled, and when he laughed, his round belly shook like a bowl full of jelly.

I led this jolly gentleman upstairs and showed him the toilet on the naughty list. I explained that I had to get back to work, but my wife would be downstairs.

I asked if he thought he could fix the problem. He chuckled. “Just leave it to me.”

A short time later, my wife texted. The toilet was

working, and the plumber didn’t charge us! He said it was a gift!

My kids have often wondered what a certain jolly old man did the other 364 days of the year. Of course, all resemblances aside, you are probably thinking that the plumber was not really Santa Claus.

Yet, it is true that Saint Nicolas was once a person who lived in community and sought to help those in need. Granted, medieval homes did not have indoor plumbing. But while a saint may be venerated as a historical figure deemed especially holy or reverent, I think we should recognize and appreciate anyone who gives of their time and expertise to make a positive difference for someone else. I truly believe that such saints live all around us: picking up trash, filling potholes, clearing hiking trails and teaching magic tricks to our children in the park.

If you need further proof of the magic of the saint who came to my house, let me tell you that our toilet has never worked so well.

EDITORIAL | BOB WACHS

It’s time to see what time it is

I have, through the years, noticed a few things about time.

AS THE CLOCK TICKS ON and the years go by and I have more candles on the birthday cake, I find I seem to pay more attention to time.

I don’t think it’s an obsession and I don’t understand it any better than before; maybe it’s just an awareness of how fragile and passing it is. I often wonder about the things I do and don’t do and wonder “why” to both of them.

When I take the time to drop a note or make a call, after an internal nudging, I’m never unhappy about it. When I find I have some unexpected time and then don’t seem to get much done I wonder if that time was wasted. That, of course, gets into what does “wasted” mean anyway.

Was it wasted time to read another chapter in a good book? Was it wasted time to watch a rerun of “The Andy Griffith Show” I had seen 10 times before? I guess all that is a personal decision.

I have, through the years, noticed a few things about time. One is that work usually expands to fit the time allotted for it. If, for instance, your task is to mow the front yard and realistically you can do it in two hours then if we’re not careful we’ll spend two-thirds of the day procrastinating, stalling, working slowly, taking breaks, whatever.

I’ve also noticed time has a way of changing. Years ago, for instance, when I still had the set of Compton’s Pictured Encyclopedia that my mama and daddy bought for their boys, I could look up “Hippopotamus,” for instance, in a shade under eight or 10 seconds.

Didn’t matter that the volume, dated somewhere around 1955, might be years out of date and some of the information not that current.

During the past decade or so, my better half did some shopping and introduced me to the world of computer

information. So today, thanks to the hardware and the Internet, if I want to know something about a hippopotamus, I turn the thing on, wait for it to run through its various cycles and do all the things it has to do.

Then, when I go to whatever information site I want I can get all kinds of information. The fact it will take a minute or so will eventually irk me a great deal. So which is faster: the old way or the technological way?

But even more important, I think, is which information is the better one to have.

Years ago, when I was a cute little boy in short pants (which was, indeed, years ago) if someone had told me that in this day and age I could communicate with almost anyone in the world almost instantly and get all kinds of information I would have marveled and said to bring it on. Now, the fact it takes what I often think is too long tells me mostly how my thought process about time has changed.

All that, of course, brings me/us back to the important question: how are we using the time we have.

I don’t think I have one foot on the Social Security system and the other on a banana peel but sometimes I act like I’ve got some 60-plus more years to go. That’s why there are books and magazines and newspapers and old video cassettes all around my place. “I’ll save it for another day,” I reason and sometimes those days do come but most times they don’t.

I’m starting to realize more and more that every once in awhile it’s a good idea to take the time to take stock of what we do and to make sure we make good use of our time.

That’s all for now . . . I just discovered under a pile of papers an old John Wayne western VHS I haven’t seen in 30 years.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

COLUMN | JAN HUTTON

COLUMN SUSAN ESTRICH

Not listening? Not listening!

I’m not very nice to myself when I notice my human imperfections.

I WANT MORE of that nuclear-powered fudge!

No. I-want-more-fudge. Now! No. No. No. Sigh. The internal discussion of my dreams. Not. I do want more fudge, but my body, which has a quiet voice of its own, is saying “no.” Again and again. I truly want to listen, but the fudge vortex (its creaminess and stimulating chocolate intensity) leaves me feeling a bit like a moth hovering around a f lame. And you can guess how that usually ends….

My body frequently communicates with me. It’s just that I’d often rather not listen (especially if it’s about fudge); or that miniapple pie, with servings for 2 (truthfully, all for me); or my inability to move past those luscious (vegan! gluten-free!) maple muffins at my food coop. No, no, just STOP already!

I choose not to acknowledge the overt communications from my body’s wisdom, denying their veracity at times. I want, what I want, when I want it (especially that fudge.) You’ve been there, right?

Where do I even begin with these internal contradictions? And with my rush to selfjudgment?

Um, well, how ‘bout: HUMAN, HERE! I guess that would be me, human, that is.

Wait, you are, too? Oh, such a relief! Feeling less alone in my internal contradictions is a partial balm for, well, being an imperfect human.

The challenge is that I’m not very nice to myself when I notice my human imperfections. At all.

Hey, what about a dose of compassion?

Compassion? Kind of ooey-gooey, if you ask me! (Not an ooey-gooey fan.)

What the heck. Try this on for size. Let me know if it’s too ooey-gooey.

In the self-compassion literature (be nice to yourself!) we’re reminded that talking to ourselves, with kindness, is ultimately a gift. (OK, I can live with the gift giving part.) Assuming I choose to do the spade work for developing a kinder inner voice (a seemingly never ending effort), what helps keep me af loat in the interim? Fudge?

Nope, but I do have a low-calorie, relatively decent, substitute (well, almost) for fudge. Humor! Granted, it might not be as tasty as fudge, but humor can certainly be filling (and cheaper.)

Oh, and by the way, there’s also a hidden gift in humor - smiling. (You’ve already said you like gifts. Right?)

“People who had a sincere smile, had better cardiovascular activity, so lower heart rate and also recovered from stress faster. The people with a fake smile also had a lower heart rate and a faster recovery.”

(Take it from the University of Minnesota.)

So there we go! A suggested way forward while I’m doing all the “be kinder to myself” spade work. Yep, this human bundle of complexities, when noticing my next behavioral contradiction, will raise my eyebrows, take a deep breath, and exhale in frustration. However, at that very juncture, the edges of my lips will begin to curl in a smile (fake, or not) and stress begins to dribble away. I’ll remind my spirit that we all exist among a forest of humans and most of us are a batch of contradictions. But we just keep trying…

COLUMN | BEN SHAPIRO

Why Donald Trump won the GOP nomination He needed Joe Biden to be so terrible at his job, so outright awful, that Trump would suddenly look competitive.

DONALD TRUMP is the presumptive Republican nominee for president after a dominant performance in the Iowa caucuses — a performance in which he earned over 50% of the vote and left his closest competitors in the dust.

Get ready for “Trump vs. Biden II: Electric Boogaloo.”

The big question, of course, is “why?”

Why does Trump retain such a grip on the Republican imagination after losing the 2020 election, contributing heavily to the loss of two Republican Senate seats in Georgia in 2021, and contributing heavily to the loss of the Senate in 2022 with his spate of bizarre primary picks? Why should Trump, who spends much of every day fulminating about his upcoming legal cases, have the upper hand against Republicans without such baggage? Why does Trump, who is certainly no conservative ideologue, live so large in the imagination of conservatives?

There are several reasons.

Primarily, Trump is lucky in his enemies.

To be more precise, Trump’s very presence on the political stage — and his victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016 — drove his enemies out of their minds.

Those enemies determined that any and all means were appropriate for undermining his presidency and his 2020 reelection bid: from Russian collusion nonsense to multiple impeachments, from nodding at historically damaging riots to blaming him for a pandemic, from changing the voting rules to lying about and then shutting down the dissemination of the Hunter Biden laptop story, anything was on the table.

So when Trump claimed in the post-2020 election landscape that he had been robbed of victory, that contention rang true, even if his contentions about outright voter fraud remained unproven.

Trump has been the title character of “Trump: The Series” since 2015. In the end, the chances that Americans would allow a recasting before his reelection effort were always low. But those chances shrank to zero the moment Trump’s enemies weaponized the legal system against him.

When Trump’s enemies, in the aftermath

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of Joe Biden’s election win, continued to come after Trump using the legal system, Trump argued that he was a stand-in for conservatives everywhere, who feel that they are targeted for destruction by America’s most powerful institutions. That argument had major purchase: by polling data, Trump’s bump to the top of the Republican 2024 heap came not with his reelection announcement, but with the announcement in March 2023 that he would be indicted in Manhattan on specious charges of campaign finance violation. The drumbeat of new legal charges against him, dropped everywhere from Florida to Washington, D.C. to Georgia, simply added fuel to the fire.

Perhaps even that legal news could have been turned against Trump in a primary race. But there was one more factor Trump needed: He needed Joe Biden to be so terrible at his job, so outright awful, that Trump would suddenly look competitive.

The electability argument — the argument that Trump’s losing record since 2016 would continue into 2024 — collapsed for Trump’s Republican opponents as Biden’s approval rating sank into the 30s. Republicans’ hearts were with Trump; now their heads could be with him, too.

And so Trump is the presumptive nominee.

The only question is whether he will reenter the White House in January 2025.

And that question, ironically, will be answered less by Trump than by Biden.

Trump’s campaign will be relatively quiet: He’ll be relegated to courtrooms and TruthSocial; there will be no debates.

Which means that 2024 could easily be a referendum on Biden’s presidency. And if that happens, Trump will have capped the most remarkable political comeback since Richard Nixon won the White House in 1968.

Ben Shapiro, 39, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show,” and co-founder of Daily Wire+. He is a three-time New York Times bestselling author; his latest book is “The Authoritarian Moment: How The Left Weaponized America’s Institutions Against Dissent.”

BE IN TOUCH

Letters addressed to the editor may be sent to letters@ nsjonline.com or 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

How not to fix the immigration crisis NO ONE — or almost no one —can deny that there is an immigration crisis in America.

New legislation is needed, including more funding for a fair and effective system for controlling the border and handling the asylum process. In the Senate, key Republicans and Democrats are at least talking together about how to deal with the problem.

Not so in the House.

Last week, the House committee on Homeland Security raced to complete hearings on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, promising to bring charges against him by the end of the month. They wrapped up the hearings without testimony from the secretary himself, who, when he asked for a more convenient date to testify, was told to submit a written statement. Nor did they hear from anyone else from the Biden administration or from any constitutional experts who might have pointed to any “high crimes and misdemeanors” — the constitutional standard — that might justify impeachment.

According to the committee’s chairman, Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee, “The truth is that Secretary Mayorkas has disregarded court orders, laws passed by Congress and has lied to the American people. ... Who wants a secretary that can just disregard the fundamental pillars of the Constitution? We cannot tolerate that, whether they are a Republican or Democrat.”

But neither Green nor any other member of the committee could cite any “high crimes or misdemeanors” committed

by Mayorkas, nor could they point to any precedent for using impeachment — an extraordinary remedy — as the tool for resolving what is essentially a policy dispute with the administration.

Impeachment requires a twothirds vote in the Senate, which will simply not happen. It is a time-consuming process that will solve nothing. As Rep. Bennie Thompson, the ranking Democrat, pointed out, “This isn’t a real impeachment; it’s a predetermined, pre-planned, partisan political stunt,” one that no one in Congress expects will result in Senate conviction. “You cannot impeach a Cabinet secretary because you don’t like a president’s policies,” Thompson argued.

But you can try, which is what Republicans on the committee are apparently united in doing, not because it will change anything but because it will satisfy their hardline base and score political points.

It’s a tactic that is no more effective than putting migrants on buses, as the governors of Florida and Texas have done, and shipping them off to New York and Los Angeles and other cities for Democratic mayors to deal with.

No state — and no city — should be expected to deal with what is in truth a national problem.

Democrats need to recognize the policy failure at the border, the worsening problems of illegal immigration and drug trafficking at the border. It is a human crisis as well as a political one, and Biden will pay for it at the polls if it’s not addressed. But the Republicans, by resorting to impeachment and holding aid to Ukraine hostage, are playing partisan politics rather than doing anything constructive to address the underlying policy challenges.

As Princeton professor Deborah Pearlstein testified, at the invitation of Democrats on the committee, “Impeachment will have no impact on resources available to the border, and it will have no impact on the policies pursued by this administration at all.”

What Congress needs to do is legislate, not posture. Mayorkas is part of a bipartisan effort by Senate Democrats and Republicans to come up with legislation that will address issues of asylum and detention, as well as funding for border enforcement. Democrats need to acknowledge the failures at the border and deal with them.

Republicans need to stop playing games and do the work that they were elected to do.

Going after the scalp of Mayorkas solves nothing at all.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

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obituaries

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Frances Mcdermott Parks Jan.1st, 1926-Jan.12th, 2024

Frances McDermott Parks died January 12, 2024 at her home in Pittsboro, NC, surrounded by her family.

She was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania on New Years Day 1926. Frances and her husband, Frederick Edelin Parks moved to North Carolina in 1954.

Frances was known for many things including her impeccable style and beauty, her undisputed “Queen of Scrabble” skills, her cut-throat checkers moves, and her readiness to travel anywhere anytime anyone suggested it. She was game for new adventures like parasailing in Mexico at age 84 on one of her 18 consecutive annual trips there for a Winter reprieve. She loved the ski lift round trip at 80 in Switzerland, trekking all around Montreal on foot at 82, trying indigenous Jamaican foods at 84, dashing

Jean Tuck Haywood

January 27, 1940 ~ January 13, 2024 Jean Tuck Haywood,83, of Siler City, passed away Saturday, January 13,2024.

Jean grew up in the mill village of Ca-Vel. Jean was active in her home church and schools. She was a Scout, a member of the Ca-Vel basketball team. Jean held many positions as a member of Ca-Vel UMC; teacher, president of MYF. She was also active in District MYF. At the age of eleven, she was winning awards for making her own clothes. At this age, she accepted responsibility of preparing the evening meal for her father and sister.

Jean also ironed the family clothes. In high school, she excelled, working on the school

through airports in Barcelona 396 West St., Pittsboro, NC 27312 | 919-542-3057 | www.donaldsonfunerals.com and Madrid at 86, and seeing the sites in Portugal at 92.

As a member of the “greatest generation” she was witness to much history and great change in her 98 years and she took everything as it came and dealt with it. Through it all, this exceptional woman deeply loved and cared for her family.

Her holiday feasts were highly anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Frances was married for 46 years to Frederick Edelin Parks (1912 – 1992) and they had 6 children. James Guy Parks (1946 – 1988) (Sheila), Frances Gail Parks, (John Bradley), Thomas Frederick Parks (1950 – 2000) (Robin), Robert Edelin Parks, (Donna), Colby Scott Parks (1955 – 2015) (Marion), and Mary Emily Parks (Michael Hayes).

In addition, she is survived by her 11 grandchildren.

Frances Parks Carter, Melissa Edelin Parks, Eric Zachary Humphries, Thomas Frederick Parks, Preston Anthony Parks, HELEN COMER/THE JACKSON SUN VIA AP William Garrett Parks, Molly Parks Barrett, Russell Sheridan Dexter King, son of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., listens to arguments Parks, Sandra Parks Zaicko, in the State Court of Criminal Appeals in Jackson, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 29, 1997, to determine Elizabeth Parks Sturdivant, whether two Memphis judges have overstepped their authority surrounding the investigation and Blair Edelin Bradley. of the King assassination.

Frances also welcomed 18 great grandchildren.

Frances donated her body to the UNC School of Medicine.

We will celebrate her life at her home on Sunday March 3, 2024. Her family will welcome all from 2 pm to 4 pm. Please bring your memories to share.

newspaper, member of National Honor Society, chorus, and FHA. Jean attended Pfeiffer, attaining a BA in English.

Jean had various careers, teaching, social worker, Belk associate, and florist owner. However, much of her employment was as Executive Housekeeper. At Glenaire in Cary, NC, she established and developed the Housekeeping Department.

In retirement, Jean got to do the jobs she most loved; working part time in retail and in a florist.

Jean was a devoted daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. She moved through life making lifetime friends at every turn.

Jean is survived by her husband Willie Lee (Bill) Haywood, her daughter Sabrina Schulz (Dean), son Lee Haywood (Kara), four grandsons; Corey Schulz (Megan), Hunter Schulz (Kendall), Noah and Aaron Haywood, and is the beloved Aunt of many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life for Jean will be at 3:00pm Saturday, January 27, 2024 Pleasant Hill UMC 7019 Pleasant Hill Church Rd, Siler City, NC 27344 Refreshments and visitation in the church fellowship hall will follow the service.

Celebrate the life of your loved ones.

Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in NSJ at obits@northstatejournal.com

Dexter Scott King, son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dies of cancer at 62 The Associated Press ATLANTA — Dexter Scott King, who dedicated much of his life to shepherding the civil rights legacy of his parents, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died Monday after battling prostate cancer. He was 62.

The King Center in Atlanta, which Dexter King served as chairman, said the younger son of the civil rights icon died at his home in Malibu, California. His wife, Leah Weber King, said in a statement that he died “peacefully in his sleep.”

“The sudden shock is devastating,” Martin Luther King III, the older brother of Dexter King, said in a statement.

“It is hard to have the right words at a moment like this.

We ask for your prayers at this time for the entire King family.”

The third of the Kings’ four children, Dexter King was named for the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, where his father served as a pastor when the Montgomery bus boycott launched him to national prominence in the wake of the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks.

Dexter King was just 7 years old when his father was assassinated in April 1968 while supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.

“He turned that pain into activism, however, and dedicated his life to advancing the dream Martin and Coretta Scott King had for their children” and others, the Rev. Al Sharpton said in a statement.

396 West St., Pittsboro, NC 27312 | 919-542-3057 | www.donaldsonfunerals.com

He said Dexter King “left us far too soon.”

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, said he prayed with the King family Monday and extended “my deepest condolences, strength, and solidarity to them during this time of remembrance and grief.”

Dexter King described the impact his father’s killing had on his childhood, and the rest of his life, in a 2004 memoir, “Growing Up King.”

“Ever since I was seven, I’ve felt I must be formal,” he wrote, adding: “Formality, seriousness, certitude — all these are difficult poses to maintain, even if you’re a person with perfect equilibrium, with all the drama life throws at you.”

As an adult, Dexter King bore such a striking resemblance to his famous father that he was cast to portray him in a 2002 TV move about Parks starring Angela Bassett.

He also worked to protect the King family’s intellectual property. In addition to serving as chairman of the King Center, he was also president of the King estate.

Dexter King and his siblings, who shared control of the family estate, didn’t always agree on how to uphold their parents’ legacy.

In one particularly bitter disagreement, the siblings ended up in court after Dexter King and his brother in 2014 sought to sell the Nobel Peace Prize their father was awarded in 1964 along with the civ-

il rights leader’s traveling Bible used by President Barack Obama for his second inauguration. Bernice King said she found the notion unthinkable.

The King siblings settled the dispute in 2016 after former President Jimmy Carter served as a mediator. The items were turned over to the brothers, but other terms of the settlement were kept confidential.

Decades earlier, Dexter King made headlines when he publicly declared that he believed James Earl Ray, who pleaded guilty in 1969 to murdering his father, was innocent. They met in 1997 at a Nashville prison amid an unsuccessful push by King family members to have Ray stand trial, hoping the case would reveal evidence of a broader conspiracy.

When Ray said during their prison meeting that he wasn’t the killer, Dexter King replied: “I believe you and my family believes you.” But Ray never got a trial. He died from liver failure the following year.

Dexter King is survived by his wife as well as his older brother, Martin Luther King III; his younger sister, the Rev. Bernice A. King; and a teenage niece, Yolanda Renee King.

Coretta Scott King died in 2006, followed by the Kings’ oldest child, Yolanda Denise King, in 2007.

“Words cannot express the heart break I feel from losing another sibling,” Bernice King said in a statement.

A memorial service will be announced later, the King Center said.

We offer an on-site crematory with many options of Celebration of Life services, Traditional, and Green Burials. Call us to set an appointment to come by and learn more.

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

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TAKE NOTICE NOTICE OF HEARINGS TOWN OF SILER CITY

NOTICE

NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

The following items will be considered by the Siler City Town Board on Monday, February 5, 2024. The hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Siler City Court Room of the Siler City Town Hall at 311 N. 2nd Ave.

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

N.C. DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INTENT TO ISSUE NPDES WASTEWATER DISCHARGE PERMIT #NC0003433

Legislative Hearings

DISTRICT COURT DIVISION CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO. 19 CvD 838

DISTRICT COURT DIVISION CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO. FILE NO. 19 CvD 641

COUNTY OF CHATHAM Plaintiff, vs.

HUBERT MATTHEWS, et al Defendants.

COUNTY OF CHATHAM Plaintiff, vs.

The HEIRS, ASSIGNS and DEVISEES of JARMIRI BALKCON, et al

TO: PATRICE L. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and ANY HEIRS, ASSIGNS, or DEVISEES of PATRICE L. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder A pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action and notice of service of process by publication began on January 18, 2024.

The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Foreclosure on tax parcel(s) more completely described in the Complaint, to collect delinquent ad valorem taxes (assessments). Plaintiff seeks to extinguish any and all claim or interest that you may have in said property.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than forty (40) days after the date of the first publication of notice stated above, exclusive of such date, being forty (40) days after January 18, 2024, or

by February 20, 2024, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service of process by publication will apply to the Court for relief sought.

TO: The HEIRS, ASSIGNS and DEVISEES of JARMIRI BALKCON and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder and The HEIRS, ASSIGNS and DEVISEES of MARY THOMAS A/K/A MARY JONES and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder

R24 – 0102 – Rezoning of a portion of a parcel zoned Agricultural Residential (AR) to Agricultural Residential/ Conditional (AR-C), portion being 25.85 acres ±, addressed as unaddressed parcel at the corner of W. 3rd Street and Ellington Road (parcel number 13105) and being the property of Womble Leisel Estate et al & Womble Burdine Estate, represented by Wayne Nichols for Duke Energy Progress, LLC. The proposed items are available for review by contacting Jennifer C. Baptiste at jbaptiste@silercity.org or 919-726-8626. All persons interested in the outcome of the item are invited to attend the legislative hearing and present comments, testimony, and exhibits on the above referenced item.

These are separate hearings: Interested parties may submit evidence and written comments. Written comments or evidence on these applications can be submitted by email to kpickard@silercity.org.

Individuals desiring to speak must sign up by calling 919726-8620 before 12:00 p.m. on or before the scheduled public hearing date.

The Town of Siler City will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that disabled persons are provided other accommodations, such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing interpreters for the deaf, providing taped cassettes of materials for the blind, or assuring a barrier-free location for the proceedings.

This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Kimberly Pickard at 919-726-8620, 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344, or kpickard@ silercity.org for accommodations for this request. Esta información está disponible en español o en cualquier otro idioma bajo petición. Por favor, póngase en contacto con Kimberly Pickard al kpickard@silercity.org o 919-726-8620 o en 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344 de alojamiento para esta solicitud.

This the 4th day of January, 2024.

ZACCHAEUS LEGAL SERVICES MARK D. BARDILL/MARK B. BARDILL Attorney for Plaintiff NC Bar #12852/56782 310 W. Jones St. P. O. Box 25 Trenton, North Carolina 28585 Telephone: (252) 448-4541 Publication dates: January 11, 2024; January 18, 2024: January 25, 2024

A pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action and notice of service of process by publication began on January 18, 2024 The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Foreclosure on tax parcel(s) more completely described in the Complaint, to collect delinquent ad valorem taxes (assessments). Plaintiff seeks to extinguish any and all claim or interest that you may have in said property.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than forty (40) days after the date of the first publication of notice stated above, exclusive of such date, being forty (40) days after January 18, 2024, or

by February 27, 2024, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service of process by publication will apply to the Court for relief sought. his the 10th day of January, 2024.

ZACCHAEUS LEGAL SERVICES MARK D. BARDILL/MARK B. BARDILL Attorney for Plaintiff NC Bar #12852/56782 310 W. Jones St. P. O. Box 25 Trenton, North Carolina 28585 Telephone: (252) 448-4541 Publication dates: January 18, 2024: January 25, 2024: February 1, 2024

Public comment or objection to the draft permit is invited. All comments received by March 4, 2024, will be considered in the final determination regarding permit issuance and permit provisions.

PERMIT APPLICATION Duke Energy Progress, LLC, 526 South Church St., Charlotte, N.C., has applied for a Renewal of its NPDES wastewater permit (NC0003433) for Cape Fear Steam Electric Plant, 500 CP&L Rd., Moncure, Chatham County. The facility discharges industrial wastewater and stormwater to Cape Fear River and unnamed tributary to Cape Fear River in the Cape Fear River basin. Some parameters are water quality limited. This discharge may affect future allocations in this portion of the Cape Fear River basin. The location of Outfall 007 is: Latitude: 35035’3”; Longitude: 7902’27”. The location of Outfall 008 is: Latitude: 35035’29.54”; Longitude: 7903’3.85”. The location of Outfall 009 is: Latitude: 35035’37.9”; Longitude: 7903’4.1”.

The draft wastewater permit and related documents are available online at: https://deq.nc.gov/public-noticeshearings. Printed copies of the draft permit and related documents may be reviewed at the department’s Raleigh Regional Office. To make an appointment to review the documents, please call 919-791-4200.

Public comment on the draft modification should be mailed to: Wastewater Permitting, 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C., 27699-1617. Public comments may also be submitted by email to: publiccomments@ deq.nc.gov. Please be sure to include “Cape Fear” in the email’s subject line.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

A9

TAKE NOTICE NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION

Chatham County

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

North Carolina 23 E 704

DISTRICT COURT DIVISION CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO. 08 CvD 553 COUNTY OF CHATHAM Plaintiff, vs.

LEWIS L. MARSH, et al Defendants.

TO: The HEIRS, ASSIGNS, and DEVISEES of FAYE M. MCDONALD and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder A pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action and notice of service of process by publication began on January 18, 2024.

The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Foreclosure on tax parcel(s) more completely described in the Complaint, to collect delinquent ad valorem taxes (assessments). Plaintiff seeks to extinguish any and all claim or interest that you may have in said property.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than forty (40) days after the date of the first publication of notice stated above, exclusive of such date, being forty (40) days after January 18, 2024, or

by February 20, 2024, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service of process by publication will apply to the Court for relief sought.

This the 4th day of January, 2024.

ZACCHAEUS LEGAL SERVICES MARK D. BARDILL/MARK B. BARDILL Attorney for Plaintiff NC Bar #12852/56782 310 W. Jones St. P. O. Box 25 Trenton, North Carolina 28585 Telephone: (252) 448-4541

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Peggy J. Brinn, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, hereby notifies all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the decedent to present them to the undersigned on or before the 18th day of April, 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All person in-debted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 10th day of January, 2024.

Jack E. Brinn, Jr., Executor c/o Margaret K. Winfield PO Box 10669 Raleigh, NC 27605

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, PAUL S. CRIBBINS, having qualified on the 10TH day of JANUARY, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of DAVID RYAN CRIBBINS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of APRIL 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 18TH Day of JANUARY, 2024.

PAUL S. CRIBBINS, EXECUTOR 215 WEST PINE AVE. WAKE FOREST, NC 27587 Run dates: J18,25,F1,F8p

Publication dates:

EXECUTOR’S NOTICE TO CREDITORS

January 11, 2024 January 18, 2024 January 25, 2024

NOTICE NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO. FILE NO. 08 CvD 1004 COUNTY OF CHATHAM Plaintiff, vs.

The HEIRS, ASSIGNS and DEVISEES of JAMES W. HORTON, et al TO: The HEIRS, ASSIGNS and DEVISEES of JAMES W. HORTON and spouse, if any, which may include The HEIRS, ASSIGNS and DEVISEES of SHELLEY H. SANTIFUL and spouse, if any, which may include CLAUDIE SANTIFUL, JR.’s spouse, if any, and ANTHONY A. SANTIFUL and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder A pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action and notice of service of process by publication began on January 18, 2024.

The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Foreclosure on tax parcel(s) more completely described in the Complaint, to collect delinquent ad valorem taxes (assessments). Plaintiff seeks to extinguish any and all claim or interest that you may have in said property.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than forty (40) days after the date of the first publication of notice stated above, exclusive of such date, being forty (40) days after January 18, 2024, or

by February 27, 2024, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service of process by publication will apply to the Court for relief sought.

This the 10th day of January, 2024.

ZACCHAEUS LEGAL SERVICES MARK D. BARDILL/MARK B. BARDILL Attorney for Plaintiff NC Bar #12852/56782 310 W. Jones St. P. O. Box 25 Trenton, North Carolina 28585 Telephone: (252) 448-4541 Publication dates: January 18, 2024 January 25, 2024 February 1, 2024

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Jeanne Patricia Decherd of Chatham County, North Carolina, the under- signed does hereby notify all persons, firms, and corpora- tions having claims against the estate of said decedent to ex- hibit them to the undersigned on or before April 10, 2024 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All per- sons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate pay- ment to the undersigned.

This the 3rd day of January, 2024 Administrator Judith Decherd Jones 323 Carolina Meadows Villa Chapel Hill, NC 27517

NOTICE TO CREDITORS All persons having claims against Henry Peter Joseph L’heureux, Jr. (a.k.a. Henry P.J. L’heureux, Jr.) of Chatham County, North Carolina are notified to present them to Julia P. MacMillan, Executor of the Estate of Henry Peter Joseph L’heureux, Jr., in c/o Dean P. Broz, Attorney for the Estate, at Higgins, Frankstone, Graves & Morris, P. A., 1414 Raleigh Road, Suite 203, Exchange West at Meadowmont, Chapel Hill, NC 27517-8834 on or before April 25, 2024. Failure to present a claim in timely fashion will result in this Notice being pleaded in bar of recovery against the estate, the Executor, and the devisees of Henry Peter Joseph L’heureux, Jr. Those indebted to Henry Peter Joseph L’heureux, Jr. are asked to make prompt payment to the Estate.

Brittany N. Porter, Attorney for the Estate TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Road, Suite 203 Exchange West at Meadowmont Chapel Hill, NC 27517-8834

NOTICE TO CREDITORS ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Gloria Donna Sorensen (aka Gloria D. Sorensen), deceased of Chatham County, N.C., are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before April 22nd, 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 18th day of January, 2024. Keith R. Sorensen, Executor, c/o Andrew W. Blair, Poyner Spruill, LLP, 301 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1900, Raleigh, NC 27601 Chatham News: January 18, 25, Feb. 1, 8 2024

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY All persons having claims against the estate of BARBARA A. DEMAYO, of Chatham County, NC, who died on August 12, 2022, are notified to present them on or before April 10, 2024 to Francesco J. DeMayo, Jr., Executor, c/o Maitland & Stiffler Law Firm, 2 Couch Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery.

Michele L. Stiffler MAITLAND & STIFFLER LAW FIRM 2 Couch Road Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Attorney for the Estate

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Probate #___23-E-705___________ All persons, firm and corporations having claims against Michael Thompson Perry, late of Chatham County, North Carolina are hereby notified to present them to Catherine Lynn Jones, as Executor of the decedent’s estate in care of Kendall H. Page, Attorney, 210 N Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 on or before the 11th day of April 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the above named Executor.

Kendall H. Page 210 N Columbia Street Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Bar # 14261 Please run: 1/11/2024, 1/18/2024, 1/25/2024 & 2/01/2024

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, HO-YOL BOBBY LIM, having qualified on the 16th day of JANUARY, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JAE KU LIM, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 24th day of APRIL 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 25TH Day of JANUARY, 2024.

HO-YOL BOBBY LIM, ADMINISTRATOR CTA 1648 COLVARD FARMS RD. DURHAM, NC 27713 Run dates: J25,F1,F8,F15p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, PAMELA J. STONE, having qualified on the 29th day of DECEMBER, 2023, as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of EDGAR DENNIS STONE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 10th day of APRIL 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 11TH Day of JANUARY, 2024.

PAMELA J. STONE, ADMINISTRATOR 269 MILLBROOK DR. PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: J11,18,25,F1

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, DENISE D.DUNN, having qualified on the 2ND day of JANUARY, 2024, as EXECUTRIX of the Estate of DONALD RAY DAVIS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of APRIL 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 18TH Day of JANUARY, 2024.

DENISE D.DUNN, EXECUTRIX 904 BEAR CREEK CHURCH RD. BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 Run dates: J18,25,F1,F8p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, THOMAS ATKINSON, COEXECUTOR, having qualified on the 28th day of DECEMBER, 2023, as Executrix of the Estate of DONALD MILES ATKINSON, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 10th day of APRIL 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 11TH Day of JANUARY, 2024.

THOMAS ATKINSON, CO-EXECUTOR 6903 BEECHER RD. PLEASANT GARDEN, NC 27313 KENDRA ATKINSON RIGGSBEE, CO-EXECUTOR 58 OLD SANFORD RD. MONCURE, NC 27559 Run dates: J11,18,25,F1

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, APRIL E. KEMPER, ADMINISTRATOR, having qualified on the 3RD day of JANUARY, 2024, as ADMINSITRATOR of the Estate of MARION K. KEMPER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 10th day of APRIL 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 11TH Day of JANUARY 2024.

NOTICE OF PRIMARY ELECTION CHATHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA The statewide primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

Voters will be asked to show photo ID when they vote.

Voters who lack ID can get one for free from their county board of elections. If a voter does not have ID when they go to vote, they can still have their vote counted by either signing a form at the polls to explain why they are unable to show ID, or by voting a provisional ballot and returning to the county board of elections with their ID by 5 p.m. on March 14, 2024. Find out more at ncsbe.gov/voter-id.

Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Early voting will be held at the following locations from Thursday, February 15, 2024, through Saturday, March 2, 2024: National Guard Armory - Siler City 801 Alston Bridge Rd. Siler City NC 27344 Goldston Town Hall - Goldston 40A Coral St., Goldston, NC 27252 New Hope Baptist Church - Apex 581 New Hope Church Rd, Apex, NC 27523 CC Agriculture & Conference Center - Pittsboro 1192 US Hwy 64 W Business Pittsboro, NC 27312 CCCC Health Science Building -- North Chatham 75 Ballentrae Ct., Pittsboro, NC 27312

APRIL E. KEMPER, ADMINISTRATOR 301 PUREFOY RD. CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514 Run dates: J11,18,25,F1

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, TIMOTHY LEE, having qualified on the 11th day of JANUARY, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of PAMELA LEE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of APRIL 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 18TH Day of JANUARY, 2024.

TIMOTHY LEE, ADMINISTRATOR 220 N. RICHARDSON RD. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: J18,25,F1,F8p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, KENNETH ALLAN BLUME, having qualified on the 3RD day of JANUARY, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of PEGGY LUCILLE BRYANT BLUME, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 24th day of APRIL 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 25TH Day of JANUARY, 2024.

KENNETH ALLAN BLUME, EXECUTOR 134 STONEY CREEK WAY CHAPEL HILL, NC 27517 Run dates: J25,F1,F8,F15p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, ADAM COOK, having qualified on the 5th day of JANUARY, 2024, as EXECUTOR of the Estate of RICK EARL DIXON, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 17th day of APRIL 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This is the 18TH Day of JANUARY, 2024.

ADAM COOK, EXECUTOR 114 VINTAGE HILL CIRCLE APEX, NC 27539 Run dates: J18,25,F1,F8p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS COUNTY OF CHATHAM THE UNDERSIGNED, having qualified on the 19th day of December, 2023, as Executor of the ESTATE OF REINHOLD ERNEST TOMEK, Deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 12th day of April, 2024, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This, the 11th day of January, 2024.

IRENE G TOMEK EXECUTOR ESTATE OF REINHOLD ERNEST TOMEK c/o Richard G. Long III Walker Lambe, PLLC Post Office Box 51549 Durham, North Carolina 27717 NOTE: For publication in The Chatham News on the following dates: 1/11/2024, 1/18/2024, 1/25/2024, and 2/1/2024

Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters who have requested them beginning January 19, 2024. Absentee ballots must be received by the county board of elections no later than 7:30 p.m. on March 5, 2024.

A voter can fill out an absentee ballot request at votebymail.ncsbe.gov, or by filling out a request form provided by the county board of elections office. The request must be received through the website or by the CHATHAM Board of Elections by 5 p.m. February 27, 2024.

In the primary election, voters will select nominees for a political party to move on to the general election on November 5th. Contests on the ballot include U.S. President, U.S. House, N.C. Governor and other Council of State Offices, N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice, N.C. Court of Appeals, N.C. House, and Senate. The Town of Siler City Charter Amendment Question for the expansion of the Term of the Mayor.

In the primary, voters affiliated with a political party will be given a ballot of candidates for their party, if their party has a primary. Unaffiliated voters may choose to vote in any party’s primary, but they may select only one party’s ballot.

Seventeen-year-olds who live in the Town of Siler City will be eligible to vote for the Charter Amendment if they are eighteen on or before March 5, 2024.

Seventeen-year-olds who will be eighteen years of age by November 5, 2024, are eligible to vote in Party primary elections.

The voter registration deadline for this election is 5 p.m. Friday, February 9, 2024. Eligible individuals who are not registered by that deadline may register and vote at any early voting site during the early voting period. New registrants will be required to provide current documentation of their residence (for example, a government ID, other government document, or a paycheck, bank statement, or utility bill). Voters who wish to change party affiliation must do so by the February 9 deadline.

Questions? Call the Chatham Board of Elections Office at 919-545-8500 or send an email to Elections@ chathamcountync.gov Laura Heise, Chair Chatham County Board of Elections

LEGISLATIVE PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE TOWN OF PITTSBORO, NC On Monday, February 12, 2024 at 6:00 pm, the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will hold the following legislative public hearings in person at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center at 1192 Hwy 64 Business West, Pittsboro: PB-23-306 – Bellemont Station MUPD revision. A legislative request by CE Group, on behalf of Emgee, LLC (Prateek Chandak), are requesting revisions to the existing MUPD on parcels 72984, 84006, and 89786.

The combined acreage is approximately 154.42 acres, with parcel 89786 of approximately 6.755 acres already developed with apartments as part of the original approval. The project is located at US 15-501 N and Lowes Dr. Northwood Landing MUPD Sign Plan Amendment.

Northwood Landing MUPD is requesting to modify existing sign ordinance to align with current Town of Pittsboro standards stated in the UDO. This request is to ensure all signage within the Town of Pittsboro meets the same standard.

The hearing will be held in person. The public can also watch the hearing live on the Town’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@townofpittsboronc/ streams. Members of the public must attend in person if they wish to speak at the hearing.

Contact the Town Clerk, Carrie Bailey, by 4 pm on February 12, 2024, with written comments or to sign up to speak at the legislative hearing. You can contact Carrie Bailey at cbailey@pittsboronc.gov, (919) 5424621 ext. 1104, or PO Box 759, Pittsboro, NC 27312.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

A10

Music sparks a memory…

The kitchen table is never clean. Eternally, there is some junk mail, newspapers, a deck of cards, and an overdue library book or two (the tab is running up, but Grandma and Grandpa consider it something of a utility bill - much to the chagrin of the librarians). It isn’t as if they don’t clean… they do. Sometimes. When company’s coming over. (‘Cleaning’ mostly consisted of clearing the ashtrays and wiping down the bathrooms.)

Another constant at the Cattaneo house is music. The record player is a well-fed, behemoth of a machine that takes up the entire living room table. (Along with all the records, of course.) You could count on one hand how many hours a day it isn’t chewing up some vinyl disk and spitting out jazz, swing, blues, and ten other genres that I can’t really name.

Music had been a luxury during the war, at least for Grandpa Alessio. If someone could rub together two sheets of music, it was a party. When Grandpa switched sides, leaving Italy behind, the only songs he knew were in Italian, but he felt like he couldn’t sing them.

It would make other soldiers question him. The abstinence of music might be a trivial thing to some, but for Alessio it was like putting a cage around his heart and mouth. He spoke little English then, so making many friends was difficult. He would’ve preoccupied himself with his voice but… there wasn’t really a chance to get away from the others to sing. One saving grace in those hours of monotony was Joshua Hetton.

Joshua was a bright blue eyed, sandy head kid of just nineteen, who thought that signing up was going to be a great adventure.

Or, so it seemed to him at the time. He brought cards, something that Joshua found very adventurous, and asked Alessio to play him constantly. At first, Alessio declined with a wave of his hands and some stilted English. Joshua was never deterred. Whenever he saw Alessio sitting apart from the others, he would always come over and squat down, waving a deck of Bicycle cards. After a few tries, the two began to play Hearts. It didn’t require much talking and any communication that was made didn’t really need to be interpreted.

It was always delightful to Alesso to hear the younger man say things like ‘You sneaky devil’ before clapping him on the back.

Over a few months, Joshua and Grandfather became good friends, playing cards every opportunity they could get. Sometimes, when bad news came from the front, they’d play in silence; watching the exchange of diamonds and spades, listening to the snap of a deck shuffling, like mini artillery fire.

They played cards the night before Joshua died. Bridge with two other boys, I think. Grandfather couldn’t really remember exactly.

They’d started playing Bridge often up until then. Anyway, it doesn’t matter what game it was. Together, they started singing whenever someone had to shuffle. By now, Alessio had learned the words, or at least the tune, to sing along. The dire predicament somehow made the game more fun. Laughing and fraternal name calling was non-stop that night. Though, if ever they quieted for a difficult play, the ghost of the next day would creep into the silence. It found Joshua most of all.

The next morning, just before it all started and ended for him, Joshua handed his deck to Alessio. By then, the box’s corners were busted and the flap was hanging onto the box by only half the paper.

At first, Grandpa refused it, but Joshua said he had a feeling it belonged to him now. He’d won most of the games, anyway.

Joshua was smiling when he died.

Grandpa found him shortly before blacking out himself.

Grandpa was crying when he woke up that night, stitches arcing across his abdomen. He tried to keep it inside, but no one in the room was obviously awake. He started singing very softly. At first, he sang the song from the last card game, but as he thought back on Joshua that led to the Bridge games. As he thought back on his life, remembering his first days after defecting from the Italian army all the way back to his childhood village, he began singing in his native language. The words were broken from the tears. Stitches dug into every inhale, but he just kept singing. It felt so good to sing again. It even felt good to cry.

He woke, hours later, to what he described as an angel’s voice.

Except, this one didn’t have a particularly nice singing voice. (But she was an angel, he emphasized.) The woman sang a song he didn’t recognize, so he just laid there listening. From what he could piece together about the lyrics, someone was on a table, cold and sweet. The tune was somehow sad and had a bounce to it that was fascinating to him.

He had planned on closing his eyes if she came his way, to pretend he hadn’t heard the singing, but when she came to check his stitches he stared up at her. Her eyes were so similar to Joshua’s he thought they might’ve been siblings. The blue felt so familiar.

She froze, realizing that he wasn’t asleep. Grandpa apologized, and this seemed to startle the woman into talking. She dismissed his apology as she set to work on going over his stitches, she talked with a different accent than the Bridge boys. She was American.

She talked quickly, too. He didn’t say much, but that was how he liked it. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to mind.

He was given 47 stitches in total, he pieced together. He would remain in the hospital for two months or so before he would be released. The woman assured him that he was in fair condition otherwise, although they had to be careful about infection.

After a smile, giving him the feeling of better days, she left to look after someone else. Just as Alessio was beginning to drift off to sleep, he heard her sing softly again. Over the next few weeks, he heard her sing seven times. Never when anyone else was around.

It was always that same, happy and sad bouncy feeling that left

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 23 SP 90 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Annie R. Williams (Deceased) (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Annie R. Williams, Heirs of Annie R. Williams: Terry Williams, Teressa Williams, Tyrone Williams, Timira Williams, Teea Williams) to Paul H. Swan, Trustee(s), dated December 28, 2006, and recorded in Book No. 01307, at Page 0987 in Chatham County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Chatham County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on February 8, 2024 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Sanford in the County of Chatham, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows:

BEGINNING at a stake in the center of the dirt road known as the Johnson Road leading from U. S. Highway No. 421 southward through the J. Walter Johnson Farm, said beginning point being 200 feet northward from the point where the outside line of the J. Walter Johnson Farm tract intersects the center of said road, also being a corner of Lot No. 43 on the map hereinafter referred; and running thence from said beginning point East as the line of Lot No. 43, 600 feet to a stake; thence North 200 feet to a stake, corner of Lot No. 45; thence West 600 feet to a stake in the center of the aforementioned road; thence as the center of said road South 1 degree 30 minutes West 200 feet to the point of BEGINNING, being Lot No. 44, according to the map of the J. Walter Johnson Farm, which map is duly recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds for Chatham County in Map Book 4, Page 65. Reference to said map is hereby made for a more perfect description of said lot. Together with improvements located thereon; said proerpty being located at 919 Clarence McKeithan Road, Sanford, North Carolina.

SAVE AND EXCEPT: Beginning at an iron stake, the southeastern corner of the Alvie Millican lot, said stake being the northeastern corner of the Alvis Oldham residence lot, and running thence’ as the Millican and Oldham line South 89 degrees. 00 minutes

him smiling and achy at the same time. He wondered if she knew he could hear he when she sang. (She did.) He also wondered if she heard him the first night at the hospital. (She had.) He wondered if she knew he thought she was pretty. (She might’ve had a guess.)

In times of long silence, during the hours of monotony, thoughts of darker things crept into his mind. This time, though, there was no Joshua. In fact, Joshua’s absence was one of the worst subjects.

After a while, he had the courage to ask for his cards. Though the nurse (not the angel) was hesitant, she brought them to him. This helped with boredom, but the cards also came with their own taint to the world. As he was playing one day that, so far, seemed just like all the others, he thought about the songs that the woman had chosen. He hadn’t forgotten the tune in the weeks since he’d last heard them. The words were more muddled, but the song fit his feelings perfectly. His thoughts accidentally spilled out of his mouth and he began to sing. The other men in the room, spread out in sterile cots of their own, looked up in surprise.

Their surprise soon warmed to praise, including some clapping and a whoop. The ruckus summoned the nurse who’d brought him the cards. Her expression was askew when she looked around the room, as if it tilted toward bewilderment and annoyance and happiness in turns. As the other men began to explain, with wide, wide smiles, another figure appeared in the door. It was the angel.

After only a second of listening to the situation, her eyes jumped to him. He grinned. She grinned back.

The hospital room didn’t seem so drowsy after that. There was more joking, more singing, and more card games. Alessio made small conversations in English and began to grow more confident.

Also, he’d been deemed fit to walk around and he wandered the hospital. He told himself that he was stretching his legs, but he was looking for the angel.

Instead, what he found was commotion. Radios were turned on, people on crutches and in braces got up to listen, nurses stopped their work to embrace one another. For the first time, he was able to understand most of what they were saying. They’d won. Victory in Europe. They’d won, they’d really, really done it. Someone grabbed his shoulder and hugged him. Tears sprang to his eyes. They’d done it. It was over. Although there was huge relief and flooding joy, he also felt a pang of loss. Victory in Europe. Victory over Italy. He had never hated his country, only hated the decisions it made. Only the ones it sided with. His home would, no doubt, be war torn. His home would not be the same. It would heal, he knew, but… as he joined in the celebrations and merrymaking, he couldn’t help but feel disjointed. Where was his home?

That night, the angel came to him. She said that an impromptu party was being held that night and, because he was sufficiently healed, she wondered if he’d come down and sing for them.

I don’t really know exactly how that night went, Grandpa never gave all the details. He sang the woman’s songs, she joined in for one of them. There was dancing. Probably some drinks. I know that Grandpa fell in love with her. I know that she fell in love with him.

(There are some more good stories there, but not enough time to tell them.) And after months of post-war chaos, she was able to bring him back to America. I know they bought a house and raised two children and lost one along the way. I know they got so good at swing dancing they won a regional competition. I know they keep a record going and dance swing whenever their song, I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, comes on. I can sing it in my sleep. But what’s even better is sitting at that cluttered kitchen table and watching Grandpa sing while dancing with Grandma, right beside that old record player.

“Music Sparks a Memory” was written by Aubin Elise.

West 100 feet to a stake; thence North 1 degree 00 minutes West 100 feet to a stake; thence North 89 degrees 00 minutes East 100 feet to a stake in the Millican and Hart line; thence with that line South 1 degree 00 minutes East 100 feet to the beginning corner, containing 0.2 acre, more.or less, and being a part of Block 44 as conveyed to the grantors by Goldston Brothers by deed dated April 19, 1955 and recorded in Book LW, page 578 in the office of the Register of Deeds for Chatham County, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any

physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may

be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 14770 - 65607

ASHEEBO ROJAS | CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

The Jordan-Matthews girls celebrate after erasing a 10-point halftime deficit to win, 38-36, over Cummings.

Fight suspends boys game, Jets’ girls snap losing streak in Jordan-Matthews and Cummings double header The boys game will be finished on Feb. 12

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record THERE WASN’T any love lost between Jordan-Matthews and Cummings in Friday night’s varsity double header.

Starting with the Jordan-Matthews girls coming back from

down double digits in a chippy 38-36 win, the night ended with a fight amongst fans, resulting in clear stands and a suspended boys game.

Jordan-Matthews’ boys trailed Cummings, 50-57, with 4:54 remaining in the fourth quarter when what appeared to be an argument between two fans, a man and a woman, turned into widespread commotion.

Dozens of fans and Chatham

County student resource officers jumped in to help separate the two. After the man, who the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office identified as Jamari Amir Jones, 18, was pulled near the exit doors on the opposite end of the court, he charged back towards the start of the fight and knocked over Jordan-Matthews principal April Burko before bystanders and SROs once again led him out of the gym.

The boys game was suspended, and it will be finished at Jordan-Matthews on Feb. 12 at 4:30 p.m.

The Sheriff’s Office said in a statement released Tuesday that Jones is facing charges of assault on a school employee and disorderly conduct. The investigation into the fight is ongoing and may result in further charges, according the Sheriff’s Office.

“It is regrettable that such inci-

dents occur within the context of a school event,” Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson said in a statement. “Our priority is the safety of everyone involved, and we will take necessary actions to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

The recent hostility between Jordan-Matthews and Cummings actually started brewing in December when the two teams first met this season. A fight broke out between the players in the girls game, causing a suspension in play, and Jordan-Matthews won, 40-37, on a later date.

Ironically, a scuffle between players at the end of junior varsity boys game set the tone before the girls took the floor for a scrappy, emotional rematch Friday.

Jordan-Matthews senior Lia Carter led the way with five See JM BASKETBALL, page B2

Reid Albright’s 1,000 points sheds light on his quiet yet outstanding season, career Albright is averaging 23.8 points per game this season

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

secutive conference title.

The Hawks had 11 individual conference champions and totaled 281 points as a team.

North Moore finished second with a score of 127, and Northwood came in third with a score of 107.

Seaforth’s individual champions included Gabe Rogers (106),

FAMILY LINEAGE aside, it’s almost perfect that junior Reid Albright is a Chatham Central Bear.

It’s just like Albright that the cellular service gets spotty and street lights are virtually non-existent driving towards Chatham Central on NC-902.

It’s just like Albright that Chatham Central enrolls less than 350 students.

It’s also just like Albright that Chatham Central seems to be its loudest on weeknights in its basketball gym.

On Jan. 12, the second-place Bears hosted conference front-runner Northwood in the teams’ first meeting of the season.

Albright needed just five points to reach a career total of 1,000, and at 997 with just over a minute left in the first quarter, junior Luke Gaines made the grand assist.

After the three-pointer hit the bottom of the net,

See WRESTLING, page B3

See ALBRIGHT, page B3

PHOTO COURTESY OF SEAFORTH ATHLETICS TWITTER/X ACCOUNT

Seaforth wrestlers pose for a team photo after winning the Mid-Carolina Conference meet.

Seaforth, 12 Chatham County wrestlers win conference titles at MidCarolina 1A/2A tournament Seaforth wins its third consecutive conference championship

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record SEAFORTH HOSTED the 2024 Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference wrestling tournament Saturday and won its third con-

GENE GALIN | CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Chatham Central’s Reid Albright makes a move under the basket in a game against Seaforth.

B2

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

Drake Powell notches a career milestone against North Moore

roll through conference play with a 64-13 win over Southern Wake Academy on Jan. 17 and a 61-21 victory over River Mill Friday.

Woods Charter lost to Triangle Math and Science on Jan. 16, 27-67, and the Wolves also lost to Clover Garden School, 42-47, Friday.

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

Week of 1/15 Power Rankings

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

1. Seaforth 2. Northwood 3. Chatham Charter 4. Chatham Central 5. Jordan-Matthews 6. Woods Charter

NORTHWOOD WON its only game of the week, beating North Moore, 73-24, Friday. Senior Drake Powell recorded his first career triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in the win.

Seaforth bounced back from a tough loss to Eastern Alamance with a 73-58 win over Bartlett Yancey on Jan. 16.

Jordan-Matthews trailed Cummings, 50-57, with just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter before the game was suspended due to a fight in the stands.

Chatham Central returned to its winning ways, beating North Moore, 71-57, on Jan. 16 and Southeast Alamance, 65-55, Friday. Junior Reid Albright recorded his fourth 30-point game of the season against North Moore.

Chatham Charter lost a close, 71-72 battle to Chatham Home School on Jan. 15. The Knights followed that with another loss to Southern Wake Academy, 60-39, and they beat River Mill, 53-42, Friday.

Woods Charter picked up three straight wins for the first time this season, beating Triangle Math

JM BASKETBALL from page 1

points to boost the Jets to a 10-9 lead after the first quarter. But in the following quarter, Cummings turned up its defensive pressure and converted on the other end to build a 23-13 lead at the break.

The Jets struggled to produce offense through Cummings’ full-court press, committing numerous turnovers while also missing open shots. Foul trouble also hurt the Jets early on, especially when Cummings drove to the paint.

“The message (at halftime) was we’re beating our own selves,” Jordan-Matthews head coach Lamont Piggie said. “But we can come back and win this game. We take it one possession at a time, play together as a team, we’ll definitely get the win.”

Coming out of the break, shots began to fall for the Jets.

With the help of some stellar offensive rebounding from senior Reagan Smith and freshman Jada Scott, Jordan-Matthews grabbed plenty of opportunities to chip the deficit down to just two going into the fourth quarter.

A mid-range bucket from senior Brooklin Quee tied the game at 28 early in the fourth, and an aggressive drive with an and-one opportunity from Carter gave the Jets their first lead since the first quarter.

“I was really, really excited,” Carter said. “I was happy because I know that if I scored that, it would make my teammates go crazy and start scoring their points.”

From that point, the two teams went back and forth to the finish line, a stretch that brought more drama on the court. While celebrating a Cummings mistake with spirited claps in the direction of a Cummings player, Carter picked up a simultaneous second technical

WRESTLING Seaforth won its third consecutive conference championship at the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference tournament Saturday. The Hawks had 11 wrestlers finish first in their respective brackets.

Northwood came in second, Chatham Central came in fourth and Jordan-Matthews came in eighth place in the conference tournament.

PJ WARD-BROWN | CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Yamilet Lozano throws a pass during Jordan-Matthews’ comeback win over Cummings. and Science, 59-52, Clover Garden School, 53-41, and Carolina Friends, 46-33.

Woods Charter

Week of 1/15 Power Rankings Northwood Chatham Central Jordan-Matthews Seaforth Chatham Charter

Northwood dominated North Moore Friday, 54-19. Sophomore Mikaylah Glover scored a teamhigh 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win.

Jordan-Matthews completed

and fifth personal foul, resulting in her exit from the game.

The Jets didn’t fold with their senior leader on the bench, however. With Smith continuing to put in work on the offensive boards and some of the underclassmen, such as freshman Yamilet Lozano, making key shots, Jordan-Matthews completed the comeback and snapped a four-game losing streak.

“We fought together,” Piggie said. “We needed this win. We’ve been on a four-game losing streak, so it’s good to come back and get a win in the win column.

Very proud of the girls.”

As for the boys game, Jordan-Matthews also found itself in a back and forth battle.

Junior Brennen Oldham, who only needed 19 points to reach 1000 in his career, started off the game playing aggressive on both ends.

He might’ve been too aggressive on the defensive end, however, as a couple of fouls while contesting shots at the rim put him in foul trouble early. Freshman Zaeon Auguste ended up leading the team in scoring in the first half with eight points, and the Jets held a 31-28 lead at the break.

In the second half, Jordan-Matthews had no problem feeding Oldham down low as he produced mainly from the free throw line after getting fouled in the paint numerous times. But, with him having to scale back the intensity on defense, the Jets found trouble keeping Cummings out of the paint and away from its own offensive boards.

Cummings found an offensive groove going into the fourth quarter and maintained a small lead before the game was suspended.

Unfortunately for Oldham, he was just two points away from reaching his anticipated milestone in front of a home crowd when the game was cut short.

ASHEEBO ROJAS | CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Brennen Oldham (15) shoots for Jordan-Matthews in a game against Cummings. A fight in the stands called off the game, leaving Oldham just shy of 1,000 career points.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALl

the season sweep over Cummings Friday with a 38-36 comeback victory. Despite fouling out in the fourth quarter, senior Lia Carter led the way with 10 points.

Chatham Central split the week, beating North Moore, 7739, on Jan. 16 and losing to Southeast Alamance, 34-67, Friday.

Chatham Charter continued to

SWIMMING Woods Charter competed in a quad meet alongside Webb, Carrboro and Durham School of the Arts on Jan. 16.

Junior Yevgeny Podolyanskiy finished second in the boys 200 yards individual medley with a time of 2:26.16. Podolyanskiy, freshman Drew White, sophomore Derek White and senior Deacon White finished second in the boys 400 yards freestyle relay with a time of 3:44.98.

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

B3

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Josh Miller Seaforth, wrestling Seaforth wrestling senior Josh Miller earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Jan. 15.

In the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference wrestling tournament Saturday, Miller competed in the 120-pound bracket and won his third individual conference title and his second at Seaforth.

Miller earned the gold in dominant fashion Saturday, defeating North Moore’s Kenneth Mills by fall in 15 seconds and Northwood’s Sunday Oo also by fall for the title.

COURTESY PHOTO

ALBRIGHT from B1 Chatham Central fans stood to their feet and cheered on as head coach Robert Burke called timeout to recognize Albright for his accomplishment. It was also just like Albright that the Bears were leading the Drake Powell-led Chargers, 14-6, at the time.

“You don’t have too many people in a high school career that makes 1,000 points,” Burke said.

“To get it in the middle of his junior season is a tremendous accomplishment for him.”

As loud as the gym was for Albright’s 1,000th point, it was just one of the eye-opening heights he has reached this season. The 6-foot-1 guard, who some may see as short of height and short of words, hasn’t been short of points in a low-key all-time season, and career, at Chatham Central.

Validation With a quick glance at the

box scores, it’s no secret that Albright has been on an offensive tear this year, leading the Bears in scoring. But, just look deeper and find that his numbers stand at or near the top of not just the conference, but also the state.

As of Monday, Albright is averaging 23.8 points per game which is second in points per game in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference, third in points per game in all of 1A East and 21st in the same stat for the entire NCHSAA. “I think I’m pretty good at getting to my spots, knocking down open shots and finding the cutting lanes,” Albright said.

“Being the (No. 3) scorer in 1A East, that’s pretty good. That means a lot.”

Looking at the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A standings, one might say that Albright isn’t playing against the best of the best, but one thing that he found out about himself during this season’s first Northwood game is that it takes the No. 4 player in the country at

the time to slow him down.

Considering Northwood’s abundance of talent and size and how they’d dominated the conference up to that point, Chatham Central wasn’t supposed to have a 16-10 lead after the first quarter. The Bears gave themselves a chance by slowing the game down and hitting open threes, but after Northwood made the adjustment to have 6-foot-6 Powell faceguard Albright, the game slowly began to turn.

Albright, who usually leaves the gym as Chatham Central’s leading scorer, finished the night with only seven points, and the Bears lost, 42-66.

“No doubt about it, (Albright) is definitely up there with the top players in the county and even in the state in 1A,” Burke said.

“I told Reid when it happened (that) it took the best player in the conference to come in here and shut you down…They could go to any five on that court, but they picked Drake.”

WRESTLING from B1 Jordan Miller (113), Josh Miller (120), Layne Armstrong (126), Cody Mattox (132), William Bass (150), Alex Hinchman (165), Judge Lloyd (175), Harrison Compton (190), Ethan Kuball (215) and Palmer Moad (285).

Northwood’s Coltrane Northington, who competed in the 144-pound weight class, took home the only conference title for the Chargers.

Outside of the first place finishers, 13 other Chatham County wrestlers placed in their respective weight classes.

Gavin Vanderford (Chatham Central, 106), Sunday Oo (Northwood, 120), Cole Shambley (Northwood, 126), Caden Brewer (Seaforth, 144), Elijah Farrow (Northwood, 165), Jakari Blue (Jordan-Matthews, 190) and Aidan Holton (Chatham Central, 285) all finished in second place.

Third place finishers included Aiden Hernandez (Chatham Central, 126), Ayden Terwilliger (Jordan-Matthews, 132), Benjamin Johnson (Seaforth, 138), Karl Ferm (Seaforth, 157), Stephen Silhan III (Chatham Central, 215) and Mason Powell (Northwood, 285).

In the team results, Chatham Central finished fifth and Jordan-Matthews finished eighth in the tournament.

Brackets for the NCHSAA wrestling playoffs will be released Thursday.

11 individual conference champions for Seaforth wrestling as the Hawks took the team crown

B4

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

NATIONAL SPORTS

Du

SIDELINE REPORT NHL

Flames’ Dube on indefinite leave to attend to mental health Calgary, Alberta Calgary Flames forward Dillon Dube has been granted an indefinite leave to attend to his mental health. The 25-yearold from Golden, British Columbia, is under the care of professionals, according to a statement the Flames posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Dube was not in Calgary’s lineup for Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound center was a second-round pick of the Flames in the 2016 draft. He has three goals and four assists in 43 games this season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

San Jose State hires Niumatalolo San Jose, Calif.

San Jose State hired former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo to replace Brent Brennan as the Spartans head coach.

Athletic director Jeff Konya announced the hiring on Sunday, saying Niumatalolo is the “right fit” for San Jose State and can make the Spartans consistent contenders in the Mountain West. Niumatalolo is the winningest coach in Navy history, going 109-83 in 15 seasons before being fired after the 2022 game against Army. Niumatalolo spent last season at UCLA in an off-field role for Bruins coach Chip Kelly but was elevated to tight ends coach after the season.

NFL

Eagles’ Sirianni fires DC Desai Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai, according to reports.

Desai lost his play-calling duties to assistant coach Matt Patricia in December.

The Eagles went from 10-1 to losing in the wild card round to Tampa Bay after finishing 11-6 in the regular season. Desai replaced Jonathan Gannon, who left Philadelphia to become the head coach in Arizona after the Eagles lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Desai was a defensive assistant in Seattle in 2022 and previously spent nine seasons in Chicago, including one year as defensive coordinator in 2021.

TENNIS

Protester disrupts Australian Open match Melbourne, Australia A pro-Palestinian protester threw papers onto an Australian Open court and briefly disrupted the fourth-round match between Olympic champion Alexander Zverev and Cameron Norrie of Britain.

A person wearing a face mask threw anti-war pamphlets from the stands onto the court behind the baseline during the third set. Two spectators held the protester before security arrived. Ball kids gathered up the papers and the match continued after security escorted the protestor away. Zverev won the match in five sets to advance to the quarterfinals.

HORSE

AP PHOTO

Nick Dunlap embraces his mother, Charlene, and father, Jim, after winning The American Express PGA Tour tournament Sunday in La Quinta, California.

Dunlap becomes PGA Tour’s 1st amateur winner since 1991 The University of Alabama sophomore with victory at The American Express

By Greg Beacham The Associated Press LA QUINTA, Calif. — Nick Dunlap doesn’t possess a false confidence, and he doesn’t project a supernatural calm. The University of Alabama sophomore fully understood just how crazy it was to be fending off a field of professionals Sunday while he tried to become the PGA Tour’s first amateur winner in 33 years.

“Most nervous I’ve ever been, by far,” Dunlap said. “Just tried to breathe, but also look up and enjoy it a little bit.”

The 20-year-old simply played through it all — through his mistakes, the rising pressure and the overall improbability of his week

at The American Express.

Dunlap came out of it with a victory that could herald the arrival of a major golf talent — and one who might not even need to finish the homework he brought with him to the West Coast.

Dunlap swallowed his nerves one last time to make a 6-foot par putt on the final hole, holding on for a one-shot victory over Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

“Everybody’s got doubts,” Dunlap said. “I probably had a thousand different scenarios in my head of how today was going to go, and it went nothing like I expected. I think that was the cool part about it. That’s golf.”

The reigning U.S. Amateur champion is the tour’s first amateur winner since Phil Mickelson at the Tucson Open in 1991.

Playing in his fourth tour event, Dunlap became the seventh amateur winner since 1945 — and the third since 1957.

The only amateur in the 156-player field in the tournament long known as the Bob Hope Desert Classic, Dunlap surged into a three-shot lead with a sizzling 12-under 60 in the third round. He lost that lead Sunday on the front nine on the Stadium Course at PGA West, but he played with the resilience of a seasoned veteran down the stretch, capped by his recovery from two errant shots on the 18th for the winning par.

He ended up with a 70 — his worst round of the week by far — to finish at 29-under 259 and break the tournament scoring record as a 72-hole event. He’s also the youngest winner in the event’s history, and he became the youngest amateur to win on the tour since 1910.

Dunlap and Tiger Woods are the only players to win both the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Junior Amateur. While Dunlap got

the celebration Sunday for one of the most impressive performances in recent golf history, he doesn’t get the $1.5 million firstplace prize, which goes to Bezuidenhout after the South African’s final-round 65.

Dunlap also doesn’t get the 500 FedEx Cup points — but his rewards are still ample. If he stays at Alabama he gets in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open as the U.S. Amateur champion. If he turns pro and joins the PGA Tour, he still gets in the Masters and U.S. Open, along with the remaining seven $20 million signature events on tour.

“It’s amazing,” Bezuidenhout said about Dunlap’s achievement. “Actually, I heard his name last year when he won the U.S. Amateur. He’s obviously a hell of a player, and congrats to him. Hopefully, he can be out on the PGA Tour soon, and we all can get to play with him.”

VanDerveer’s 1,203rd victory pushes Stanford coach past Krzyzweski The Stanford women’s coach now has the most wins among major college basketball coaches The Associated Press STANFORD, Calif. — Only Her. Tara VanDerveer’s face shined in every corner of Maples Pavilion with that very message. Yes, the Stanford Hall of Famer now stands atop major college basketball as the winningest coach of all time.

“Today was just so wonderful,” VanDerveer said. Even though she had to text her 96-year-old mother Rita they’d need to cancel a scheduled bridge game because of all the postgame festivities to celebrate her. “... It is a big number and I’m very appreciative of the great players I’ve coached and the great places I’ve been and the attention it’s brought to women’s basketball.”

Just as those who love her so hoped it would turn out,

VanDerveer passed former Duke and Army coach Mike Krzyzewski with her 1,203rd career victory at home in Maples when No. 8 Stanford beat Oregon State 6556.

And it never fails that VanDerveer always takes a minute to thank everybody for coming to the game, and that includes offering her immense gratitude to the Stanford band.

“I’m overwhelmed,” she told the crowd Sunday. “I’m not usually lost for words but it’s pretty impressive, all these people here, all the former players coming back.”

A head coach since age 24, VanDerveer celebrated with thousands of supporters and a couple dozen former players on hand to cheer her on for yet another triumph in a decorated 45-year career featuring so many memorable accomplishments.

And for a nearly full arena, this was also a chance for fans to show their love to the Hall of Fame coach who has been shining her light on women’s basketball for 4½ decades.

“Tara! Tara!” they yelled in the

AP PHOTO

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer waves to the crowd after breaking the college basketball record for wins with her team’s victory over Oregon State on Sunday in Stanford, California. closing seconds before the celebration began.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Tara VanDerveer, who is already one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of basketball,” Krzyzewski said in a statement. “This is yet another milestone to add to an amazing legacy. More important than all the astounding numbers and career accomplishments, she’s positively impacted countless lives as a coach and a mentor. Tara remains a true guardian of our sport.”

A video tribute with messag-

es from everyone from Billie Jean King to Steve Kerr, Dawn Staley and Coach K himself showed on the big screen.

VanDerveer improved to 1,203-267 overall and 1,051-216 over 38 seasons at Stanford. A 17-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year with five national Coach of the Year honors, VanDerveer has captured three NCAA titles with Stanford — 1990, ’92 and 2021 — and coached the 1996 U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal at the Atlanta Games during a year away from Stanford.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

B5

Du Plessis outpoints Strickland at win UFC middleweight belt The challenger claimed a split decision victory The Associated Press TORONTO — The hostility brewing between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis finally hit its boiling point at UFC 297 on Saturday night.

The two battled through five rounds, taking the bout to the distance, but in the end it was Du Plessis taking Strickland’s middleweight belt after bloodying the former champ over his left eye and winning a split decision.

Judges Derek Cleary and Eric Colon scored the bout 48-47 in favor of Du Plessis, while Sal D’Amato had it 48-47 for Strickland.

“This is history!” Du Plessis (21-2) screamed in honor of his homeland. “South Africa ... we can probably hear them from outside. That country is amazing.”

It was December when Du Plessis referenced Strickland’s abusive relationship with his father. Strickland let it be known that would not be tolerated, and violent recourse would result.

At UFC 296 in December, Strickland jumped over a row of

seats and threw punches at Du Plessis — which both said was nowhere near a publicity stunt.

Nothing about the fight was nowhere near a stunt, as the two traded blows, both delivering severe blows, especially in the latter rounds.

Despite the tension leading up to fight night, Du Plessis gave Strickland (28-6) his just due afterward.

“Every time he hits you with that jab it feels like someone hit you with a rock. You are one heck of a man, thank you for bringing out the best of me tonight,” Du Plessis said. “The first three rounds were give and take, but

the last two, I was desperate rounds four and five.”

To which Strickland later replied: “I called it from day one — it was going to be a war.”

At FanDuel, the fight closed a pick’em with both priced at -108, which means a bettor would have to lay $108 to win $100.

Raquel Pennington (16-9-0) beat Mayra Bueno Silva (10-3-1) by unanimous decision to claim the vacant women’s bantamweight championship in the comain event. Pennington was listed as the underdog in the match.

Neil Magny (29-12-0) stopped Mike Malott (10-2-1) at the 4:45 mark of the third round of their

welterweight match.

Chris Curtis (31-10-0) took a split decision over Marc-Andre Barriault (16-7-0) in their middleweight bout. Curtis took two scores of 30-27 Curtis, while Barriault won 29-28 on a third scorecard.

In the first match on the undercard, Movsar Evloev remained undefeated (17-0-0) with a unanimous decision over Arnold Allen (19-3-0). All three judges scored it 29-28. Evloev, who owns the second-longest active winning streak in the UFC featherweight division (7), ran his overall UFC win streak to eight straight.

Sean Strickland, left, fights Dricus Du Plessis during their middleweight title bout early Sunday at UFC 297 in Toronto.

AP PHOTO

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

Taylor Swift’s NFL playoff tour takes her to Buffalo for Chiefs game against Bills

By John Wawrow The Associated Press

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Love was in the cold Buffalo air with Taylor Swift cheering on boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.

And even Kelce’s brother Jason got into the act during the Chiefs’ 27-24- victory in a divisional playoff game.

Swift blew a kiss after someone greeted her by yelling, “Bills by a billion,” upon arriving at Highmark Stadium.

The pop music superstar was escorted by a heavy security presence to a suite overlooking the west end zone, and located just below the name of Bills Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy’s name on the stadium’s Wall of Fame.

Then it was Travis Kelce’s turn to show some love to Swift.

After catching a 22-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, the star tight end threw the football into the crowd, then turned and made a heart gesture with his hands toward the suite where Swift was seated in the opposite corner of the stadium.

MATT DURISKO | AP PHOTO

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce celebrates after a touchdown catch by his brother Travis, Sunday in Orchard Park, NY. The touchdown marked the 15th time quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Kelce connected in the playoffs, matching the NFL record set by Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Mahomes and Kelce broke the mark early in the third quarter with another TD, this one a 3-yard pass that gave Kansas City a 20-17

lead.

Among those in the suite with Swift was Jason Kelce, who was caught by cameras shirtless and holding a can of beer while celebrating his brother’s first touchdown. Kelce is the Eagles’ center who told teammates in confidence after Philadelphia’s playoff loss to Tampa Bay last

week that he’s retiring after 13 seasons.

Swift arrived wearing a white jacket with red Chiefs trim, and featuring a large red star.

The 12-time Grammy Award winner has become a regular at Chiefs home and away games since the two began dating earlier this season.

Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped by customs over a luxury watch after arriving in Germany The Associated Press BERLIN — Arnold Schwarzenegger was stopped for hours by customs at Munich Airport after entering Germany with a luxury watch that was potentially to be auctioned at a charity event.

The former movie star and California governor was stopped for a routine check after arriving Wednesday, customs spokesperson Thomas Meister said. Schwarzenegger was able to leave after about 2½ hours, he said Thursday.

Goods over the value of 430 euros ($467) that will stay in the European Union have to be declared and, where appropriate, duty paid on them.

German daily Bild, which first reported on the incident, reported that the allegedly undeclared watch made by Swiss manufacturer Audemars Piguet was valued at about 20,000 euros ($21,739)

by Schwarzenegger, for whom it was specially produced.

The Schwarzenegger Cli-

mate Initiative said that Schwarzenegger was detained “for traveling with a watch he owns, that he might be auctioning at his charity auction (Thursday) in Kitzbuehel,” in neighboring Austria.

It added in an emailed statement that Schwarzenegger “cooperated at every step even though it was an incompetent shakedown” and that he agreed to “prepay potential taxes on the watch (remember, it is his personal watch).”

It said that the watch was still likely to be auctioned and the climate initiative “will properly report it, as all of Arnold’s nonprofits do.”

Schwarzenegger’s charity auctions raise millions of dollars every year for after-school programs for children across the U.S. and environmental work around the world, it added.

The matter now goes to a customs penalty body in Augsburg, which will evaluate the case.

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GIOVANNI AULETTA | AP PHOTO

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger attends an alpine ski men’s World Cup downhill race in Kitzbuehel, Austria, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, January 25, 2024

B9

‘Burn, beetle, burn’: Hundreds of people torch an effigy of destructive bug in South Dakota town The Associated Press ƌƎƋɲMɲ $VI $ɲMS M$ >I>Ȇɲ9 ɲƍƒƍƋƎ ŚŚŚȇıČĬĬùȇăĶŎŋğŀŎČ ȌıČĬĬùǗăĶŎŋğŀŎČ

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RAPID CITY, S.D. — In what’s become an annual winter tradition, hundreds of people carrying torches set fire to a giant wooden beetle effigy in Custer, South Dakota, to raise awareness of the destructive impact of the mountain pine beetle on forest land in the Black Hills.

Custer firefighters prepared and lighted the torches for residents to carry in a march to the pyre Saturday night in the 11th Burning Beetle fest, the Rapid City Journal reported.

People set the tall beetle effigy on fire amid drum beats and chants of “Burn, beetle, burn.”

Firefighters kept watch, warning participants not to throw the torches, even as some people launched the burning sticks into pine trees piled at the base of the beetle. Fireworks dazzled overhead.

The event, which includes a talent show and “bug crawl,” supports the local arts.

The U.S. Forest Service calls the mountain pine beetle “the most aggressive, persistent, and destructive bark beetle in the western United States and Canada.” The Black Hills have experienced several outbreaks of the beetle since the 1890s, the most recent being from 1996-2016, affecting 703 square miles (1820 square kilometers), according to the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Firefighters kept watch, warning participants not to throw the torches, even as some people launched the burning sticks into pine trees piled at the base of the beetle.

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AP PHOTO

Fireworks go off while the beetle goes up in flames after being set on fire during the 11th annual Burning Beetle event on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at Pageant Park in Custer, S.D.

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