Boating holiday
N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission o cers were training on Lake Tillery this week, with nearly a dozen boats spotted on the water Monday. Four NCWRC boats, along with a pontoon boat, cruised the lake on the hot summer day.
the BRIEF this week
Trump administration withdraws from UNESCO again
United Nations
The Trump administration has announced it will once again withdraw from the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO. The move Tuesday was expect and has the U.S. further retreating from international organizations. The decision comes two years after the Biden administration rejoined following a controversial, ve-year absence that began during President Donald Trump’s rst term. The White House cited similar concerns as it did in 2018, saying it believes U.S. involvement is not in its national interest and accusing the agency promoting anti-Israel speech. The UNESCO chief said she “deeply” regrets the U.S. decision but the agency “has prepared for it.” She denied accusations of anti-Israel bias.
Pentagon tightens medical waivers rules to join military Washington, D.C. The Pentagon says people with congestive heart failure, undergoing treatment for schizophrenia or who have a history of paraphilic disorders will no longer be eligible for a medical waiver to serve in the military. The guidance signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and issued Tuesday updates conditions that disqualify recruits from service. Waivers have long been granted for a long list of medical conditions. Hegseth says the change will help ensure the physical and mental capabilities of service members.
$2.00
Commissioners run into legal blockade on wastewater waiver
The Sam’s Xpress Car Wash was assumed to have needed waiver approval by the commission
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Board of Commissioners ran into a legal quandary at its July 21 for its regular business meeting.
The legal question arose in regard to the planned Sam’s Xpress Car Wash near Briar Chapel and its plans for wastewater treatment.
The site had previously submitted a request for a waiver of section seven of the Waste
Gov. Josh Stein’s declaration means additional funds will be available to the county from the state and feds
By Bob Sutton Chatham News & Record
A STATE OF emergency was declared by Gov. Josh Stein in Chatham County, as well as a
dozen other central North Carolina counties following severe ooding and other e ects from Tropical Storm Chantal.
The release from the governor’s o ce said the state of emer-
and Wastewater of the Compact Communities Ordinance (CCO) to allow for an industrial pump and haul option to dispose of wastewater that is not reused in the water reclamation system for the Briar Chapel development. Section seven states that “wastewater treatment shall occur at centralized wastewater treatment facilities either on-site or at existing, previously permitted o -site facilities as permitted by [the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality].”
“The original plan was that the wastewater was all going to be discharged and treated onsite by a commercial wastewater treatment plant operator lo-
See WAIVER, page A3
State of emergency declared in Chatham
gency was issued “to facilitate and support long-term recovery e orts from ooding caused by Tropical Storm Chantal.”
A state of emergency is primarily a nancial move, freeing up state and federal funds to cover additional costs, like overtime, for government agencies.
“Tropical Storm Chantal cost
2026 Senate map tough for Democrats, Republicans have their own
All eyes are now on Lara Trump, the president’s daughterin-law, who is mulling whether to run in her home state as other potential candidates stand by.
headaches
Dems need to net four seats to retake the majority
By Thomas Beaumont and Jill Colvin The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C.
—
Republicans are encountering early headaches in Senate races viewed as pivotal to maintaining the party’s majority in next year’s midterm elections, with recruitment failures, open primaries, in ghting and a president who has been sitting on the sidelines.
Democrats still face an uphill battle. They need to net four seats to retake the major-
ity, and most of the 2026 contests are in states that Republican President Donald Trump easily won last November.
But Democrats see reasons for hope in Republicans’ challenges. They include a nasty primary in Texas that could jeopardize a seat Republicans have held for decades. In North Carolina and Georgia, the GOP still lacks a clear eld of candidates. Trump’s in uence dials up the uncertainty as he decides whether to ex his in uential endorsement to stave o intraparty ghts. Republicans stress that it remains early in the election cycle and say there is still
some of our neighbors their lives and others their livelihood and property. We must do everything we can to support them as they get back on their feet,” Stein said in the release. “This state of emergency will help get North Carolinians the support
See EMERGENCY, page A2
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
July 14
• Jamonte Gabrielle Bethea, 32, of Mebane, was arrested for simple assault.
July 16
• Yassen Abdo Mossaid, 22, of Siler City, was arrested for felony counterfeit trademark.
July 17
• Larry William Varner Sr., 54, of Beer Creek, was arrested for indecent liberties with a child, rst-degree kidnapping, statutory rape of a child 15 or younger, selling or delivering a controlled substance to a minor, and intentional child abuse causing serious physical injury.
• Sarah Katherine Williams, 40, of Chapel Hill, was arrested for misdemeanor larceny.
July 18
• Elizabeth Kouba Thorn, 69, of Siler City, was arrested for driving while impaired.
• Chasen Corey Teal, 40, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, was arrested as a fugitive from justice.
• Glenda Rena Emerson, 42, of Siler City, was arrested for larceny of a motor vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, and simple assault.
July 20
• Travis Lashaun Spinks, 44, of Pittsboro, was arrested for cruelty to animals.
N.C. 902, and roads around the county, saw severe damage during ooding from Chantal. The state of emergency declaration will free up funds to cover road repairs and other e orts.
EMERGENCY from page A1
they need and enable the state to seek out potential funding to help communities rebuild.”
Other counties included in the state of emergency are Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Lee, Moore, Orange, Person, Randolph and Wake.
The brunt of the July 7 storm impacted Orange, Chatham, Alamance and Durham counties.
“The Division of Emergency Management is working with local o cials to assess the scope of damage caused by
Tropical Storm Chantal,” the release said. “As the full damage assessment is completed in concert with relevant federal partners, the declaration along with the assessment analysis will determine possible additional support that residents, businesses, and local governments may receive to accelerate the recovery process and support expenses incurred during the response phase of the disaster.”
In a related but separate announcement, North Carolina Attorney General Je Jackson announced the state’s
price gouging laws have been implemented in the impacted counties. The same 13 counties were listed in his announcement. The state of emergency triggered the anti-price gouging edict.
“If you see a business charging more for essential goods or services than they should, le a complaint with our o ce right away,” Jackson said. “We will do everything we can to hold bad actors responsible.”
These measures stay in place for 30 days and can be extended.
CHATHAM happening
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
July 25
Color Our World with the NC Zoo 11 a.m. to noon Families and children of all ages are welcome to this free event, which explores the colors and patterns of di erent animal species. This event will be held in the Holmes Family Meeting Room.
Chatham Community Library 197 N.C. Highway 87 N Pittsboro
The Gravy Boys at Bynum Front Porch
7-8:30 p.m.
Free musical performance; donations are welcome. This is a family-friendly event with food and beverages available for purchase on-site.
Front Porch Bynum General Store 950 Bynum Road Bynum
July 26
Chatham Mills
Farmers Market
8 a.m. to noon
Producers-only farmers market o ering a wide variety of goods from fresh produce to other groceries, including eggs, cheese, meat, health and wellness items, and crafts. Everything is created by the vendors themselves.
Lawn of the historic Chatham Mills
480 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro
Vegan Summer Potluck at the Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge
6-8:30 p.m.
Food and games will be available at this free family-friendly event. Participants are asked to bring an ingredient list for their dishes for those who have food allergies. Organizers also ask that you bring your own reusable serving ware and utensils to avoid using disposables.
7236 U.S. Highway 87 North Pittsboro
July 30
Jazz Night at The Sycamore at Chatham Mills
6-9 p.m.
Every Wednesday night from 6-9 p.m., The Sycamore at Chatham Mills hosts live Jazz Nights. The series features a rotating list of local musicians. The Sycamore also o ers its Lounge Menu in the dining room on Wednesday nights. Reservations are highly recommended
480 Hillsboro St. Suite 500 Pittsboro
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS AND RECORD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17 2025
Brooke Harris named new principal at Moncure School
She’s the former assistant principal at George Moses Horton Middle School
Chatham News & Record sta
CHATHAM County Schools named Brooke Harris as the new principal of Moncure School, ef fective this past Monday.
Harris most recently served as assistant principal at George Moses Horton Middle School, where she helped lead school wide academic and behavioral initiatives and supported sta professional development. Before that role, she was assistant principal at Chatham Grove Elementary School.
COURTESY CHATHAM COUNTY SCHOOLS
Brooke Harris
and a shared commitment to excellence. I look forward to listening, learning, and working with our dedicated sta to build solid foundation that been established at
Superintendent Anthony Jackson praised the appointment, calling Harris “a thoughtcentered leader who brings a wealth of experience across grade levels.”
“We are con dent she will continue to build on Moncure School’s strong foundation and further its culture of academic excellence and community pride,” Jackson said.
Church News
BEAR CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH
480 Bonlee Carbonton Road, Bear Creek
Come join us for Vacation Bible School as we go on a summer road trip with God! July 27-30. 6:30-8:30 p.m. nightly.
All children aged 3 years to 6th grade are invited!
Chatham County Schools Announces New Principal at Moncure School
“I am excited to be the Principal at Moncure School and look forward to serving our teachers, students, and community,” Harris said. “While
I may be new to this role at Moncure, I am not new to caring deeply about students and their success. The best schools are built on strong relationships, clear communication,
The district thanked the Moncure community for its engagement throughout the selection process.
Chatham County Schools is pleased to announce that Ms Brooke Harris has been named Principal of Moncure School, effective Monday, July 21, 2025
Chatham County Schools serves nearly 9,000 students across 20 schools.
Ms Harris brings a strong track record of leadership and dedication to student success across Chatham County Schools She most recently ser ved as Assistant Principal at George Moses Hor ton Middle School (GMHS) where she helped lead school-wide academic and behavioral initiatives and suppor ted the professional growth of staff Prior to her time at GMHS, she ser ved as Assistant Principal at Chatham Grove Elementar y School
“I am excited to be the Principal at Moncure School and look for ward to ser ving our teachers students and community ” said Ms Harris While I may be new to this role at Moncure I am not new to caring deeply about students and their success The best schools are built on strong relationships clear communication, and a shared commitment to excellence I look for ward to listening, learning, and working with our dedicated staff to build upon the solid foundation that has already been established at Moncure ”
Superintendent Dr Anthony Jackson praised Harris s appointment stating Ms Harris is a thoughtful student- centered leader who brings a wealth of experience across grade levels We are con dent she will continue to build on Moncure School s strong foundation and fur ther its culture of academic excellence and community pride
Clouds hover over the entrance of the Florida State Prison in Starke, Florida,
Hillsborough man convicted of killing wife dies after 4 decades on death row
Robert Peede was convicted in Florida in 1984
The Associated Press
STARKE, Fla. — A man convicted of killing his estranged wife has died after spending more than four decades on Florida’s death row.
Robert Peede, 81, died Mon-
day at Florida State Prison in Starke, according to Florida Department of Corrections records. His cause of death wasn’t immediately reported.
Peede was convicted in 1984 of murdering his estranged wife, Darla Peede, a year earlier.
According to court records, Robert Peede drove from his home in North Carolina to Florida in March 1983 with the intention of making his wife re-
your
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turn to North Carolina with him.
During the drive back, Peede stopped just outside of Orlando and fatally stabbed his wife in the neck, prosecutors said. Her body was later found dumped in a wooded area of Georgia.
When Peede was arrested at his home in Hillsborough, Darla Peede’s car was parked outside. Its interior was heavily bloodstained.
e nal deadline for all grant applications is Sept. 15, but don’t wait to apply. Applications submitted prior to the early-bird deadline on Aug. 15 will be entered to win one of ve $100 Visa gi cards. Scan the QR code or visit NCBrightIdeas.com for more information or to apply!
Sunday thru Tuesday night will be lled with music, crafts, bible stories, games, snacks and fun. Wednesday night is family night with a closing commencement and cookout.
cated right in the vicinity,” said county attorney Bob Hagemann. “That was clearly what was contemplated initially. As I understand it, whoever they anticipated using declined to accept this wastewater for whatever reason, so that left the carwash owner to look for alternatives.”
The plan was originally brought before the board in May, and they assumed that the applicant would need to submit a waiver for their proposed wastewater treatment plan (pump and haul) as the site is within a compact community zoning.
However, the applicant contended that a waiver was not actually required.
According to Hagemann, Chatham County Planning Director Jason Sullivan is the zoning administrator for the county and under state law, is therefore charged with making interpretations and determinations under the land use ordinance. As such, Sullivan concluded that a waiver was indeed not required, superseding the commission as is allowed by state law.
“He concluded in making this determination, that they have the right to dispose of this wastewater either on-site or o -site, so long as it’s done in compliance by state regulations and DEQ approvals, which are required,” Hagemann said.
In regard to complaints from citizens on whether or not the site was suitable for a car wash along with other environmental concerns, Hagemann clari ed that that “ship had already sailed” as the zoning had already been approved years ago by a prior board of commissioners.
“It just seems odd to say that we are powerless in this scenario,” said Commissioner David Delaney. “It feels odd that we as the board, that hires and manages and oversees this entire area, doesn’t have some kind of input there.”
The board also adopted a resolution honoring Drake Powell on his selection in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Powell, a Pittsboro native, spent four years playing at Northwood High School before a one-and-done year with the UNC Tar Heels. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Brooklyn Nets.
“The Chatham County Board of Commissioners hereby honors and congratulates Drake Powell on his selection in the 2025 NBA Draft and commends him for his outstanding athletic achievements, dedication to personal growth, and exemplary representation of Chatham County on the national stage,” said Chair Karen Howard.
The board then held a public hearing for amendments to the Chatham County Ordinance Establishing a Planning Board to modernize the terminology and change the initial member appointment date.
“Just some examples of the changes that the planning board did, they changed the language to be gender neutral throughout the document and it was important to them to change some of the terms to say ‘recommend’ instead of ‘decide’ or ‘determine.’ That aligns more with what the planning board’s duties are,” said Planner Hunter Glenn.
Other changes include establishing when meetings needed to be held, changing language to comply with current state statutes and changing start dates from Jan. 1 to March 1.
Finally, the board designated Vice Chair Katie Kenlan as the county’s voting delegate for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Annual Conference. Amanda Robertson will serve as the alternate.
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will next meet Aug. 18.
Hagemann did state, however, that anybody with legal standing would be able to appeal the decision to the county’s zoning board of adjustments and even the state’s Superior and Appellate courts if need be.
Weekly deadline is Monday at
WAIVER from page A1
CURT ANDERSON / AP PHOTO
in 2023.
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
COLUMN | ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN
In praise of our public library
Not every behavior is acceptable, but everyone is welcome. When anyone asks for help, someone else tries to assist. That’s a wonderful sentence.
I WRITE IN PRAISE and thanksgiving for the Chatham County Public Library. It is a treasure in all seasons, including in the heat and humidity of summer. Unlike the pool, the library does not close for thunderstorms. There are enormous windows that allow one to look out upon all kinds of weather and chairs throughout the building like tiny oases of comfort. I nd a library to be a useful personality test. My oldest grabs a book and retreats to a corner to lose himself in another world. My youngest nds a new friend — extroverts unite! They whisper at the art table; hopefully, their occasional punctuations of laughter do not disturb others. My middle child likes to roam the shelves, hunting for new titles. He knows how to use the search engine on the computer, but I think he prefers to ask the friendly librarian for help.
Recently, I’ve been reading about the decline of religious institutions as so-called third places, meaning
COLUMN | BOB WACHS
communities where people gather that are outside of the home and work. A library is holy not only as a place of quiet contemplation. On any given day, various nonpro ts and community organizations meet to plan events outside the walls. Meanwhile, the library sponsors speakers, hosts events and screens documentaries. There are fun, educational opportunities for all ages, including kids and teenagers.
On the library’s free internet, I learned that, in 1790, Benjamin Franklin gifted more than 100 books to the town in Massachusetts that bears his surname. While the town leaders had requested a church bell, the famous founding father had another idea. The town agreed that everyone could borrow the books, thereby establishing the rst public library in the United States.
“Public” is a word that can be parsed, even debated. Fundamentally, a “public” space is neither mine nor yours. Not every behavior is acceptable, but everyone is welcome. When anyone asks
for help, someone else tries to assist. That’s a wonderful sentence.
I am dismayed that librarians, particularly children’s librarians, have recently come under attack. Don’t we have better things to do? Among our library’s periodicals, I read a newspaper column by Michael Perry, who observed that too many of us waste our time “yelling at so-called neighbors to get o our metaphorical porches.” Like I tell my dog, who wants to play in the calling cards of geese, you risk taking on whatever you roll around in. Self- centeredness, cynicism and mistrust are not a good look on anyone.
So long may the Chatham County Public Library continue to serve as a safe, inclusive and peaceful space. Hopefully, I’ll see you there soon.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, co ee drinker and student of joy.
Clothes not only thing that made the man
Now, as I think of those days, I realize that while all those features and more were part of the place, it was really the people I went in to see.
NOT SO TERRIBLY long ago, I was rummaging through my closet searching for some article of clothing; I just don’t remember exactly what it was I was looking for.
It may have been a favorite tie or a shirt that didn’t come equipped with gravy stains on it, or even a pair of pants with the stretchy, expandable waistband that serves me so well these days.
As I searched here and there through the racks, I came upon an item I had forgotten I had and obviously had not seen in quite some time.
But there it was — hanging on the Clubman coat hanger just as I’d left it some years prior. Still looked good, I thought ... the article of clothing, that is, not me. I turned the pockets inside out to see if I’d squirreled away any money but found only half a stick of gum and some tissues.
But hey, I thought, think I’ll try it on. Slipped it o the rack and onto my torso and then remembered why it was living in the back of the closet. It was something I wore when I wore a younger man’s clothes.
But it was still a good-looking blazer, and the label inside told me why: “Arthur’s Men’s Shop, Pittsboro, NC.”
I never really got over William Ray closing his shop. After all, he had practically raised me through the world of fashion. After Mama stopped making me go to the bargain basement in Belk’s in downtown Raleigh to try on jeans and let me slide into teenager years, I became a frequent customer of William Ray’s shop on Pittsboro’s Main Street, a habit
that endured through the years as long as I was in town and he was in business.
In addition to the high quality, William Ray o ered several other bene ts. Along with quality was, I thought, good prices. Actually, he ruined me as a shopper because today I still think shirts should be about $5 and pants around $10. I just can’t nd them anywhere these days.
The shop also provided other niceties, like the formals we rented in high school for the Junior-Senior Banquet. Today, I think the equivalent of that event is something called “The Prom” and is an occasion for young ladies to spend a gazillion dollars on an out t they may wear at the dance for an hour until they leave to go who knows where.
Arthur’s Men’s Shop was also the place to go when I rented a monkey suit for Shirley’s wedding a few years ago. It was the rst time I ever saw those little fasteners with black heads that you used instead of buttons to button your fancy shirt.
William Ray was on the cutting edge of fashion for a small town. I still remember the time I was in the store and he told me of this new fashion product I should try on because it was so lightweight, you wouldn’t think you were wearing pants. It was there I slipped on my rst pair of polyester pants, and they felt so good I bought several then and there. Later, I moved along in the world of high fashion as I purchased my beautiful light blue leisure suit, complete with matching dark blue shirt with huge collars, from William Ray.
Now, as I think of those days, I realize
that while all those features and more were part of the place, it was really the people I went in to see. At the back of the store was an elevated platform the width of the store. It was only 6 to 8 inches higher than the rest of the store, but it had several stu ed chairs and a couch or two just right for sitting and wasting ... er, I mean enjoying a visit with William or his good wife Gladys or Wade Lemons, a sharp-dressed man in his own right. Many times, I was in the store not for a purchase but to visit with those good folks and whoever else happened to be there.
I remember when they laid William Ray to rest at the Methodist Church in Pittsboro some years ago. I would see him around town from time to time, occasionally bumping into him at one of the local eateries, often with one or both of his lovely daughters with him. He always asked about my two brothers since they, too, had dropped a dollar or two with him from time to time in their e orts at looking good.
On the day family and friends said “goodbye” to a good fellow, I wasn’t there. Had planned to be; can’t remember what it was that came up that prevented me from going to the service, but I think I may try another tting of that sport coat as a token of thanks and respect for William. Couldn’t hurt.
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
LETTERS
To The Editor:
Our all-too-human cravings
There lives a little kid inside me who still relishes all those creamy, sweet, probably chocolate, variations on dessert Nirvana.
WAITING IN A GROCERY store line (forever), I look to my left. Twinkies. They still make Twinkies? Talk about shades of my childhood. Although, to be blindingly honest, I liked the Hostess chocolate cupcakes much better. The cupcake’s cream lling in the middle of moist chocolate … what can I say? Absolute ambrosia in my child’s mind. Major whoops! Just as I wrote “child’s mind“ above, I experienced a minor, internal eruption of “What?!” Well, golly gee, that cry of feeling diminished came from my own, quite alive, inner kid. No, no, please don’t look askance at my mention of my inner munchkin. You’ve got one too!
We all do.
In that vein, I recently heard a friend say she’d been visiting her sister in another state. They celebrated her brother-in-law’s birthday with red velvet cake (oh my!) and some other sort of completely, gushy, sweet pastry that left her ngers feeling sticky afterward, enough so that she had to lick them clean. (OMG, I’m dying! I want some now!)
The next night, the three of them nished what was left of that sugar banquet.
My friend’s luscious description of pure dessert delight (I was already gone at her mention of red velvet cake) was followed by a slight snort of disgust or superiority, I’m not sure which. Also, the statement, “I would never keep that kind of sugar-drenched food in my house!”
I’ve certainly heard those words of indictment before. Yep, I have. Coming from my very own mouth. Often, repeatedly …
I, however, (am I bragging?) have had a serious change of heart regarding the Twinkie, Hostess cupcake, red velvet cake genre of, shall we say, nutrition. I have. Not kidding.
I nally owned that I’m human. Still am, I think. And on my particular spectrum of being human, there lives a little kid inside me who still relishes all those creamy, sweet, probably chocolate, variations on dessert Nirvana. OK, OK, let’s just be straight
COLUMN
| VICTOR DAVIS HANSON
How the world flipped in 6 months
It turns out that staying in the U.S. consumer market is the top priority of our trading partners.
IN LESS THAN SIX MONTHS, the entire world has been turned upside down. There is no longer such a thing as conventional wisdom or the status quo. The unthinkable has become the banal.
Take illegal immigration — remember the 10,000 daily illegal entries under former President Joe Biden?
Recall the only solution was supposedly “comprehensive immigration reform” — a euphemism for mass amnesties.
Now there is no such thing as daily new illegal immigration. It simply disappeared with commonsense enforcement of existing immigration laws — and a new president.
How about the 40,000-50,000 shortfall in military recruitment?
Remember all the causes that the generals cited for their inability to enlist soldiers: generational gangs, obesity, drugs and sti competition with private industry?
And now?
In just six months, recruitment targets are already met; the issue is mostly moot. Why? The new Pentagon ipped the old, canceling its racist DEI programs and assuring the rural, middle-class Americans — especially white males — that they were not systemically racist after all.
Instead, they were reinvited to enlist as the critical combat cohort who died at twice their demographic share in Iraq and Afghanistan.
How about the “end of the NATO crisis,” supposedly brought on by a bullying U.S.?
Now the vast majority of NATO members have met their pledges to spend 2% of gross domestic product on defense, which will soon increase to 5%.
Iconic neutrals like Sweden and Finland have become frontline NATO nations, arming to the teeth. The smiling NATO secretarygeneral even called Trump the “daddy” of the alliance
What about indomitable, all-powerful, theocratic Iran, the scourge of the Middle East for nearly 50 years?
Although it had never won a war in the last half-century, its terrorist surrogates— Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis — were supposedly too dangerous to provoke.
Now?
Most of their expeditionary terrorists are neutered, and their leaders are in hiding or dead. Iran has no air force, no real navy, no air defenses and no active nuclear weapons program.
Its safety apparently depends only on the mood of the U.S. or Israel on any given day not to y into its airspace and take out its missiles, nuclear sites, generals or theocrats at will.
What happened to the supposedly inevitable recession, hyperin ation, stock market collapse, unemployment spikes and global trade war that last spring economists assured us would hit by summer?
Job growth is strong, and April’s in ation
with one another. I bet you have your own variant of that wildly voracious inner kid.
Um … maybe you’ve forgotten about him, her or them??
Ominous drum roll … you begin to grow up and are told, “Put away childish things!” Adults don’t do things like gobble down red velvet cake and keep a wonderful stash of chocolate-covered ginger in the house.
Oh no, that beloved little unique you, goes into the closet (never to emerge again?)
Balderdash.
Here’s a serious thought in the midst of all these sugary food ramblings. I’m on the human spectrum. A human spectrum inclusive of my (mostly) responsible adult, and a still, live-wire, little kid. I certainly wouldn’t call being an adult boring, but the liveliness and uniqueness of my little kid also brings joy and incredible light into the world I inhabit.
Every now and then, my little kid peeps out, looks over her shoulder to see if anyone’s watching, opens the fridge and totally demolishes a huge chocolate brownie a wonderful neighbor gifted me. Does this occur every day? Nope. But that occasional ravishing of the brownie or red velvet cake or whatever makes me happy. I notice that my head and ngers are bopping in tune with the internal delight of just laying into this sugar banquet. And, of course, I do have a stationary bike in another room …
So this human will continue to indulge, on occasion, feel her happiness during the indulgence and then see where the next steps in my life are beckoning me.
“When I became an adult, I put away childish things, including my fear of childishness”
— C.S. Lewis
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
rate is the lowest in four years. GDP is still steady. The stock market hit a record high. Trade partners are renegotiating their surpluses with the U.S.
It turns out that staying in the U.S. consumer market is the top priority of our trading partners. It seems their preexisting and mostly undisclosed pro ts were large enough to a ord reasonable U.S. symmetrical tari s.
For now, news of tax cuts, deregulation, “drill, baby, drill” energy policies displacing Green New Deal strangulation and $8-$10 trillion in potential foreign investment has encouraged — rather than deterred — business.
Then there were our marquee elite universities, whose prestige, riches, and powerful alumni made them answerable to no one.
And now, after the executive and congressional crackdown on their decades of hubris?
Supposedly brilliant university presidents have resigned in shame. The public has caught on to their grant surcharge gouging.
Campuses have backed o their arrogant de ance of the Supreme Court’s civil rights rulings.
They are panicked about the public exposure of their systemic antisemitism.
They are scrambling to explain away their institutionalized ideological bias, tawdry pro tmaking schemes and mass recruitment of wealthy foreign students from illiberal regimes.
So the mighty Ivy League powerhouses are now humbling themselves to cut a deal to save their nancial hides and hopefully return to their proper mission of disinterested education.
What happened to the trans juggernaut of sex as a social construct and its bookend gospel that biological men could dominate women’s sports?
People woke up. They were no longer afraid to state that sex is binary and biologically determined. And biological men who dominate women’s sports are bullies, not heroes.
Where are the millionaire-scamming architects of Black Lives Matter now? Where is the “DEI now, tomorrow and forever” conventional wisdom?
Where is professor Ibram X. Kendi and his $30,000 Zoom lessons on how to ght racism by being racist?
They have all been exposed as the race hustlers they always were. Their creed that it is OK for supposed victims to be racist victimizers themselves was exposed as an absurd con.
So what ipped everything?
We were living in an “emperor has no clothes” make-believe world for the last few years. The people knew establishment narratives were absurd, and our supposed experts were even more ridiculous.
But few — until now — had the guts to scream “the emperor is naked” to dispel the fantasies.
When they nally did, reality returned.
Victor Davis Hanson, a senior contributor for The Daily Signal, is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and host of The Victor Davis Hanson Show. This article was rst published by The Daily Signal.
I JUST WANT to share an experience I had Saturday, July 5.
Being a retired deputy and serving the people for 30 yearsm, I found this incident should be shared with Siler City folk. I was traveling thorough Siler City on my way home from the mountains when my vehicle hit a “sinkhole” at the stoplight across from dry dock sh house. Be advised “sinkhole,” not a pothole. It was bad enough to really do major damage to a small vehicle.
When I got home, I called Siler City Police to report same.
There was no answer at the police department. I couldn’t understand that, (no one at the department , a town this size) but anyway, I called Chatham County dispatch to report this sinkhole.
A very nice young lady took my call, and as I told her of my experience, she asked, “What is a sinkhole?” So, I explained a sinkhole to her. Then I proceeded to tell her the location of the sinkhole. I advised it was across the street from sh house Siler City. She asked, “What is a sh house?” I proceeded to tell her what a sh house is.
Making sure someone would check into this hazard, I called the Siler City Fire Department. The reman answered the phone and merely advised there are many potholes in Siler City!
Again I explained the hazard at this area but to no avail.
I just want the paper and citizens to know I attempted to at least have a cone placed at this area to eliminate major damage to a vehicle.
J.R. Hill Sanford
COLUMN | SUSAN ESTRICH
Barack Obama’s message to Democrats: Toughen up
“IT’S GOING TO REQUIRE a little bit less navel-gazing and a little less whining and being in fetal positions. And it’s going to require Democrats to just toughen up,” former President Barack Obama told Democratic donors at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee last Friday night. “What I have been surprised by is the degree to which I’ve seen people who, when I was president, or progressives, liberals, stood for all kinds of stu , who seem like they’re kind of cowed and intimidated and shrinking away from just asserting what they believe, or at least what they said they believe.”
Toughen up? Who? How?
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been out there holding rallies and public events, meeting with voters, talking plenty tough. What about Barack and Michelle? Are they ready to put aside their Hollywood production deals and get back in the trenches to save our democracy? We need them, desperately. In excerpts of his remarks distributed by his o ce, Obama targeted the law rms he said had been willing to “set aside the law ... not because, by the way, that they’re going to be thrown in jail, but because they might lose a few clients and might not be able to nish that kitchen rehab at their Hampton house. I’m not impressed.”
I have many friends and colleagues in the law rms that settled with the president and in the law rms that stood up and fought him. I didn’t hear about any kitchen rehabs in the Hamptons; President Donald Trump was threatening to destroy their rms. I have the greatest respect for those institutions that have stood up to Trump and the federal judges who have supported them. But I don’t blame those who have tried to stave o Trump’s attacks.
I do blame those who have chosen this moment to be silent or engage in blame games or refuse to stand up even though they face no jeopardy. That includes former presidents like Obama himself, who has been playing by an old set of rules in which former presidents don’t criticize their successors. That’s ne when our democracy is not in peril, which it is.
What is Barack Obama going to do about it?
At the fundraiser, Obama encouraged the rich Democrats in attendance to give money to the Democratic National Committee. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. As president, Obama had no use for the DNC; as The New York Times reported, “his own aides worked to diminish” the o cial party apparatus. And now, with a DNC wracked by internal divisions and in ghting, it is somehow the answer? To what? The DNC is part of the problem.
So is the party establishment. What is New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand doing going on the radio and suggesting that the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York is an antisemite who wants a jihad against New York’s Jews? What is former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo doing abandoning the Democratic Party in his desperate e ort to regain power? He had his chance, and he blew it. The voters spoke. Is he listening?
We need new leaders and new faces, and to get there, we need the leaders who people did trust — leaders like Barack and Michelle Obama, and Bill and Hillary Clinton — to help make that happen. They need to get out there on the stump, along with Bernie and AOC and show a united party willing to listen. Money is not the reason we lost the election. We misread the room. We weren’t listening.
Susan Estrich is a lawyer, professor, author and political commentator.
obituaries
Shirley Marie Breeding Owens
July 6, 1939 –July 15, 2025
Shirley Marie Breeding Owens, 86, of Hurt passed away July 15, 2025, at Gretna Health and Rehabilitation in Gretna, VA, due to complications from a fall. She was born July 6, 1939, to the late George and E e Jackson Breeding, in Davenport, VA. She was married to Benny Owens, who passed away in 2004. In addition to her parents and husband, Shirley was predeceased by her brothers, Charlie and Clyde Breeding, and a sister, Ola Gay Fletcher. She is survived by a daughter, Kimberly Mayhew and son-inlaw Robert, Green Mountain NC, and a son, David Owens, Mebane, NC; grandson, Daniel Mayhew and wife Jennifer, Luray, VA; step-greatgranddaughter, Caitlynn Lucas, Luray, VA; and a sister, Linda
May 25, 1943 –July 13, 2025
Clyde B. Perry, Jr., 82, passed away on July 13th, 2025. Born on May 25th, 1943, to Clyde B. Perry Sr. and Grace Sink Perry, he was a lifelong
Church, Davenport, VA. Shirley was a graduate of Council High School and Emory & Henry College, valedictorian at both. She worked as a public-school elementary teacher. In the 1970s, she owned and taught at Humpty Dumpty Kindergarten in Siler City, NC. She always treasured seeing her former students over the years. In 1983, her husband purchased a business in Altavista, VA, Vista Apparel, where she assisted with administration. That business was later sold and a new business, Eagle Pointe, was started in Huddleston, VA, where she managed the o ce. In her retirement years, she enjoyed crafts, especially crocheting. She especially enjoyed keeping up with her family with long phone chats. She was of the Methodist faith. The family wishes to give special thanks to a caring friend, Sue Bowling. Also, gratitude to the sta of Gretna Health and Rehabilitation. The family will receive friends from 1 pm until 2 pm on Saturday, July 19, 2025 in the CombsHess Funeral and Cremation Service chapel. Burial will be private and held in the Larkin Breeding Cemetery in Davenport, VA. Expressions of sympathy may be made on the Combs-Hess Funeral Service Facebook page and our website at www.chfunerals. com. Combs-Hess Funeral & Cremation Service, 291 Hwy 71 Fincastle Road, Lebanon, VA 24266, (276) 889-4444.
resident of Pittsboro and worked for many years doing maintenance for Chatham County Schools.
He and his wife Rena Hatley Perry were married for 60 years and had one son, Tim Perry. Clyde loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter and sherman.
Clyde is survived by his wife, Rena Perry; Son, Tim Perry (Kelli) of Pittsboro; sisters Julie Frye and Laura Outz (both of Pittsboro); and three grandchildren.
He now joins his parents Clyde Sr. and Grace, as well as his brother Mark Perry. Per Clyde’s wishes, there will not be any services. Donaldson Funeral Home & Crematory is honored to serve the Perry family.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner, ‘Cosby Show’ actor, dead at 54 in Costa Rica drowning
The actor played the beloved son Theo Huxtable
By Javier Cordoba and Andrew Dalton The Associated Press
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who as teenage son Theo Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” was central to a cultural phenomenon that helped de ne the 1980s, died at 54 in an accidental drowning in Costa Rica, authorities there said Monday.
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department said Warner drowned Sunday afternoon on a beach on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. He was swimming at Playa Cocles in Limon province when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean.
“He was rescued by people on the beach,” the department’s initial report said, but rst responders from Costa Rica’s Red Cross found him without vital signs and he was taken to the morgue.
Warner created many TV moments etched in the memories of Generation X children and their parents, including a pilot- episode argument with Cosby about grades and careers, and another episode where Theo tries in vain to hide his ear piercing from his dad.
Theo was the only son among four daughters in the household of Cosby’s Cli Huxtable and Phylicia Rashad’s Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom, and he would be one of the prime representations of American teenage life and Black boyhood on a show that was the most popular in America for much of its run from 1984 to 1992.
Warner worked for more than 40 years as an actor and director, also starring in the sitcoms “Malcolm & Eddie” and “Read Between the Lines,” and in the medical drama “The Resident.”
His nal credits came in TV guest roles, including a dramatic four- episode arc last year on the network procedural “9 -1-1,” where he played a nurse who was a long-term survivor of a terrible re.
“I grew up with a maniacal obsession with not wanting to be one of those ‘where are they now kids,’” Warner told The Associated Press in 2015. “I feel very blessed to be able to have all of these avenues of expression ... to be where I am now and nally at a place where I can let go of that worry about having a life after ‘Cosby.’”
He played Theo Huxtable for eight seasons, appearing in each of the 197 episodes of “The Cosby Show” and earning an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy in 1986.
Actor Viola Davis was among those giving tribute Monday.
“Theo was OUR son, OUR brother, OUR friend. He was absolutely so familiar, and we rejoiced at how TV got it right!!”, The Oscar winner said on Instagram. “But Malcolm got it right
Come join our new aftercare program
... we reveled in your life and are gutted by this loss.”
The Cosby legacy
Like the rest of the “Cosby Show” cast, Warner had to contend with the sexual assault allegations against its titular star, whose conviction in a Pennsylvania court was later overturned.
Warner told the Associated Press in 2015 that the show’s legacy was “tarnished.”
“My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and lm,” Warner said. “We’ve always had ‘The Cosby Show’ to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that’s the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale.”
Representatives for Cosby declined immediate comment.
Life after Theo
Warner’s rst major post-”Cosby” role came on the sitcom “Malcolm & Eddie,” co-starring with comedian Eddie Gri n in the popular series on the defunct UPN network from 1996 to 2000.
“My heart is heavy right now,” Gri n said on Instagram Monday. “Rest easy my brother for you have Won in life and now you have won forever eternal bliss..”
In the 2010s, he starred opposite Tracee Ellis Ross as a family-blending couple for two seasons on the BET sitcom “Read Between The Lines.” He also had a role as O.J. Simpson’s friend Al Cowlings on “American Crime Story” and was a series regular on Fox’s “The Resident.”
“First I met you as Theo with the rest of the world then you were my rst TV husband,” Ross said on Instagram. “My heart is so so sad. What an actor and friend you were: warm, gentle, present, kind, thoughtful, deep, funny, elegant.”
Warner’s lm roles included the 2008 rom-com “Fool’s Gold” with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. A poet and a musician, Warner was a Grammy winner, for best traditional R&B performance, and was nominated for best spoken word poetry album for “Hiding in Plain View.”
Warner also worked as a director, helming episodes of “Malcolm & Eddie,” “Read Between the Lines,” “The Resident” and “All That.”
An actor’s childhood
Warner, named after Malcolm X and jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, was born in 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey. His mother, Pamela Warner, served as his manager when he began pursuing acting at age 9.
In the early 1980s, he made guest appearances on the TV shows “Matt Houston” — his rst credit — and “Fame.”
Warner was 13 when he landed the role of Theo in an audition after a broad search for the right child actor.
Cosby was a major star at the time, and the show was certain to be widely seen, but few could’ve predicted the huge phenomenon it would become.
For many the lasting image of Theo, and of Warner, is of him wearing a badly botched mock designer shirt sewed by his sister Denise, played by Lisa Bonet. The “Gordon Gartrell” shirt later became a memeable image: Anthony Mackie wore one on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon and the pro le picture on Warner’s Instagram shows a toddler sporting one.
Warner would develop a love -hate relationship with the character.
“Theo was very good to me. And I think that show and that role is timeless. And I’m very proud of that role,” Warner said in a recent podcast interview, while noting that he’d tried to separate himself from the role and for years would recoil when fans addressed him as Theo.
“Part of the distancing for me is not wanting to see how much of Malcolm is in Theo. I remember doing the show and I always thought that Theo is corny. I want Theo to be cooler,” he told Melyssa Ford on her “Hot & Bothered” podcast. “Somebody called me America’s favorite white Black boy. And I was 15. ... It hurt me. ... That’s cultural trauma.” Warner was married with a young daughter, but chose to not publicly disclose their names. His representatives declined immediate comment on his death.
Clyde B. Perry
Debbie Horton
DANNY MOLOSHOK / INVISION / AP
Actor and musician Malcolm-Jamal Warner poses for a portrait in 2015.
Ozzy Osbourne, godfather of heavy metal, dead at 76
The Black Sabbath frontman got a new audience with reality TV
By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press
OZZY OSBOURNE, the gloomy, demon-invoking lead singer of the pioneering band Black Sabbath who became the throaty, growling voice — and drug-and-alcohol ravaged id — of heavy metal, died Tuesday, just weeks after his farewell show. He was 76. Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents’ groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head o a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show “The Osbournes.”
Black Sabbath’s 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding.
The band’s second album, “Paranoid,” included such classic tunes as “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Fairies Wear Boots.” The song “Paranoid” only reached No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 but became in many ways the band’s signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine.
“Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who’s serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath,” Dave Navarro of the band Jane’s Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. Sabbath red Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. He reemerged the next year as a solo artist with “Blizzard of Ozz” and the following year’s “Diary of a Madman,” both hard rock classics that went multi-platinum and spawned enduring favorites such as “Crazy Train,” “Goodbye to Romance,” “Flying High Again” and “You Can’t Kill Rock and Roll.” Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist.
Donald Rose, UK’s oldest WWII veteran, dies
The Associated Press
LONDON — Britain’s oldest World War II veteran, Donald Rose, has died at the age of 110.
Rose participated in the D -Day landings on June 6, 1944, and was part of the division that liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in northern Germany.
In a statement Friday, the leader of the Erewash Borough Council in the north of England, James Dawson, announced Rose’s death, calling him a “war hero.”
“Erewash was privileged to count him as a resident,” he added.
In May, Rose joined 45 other veterans as guests of honor at a tea party celebration hosted by the Royal British Legion at the National Memorial Arboretum
to mark 80 years since Victory in Europe Day.
Rose, who was born on Christmas Eve in 1914 following the outbreak of hostilities in World War I, said at the event that he did not celebrate VE Day at the time.
“When I heard that the armistice had been signed 80 years ago, I was in Germany at Belsen and, like most active soldiers, I didn’t get to celebrate at that time,” he said. “We just did what we thought was right, and it was a relief when it was over.”
Originally from the village of Westcott, southwest of London, Rose joined the army aged 23 and served in North Africa, Italy and France, according to the Royal British Legion. He received a number of medals and was awarded France’s highest honor, the Legion d’Honneur.
Rose was also believed to have been the U.K.’s oldest man.
The original Sabbath lineup reunited for the rst time in 20 years in July 2025 in the U.K. for what Osbourne said was his nal concert. “Let the madness begin!” he told 42,000 fans.
Metallica, Guns N Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Rival Sons and Mastodon did sets. Tom Morello, Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, Ronnie Wood, Travis Barker, Sammy Hagar, Yungblud and Vernon Reid made appearances.
Osbourne embodied the excesses of metal. His outlandish exploits included relieving himself on the Alamo, snorting a line of ants o a sidewalk and, most memorably, biting the head o a live bat that a fan threw onstage during a 1981 concert. (He said he thought it was rubber.)
Osbourne was sued in 1987 by parents of a 19 -year-old teen who died by suicide while listening to his song “Suicide Solution.” The lawsuit was dismissed. Osbourne said the
song was really about the dangers of alcohol, which caused the death of his friend Bon Scott, lead singer of AC/DC. Then- Cardinal John J. O’Connor of New York claimed in 1990 that Osbourne’s songs led to demonic possession and even suicide. “You are ignorant about the true meaning of my songs,” the singer wrote back. “You have also insulted the intelligence of rock fans all over the world.”
Audiences at Osbourne shows could be mooned or spit on by the singer, but the Satan-invoking Osbourne would usually send the crowds home with their ears ringing and a hearty “God bless!”
He started an annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what was then the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. Ozzfest would host such bands as Slipknot, Tool, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park.
In 2013, he reunited with Black Sabbath for the dour, raw “13,” which reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart. In 2019, he had a Top 10 hit when featured on Post Malone’s “Take What You Want,” Osbourne’s rst song in the Top 10 since 1989.
In 2020, he released the album “Ordinary Man,” which had as its title song a duet with Elton John. “I’ve been a bad guy, been higher than the blue sky/And the truth is I don’t wanna die an ordinary man,” he sang. In 2022, he landed his rst career back-to-back No. 1 rock radio singles from his album “Patient Number 9,” which featured collaborations with Je Beck, Eric Clapton, Robert Trujillo and Du McKagan. t earned four Grammy nominations, winning two. (Osbourne won ve Grammys over his lifetime.)
At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2024, Jack Black called him “greatest frontman in the history of rock ‘n’ roll” and “the Jack Nicholson of rock.”
John Michael Osbourne was raised in the gritty city of Birmingham, England. Kids in school nicknamed him Ozzy, short for his surname.
The Guardian in 2009 said the band “introduced working-class anger, stoner sludge grooves and witchy horror-rock to ower power.”
Much later, a wholesome Osbourne would be revealed when “The Osbournes,” which ran on MTV from 2002-2005, showed this one-time self-proclaimed madman drinking Diet Cokes as he struggled to nd the History Channel on his new satellite television.
He is survived by Sharon, and his children.
Get your learner’s permit this summer! Teenagers at 14 ½ years old may enroll in our teen class which includes 30 hrs of
and 6 hrs of behind-the-wheel lessons, and vision/medical screening before getting the learner’s permit.
New Classes: 7/14-7/18 • 7/21-7/25
8/1 - 5:00pm-8:00pm; 8/2&8/3 - 9:00am-3:00pm 8/8 - 5:00pm-8:00pm; 8/9&8/10 - 9:00am-3:00pm
DOUGLAS PIZAC / AP PHOTO
Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne poses for a photo in Los Angeles in 1981.
JACOB KING/PA VIA AP
Donald Rose
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FORECLOSURE
OF FORECLOSURE SALE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000284-180
ALL persons having claims against Barbara M. Perkin, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before October 1, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery.
Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment.
This the 3rd day of July, 2025.
MARTIN JACK PERKIN, Administrator
C/O Monroe, Wallace, Morden & Sherrill, PA 3225 Blue Ridge Road, Suite 117 Raleigh, NC 27612 July 3, 10, 17 and 24
LEGAL NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000371-180
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of James E Beatty late of Chatham County, NC this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before October 27, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said estate are noti ed to make immediate payment.
This is the 27th day of July, 2025 James A Beatty 5200 Beechwood Road Milford, OH 45150 Send claims to: Wells Law, Attorneys at Law 380 Knollwood Street, Suite 710 Winston-Salem, NC 27103 336.793.4378 July 24, 31 Aug 7, 14, 2025
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Muriel Crowley Harris, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present them, duly veri ed, to the undersigned at 344 West John Street, Matthews, NC 28105, on or before October 18, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate settlement with the undersigned. This the 17th day of July, 2025. John T. Harris, Executor of the Estate of Muriel Crowley Harris, Chatham County File No. 24E001335-180, c/o Garrity & Gossage, LLP, 344 West John Street, Matthews, NC 28105.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of RICHARD JAMES MARION, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Munson Law Firm PLLC, P.O. Box 1811 Pittsboro, NC 27312, on or before the 24th day of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 24th day of July, 2025.
LYNN MARION, ADMINISTRATOR ESTATE OF RICHARD MARION
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Margot Ann Friedrich, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present them, duly veri ed, to the undersigned at 344 West John Street, Matthews, NC 28105, on or before October 17, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate settlement with the undersigned. This the 17th day of July, 2025. Heather N. Anschuetz-Je ers, Executor of the Estate of Margot Ann Friedrich, Chatham County File No. 25E000357-180, c/o Garrity & Gossage, LLP, 344 West John Street, Matthews, NC 28105.
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Nancy Paschal Price late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 9th day of July, 2025. Thomas King Price, III, Executor of the Estate of Nancy Paschal Price 301 South Dogwood Siler City, North Carolina 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp
EXECUTOR’S NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY All persons having claims against the estate of Nancy Meltzer, of Chatham County, NC, who died on July 11, 2022 are noti ed to present them on or before October 15, 2025 to Robert N. Maitand, II, Executor, c/o Maitland & Sti er Law Firm, 2 Couch Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Michele L. Sti er MAITLAND & STIFFLER LAW FIRM 2 Couch Road Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Attorney for the Estate
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as Co-Executors of the Estate of Eleanor Joyce Moore, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, do hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 24th day of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment.
This 24th day of July, 2025.
JENNIFER JOYCE MOORE AND SUSANNA MCHUGH
MOORE, CO-EXECUTORS, ESTATE OF ELEANOR
JOYCE MOORE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Jacobus E. de Vries aka Jacobus Egbert de Vries, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 24th day of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment.
This 24th day of July, 2025.
SARAH ELIZABETH TILLMAN, EXECUTOR
ESTATE OF JACOBUS E. DE VRIES AKA JACOBUS EGBERT DE VRIES
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Administrator CTA of the
Estate of Richard Drayton Peter late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 9th day of July, 2025. Linda P. Crabtree, Administrator CTA of the Estate of Richard Drayton Peter 25 Joe Brown Road Bear Creek, North Carolina 27207 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION COUNTY OF CHATHAM FILE NO. 25CV000703-180 NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION GILDA H. LAMBERT, Plainti , vs. JOHN DOE and MRS. JOHN DOE, if married, and other UNKNOWN OWNERS, in esse and not in esse, being the owners of the Property described herein unknown to the Plainti , together with all assignees, heirs at law, and devisees of MARY LEE HORTON, together with all of her creditors, and lienholders regardless of how or through whom they claim, and any and all persons claiming any interest in the estate of MARY LEE HORTON Defendants.
TO: JOHN DOE and MRS. JOHN DOE, if married, and other UNKNOWN OWNERS, in esse and not in esse, being the owners of the Property described herein unknown to the Plainti , together with all assignees, heirs at law, and devisees of MARY LEE HORTON, together with all of her creditors, and lienholders regardless of how or through whom they claim, and any and all persons claiming any interest in the estate of MARY LEE HORTON Take notice that a Complaint has been led in the above entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is to quiet title and obtain a declaratory judgment on real property in Chatham County, North Carolina described in the Complaint.
You are required to le a response to the Complaint not later than the 26th day of August, 2025, said date being 40 days from the rst publication of this notice in order to participate in and receive further notice of the proceeding, including notice of the time and place of any hearing, and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. This the 11th day of July, 2025. GUNN & MESSICK, PLLC
By: /s/ Paul S. Messick, Jr. N.C. State Bar No. 2979 Post O ce Box 880 Pittsboro, North Carolina 27312 Telephone: (919) 542-3253 Facsimile: (919) 542-0257 Email: pm@gunnmessick.com Attorney for Plainti
Notice to Creditors
All persons, rms and corporations having claims against Edith Fomby Gibbons, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before October 20, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 17th day of July, 2025.
Donna M. Beaudoin, Administrator c/o W. Thomas McCuiston 200 Towne Village Drive Cary, NC 27513
NOTICE
ALL PERSONS, rms, and corporations having claims against Donna Marie Spring Ring, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before October 3rd, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 3rd of July, 2025. Michelle Lynn Ring Romanowicz, Administrator of the Estate of Donna Marie Spring Ring, c/o Amanda Honea, Attorney, 1033 Wade Avenue, Suite 104, Raleigh, NC 27605.
NOTICE
NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, CHATHAM COUNTY
VIRGINIA LYNN NEAL, Petitioner v. TIMOTHY
MICHAEL HOGAN and AMY FORDHAM COOK, Respondents (25SP000046-180) TO: AMY FORDHAM COOK Take notice that a petition seeking relief against you was led on March 19, 2025 in the above partition action. The nature of this action is as follows: petition for partition and sale of real property. You are required to make defense to such petition no later than 40 days after the date of the rst publication of this Notice and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. Wesley A. Stewart, Esq., 5410 Trinity Rd., Ste. 210, Raleigh, NC, 27607, Petitioner’s Attorney. J24, 31 and 7
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000323-180
ALL persons having claims against Darrell Lloyd Cole, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Oct 24 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 24th day of July, 2025.
Alesia J Purvis, Executor C/O Bowen Law Firm PC 590 New Waverly Pl Ste 120 Cary, NC 27518 J24, 31, 7 and 14
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000365-180 The undersigned, MELYNNA JOHNSON DOWD, having quali ed on the 9th Day of JULY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of FAYDEENE R. JOHNSON, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 17TH Day OF OCTOBER 2025, 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 17TH DAY OF JULY 2025.
MELYNNA JOHNSON DOWD, EXECUTOR
148 VALLEY OAK COURT LEXINGTON, NC 27295
Run dates: Jy17,24,31A7p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25000253-180
The undersigned, JEROME LEE FORSTER, having quali ed on the 6th Day of MAY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ANDREA CLAUDINE FORSTER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 24TH Day OF OCTOBER 2025, 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 24TH DAY OF JULY 2025.
JEROME LEE FORSTER, EXECUTOR
261 JIM GILLILAND RD. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: Jy24,31,A7,14p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against James D. Seitzer a/k/a James Donald Seitzer, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 2nd of October, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 3rd day of July, 2025.
Bruce F. Seitzer
Jean S. Storrs c/o Hutson Law O ce, P.A. 3518 Westgate Drive, Suite 401 Durham, NC 27707 July 3, 10, 17, 24, 2025
NOTICE
ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against RICKEY MICHAEL RIDDLE, deceased, of Pittsboro, Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before October 17, 2025, or this notice will pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the Decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 17th day of July, 2025. Nicholas Michael Riddle, Executor, c/o Elizabeth K. Arias Esq., Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, 555 Fayetteville Street, Suite 1100, Raleigh, NC 27601.
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
TOWN OF PITTSBORO, NC
On Monday, August 11, 2025, at 6:00 pm, the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will hold the following public hearing in person at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center at 1192 Hwy 64 Business West, Pittsboro, NC: A RESOLUTION OF INTENT TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE A PORTION OF SUTTLES ROAD IN THE TOWN OF PITTSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA WHEREAS, it appears that permanently closing a portion of Suttles Road within the Town of Pittsboro is not contrary to the public interest and that no individual owning property in the vicinity of said portion of Suttles Road proposed to be closed would thereby be deprived of reasonable means of ingress and egress to his or her property; NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED by the Board of Commissioners of the Town of Pittsboro as follows:
JANET COOK FARRELL PO BOX 156 PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: Jy3,10,17,24p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000215-180 The undersigned, PENNY REDDY, having quali ed on the 16th Day of APRIL, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of MUTYALA KRISHNA REDDY, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 10TH Day OF OCTOBER 2025, 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 10TH DAY OF JULY 2025. PENNY REDDY, ADMINISTRATOR 125 CEDAR ELM RD. DURHAM, NC 27713 Run dates: Jy10,17,24,31p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000317-180 The undersigned, JENNIFER LEE GOODSPEED, having quali ed on the 11th Day of JUNE, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JUDITH KAYE BREYER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 10TH Day OF OCTOBER 2025, 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 10TH DAY OF JULY 2025. JENNIFER LEE GOODSPEED, EXECUTOR 697 FEARRINGTON POST PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: Jy10,17,24,31p
plenty of time for candidates to establish themselves and Trump to wade in. The president, said White House political director James Blair, has been working closely with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R- S.D.).
“I won’t get ahead of the president but look, him and leader Thune have been very aligned. I expect them to be aligned and work closely,” he said.
Trump’s timing, allies say, also re ects the far more disciplined approach by him and his political operation, which are determined for Republicans to gain seats in both the Senate and the House.
Here’s what’s happening in some key Senate races. Will North Carolina have a Trump on the ballot?
The surprise retirement announcement by two -term Sen. Thom Tillis has set o a frenzied search for a replacement in a state widely seen as Democrats’ top pickup opportunity. He had repeatedly clashed with Trump, including over Medicaid changes in the tax cut bill, leading the president to threaten to back a primary challenger.
All eyes are now on Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, who is mulling whether to run in her home state as other potential candidates stand by.
A familiar national Republican face as co - chair of the Republican National Committee during Trump’s 2024 campaign, Lara Trump is now a Fox News Channel host. She also had been a visible surrogate during previous campaigns, often promoting her North Carolina roots and the fact that she named her daughter Carolina.
Having a Trump on the ballot could boost a party that has struggled to motivate its most fervent base when Donald Trump is not running. But Lara Trump currently lives in Florida and has so far sounded muted on the prospect of a Senate run.
Other potential contenders include RNC chair Michael Whatley, who led North Carolina’s GOP before taking the national reins and is considered a strong fundraiser and Trump loyalist, and rst-term Reps. Pat Harrigan and Brad Knott. While Lara Trump and Whatley are better known nationally, Harrigan is a West Point graduate and Knott is a former federal prosecutor.
Democrats are waiting on a decision from former two -term Gov. Roy Cooper, who is seen as a formidable candidate by both parties in a state Trump carried by just 3.2 percentage points last year. Former Rep. Wiley Nickel has entered the race, but it’s unclear what he would do if Cooper ran.
An ugly Texas brawl
Democrats have long dreamed of winning statewide o ce in this ruby red state. Could a nasty GOP primary be their ticket?
National Republicans and GOP Senate strategists are ringing alarm bells amid concerns that state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is facing a bevy of personal and ethical questions, could prevail over Sen. John Cornyn for the nomination.
They fear Paxton would be a disastrous general election candidate, forcing Republicans to invest tens of millions of dollars they believe would be better spent in other states.
Texans for a Conservative Majority, a super political action committee supporting
Cornyn, a onetime Trump critic, began airing television ads this past week promoting his support for Trump’s package of tax breaks and spending cuts.
Don’t expect the upbeat tone from the pro - Cornyn super PAC to hold long. Paxton was acquitted after a Republican-led impeachment trial in 2023 over allegations of bribery and abuse of o ce, which also exposed an extramarital a air. His wife, Angela, led for divorce on July 10, referring to “recent discoveries” in announcing her decision to end her marriage of 38 years “on biblical grounds.”
“Ken Paxton has embarrassed himself, his family, and we look forward to exposing just how bad he’s embarrassed our state in the coming months,” said Aaron Whitehead, the super PAC’s executive director. Trump adviser Chris LaCivita, who comanaged Trump’s 2024 campaign, is advising the group.
But Cornyn has had a cool relationship with Trump over the years, while Paxton is a longtime Trump ally. And Paxton raised more than three times as much as Cornyn in the second quarter, $2.9 million compared with $804,000, according to Federal Elections Commission reports.
Rep. Wesley Hunt is also weighing a run.
Will Trump be persuaded to endorse or will he choose to steer clear?
In Georgia, a pickup opportunity with no candidate yet
Republicans see Georgia and the seat held by Democrat Jon Osso as one of their best pickup opportunities. But the party remains in search of a well-known challenger after failing to persuade term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp to run.
A growing potential eld includes Reps. Buddy Carter, Mike Collins and Rich McCormick, Insurance Commissioner John King and Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach. The president is still meeting with possible candidates and is expected by many to wait to weigh in until his team has fully screened them and assessed their chances.
Osso took in more than $10 million in the second
quarter of the year, according to federal lings, after raising $11 million from January through March. He ended June with more than $15.5 million cash on hand.
That money will matter in what is sure to be an expensive general election. The Senate races in 2020, when Osso and Raphael Warnock narrowly won and ipped control to Democrats, cost more than $900 million combined.
Michigan GOP waits on Trump
Republicans hope the retirement of Democratic Sen. Gary Peters and a crowded, expensive Democratic primary will help them capture a seat that has eluded them for more than three decades. Here, too, all eyes are on Trump.
Republicans are rallying around former Rep. Mike Rogers, who came within 20,000 votes in 2024 against then-Rep. Elissa Slotkin and had Trump’s endorsement. Rogers now appears to have momentum behind him, with the support of Thune, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and former Trump campaign veterans LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio.
But other Republicans could complicate things. Rep. Bill Huizenga has said he is waiting for guidance from the president on whether he should run.
“When people are asking why haven’t you announced or what are you going to do, it’s like, look, I want to get the man’s in-
put, all right?” Huizenga told reporters last month. A spokesperson for Huizenga added that the congressman has spoken to Trump on the phone multiple times and has yet to be told not to run. Still, White House o cials have on more than one occasion encouraged Huizenga to stay in the House, according to one person familiar with the conversations who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private discussions and spoke only on condition of anonymity. Democrats have their own messy primary, with state Sen. Mallory McMorrow up against Rep. Haley Stevens, state Rep. Joe Tate, and former Wayne County Health Director Abdul El- Sayed. They were pleased to see that, even without any declared challengers, Rogers’ main campaign account raised just $745,000 during the second quarter, lagging Huizenga and several Democrats. (He brought in another nearly $779,000 through a separate joint fundraising committee.) McMorrow, by comparison, raised more than $2.1 million.
In Louisiana, another Trump antagonist faces voters
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy has faced scrutiny from his party, in no small part for his 2021 vote to convict Trump after the president’s second impeachment. Will Trump seek retribution against the two -term senator or ultimately back him?
Though Cassidy already faces two primary challengers, Louisiana is a reliably Republican state, which Trump won last year by 22 percentage points. Democrats are hoping a strong contender — potentially former Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has attracted Republican votes in the past — might mount a competitive challenge. Republicans are awaiting word on whether Rep. Julia Letlow will run. In May, Gov. Je Landry and Trump privately discussed the two -term congresswoman entering the race. Letlow and Landry appeared together at a congressional fundraiser for her in Lafayette, outside her northeast Louisiana district, on June 30, fueling speculation about her plans.
The governor’s discussion with Trump of a new challenger to Cassidy re ects the Trump base’s unease with the senator, not simply over the impeachment vote but also Cassidy’s concerns about installing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation’s health secretary. Cassidy ultimately backed Kennedy, a move some saw as an e ort to ease tensions.
Among Cassidy’s Republican challengers so far are state Treasurer John Fleming and state Sen. Blake Miguez. Letlow, serving in the seat her husband held before he died of COVID -19, is considered a rising star in the Louisiana GOP.
A wavering incumbent in Iowa
Two -term Republican Sen. Joni Ernst has not said whether she plans to seek a third term.
Ernst would be expected to win in the state Trump carried by 13 percentage points last year. But she has come under some criticism from Iowa Republicans, including for saying she needed to hear more from Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, before committing to support his nomination amid allegations of sexual assault that Hegseth denied.
The senator, a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor, eventually voted to con rm him.
Though a nal decision awaits, Ernst has named a 2026 campaign manager and has scheduled her annual Iowa fundraiser for October.
Over 5 million aboveground pools recalled after deaths
Reports say nine children have drowned
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — More than 5.2 million aboveground swimming pools sold across the U.S. and Canada over the last two decades are being recalled after nine drowning deaths were reported.
The recall covers a range of Bestway, Intex Recreation and Polygroup pools that were sold by major retailers as far back as
2002. According to Monday notices published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, these pools have compression straps running along the outside of the product — which “may create a foothold” for small children and allow them to access the water unattended. That can pose a serious drowning risk, the safety regulators warn. To date, the CPSC believes nine children across the U.S. have drowned after gaining access to these now-recalled pools in this
The recall covers a range of Bestway, Intex Recreation and Polygroup pools that were sold by major retailers as far back as 2002.
way. Those deaths occurred between 2007 and 2022, involving children between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old. No addi-
tional fatalities have been reported in Canada. Consumers in possession of these pools are urged to immediately contact Bestway, Intex and/or Polygroup to receive a free repair kit — which will consist of a rope to replace the compression strap. Owners of these pools should otherwise ensure that small children cannot access the pool without supervision, regulators note — and could alternatively drain the pool until the repair is made. All of the pools being re-
called are 48 inches or taller — and can be identi ed by brand and model names listed on both the CPSC and Health Canada’s recall notices. Sales of the pools ranged by model and location, but date as far back to 2002 and as recently as 2025. About 5 million of these now-recalled pools were sold across the U.S. — including both online and in-stores at major retailers like Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, Costco and Amazon. Another 266,000 were sold in Canada.
ALEX BRANDON / AP PHOTO
Lara Trump waves to the audience as President Donald Trump speaks at a bill signing event at the White House earlier this month.
ALEX BRANDON / AP PHOTO
Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee, speaks at a campaign rally in Greensboro last November.
CHATHAM SPORTS
Chatham-Randolph poses with their championship rings after the end of the Colt division tournament.
Chatham-Randolph wins Colt title
The 15/17U team came out on top in the roundrobin tournament
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
SILER CITY — Chatham-Randolph endured plenty of storms in its third season in the Chatham County Pony Baseball League.
But through all the weather cancellations and the in-season battles, it was the last team standing.
Chatham-Randolph earned its rst pony league championship in the 15/17U Colt division last week at Jordan-Matthews High School, winning the rst
three games of the end-of-season round-robin tournament to clinch the title a day early on July 14.
The champs, consisting of high school-aged players from Chatham and Randolph counties, beat Jordan-Matthews 16U 14-10 in the rst round and dominated Chatham Central 16U 13-2 in round 2. Chatham-Randolph clinched the tournament’s best record with a 10-3 win over Jordan-Matthews the third round. It nished the season with a 9-5 record (3-1 in the tournament after losing to Chatham Central in the nal game on July 15).
“We’ve been doing it since we started, and we’ve wanted it really bad,” Chatham-Randolph
coach Jessy Bowman said.
“We’ve come close a bunch, but it nally all came together for us.”
With a chance to nally grasp the title in its third game, Chatham-Randolph brought out its best arms to get the job done.
After allowing 10 runs to Jordan-Matthews in the tournament opener, Campbell Parks, a rising junior at Northwood, pitched ve innings, and team captain Avery Wright, a rising senior at Eastern Randolph, came in to close the deal. The tandem limited Jordan-Matthews to its lowest run output of the tournament after the Jets scored eight runs in its rst-round game.
“(Parks) proved all year he
Seaforth and JordanMatthews let their skill players compete in a 7-on-7 scrimmage July 17.
Seaforth, J-M football give early look in scrimmage
The skill players competed before the rst practice next week
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — After weeks of summer workouts and team building, Seaforth hosted Jordan-Matthews for 7-on-7 football action July 17. The Hawks’ and Jets’ skill players competed in 10-play se -
ries on a half eld. Both teams worked their passing o enses and gave an early look at what they could look like this fall. Here are some observations for both teams from the 7-on-7 scrimmage.
Seaforth
There are a lot of new happenings with Seaforth this offseason. Of course, the new coaches are placing their mark on the
program, but with the team’s depth, transfers and a need to ll gaps left behind by graduating seniors, the players are still nding their roles on the team.
“Whether you’re a freshman, junior or senior, there are no spots secured,” Seaforth coach Tolbert Matthews said. “Nobody that had a spot last year has a spot this year.”
O ensively, the Hawks, who relied heavily on their run
“We’ve come close a bunch, but it nally all came together for us.” Jessy Bowman
could pitch really well in big moments,” Chatham-Randolph coach Micheal Glasgow said.
“We brought in Avery — found out he could pitch fairly well during the season, and so we went to him to close it all out.”
Parks achieved a 2.73 ERA and a .192 batting average against him, while Wright led the team with three wins on the mound, recording 25 strikeouts, a 3.00 ERA and a .214 oppo -
nent batting average. He also hit .474 on the season with 18 hits. Bishop Moore, a rising senior at Eastern Randolph, hit .500 and led the team in extra-base hits (six), OPS (1.410) and stolen bases (nine). However, arguably no one had a more impressive season than Westley Brower, who played his last season of Colt baseball.
Brower never struck out in 41 plate appearances while recording a team-high .622 batting average, 23 hits and 21 RBIs this summer. At the same time, he was dealing with devastating loss after his father, Stephen, and
See COLT, page B2 See HEROES, page B5 See SCRIMMAGE , page B3
South Wake pulls o comeback over Chatham County in Heroes League action
Leah Gore led the way with a two-run homer
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
APEX — South Wake Post 116 notched four hits and three runs in the bottom of the fth inning to lift itself to a 5-4 comeback win over Chatham County Post 292 at Middle Creek High School on July 16.
It marked Post 116’s second straight win after going on the road to dominate a shorthanded Post 292 team 12-2 the night before. South Wake second baseman Leah Gore led the way with a 2-for-3, three-RBI and one-run performance. With Post 116 down 4-0 in the fourth inning, Gore smashed a two-run home run to center eld. In the next inning, she singled to left eld, allowing Ashleigh Mannion to score the go -ahead run.
Post 116’s Emma Grace Hill relieved pitcher Katie Whitehurst in the sixth inning and closed the game with back-to -back 1-2-3 innings.
“My changeup started working really good,” Hill said. “And my curveball was moving really, really well.”
Both teams struggled to produce runs until Chatham County caught re in the third inning.
Post 292 loaded the bases after singles from left elder Addie Vercellino, right elder Ashanti Frazier and second baseman Marcy Clark.
“My changeup started working really good.” Emma Grace Hill
ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Jase Fields
West Chatham 12U All Stars, baseball
Jase Fields of the West Chatham 12U All Stars baseball team earns athlete of the week honors for the week of July 14.
In the North Carolina Diamond Youth Baseball O-Zone Division I championship game, Fields helped his team to victory by striking out 10 batters and giving up three hits in a 5-0 shutout. Fields also picked up two free bases for his team with a base on balls and an intentional walk.
Fields, a future Chatham Central Bear, was a two-way threat throughout the state DYB tournament. In the ve games, he recorded three hits, seven walks and was responsible for six scores (four runs and two RBIs).
COLT from page B1
grandfather Carson Ellington died two days apart in June.
“It’s hard,” Brower said. “You’re under pressure. They want you to do big, be big. And then you’ve got to ght through the mental part and actually be there and do something on the team.”
Brower’s father shared a passion for baseball with his son as he played the game and was a standout multisport athlete at Eastern Randolph decades ago. Ellington made sure his grandson made it to practices and helped ful l his aspirations as a player.
“When all this was going on, his dad dying, the hospital, all
Leonard commits to Cornell women’s basketball
The Seaforth standout averaged 12.8 points as a junior
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
SEAFORTH GIRLS’ basketball standout Katie Leonard announced her commitment to Cornell on July 16.
The rising senior guard will become the second player in Seaforth girls’ basketball’s short history to play at a Division I program. This past winter, Leonard averaged 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and two steals per game. She recorded the team’s best 3-point percentage (43%) and tied current Virginia guard Gabby White for the highest overall eld goal percentage (50%).
Leonard is a multisport athlete and won a state title as a goalkeeper in soccer, but her decision to play basketball at the next level had everything to do with her school of choice.
“I just wanted to go to Cornell,” Leonard said. “I had a little bit of interest, or (Division I) interest, in soccer, but overall, I just felt like Cornell is the best t, and I like basketball a lot.”
Said Leonard, “It’s somewhere that if nothing worked out, I de nitely would’ve applied.”
Leonard drew numerous offers from other programs such as Campbell, Elon, New Hampshire and Vermont. She held o ers from other Ivy League schools like Brown and Penn, but she was attracted to Cornell’s natural environment in Ithaca, New York, and the education the school o ered.
Regarding a basketball t, Leonard consulted with current Cornell players Kelsey Langston, Clarke Jackson and Emily Pape.
“I just kind of wanted to know their experiences with the coaching sta , their teammates, and it was all just positive,” Leonard said. Leonard added that Cornell
of this, he was like ‘Mom, I have a game. I have to go,’” Brower’s mother, Lestley Ellington, said. “‘That’s what dad wants me to do. I have to go play.’ So, I mean, he was determined, no matter what, to be here.” Brower wasn’t alone in his ght to play through grief. As he continued to bring his best self to the diamond, his coaches and
“I just felt like Cornell is the best t.”
Katie Leonard
coach Emily Garner liked her versatility as a player, especially defensively.
“She can see me guarding the one, two or three,” Leonard said.
“O ensively, I can play either as a point guard or o the ball, and so she really liked that as well as my length and my basketball IQ.”
Leonard has one more season
teammates stood by his side on and o the eld.
“They all checked on me,” Brower said. “Made sure I was up, made sure I was awake in the box. You know, keeping me close, making sure I was OK every day.”
In a season where dark clouds hung above, the brotherhood in the Chatham-Randolph dugout propelled the team to glory.
to develop and put her skills on display. Without the Hawks’ star teammate in White, this season will bring new challenges as they look to uphold the standard set over the past four years. Leonard and the rest of the 2026 class have been to the regional nals three straight seasons.
“It’ll be de nitely a change,” Leonard said. “I think we have resources to be successful, like good teammates and players, and I think we should be competitive, especially in conference. We’re going to have to shift how we play a little bit, I think, but I mean, that’s OK. We’ll make it work.”
“We got kids from all over and come from all out,” Chatham-Randolph coach Cody Bowman said. “I think it’s cool seeing them all band together even though they don’t go to school with each other. They maybe don’t see each other all the time, but when they’re on the eld together, it’s a bond that can’t be broken.”
COURTESY OF RAE SCOTT FIELDS
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Katie Leonard (11) drives to the basket in Seaforth’s regional nal game against Southeast Alamance in March.
West Chatham 12U All Stars earn bid to DYB World Series
The local youth baseball team won the DYB state title
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
THE 12U WEST Chatham
All Stars baseball team is headed to the Diamond Youth Baseball World Series.
West Chatham defeated Stanley 5-0 in the North Carolina DYB Baseball O-Zone
Division I state tournament championship game in Gastonia on July 17, punching its ticket for the World Series tournament at the Ball Park Road Sports Complex in Lexington, South Carolina.
Pitcher Jase Fields closed the deal for West Chatham as he struck out 10 batters and allowed three hits in a shutout. He also nished the game with zero walks.
West Chatham shortstop Wyatt Clewis went 2 for 3 at the plate with three runs and an RBI. His double with two outs in the top of the third inning set up runners in scoring position and led to a 3-0 lead for West Chatham at the end of the batting turn.
Clewis hit another double in the fth inning to send catcher Camden Cox home for a 4-0 advantage.
West Chatham started the tournament with a 10-0 win over South Columbus in the rst round July 12. Pitchers Ca-
game last year, still have plenty of things to esh out in the passing game. Junior quarterback Duncan Parker completed some deep balls for long gains and touchdowns, and he found some gaps in the short game. However, the overall connection with the receivers is still a work in progress. For Parker and the rest of the quarterback corps, the emphasis this o season is on reading defenses and making good decisions with the ball. Meanwhile, the receivers are still mastering the playbook.
Sophomore receiver Noah Fuller turned heads, though, as he looked to be Parker’s main target. The small, speedy receiver found ways to get open on every level, and he hauled in multiple touchdowns.
den Nicodemus and Fields combined to allow zero hits in four innings. In the second round, West Chatham fell to Stanley 6-5.
Tied at 5 runs apiece with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Stanley’s center elder hit a single and ran in the walk-
Defensively, the Hawks look to remain strong in the secondary with seniors Nick Gregory, Noah Williams (corners) and Patrick Miller (safety) leading the group. Miller made plays from biting down on routes as he and the defensive back eld snagged a couple of picks. Yet deep routes from Jordan-Matthews’ fastest targets gave the Hawks some problems.
Linebackers, which will be a crucial position group for Seaforth this season, rotated in and out as the Hawks look to replace Alex Hinchman and Jackson Powell.
Jordan-Matthews
Jordan-Matthews may not have the numbers and depth, but they have promising speed and athleticism. The Jets went way out of their
o run due to an error from the in eld.
Down in the losers’ bracket, West Chatham responded with a 9-1 win over Lumberton, and it dominated Stanley 12-1 to earn a spot in the tournament nal.
West Chatham, representing North Carolina, will play Flori-
“I think, defensively, we’ve got the potential to be pretty good.”
Kermit Carter
element with throwing the ball and had players playing new positions, but they still completed big plays down the eld. Senior cornerback and receiver Kenneth Dula got behind the Seaforth defense multiple times, catching a couple of touchdown passes and dropping a couple of potential scores too.
In the back eld, Jordan-Matthews rotated rst-time quarterback senior Kamarie Hadley and sophomore Eli Rodriguez. Both quarterbacks had their highs and lows, but Hadley’s
da in the pool play round of the DYB World Series on Aug. 1 at 2 p.m. (Field 8). Bracket play will begin the next day. The team is doing a 50/50 rafe ($20 per ticket) to raise funds for travel and uniform costs leading up to the World Series. Here is the full West Cha-
deep ball looked to be something the Jets could possibly use more of this season. The coaching sta discovered Hadley’s ability to throw in the spring. He was the one running routes and catching passes, but the way he threw the ball back to his quarterback caught the coaches’ attention.
“He’s a level-headed kid,” Jordan-Matthews coach Kermit Carter said. “Don’t get too up, don’t get too down. He’s a quiet competitor, you know what I mean? And to play quarterback, you’ve got to know how to let bad throws and bad plays go and stu like that, so that’s what he brings to the table.”
Last season, the Jets also relied heavily on their run game, especially after losing skill players like Dula and junior Namir Wiley to injury early in the year.
Carter said he’d like his offense to be “balanced as much as possible,” but utilizing the pass more depends on the quarterbacks’ comfortability and the opponents they face. Defensively, experienced gained by young guys lling in for injured starters last year showed up in the 7-on-7 battle. With Dula and sophomore Lennox Mordecai at corner and Wiley and 6-foot-4 sophomore Matthew Victorino at the safety positions, the Jets didn’t make it easy for Parker and the Seaforth receivers. They have solid length and the closing speed to force tough throws, and junior linebacker Omar Sanford is also getting more comfortable in coverage after playing heavy varsity minutes last year. “I think defensively we’ve got the potential to be pretty good,” Carter said.
tham 12U roster (jersey number): Austin Davis (1), Trey Carmac (3), Paxton Williams (5), Witten Burton (8), Jase Fields (10), Thomas Parsons (11), Caden Nicodemus (14), Cullen King (21), Maddox Cox (22), Camden Cox (23), Wyatt Clewis (25)
COURTESY OF RAE SCOTT FIELDS
West Chatham 12U All Stars celebrate their state championship win with the banner and the trophy.
SIDELINE REPORT
NCAA BASKETBALL
Boozer, Flagg
take home ESPYs
Duke’s incoming freshman star and the most recent Blue Devil to play that role both won awards at the ESPYs. The annual award show created by ESPN named Cooper Flagg the best male college athlete. Flagg beat out Oklahoma state wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson, Heisman trophy winner Travis Hunter and Cornell lacrosse star CJ Kirst. Cameron Boozer, who is headed to Duke, was named the Gatorade male high school athlete of the year, beating out Alabama quarterback recruit Keelon Russell, Pirates draft pick Seth Hernandez, track stars Charlie Vause and Tate Taylor, and UNC soccer recruit Dan Klink.
NBA Anthony signs with Bucks Milwaukee Former UNC point guard Cole Anthony signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and will get the chance to start for the Eastern Conference contender. Anthony, who spent his rst ve seasons in the NBA with Orlando, was traded to Memphis this o season. He was expected to back up Ja Morant but instead agreed to a buyout with the Grizzlies and was released, freeing him up to sign with the Bucks.
NFL Construction halted at new Titans Stadium after noose found at site
Nashville, Tenn.
Construction on a new enclosed stadium for the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tennessee, has been halted after a noose was found at the construction site. Metro Nashville Police are investigating. The Tennessee Builders Alliance, a joint venture partnership on the stadium, says it suspended construction at the site after the “racist and hateful” symbol was discovered this week. A statement to news outlets said, “We are requiring additional antibias training for every person on site, and work will resume only after a site-wide stand- down focused on inclusion and respect.”
MLB Diamondbacks
All-Star Marte placed on restricted list following burglary
Phoenix Arizona Diamondbacks
All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte has been placed on the restricted list after his home was burglarized during the All-Star break. Marte was not in the lineup as he deals with what Scottsdale police called a “high-dollar residential burglary” involving stolen personal items and jewelry while he and his family were in Atlanta for the All-Star Game. No one was home during the break-in.
Oliver’s Erie Moon Mammoths debut in front of record crowd
The HBO host unveiled his rebrand of a minor league team
By Joe Reedy The Associated Press
ERIE, Pa. — Besides being a fan, John Oliver has had a certain a nity for minor league baseball.
On Saturday, the comedian and host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” saw his latest crazy creation set out into the world as the Erie Moon Mammoths made their debut in front of a record crowd of 7,070 at UPMC Park.
“We’re sending our furry child out into the world and you are the custodian of it. Now, please be careful with our child,” Oliver said a couple hours before the Moon Mammoths took the eld against the Chesapeake Oyster Catchers.
Oliver spotlighted Minor League Baseball promotions and alternate nicknames during “Last Week Tonight” on May 4. At the end of the segment, Oliver invited teams to send in proposals why they should get rebranded by the show’s sta .
Forty-seven teams sent in pitches, including the Erie SeaWolves, the Double-A a liate of the Detroit Tigers.
Erie president Greg Coleman sent a list of 11 reasons why they were the perfect candidate, including: “The SeaWolves play baseball nowhere near the sea.”
“To have so many teams expressing interest was really edifying,” Oliver said. “I think it kind of validates the fact that we thought there was something special about minor league baseball. We thought this would be a group of people that would respond to the ludicrous idea that we had.”
Erie was announced as the winner May 18. After six weeks of research by Oliver and his sta , the Moon Mammoths were unveiled on June 29. That included the mascot named Fuzz, a purple woolly mammoth wearing a space helmet.
“Erie did stand out to us as being, you know, uniquely eccentric,” Oliver said. “And I say that as both a compliment and an insult, which is the biggest compliment there is. There was something about the Moon
“Erie did stand out to us as being, you know, uniquely eccentric. And I say that as both a compliment and an insult, which is the biggest compliment there is.”
John Oliver
Mammoth that spoke to us for being particularly odd. It felt like it could make a baseball team’s theme. You could almost see the logo in your head, and it felt like something to be extra surprising.”
The fact this came together in less than three months is a minor miracle. It usually takes 16 months for a team to have an alternate identity approved and then take the eld.
“I thought we had a good chance when I sent it in. And then when we were selected, it was a little surreal,” Coleman said. “And since then working with the “Last Week Tonight” team, they’ve been wonderful and detail oriented.” Coleman said since the Moon Mammoths were unveiled, the team has done the equivalent of four years of online sales in three weeks. The line of people waiting to get into the team store, which was located in left eld, stretched out to near home plate in the concourse area. In addition to throwing out the rst pitch, Oliver was a batboy during one inning and
Sche er dominates in British Open victory
The world’s No. 1 player now needs the U.S. Open for a career Grand Slam
By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The enormous yellow scoreboard above the 18th green at Royal Portrush perfectly illustrated the state of golf these days. Scottie Sche er’s name was at the top. No one was close.
That’s how it was in the British Open, when Sche er never gave anyone a chance.
That’s how it is in the sport, a level of dominance not seen since Tiger Woods.
“He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to,” Masters champion Rory McIlroy said. “In a historical context, you could argue that there’s only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run the one that Scottie’s been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive.”
Sche er not only won his second major this year — and fourth in the last three years — he captured the third leg of the career Grand Slam, now missing only the U.S. Open.
“Being able to walk up 18 with the tournament in hand is a really tough thing to describe. It’s a really cool feeling. I have a lot of gratitude towards being able to accomplish something like this,” Sche er said, the silver claret
“Being able to walk up 18 with the tournament in hand is a really tough thing to describe. It’s a really cool feeling.”
Scottie Sche er
jug on the table next to him.
“It’s taken a lot of work — not only a lot of work, but it takes a lot of patience,” he said. “It’s a high level of focus over 72 holes of a tournament. This was, I felt like, one of my best performances mentally.”
The emotions he showed were telling.
Until he had his name etched on golf’s oldest trophy, Schefer had a week marked by his extraordinary insight on how he views winning. He said celebrations last only a few minutes. He has wondered, “What’s the point?”
On the golf course, his biggest st pump was for a par on the sixth hole. As he crouched to line up his birdie putt on the 18th, he rested his head on his hand with a slight smile of deep satisfaction. When he tapped in the nal putt, he plucked the ball from the cup and put it in his pocket as if he had just won a regular PGA Tour event.
But when he nally found his family — wife Meredith, 15-month-old son Bennett and
also led the crowd in “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch. The cap and jersey that Oliver wore for the rst pitch are going to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Moon Mammoths will be back on Aug. 19 as well as Sept. 12 and 13. There will be at least four Moon Mammoths games next season.
“I love minor league baseball. There is a special eccentricity to it,” Oliver said. “It felt like a nice t with our show because minor league baseball, as you know, is willing to try anything. That was proven by the fact that over half the league was willing to sight unseen, rebrand and put their trust in the hands of a group of people who are objectively untrustworthy. That’s a bad decision, and it’s that kind of bad decision making that I love about minor league baseball.”
his parents — Sche er went crazy. He thrust both arms in the air, pumped both arms, screamed and threw his cap in the air. That’s what it’s all about for the 29-year-old from Texas.
McIlroy had referred to the outcome as “inevitable” when Sche er built a four-shot lead going into the nal round, and it was every bit of that. Sche er’s one wobble was a double bogey on No. 8 when it took two shots to get out of a fairway bunker. That ended his streak of 32 consecutive holes without a bogey. Sche er birdied the next hole. He played the back nine with eight pars and a birdie because that’s all he needed. No one could catch him.
“I played with him the rst two days, and honestly I thought he was going to birdie every hole. It was incredible to watch,” Shane Lowry said. “If Scottie’s
feet stayed stable and his swing looked like Adam Scott’s, we’d be talking about him in the same words as Tiger Woods. ... His bad shots are really good. That’s when you know he’s really good.” Sche er, who nished at 17-under 267, won for the fourth time this year. He now has won 20 times worldwide in the last 30 months. This was the 11th straight time he turned a 54 -hole lead into a victory.
“I don’t think we thought the gol ng world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here’s Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance,” said Xander Schau ele, the defending champion who tied for seventh.
“You can’t even say he’s on a run. He’s just been killing it for over two years now,” he said. “He’s a tough man to beat, and when you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us.”
FRANCISCO SECO / AP PHOTO
Scottie Sche er poses for photographers with his son Bennett and the claret jug after winning the British Open on Sunday.
JOE REEDY / AP PHOTO
John Oliver prepares to throw the rst pitch at the debut game for the rebranded Erie Moon Mammoths.
Hamlin survives rain delay, overtime nish to win for 2nd straight year at Dover
Distractions and rain
couldn’t slow Hamlin in his fourth win of the year
By Dan Gelston
The Associated Press
DOVER, Del. — Denny Hamlin shook o a setback in his court battle with NASCAR, shrugged o old tire concerns
once he took a late lead ahead of a rain delay and survived a late charge from his teammate to go back-to-back at Dover Motor Speedway for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s series-best fourth victory of the season.
“I just love that I’m able to still do it at a high level,” Hamlin said. “Every morning when I wake up, I just hope I still got what I had yesterday.”
Hamlin won in the No. 11 Toyota for the second straight time at Dover to add to wins this season at Martinsville, Darlington and Michigan.
Hamlin has 58 Cup Series victories, leaving him two short of Kevin Harvick for 10th on the career list. The veteran Virginia driver might hit that mark this season as he chases his rst career Cup championship.
Hamlin is on the Cup Series’ short list of greatest drivers to never win a championship. He won’t let the void on an otherwise stellar resume full of Hall of Fame credentials de ne how he feels about his career.
Hamlin says it’s trophies, not titles, not he celebrates the most.
“If we do, we do. If we don’t, we don’t,” Hamlin said. “I care about wins. I want more trophies, more trophies, more trophies. When I’m done, I want to be in the list of that top -10 all-time winners. That will mean more than any other accomplishment.”
Hamlin took the checkered ag days after he su ered a setback in court with his own 23XI Racing team’s federal antitrust suit against NASCAR.
Last Thursday, a federal judge rejected a request from 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to continue racing with charters while they battle NASCAR in court, meaning their six cars will race as open entries this weekend at Dover, next week at Indianapolis and perhaps longer than that in a move the teams say would put them at risk of going out of business.
Hamlin vowed this weekend “all will be exposed” if the case goes to its scheduled Dec. 1 trial date.
The courtroom drama hasn’t a ected Hamlin’s performance on the track. Hamlin held o JGR teammate Chase Briscoe for the victory. Hendrick Motorsports drivers took the next two spots, with Alex Bowman third and Kyle Larson fourth. Hamlin held o Larson down the stretch last season to earn the second of his three career wins at the Monster Mile.
The rst July Cup race at Dover since 1969 started with steamy weather, and drivers battled the conditions inside the car during a relative -
ly clean race until rain fell late and red- agged the race with 14 laps left. Hamlin said during the break he changed his resuit — temperatures inside the car soared to 140 degrees, and sweat kept dripping inside his visor.
He also returned to the car after the 56-minute delay with old tires. Hamlin had enough to win on cool tires at Dover and park the Toyota in Victory Lane.
There was never any real consideration to pit with the lead for fresh tires.
“We need wins,” crew chief Chris Gayle said. “How can we manufacture some way to give ourselves more opportunity for that to happen? Might not pan out, but we de nitely weren’t going to do it doing the same thing as everybody else. That was our train of thought there, and thankfully it worked out and we held on.”
He became the 19th Cup driver to win three times at Dover and the 13th driver to win consecutive races on the mile concrete track.
“I just studied some of the greats here,” Hamlin said. “I was very fortunate to have Martin Truex as a teammate. Jimmie Johnson, watching him win (11) times here. You learn from the greats and you change your game to match it, you have success like this.”
Rex White, NASCAR’s oldest living champion, dead at 95
The Taylorsville native won 28 Cup races
By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — Rex White, who was the NASCAR Cup Series’ oldest living champion and a 2015 inductee into the Hall of Fame, has died. He was 95.
NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame con rmed White’s death last Friday. No additional details were provided.
“Rex epitomized the formative days of NASCAR — a true pioneer whose contributions helped shape the foundation of our sport,” NASCAR chairman Jim France said. “His hard work, dedication and talent allowed him to make a living doing what he loved most — racing cars. He was the model of consistency — nishing in the top ve in nearly half of his races — and dominated the short tracks.
“On behalf of NASCAR and the France family, I want to o er our condolences to the friends and family of Rex White.”
White won the 1960 Cup Series title and 28 Cup races in a career that spanned 233 starts across nine seasons. He led the
With just one out, rst baseman Avery Kiger doubled to right eld, scoring the rst two runs of the game. Clark ran in the third run on a groundout by catcher Calissa Clendenin in the next at-bat. Immediately after, pitcher Gabby Czuczuk reached rst base on an error by the Post 116 defense, allowing Kiger to score the fourth run.
Chatham recorded two hits from that point. Post 292 also began to struggle defensively as Czuczuk’s hot start, in which she allowed two hits in the rst four innings, lost steam. Czuczuk nished her ve-inning night in the circle with six hits, four earned runs ( ve total) and a strikeout.
“(Czuczuk) kept them on their toes,” Post 292 assistant Holly Felder said. “I think once you’ve seen somebody, you know, their hitters have seen you a couple of times — with anybody, you might have to change. She kept them on their toes, and I think Addie came in and did very well.”
Prior to Mannion’s go-ahead run, South Wake second baseman Cami
nal ve laps in 1958 at Champion Speedway in Fayetteville to earn his rst career victory and scored 13 top- ve nishes in 22 starts.
White won ve more races the next season but didn’t earn his lone championship until 1960, when he won six times in 44 starts. He won seven times
the next year, when he was runner-up to fellow Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett in the championship standings.
White then won eight times in 1962 but nished fth in the standings as he competed in only 37 of the 53 races that year.
White never contested a complete season at a time when NASCAR ran as many as 62 times a year.
White notched a career-high six victories at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, where NASCAR this year returned after a lengthy absence. He also won three times at North Wilkesboro Speedway and two times at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
Born during the Great Depression and raised in Taylorsville, White su ered from polio as a child, and the disease altered his gait for most of his life.
He had an early interest in cars and was working on the family Model T by the time he was 8. He had learned how to drive two years earlier using a neighbor’s truck.
“I was unaware the car on which I labored represented hope to people around me, frustration to those trying to stop illegal moonshine,” he said. “I
saw automobiles as transportation, not the symbol of an upcoming billion-dollar sport.”
White purchased his rst car in 1954 when a relative of his wife helped him with the $600 needed to buy a 1937 Ford. He immediately began racing as a means to earn a living.
White ran his rst race in the Sportsman division at West Lanham Speedway in Maryland. He went on to win the championship in his rookie season of the Sportsman division.
He moved up to NASCAR two years later, and by the time he won the championship ve seasons later, he was named both NASCAR’s most popular driver and driver of the year.
“Growing up on a North Carolina farm, Rex familiarized himself with all things mechanical and enjoyed driving anything with wheels,” said Winston Kelly, executive director for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “Rex was among NASCAR’s pioneers who remained very visible at tracks and industry events for years. He was a dedicated ambassador who enjoyed supporting any event or activity he was requested to participate in.
“NASCAR has lost one of its true pioneers.”
Brinkley and short-
stop Georgia Miller began the bottom of the fth inning with back-to-back singles. Following a yout, Mannion singled to left eld and brought home the tying run. She and four other Post 116 batters each
nished the night with one hit. Post 292’s Kiger, Clark and Frazier went 2
Chatham County Post 292 meets after the game to discuss the loss to South Wake on July 16.
HEROES from page B1
DERIK HAMILTON / AP PHOTO
Denny Hamlin crosses the nish line to win Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway.
Denny Hamlin
HORACE CORT / AP PHOTO
Rex White, left, poses with the trophy he won for nishing rst in the 1962 Dixie 400 in Atlanta.
Colbert, Stewart sharp critics of ‘60 Minutes’ deal
The cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was announced last Thursday
By David Bauder The Associated Press
NEW YORK— This isn’t a joke. They’ve made that clear.
CBS “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert condemned parent company Paramount Global’s settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” story as a “big fat bribe” during his rst show back from a vacation.
Colbert followed “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart’s attack of the deal one week earlier. Stewart works for Comedy Central, also owned by Paramount, making the two comics the most visible internal critics of the $16 million settlement that was announced on July 1.
Colbert’s “bribe” reference was to the pending sale of Paramount to Skydance Media, which needs Trump administration approval. Critics of the deal that ended Trump’s lawsuit over the newsmagazine’s editing of its interview last fall with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris suggested
it was primarily to clear a hurdle to that sale.
“I am o ended,” Colbert said in his monologue last Monday night. “I don’t know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”
He said the technical name in legal circles for the deal was “big fat bribe.”
Jon Stewart terms it ‘shameful’
Stewart began discussing the “shameful settlement” on his show a week earlier when he was “interrupted” by a fake Arby’s ad on the screen. “That’s why it was so wrong,” he said upon his “return.”
He discussed the deal in greater detail with the show’s guest, retired “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft, making his views clear through a series of leading questions.
“I would assume internally, this is devastating to the people who work in a place that pride themselves on contextual, good journalism?” Stewart asked.
“Devastating is a good word,” Kroft replied.
A handful of media reports in the past two weeks have spec-
ulated that Skydance boss David Ellison might try to curry favor with Trump by eliminating the comics’ jobs if the sale is approved.
It would be easier to get rid of Stewart, since he works one night a week at a network that no longer produces much original content. Colbert is the ratings leader in late-night broadcast television, however, and is a relentless Trump critic.
The antipathy is mutual.
Trump called Colbert “a complete and total loser” in a Truth Social post last fall, suggesting CBS was wasting its money on him.”
Colbert slips in a quip
Colbert alluded to reports about his job security in his monologue, pointing to the mustache he grew during his vacation. “OK, OK, but how are they going to put pressure on Stephen Colbert, if they can’t nd him?” he joked.
Colbert and Stewart both earned Emmy nominations this week for outstanding talk series. Together with ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel, all three nominees are tough on Trump.
CBS News journalists have largely been quiet publicly since the settlement’s announcement.
Two top executives, CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon and “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens, both quit or were forced out prior to the settlement for making their dissatisfaction about the idea known internally.
Daniel O’Malley’s ‘Royal Gambit’ nds magic in murder of royal family member
A witty, supernatural mystery that is perfect for beach days and fans
of British humor
By Connie Panzariello
The Associated Press
AUTHOR DANIEL O’Malley
returns to the world of his series he started with “The Rook” with “Royal Gambit,” an enjoyable and sometimes unwieldy novel about the supernatural operatives of a paranormal secret service investigating a string of bizarre murders.
Gambit centers around the aristocratic Lady Alexandra Mondegreen (Alix) and her investigation into the mysterious murder of her childhood friend, the Prince of Wales. Alix has the unique talent of being able to shatter bones with just a touch of her hand, but she is resented by the other members of the service for the perceived favoritism that comes with her noble title. Her youth was spent as a secret bodyguard to Princess Louise, the woman who now nds herself next in line to the throne. This connection proves useful as the agency’s way into investigating who at the palace (or outside of it) could be responsible for the death of the heir apparent and gives Alix a chance to prove her worth as an asset to the agency.
O’Malley nds humor in showing how these agents with strange
LITTLE, BROWN & CO. VIA AP
“Royal Gambit” author Daniel O’Malley also wrote “The Rook,” “Stiletto” and “Blitz.”
and sometimes absurd powers (one senior o cial can turn into a stegosaurus at will) adhere to the same bureaucracy and hierarchies as any other government organization. Along with coming to work on time and navigating ofce politics, there is a chance you will be the victim of a dinosaur stampede or watch your colleague turn into a tree. Alix also emerges as a compelling heroine, driven by her ambition to rise within the ranks of the Checquy and prove herself,
yet deeply committed to uncovering the truth behind the tragedy that struck a family she has genuine a ection for. A highlight of the book is her sometimes awkward but humorous journey as a new lady-in-waiting to the princess, having to balance garden lunches with dangerous missions. Although intended as a standalone story, O’Malley assumes readers will quickly grasp the complexities of this world and how it operates without much prior knowledge. However, keeping track of the extensive rules and traditions of this secret service and upper-crust English society makes it di cult to keep engaged in the mystery at hand. The book gets bogged down in its mythology and is slow to give us plot developments. Further challenging the pacing of the novel are the constant additions to an over-large cast of characters, all with di erent supernatural abilities or aristocratic titles.
All of these elements lead to a clunky conclusion that too easily ties up loose ends and loses the impact of the tragedy that started the story. The book would have bene ted from more clever twists and paranormal action as opposed to heavy exposition about this super-secret agency and the people who run it. Ultimately, this makes for a fun, elevated beach read for those who enjoy their mystery novels with supernatural leanings and a dry British sense of humor.
this week in history
Greensboro Woolworth’s desegregates, Tuskegee experiment exposed
JULY 24
1567: Mary, Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate her throne to her 1-year-old son, James.
1847: Mormon leader Brigham Young and his followers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in present-day Utah.
1866: Tennessee became the rst state to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War.
1915: The SS Eastland, carrying more than 2,500 passengers, capsized at Chicago’s Clark Street Bridge, killing an estimated 844 people.
JULY 25
1866: Ulysses S. Grant was named General of the Army of the United States, the rst ocer to hold the rank.
1956: The SS Andrea Doria collided with the Stockholm o the New England coast, killing 51 people before sinking the next morning.
1960: A Woolworth’s in Greensboro ended its whites-only lunch counter policy after nearly six months of sitin protests.
1972: The Tuskegee syphilis experiment was exposed, revealing that black men were left untreated for decades so researchers could study the disease — more than 100 died.
JULY 26
1775: The Continental Congress established a Post Ofce and appointed Benjamin Franklin its Postmaster-General.
1947: President Truman signed the National Security Act, creating the CIA and reorganizing the U.S. military.
1953: Fidel Castro began his revolt against Fulgencio Batista in an unsuccessful attack on an army barracks in eastern Cuba.
1990: President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibiting discrimination based on mental or physical disabilities.
JULY 27
1789: President George Washington signed a measure establishing the Department of Foreign A airs, forerunner of the Department of State.
1909: During the rst ocial test of the U.S. Army’s rst airplane, Orville Wright ew himself and a passenger, Lt.
the most famous and in uential gures in the history of Western art, died by suicide on July 29, 1890, at age 37.
Frank Lahm, above Fort Myer, Virginia, for one hour and 12 minutes.
1940: Billboard magazine published its rst “music popularity chart” listing best-selling retail records.
1953: The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of ghting on the Korean peninsula that killed an estimated 4 million people.
JULY 28
1794: Maximilien Robespierre and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just were executed by
guillotine during the French Revolution.
1914: World War I began as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.
1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000.
JULY 29
1890: Artist Vincent van Gogh, 37, died of an apparent self-in icted gunshot wound in Auvers-sur-Oise, France.
1921: Adolf Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ (Nazi) Party.
1954: The rst volume of JRR Tolkien’s novel “The Lord of the Rings” (“The Fellowship of the Ring”) was published.
1981: Britain’s Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
JULY 30
1619: The rst representative assembly in Colonial America convened in Jamestown in the Virginia Colony.
1916: German saboteurs blew up a munitions plant on Black Tom, an island near Jersey City, New Jersey, killing about a dozen people.
Steve Miller Band canceling tour over extreme weather
The 81-year-old wrote hit songs including “The Joker” and “Take the Money and Run”
By Isabella O’Malley
The Associated Press
CLASSIC ROCKER Steve Miller canceled his U.S. tour because he said severe weather including extreme heat and unpredictable ooding poses a danger to his band, its fans and crew.
The tour was set to kick o in August and run through early November, with nearly three dozen stops across the U.S. including cities in New York, Tennessee, Florida and California.
“The combination of extreme heat, unpredictable ooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and massive forest res make these risks for you our audience, the band and the crew unacceptable,” Miller, 81, said in a statement posted on the band’s social media accounts last Wednesday. “You can blame it on the weather. ... The tour is cancelled.”
The Steve Miller Band, formed in California in the 1960s, has hits including “The Joker” (1973) and “Abracadabra” (1982).
A band spokesperson declined to provide additional details about the cancellation.
Miller’s decision comes as a stretch of extreme weather in the U.S. has made headlines. A sweltering heat dome that baked
“The combination of extreme heat, unpredictable ooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and massive forest res make these risks for you our audience, the band and the crew unacceptable.”
Steve Miller
much of the eastern half of the nation in June and deadly ash ooding in Texas are some of the recent rounds of extreme weather.
Scientists say climate change is fueling extreme weather, causing storms to unleash more rain and sending temperatures soaring to dangerous heights, making it harder to plan outdoor summer events. The atmosphere can hold higher amounts of moisture as it warms, resulting in storms dumping heavier amounts of rain compared with storms of the past.
“Everyone wants to see their favorite artist, and that’s still possible. You just have to best mitigate weather risks,” said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private weather company. “For example, the doors may open an hour
solutions
late in order to ensure thunderstorms have moved su ciently away from the venue so the show can go on safely.”
Music festivals have recently encountered extreme weather, resulting in cancellations or causing concertgoers to become ill.
In June, the Bonnaroo Music
and Arts Festival in Tennessee was canceled partway through due to heavy rainfall. Last week, hundreds of people were treated for heat-related illnesses at the Rock the Country music festival in Kentucky, according to local o cials.
In 2023, tens of thousands of Burning Man event attendees were stranded after heavy rain created thick mud in the Nevada desert and roads were temporarily closed.
A study published in 2020 reported climate change will increase the likelihood of extreme heat stress during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California.
GOOGLE ART PROJECT VIA WIKIPEDIA Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh who is among
CHARLES SYKES / INVISION /AP PHOTO
Steve Miller, pictured performing in 2023, canceled his U.S. tour, citing dangerous conditions from extreme weather.
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famous birthdays this week
Arnold Schwarzenegger, pictured at the season two premiere of “Fubar”
Jennifer Lopez is 56, Mick Jagger hits 82, blues legend Buddy Guy celebrates 89
The Associated Press THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.
JULY 24
Actor Robert Hays (“Airplane!”) is 78. Actor Michael Richards (“Seinfeld”) is 76. Actor Lynda Carter is 74. Actor-singer Kristin Chenoweth is 57. Actor-singer Jennifer Lopez is 56.
JULY 25
Singer-guitarist Bruce Woodley of The Seekers is 83. Drummer Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds is 82. Actor Matt LeBlanc (“Joey,” “Friends”) is 58.
JULY 26
Singer Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones is 82. Actor Helen Mirren is 80. Drummer Roger Taylor of Queen is 76. Actor Sandra Bullock is 61.
JULY 27
Olympic gold medal gure skater Peggy Fleming is 77. Comedian-actor-writer Carol Leifer is 69. Comedian Maya Rudolph is 53.
JULY 28
“Gar eld” creator Jim Davis is 80. TV producer Dick Ebersol is 78. Actor Sally Struthers is 78. Architect Santiago Calatrava is 74. Actor Lori Loughlin is 61.
JULY 29
Documentary lmmaker Ken Burns is 72. Style guru Tim Gunn is 72. Rock singer-musician Geddy Lee (Rush) is 72. Country singer Martina McBride is 59.
JULY 30
Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is 78. Singer-songwriter Kate Bush is 67. Film director Richard Linklater is 65. Actor Laurence Fishburne is 64. Film director Christopher Nolan is 55.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO
Jennifer Lopez, pictured presenting the award for best Latin pop album during the 2025 Grammy Awards, turns 56 on Thursday.
AMY HARRIS / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, pictured performing in 2024, turns 82 on Saturday.
RICHARD SHOTWELL / INVISION / AP PHOTO
in June, turns 78 on Wednesday.
the stream
Madonna, ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd team up
Madonna drops her highly anticipated album “Veronica Electronica” on Friday
The Associated Press
ADAM SANDLER’S hockey player-turned-golfer Happy Gilmore returning for a second movie and Madonna’s long-rumored album “Veronica Electronica” are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also, among the streaming o erings worth your time: Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd playing father and daughter in the horror-comedy “Death of a Unicorn,” gamers get a pirate adventure with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Judge Judy rules on true crime in her new series for Prime Video, “Justice on Trial.”
MOVIES TO STREAM
It’s been almost 30 years since we rst met Sandler’s most famous character, but Sandler nally got the gang back together for a sequel. “Happy Gilmore 2,” coming to Netix on Friday, brings back many familiar faces, including Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller and Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin, alongside an army of new co-stars from Bad Bunny to Post Malone as well as a few familiar faces in the golf world. This time around, Happy also has kids, including four hockey goon sons played by Ethan Cutkosky (“Shameless”), Conor Sherry (“Shake Shack”), Maxwell Jacob Friedman (a pro wrestler) and newcomer Philip Schneider. Here’s hoping it’s as quotable as the rst — we’ve been needing some new Sandlerisms.
November, and “Wicked: For Good,” is coming fast. What better time to catch up with “Wicked,” which begins streaming on Prime Video on Friday? In her review for The Associated Press, Jocelyn Noveck wrote that it might convert a nonmusical lover into one, but that, “if people breaking into song delights rather than ummoxes you, if elaborate dance numbers in village squares and fantastical nightclubs and emerald-hued cities make perfect sense to you, and especially if you already love ‘Wicked,’ well then, you will likely love this lm.”
Ortega and Rudd play father and daughter in the hor-
ror-comedy “Death of a Unicorn” about, well, just that (and also exploitative billionaires). It was met with mixed reviews: Some enjoyed the chemistry of the characters and the fun it has with its outlandish plot, while others saw those e orts as strained and hollow. You can decide for yourself when it hits HBO Max on Friday. Richard E. Grant and Will Poulter also star.
MUSIC TO STREAM
It is the stu of pop music mythology. Madonna’s long-rumored album “Veronica Electronica” — originally conceived as a remix companion to 1998’s blockbuster “Ray of Light” — nally arrives Friday. It is that and more. Begin with the new-to-fans original demo of “Gone, Gone, Gone.”
The second and nal part of an expansive documentary series on the life and career of Bil-
ly Joel hits HBO Max on Friday. And it’s not too late to catch up on the rst half of “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” either. It’s an in-depth look at the beloved singer-songwriter, replete with never-before-seen performance footage and more. Rock ’n’ roll fans, listen up. On Friday, the original Alice Cooper band lineup reunites to release “The Revenge Of Alice Cooper,” the rst album in over 50 years to feature that original lineup. It gives the album a sort of revived spirit — all high-octane ri s.
SERIES TO STREAM
Judy Sheindlin, beloved for her syndicated series “Judge Judy” that ended production in 2021 after 25 years, rules on true crime in her new series for Prime Video. In “Justice on Trial,” actual criminal court cases are recreated by trial lawyers with Sheindlin pre-
siding over the courtroom. Will she nd the right decision was made? Find out now on Prime Video.
Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow star in “The Hunting Wives” for Net ix. It’s based on a thriller mystery novel by May Cobb. Snow plays Sophie, a woman whose husband’s job requires trading the East Coast for east Texas. She’s a sh out of water until she meets Margot (Akerman,) the queen bee of a group of women known as the Hunting Wives. These wives aren’t trading recipes or having tea — they like to party. Sophie nds Margot’s carefree lifestyle and con dence to be intoxicating until she gets caught up in a murder investigation. All eight episodes dropped Monday.
A new Hulu miniseries called “Washington Black” is also based on a book of the same name, but this one was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in
“If elaborate dance numbers in village squares and fantastical nightclubs and emeraldhued cities make perfect sense to you, and especially if you already love ‘Wicked,’ well then, you will likely love this lm.”
Jocelyn Noveck, AP Film Writer
2018. Set in the early 1800s, Wash — short for George Washington Black — is born into slavery in Barbados. Wash’s talent for art and curiosity catches the attention of a scientist named Titch (played by Tom Ellis), who encourages his education and creativity. When danger strikes, Titch and Wash escape in a hot-air balloon that lands in Nova Scotia. The series follows Wash’s adventures as he grows into a man played by newcomer Ernest Kingsley Jr. Sterling K. Brown is an executive producer and also has a role in the show. Stream the episodes now.
An acclaimed British crime drama called “Code of Silence” comes to BritBox on Thursday. Rose Ayling-Ellis plays a deaf cafeteria worker who begins working with the local police because of her ability to read lips. This new world is exhilarating but also dangerous. The show has already been renewed for a second season.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
Last year’s Black Myth: Wukong turned Chinese folklore into a blockbuster game, and another Chinese studio is hoping to repeat that success with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. It tells the tale of a pirate who wakes up with amnesia and a bad case of “feathering” — not only is she sprouting blue plumage, but it’s driving her insane. The adventure takes place during the end of the Ming Dynasty in the 1600s, and Chengdu-based developer Leenzee Games promises a mix of historical gures and supernatural monsters. Take ight Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.
Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega star in “Death of a Unicorn.”
UNIVERSAL PICTURES VIA AP
The hit lm “Wicked,” staring Cynthia Erivo, left and Ariana Grande, begins streaming Friday on Prime Video.