Look both ways
Chatham County Sheri ’s O ce deputies joined students, parents and sta from Pittsboro Elementary School and
Middle School during a Walk to School Day event last week that started at the Chatham Community Library.
the BRIEF this week
Pa. man pleads guilty in arson attack while Shapiro’s family slept in governor’s mansion Harrisburg, Pa.
A man who scaled a security fence in the middle of the night and set re to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges. Cody Balmer entered the plea Tuesday for the April attack that caused millions of dollars in damage to the state-owned building in Harrisburg. Gov. Josh Shapiro and members of his family were inside and had to be evacuated. No one was injured, but authorities say the 38-year-old Balmer told them he planned to beat the governor with a small sledgehammer if he encountered him. Balmer’s family has said he has a history of mental health problems.
SpaceX launches 11th test ight of mega Starship rocket with another win
SpaceX has launched another of its mammoth Starship rockets on a test ight. The 403-foot Starship thundered into the evening sky Monday from Texas. The booster peeled away and made a controlled entry into the Gulf of Mexico as planned, with the spacecraft skimming space before descending into the Indian Ocean. It’s similar to the previous test ight in August, which scored a success following a string of explosive failures. SpaceX’s Elon Musk intends to use Starship to send people to Mars. NASA cannot land astronauts on the moon by decade’s end without Starship.
$2.00
Board of Education adds HVAC, roo ng replacements to CIP plan
The board also approved MOUs related to CTE curriculum and after-school care
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Schools Board of Education approved its annual, seven-year capital improvement project (CIP) plan
at its latest meeting on Oct. 6.
While the list includes projects that have already been either started or are scheduled to be funded in the coming years, the district is also recommending that roo ng and HVAC replacements throughout the school system be scheduled in the coming years.
According to Randy Drumheller, director of maintenance and new construction, many are approaching the end of their life cycle and the district would like to begin working on those before leaks or failures start to arise.
“It’s far less expensive to do the replacements or updates now then it is if we’re waiting for there to be leaks or whatnot,” said board member Ana Carlson.
Siler City to focus on potholes
The town will use municipal tag fee revenues to address road issues
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
SILER CITY — The Town of Siler City will be working to ll some potholes starting as early as this scal year.
The list also had the top future projects for the district, which include security renovations, land acquisition for future schools, construction of a new elementary school at Chatham
See BOE, page A7
work on some of the bigger ones.
The board also approved terminating its incentive agreement with Innovative Construction Group.
The town had previously raised municipal tag fees by 200%, going from $5 to $15, and the plan was to utilize that additional revenue to fund street rejuvenation projects.
However, after a survey of town-owned streets, sta felt that the prevalence of potholes was a more pressing issue for the town.
At its Oct. 6 meeting, the Town of Siler City Board of Commissioners voted to approve utilizing the revenues, approximately $60,000, to fund the xing of 204 identi ed potholes, with the idea that the rejuvenation projects will start to take place in scal year 2027.
Belichick’s rst season with Tar Heels has run into problems on, o eld
“It’s not the kind of thing we judge after four games or even after one season.”
Lee Roberts, UNC Chancellor
A TV show about his rst year as head coach has been canceled
By Aaron Beard The Associated Press
OF ALL THE UGLY moments so far — bad play, blowout losses, home fans eeing early for the exits — the most telling moment of Bill Belichick’s rst season at UNC came during an open week. It took the form of a pair of terse statements from Belichick and athletic director Bubba Cunningham posted on social media last Wednes-
Siler City will do the repairs on the smaller potholes in-house, but they’ll need to contract with another company to
day, rea rming the marriage between the six-time Super Bowl winner from the NFL’s New England Patriots and the school desperately seeking to elevate its football program beyond decades of also-ran status.
“I’m fully committed to UNC Football and the program we’re building here,” Belichick said.
The fact it came at all, though — following a day of speculation and reports of behind-the-scenes troubles in the program — said more about how the rst few weeks
The town had entered into an agreement with ICG back in May 2024, but the company seemingly isn’t in a position to reach its previously agreed-upon thresholds.
“Per their incentive agreement, the company was supposed to invest in the construction of a facility on or before
See POTHOLES, page A7
THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL
George Moses Horton
COURTESY CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Oct. 6
• Bobby Paul Wade, 49, of Raeford, was arrested for possession of stolen goods/ property and larceny of motor vehicle.
• Brandi Nicole Flowers, 47, of Raeford, was arrested for possession of stolen goods/ property and larceny of motor vehicle.
Oct. 7
• Michael Anthony Lunsford Jr., 64, of Apex, was arrested for misdemeanor larceny.
Oct. 8
• Tyler Lang Martin, 31, of Pittsboro, was arrested for felony stalking and domestic violence protection order violation.
• Troy Alfred Smart, 53, of Bear Creek, was arrested for unauthorized use of motor vehicle.
Oct. 9
• Charles Allen Tysor Sr., of Siler City, was arrested for simple assault and resisting public o cer.
Oct. 10
• Lindley Miguel Mordecai, 51, was arrested for assault on a female, driving while impaired, reckless driving to endanger, open container after consuming alcohol, speeding, drive left of center, misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property.
• Emily Danielle Miller, 43, was arrested for simple assault, crime of domestic violence, assault on government o cial/employee and resisting public o cer.
Oct. 12
• Bobby Isaiah Carter, 19, was arrested for assault on a female and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
Chatham County to host 16th annual Trunk or Treat festival
The free event features activities, games and a costume contest
Chatham News & Record sta
CHATHAM County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources will hold its 16th annual Trunk or Treat Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 2-5 p.m. at Southwest District Park in Bear Creek.
The free event, a Halloween tradition since 2010, will feature pumpkin carving and painting, a hay hunt, seasonal games and crafts, bounce houses, a photo station and a costume contest. Festival activities will run from 2-4 p.m., followed by the Trunk or Treat from 4-5 p.m.
“This event has truly become a highlight of our fall season,” said Tracy Burnett, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources director. “We love seeing the joy it brings to children and families, and we’re excited to continue the tradition for another year.”
The county is still accepting trunk hosts for the event. Local organizations, businesses, families and individuals are invited to decorate a vehicle and hand out candy.
Southwest District Park is located at 15124 N.C. 902 in Bear Creek. To register as a trunk host
or for more information, contact Mallory Peterson at 919 - 642-7086 or mallory.peterson@chathamcountync.gov.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County.
Oct. 17-19
GreenWood Wrights’Fest
Times vary
A semiannual gathering of traditional craftspeople o ers workshops and demonstrations on spoon carving, bowl turning, basket weaving and chair making. Friday night features keynote speaker Roy Underhill, host of PBS’s “The Woodwright’s Shop.” General admission includes access to free demonstrations; workshops cost extra and must be purchased in advance. Camping available on-site.
The Plant 220 Lorax Lane Pittsboro
Oct. 18
“We Need to Talk” Program on Intimate Partner Abuse
Noon to 3 p.m.
Author Janine Latus presents strategies to recognize intimate partner abuse and intervene safely. The free educational program helps attendees learn how to support themselves and others in living healthy lives.
Chatham Community Library Holmes Family Meeting Room 197 N.C. Highway 87 N. Pittsboro
Trick-or-Treat Trail 2-4 p.m.
Children of all ages can wear costumes and walk an accessible trail decorated by community organizations and local businesses who will distribute treats along the route. The free family event is hosted by the Town of Pittsboro.
Knight Farm Park 362 Vine Parkway Pittsboro
Oct. 18-19
Spirits of Pittsboro’s Past Walking Tour
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Costumed interpreters portray gures from Pittsboro’s history in this Halloween-themed walking tour hosted by the Chatham County Historical Association. The journey begins at the historic courthouse and winds through old cemeteries and downtown streets with stories and legends. Ages 12 and older only. Check-in is at 5:15 p.m.
Chatham County Historic Courthouse 9 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro
Oct. 25
Pittsboro Street Fair
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Rotary Club of Pittsboro hosts this annual event featuring more than 140 vendors with arts, crafts, food and beverages. Youth performances and family entertainment include bouncy houses, face painting and balloon art. An after-hours concert runs from 4-6 p.m. This free event takes place rain or shine and is the Rotary Club’s largest fundraiser supporting scholarships and community programs.
Downtown Pittsboro Hanks, Fayetteville and Salisbury streets
COURTESY CHATHAM COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION
obituaries
Nellie Gray Overman
March 10, 1931 –Oct. 7, 2025
Nellie Gray Overman, 94, of Bear Creek went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Tuesday, October 7th, 2025, surrounded by her family at her home.
Mrs. Overman was born in Randolph County on March 10th, 1931, the daughter of George M. Gray and Lena Edwards Gray.
Nellie loved the Lord and was a long-time member of Tyson’s Creek Baptist church. Until her declining health, she was an active member of the Berean Sunday School Class and enjoyed going to the Senior Citizens activities. She worked many years in the textile industry, mostly at Kellwood and Ithaca Hosiery. She was an excellent seamstress and was an instructor for many of her positions. She later became a fulltime homemaker enjoying gardening, cooking, and working in the yard and planting owers. She set a great example to her children and instilled the importance of hard work. She was a loving wife, mother, Memaw, sister, neighbor, and friend. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were precious to her and family times spent together will be memories we will all cherish.
Preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 62
William Lee Buckner
Dec. 7, 1941 – Oct. 8, 2025
William Lee Buckner, 83, of Siler City, went to his Heavenly home on Wednesday, October 8th, 2025, at his home surrounded by family.
William was born in Chatham County on December 7th, 1941, to the late Wren and Joyce Perry Buckner. He is preceded in death by his parents and his stepfather, P.D. Short.
William was a graduate of NC State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating, he worked in the textile industry as an engineer, then was the owner/operator of Metric Machine & Design Tool & Die, Inc. Additionally, he founded and operated M&M Temporary, a job placement agency in Sanford, NC. William and Kay married in 1962 and were together all through school. His love for Kay and his
years and the love of her life, Dean W. Overman; her brothers, Rufus, Robie, Ruben, Robert, and Tom; her sisters, Gracie, Elsie, Bertha, and Mary. She is survived by her three daughters, Carol Tucker of Siler City, NC (signi cant other, Al Justice) of Bennett, NC, Judy Callicutt (Johnny) of Bear Creek, NC, and Kay Brown (Mike) of Siler City, NC; and one son, Dean Overman, Jr. (Toni) of Pittsboro, NC; her grandchildren, Angela Oldham (Eric) of Bennett, NC, Adam Tucker (Ginna) of Thomasville, NC, Wesley Brown of Greensboro, NC, Christopher Callicutt (Salita) of Liberty, NC, Hannah Black (Travis) of Chapel Hill, NC; her great grandchildren, Elijah, Micah, and Judah Tucker, Johnathon and Carli Callicutt, and Mason and Bennett Black; her sister-inlaw, Shirley Gray; and her nieces and nephews.
The funeral service will be Saturday, October 11th, 2025, at 2:00 pm, at Tyson’s Creek Baptist Church Family Life Center and visitation will be prior to the service at 1:00 pm. Reverend Bob Wachs and Reverend Scott Walker will o ciate the service. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
The family will be at the family home on Friday afternoon receiving friends and family.
Nellie loved owers, but memorials can be made to Tyson’s Creek Baptist Church, 10981 Siler City Glendon Rd, Bear Creek, NC 27207, Liberty Health Care and Hospice, 401 E 3rd St, Siler City, NC 27344, or the Alzheimer Foundation, https://alzfdn.org/ donate/
The family would like to send a special thanks to the Liberty Health Care and Hospice Center, Monique, Katie, Sherry, and LeAnn. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Overman family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com
family never went unnoticed.
William was very creative and enjoyed painting and reading. He was an avid golfer and took pride in his two aces. He was o ered a walk on position for NC State Basketball during his time there which he was proud of.
William was always working on some kind of project. He loved building and making things. He also was a dog lover and enjoyed walking Hickory Mountain every day. He attended Sapling Ridge Methodist Church.
William is survived by his wife of 63 years, Virginia Kay Fox Buckner of the home; his daughter, Annette Buckner Hall and her husband, Douglas Lee Hall, Jr. of Apex, NC; his son, Benjamin Henry Buckner of Siler City; his sister, Durene Short Phillips and her husband, Lynn of Siler City; and his three grandchildren, Mattie Kay Buckner, Benjamin Henry Buckner II, and Maris Hall DeBruhl.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 18th, 2025, at 2 PM, at South Fork Friends Church with Reverend Jason Dickerson o ciating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Memorials may be made in William’s name to the Dementia Foundation, https://alzfdn.org/ donate/ Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Buckner family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com
Norma Lee Burgess Burke
Aug. 23, 1933 –Oct. 10, 2025
Norma Lee Burgess Burke, 92 of Bear Creek, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Chatham Hospital.
Norma was born on August 23, 1933, in Randolph County, NC to Mitchell and Lessie Stout
IN MEMORY
We offer an on-site crematory with many options of Celebration of Life services, Traditional, and Green Burials. Call us to set an appointment to come by and learn more.
Burgess. Norma was a graduate of Ramseur School and worked at Kaiser Roth for 21 years.
Norma loved being at home, taking care of her garden and owers. She enjoyed doing word searches, sweeping leaves, and getting the mail. Norma was a long-time member at Sandy Branch Baptist Church where she led and directed many Christmas programs, sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, and spent many years leading the youth. Norma loved to cook for her family and was known for her biscuits, turnip greens, sweet potato casserole, dressing, and her famous German chocolate cake as well as many other delicious desserts. In addition to her parents, Norma is preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Stout Burke; brothers, Paul, Boyd, and Buck Burgess; and her sisters, Maxine Ward, Geraldine York, and Doris Burgess.
Norma is survived by her children, William Michael Burke (Sharon) of Garner and Melinda Burke Overton (Je ) of Apex; grandchildren, Kala Brown (Steven), Kristen Herring, Ti any Hales (Zac), and Kyle Overton; great grandchildren, Levi, Kallie, Jaxson, Stout, and Adleigh. Norma will lie in repose on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, from 12:00pm – 12:50pm at Sandy Branch Baptist Church, 715 Sandy Branch Church Rd., Bear Creek. The funeral service will follow at 1:00pm with Dr. Rob Roberts and Pastor Jimmy Brown o ciating. Burial will take place at the conclusion of the service in the church cemetery, and the family will receive guests in the church fellowship hall afterwards. Memorials may be made in Norma’s honor to Sandy Branch Baptist Church, 715 Sandy Branch Church Rd., Bear Creek, NC 27207.
ROY LEE “BUG” GODFREY
JUNE 14, 1952 – OCT. 4, 2025
Roy Lee “Bug” Godfrey, 73, of Olivia, North Carolina, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday October 4, 2025.
Born on June 14, 1952, in Lee County, NC, Roy was the son of the late David H. Godfrey and Lillian Francis Bean Godfrey. A lifelong resident of the area, Roy was known for his love of the outdoors, particularly hunting and raising his beloved fox dogs. He took great pride in running his fox pen in Lee County and found joy in simply listening to the dogs run and hunt. Roy also enjoyed catching up with friends over the phone and sharing stories from the past.
A skilled carpenter by trade, Roy spent most of his life building homes throughout Lee County.
Roy was preceded in death by his parents, his son Keith Godfrey, and his Brother David Allen Godfrey.
He is survived by his loving wife, Dorothy; his son Randy Godfrey and wife Kristie; grandsons Colby and Austin Godfrey; sister Anne Jones (late husband Jimmy); brothers Bill Godfrey (Robin), Tom Godfrey (Cindy), and Donald Ray Godfrey.
RALPH KELLY SLOAN
OCT. 7, 2025
Ralph Kelly Sloan, 88, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at home.
Ralph was the son of Frank Creech and Mary Patterson Sloan. Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers Frank Sloan, Lewis Sloan, and Bobby Sloan, as well as his sister Doris Norris.
He joined the Navy and proudly served his country. Ralph was proud to be a Veteran.
Ralph married the love of his life, Patricia (Ann) Marsh Sloan. They were married for 39 years before she passed in 2003. He later lost his furry friend, Zipper.
Ralph loved everyone. He would give you the shirt o his back and his last dollar to anyone in need. He worked for 40 years at Robert’s Company/Whitin Robert’s.
Ralph is survived by his daughter, Tammy Rogers, and son-in-law, Keith, whom he considered his son; his son, Rodney Sloan (“Tater”) and friend, Sherry; and his sisters, Eva Sloan Coleman and Loraine Sloan Womack. He is also survived by his only grandson, whom he adored, Garrett Lewis, and Garrett’s wife, Kimberly. Ralph was so proud of Garrett and Kimberly—he loved them dearly. In addition, he is survived by his grand pets: Junior, Edison, and Lupin, as well as many nieces and nephews.
JEFFREY CAMERON MCLEOD
NOV. 8, 1968 – OCT. 4, 2025
Je rey Cameron McLeod, age 56 of Sanford, passed away on Saturday (10/4/2025). He was born on November 8, 1968, son of the late John McLeod and Shelby Jean McNeill McLeod. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Susan Louise McLeod, and his twin infant sister. He was a member of First Baptist Church and participated in the Sonshine Group. Je rey attended Floyd Knight School, loved to eat and especially enjoyed going to church every Wednesday and Sunday. He also participated at LCI for many years, volunteered at Divine Finds, loved math and scavenger hunts. Je rey was a resident at the Easter Seals Port Health of Lee County for fteen years and the residents there became his family. He is survived by his aunts, Bonnie Gaster of Broadway, NC and Judy Cox of Sanford, NC; special cousins, Linda and Chris Rhodes of Sanford, NC, Greg and Tammy Kelly of Broadway, NC, Kelli and Jimbo Rattz of the US Virgin Islands and Nicole and Craig McKeithan of Goldston, NC. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, (10/8/2025) at 3:00pm at First Baptist Church in Sanford with Rev. Brian Caldwell o ciating. Family and friends may pay their respects at the Easter Seals Group Home or at the home of Bonnie Gaster. Following the memorial service, the family will greet friends at the church fellowship hall. The family would like to thank Chris and the sta of the Easter Seals Home for the love and care given to Je during his time there and to the sta at LCI for their years of guidance and care. Thank you also to Kathy and the Sta of Divine Finds for always supporting Je , and the residents of the home.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Stanly News Journal at obits@chathamrecord.com
Duke researchers receive $15M grant to expand AI model to predict mental illness
The model will be trialed with 2,000 adolescents at rural health clinics
By William Gim The Chronicle via AP
DURHAM — A team at Duke University has secured a $15 million federal grant to expand an arti cial intelligence model designed to predict mental illness in adolescents.
The Duke Predictive Model of Adolescent Mental Health (Duke-PMA), co-developed by professors Jonathan Posner and Matthew Engelhard and AI health fellow Elliot Hill, is an AI-based tool that assesses factors related to adolescent mental health.
The model is used to predict who is most likely to develop a mental illness within a year. It also identi es the key factors driving those predictions, o ering the potential to guide targeted preventive interventions.
“In the way that psychiatry is currently practiced, it tends to be reactive, meaning we wait until someone’s developed a psychiatric illness and then we institute treatment,” Posner said.
“So (the model) would really be a paradigm change in psychiatry from a reactive to a proactive approach.”
The model achieved 84% ac-
curacy in identifying adolescents of ages 10 to 15 who are at risk for future serious mental health issues and maintained consistent performance across socioeconomic status, race and sex. This accuracy was achieved using only questionnaires, instead of expensive imaging or blood tests, making the model a highly scalable and accessible assessment tool.
The model maintained high accuracy when limited to factors that can be directly in uenced through clinician intervention, such as sleep disturbances and family conict. Its results could o er cli-
nicians actionable insights to guide prevention and intervention strategies before illness develops.
“So a patient comes into their clinic, they do this quick assessment, and then the primary care doctor gets a report saying, ‘This child in front of me has a 90% chance of developing an illness within a year, and these are the factors that are driving that prediction,’” Posner said.
Securing the $15 million federal grant marks a turning point in the project’s development. “This is exactly the pathway to get it in (the clinicians’) hands
“This type of research would not be possible unless you had people from lots of di erent disciplines collaborating together.”
Jonathan Posner, Duke professor
and actually identify people early and connect them with services and support that can hopefully bend that trajectory,” Engelhard said.
The next phase of the project will enroll 2,000 adolescents from rural clinics in North Carolina, Minnesota and North Dakota.
“We wanted to go to places where the resources for mental health care are pretty limited across the board,” Posner said. “Having an automated tool like this, while it would be helpful virtually anywhere, would be particularly helpful in a rural setting, which doesn’t have the mental health resources that you’d see in an urban clinic.”
The team will conduct an observational study, using the Duke-PMA to assess participants and generate predictions.
Families will be recontacted a
from page A1
Park Southern Village, as well as capacity expansion. Sta also included various facility improvements in the plan, such as playground updates, scoreboard replacements, marquee signage replacements and landscaping improvements.
The prioritized list will be sent to the Board of Commissioners for nal approval.
“What you’re seeing tonight is the proposal that will be sent to the county manager, who will in turn, take it to the county commissioners to consider for funding,” said Assistant Superintendent of Operations Chris Blice. “This is just simply a proposal.”
The board then approved a MOU with Chatham Living Well Earth Stewards for a joint partnership related to its CTE curriculum.
The MOU will allow students taking construction classes at Jordan-Matthews, Northwood and Seaforth high schools to have the opportunity to construct a 400-to-660-squarefoot tiny home over the course of the semester.
“This particular endeavor will allow them some environmental educational tools that they haven’t been privy to be-
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Dec. 31, 2026,” said Assistant Town Manager Kimberly Pickard. “They knew that this wasn’t going to be possible as they’ve seen a slowing of the housing market as well as an increase in the cost of materials, and so they came back to us wishing to use the termination clause in their agreement.”
year later for detailed psychiatric evaluations to determine whether the model’s predictions prove accurate.
The use of arti cial intelligence in medicine may spark both excitement and unease, particularly when applied to sensitive areas like adolescent mental health. For one, to address the risk of false positives, Hill emphasized that Duke-PMA is designed as a supportive tool, not a replacement for clinical judgment.
“We’re very serious about protecting patients’ privacy, both in the context of the study that we’re doing, as well as more broadly, going forward,” Engelhard said. “And so this is information that would be between you and your care providers.”
This approach attempts to balance innovation with caution, enhancing care while preserving essential human presence during clinical judgment.
“This type of research would not be possible unless you had people from lots of di erent disciplines collaborating together. … I think Duke is unusually well positioned for that type of work,” Posner said.
This story was originally published by The Chronicle at Duke University and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
fore and very purposeful skill development,” said Executive Director of CTE Michelle Burton. “They will work in tandem with a licensed general contractor, plumbers and electricians, and each of these houses will be built on the campus of the high school. And then at the end of the year, the houses will be moved and nished by professionals.”
The partnership has been ongoing for several years, and previously constructed houses have even housed local families.
“Last year, one of our houses was actually planted in one of our communities, and there is a family living in it now,’ Burton said.
The board also approved an MOU with the YMCA of the Triangle for the Y Learning Program.
“Through an award of the 21st Century Learning Grant, the YMCA of the Triangle will provide after-school academic services at Virginia Cross Elementary,” said Chief of Student Services Tracy Fowler. “It will be available to their students, as well as students from Siler City Elementary and Silk Hope.”
The Chatham County Schools Board of Education will next meet Nov. 3.
The project was anticipated to bring in just under $40 million of total investment into the area, as well as 157 full-time jobs.
Finally, the board will hold a public hearing on Nov. 17 for public input on the potential closure of Utility Drive.
The Siler City Board of Commissioners will next meet Oct. 20.
Share with your community!
Send your birth, death, marriage, graduation and other announcements to community@chathamnewsrecord.com
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BOE
POTHOLES
EMERY P. DALESIO / AP PHOTO
Duke University Hospital is part of the Duke University Medical Center in Durham.
REAL ESTATE
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AUCTIONS
RICKY ELLINGTON AUCTIONEERSEquipment, business, liquidation, estates, land, houses, antiques, personal property, coins, furniture, consignments, bene ts, etc., NCAL #7706, 919-548-3684, 919-663-3556, rickyellingtonauctions@yahoo.com. Jy6,tfnc
SERVICES
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JUNK CARS PICKED UP Free of charge. Due to many months of low steel prices and unstable steel markets, we cannot pay for cars at this time. Cars, trucks, and machinery will be transported and environmentally correctly recycled at no charge. 919-542-2803.
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YARD SALE
Clearance Sale
Carbonton Community Center 6953 Carbonton Road (Hwy 42 West) Sanford N.C. 27330
Friday October 17
7:00am-6:00pm ONE DAY ONLY
Everything 50-75% OFF
51 Years of Marriage Downsizing Yard Sale –8am – 12pm, Sat., Oct.18th
2161 Ed Clapp Rd., Siler City – tools, Christmas, housewares, etc. 1tp
4215 ALSTON BRIDGE RD., SILER CITY – FRI. 8am until and Sat. 8am – 12pm.
Lots of household items and clothes and a little bit of everything!
TAKE NOTICE
attorney (address below). If you do not notify the court in writing that you wish to retain any parental rights you may have, those parental rights will be terminated upon the entry of the decree of adoption. You are entitled to attend any hearing a ecting your parental rights, and you may present evidence in court that the adoption is not in the best interests of the adoptee. If you do not respond within forty (40) days of the publication of this notice, you will not be able to participate in the adoption proceeding, and you will receive no further notice of the proceeding, including notice of the time and place of any hearing. You may call the Special Proceedings o ce of the Clerk of Superior Court of Chatham County, at (919)545-3500 for further information.
This publication begins the 2nd day of October, 2025.
Signed, Derrick J. Hensley, Attorney for Petitioner 401 Meadowlands Drive, Suite 201, Hillsborough, NC 27278 (919)480-1999 PUBLISHED: 10/02/25, 10/9/25, 10/16/25
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000490-180
The undersigned, BEATRICE BARON, having quali ed on the 12th Day of SEPTEMBER, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of BEATRICE CANTIN, 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 16THDay 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 16TH DAY OF JANUARY 2026.
BEATRICE BARON, EXECUTOR 121 ANGEL WAY CHAPEL HILL, NC 27516
*SONYA LINTON MAGNOLIA LEGAL 3001 ACADEMY RD., SUITE 120 DURHAM, NC 27705
Run dates: O16,23,30,N6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Sandra Portnoy Hirschman, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the decedent to present them to the undersigned on or before January 16, 2026, 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 16th day of October, 2025.
Daniel Hirschman, Executor of the Estate of Sandra Portnoy Hirschman 13001 Droughton Court Chapel Hill, NC 27517
Notice of Public Hearings
Town of Siler City The following items will be considered by the Siler City Board of Commissioners as legislative hearings. The hearings will be conducted during the Board of Commissioner’s regular meeting on Monday October 20, 2025, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the court room located in the Siler City Town Hall at 311 N. 2nd Ave. Legislative Public Hearings
CASE R25-0901: Request for Major Modi cation of previous Conditional Zoning Approval by applicant, CE Group, Inc, on behalf of the property owner Tim’s Farm & Forestry II, LLC. The modi cation request includes revisions to the approved conditions, development layout, and the uses permitted within the development. The property is identi ed as Parcel 13136 and 80302 and is located on West Third Street.
CASE R25-0902: Everest Park, LLC is requesting a Conditional Rezoning of approximately 27.17 acres from Agricultural – Residential (A-R) to the Agricultural – Residential – Conditional (A-R-C) zoning district for a proposed major subdivision with cluster option consisting of 18 single family residential lots and accessory recreational uses. The property is identi ed as Parcel Number 13858 by the Chatham County Tax Department.
CASE R25-0903: Ellis Development Group, on behalf of the property owners, is requesting a Conditional Rezoning of approximately 134.70 acres from Agricultural – Residential (A-R) and Residential 10 (R10) to the Residential 3 – Conditional (R-3-C) zoning district for a proposed major subdivision consisting of 371 residential units in a mix of detached single family residential lots and townhomes. The property is identi ed as Parcel Numbers 13797, 67887, 13796, 13782 and 83901 by the Chatham County Tax Department.
These items were reviewed by the Siler City Planning Board at their September 8, 2025, regular meeting. The proposed item is available for review by contacting Tim Garner at tgarner@silercity.gov or 919-726-8628. All persons interested in the outcome of this item are invited to attend the legislative hearing and present comments, testimony, and exhibits on the above referenced item. Interested parties may also submit written comments. Written comments can be submitted by email to tgarner@silercity.gov. Individuals desiring to speak may sign up by registering their name and information on the sign-up sheet, located outside the entry doors to the court room. The Town of Siler City will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that disabled persons are provided other accommodations, such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing interpreters for the deaf, providing taped cassettes of materials for the blind, or assuring a barrier-free location for the proceedings. This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Kimberly Pickard at 919-726-8620, 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344, or kpickard@ silercity.org for accommodations for this request. Esta información está disponible en español o en cualquier otro idioma bajo petición. Por favor, póngase en contacto con Kimberly Pickard al kpickard@silercity.org o 919-726-8625 o en 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344 de alojamiento para esta solicitud.
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CARONLINA, CHATHAM COUNTY THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE, SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF ) ) FILE NO. 24E001684-180 ROBERT MICHAEL WELCH, ) Deceased.
)
ADMINISTRATOR NOTICE
Having quali ed as Executor/Administrator of the Estate of Robert Michael Welch, deceased, late of Carlsbad, New Mexico, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before December 31, 2025 (90 days date) or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate settlement. This the 2nd day of October, 2025. (1st Thursday Publication Date) Steven Michael Welch 1202 N. Shore Drive Carlsbad, NM 88220
CREDITOR’S NOTICE
Having quali ed on the 1st day of October 2025, as Administrator of the Estate of Shannon Lee BaileyHill, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the decedent to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 9th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to the estate should make immediate payment. This is the 2nd day of October 2025. Ariel Clower, Administrator of the Estate of Shannon Lee Bailey-Hill 19429 Elkhart Street Harper Woods, MI 48225
Attorneys: Law O ces of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330
Publish On: October 9th, 16th,23rd and 30th 2025. NOTICE
Chatham County Public Hearing Notice
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing to receive input on the requested for Chatham County to participate in the Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditure (C-PACE) program authorized by the State Legislature to provide commercial property owners a low-cost, long term nancing mechanism to fund qualifying energy e ciency, water conservation, renewable energy, and resiliency improvements to their properties on Monday, October 20, 2025, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Historic Courthouse located at 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro NC 27312. Speakers are requested to sign up prior to the hearing on the county website or by contacting the Clerk to the Board at 919-542-8200 or boc.clerk@ chathamcountync.gov. If you have any questions or comments concerning the C-PACE program, please call the Chatham County Environmental Quality Director at 919-545-7875 or write to P.O. Box 1550, Pittsboro N.C. 27312.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Personal Representative of the Estate of FRADYA SARAH BLUESTEIN, deceased of Chatham County, North Carolina, on the 18th day of September, 2025, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ce of the attorney for the estate on or before the 27th day of December, 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 25th day of September, 2024. John Michael Cullen, Personal Representative, c/o Anthony D. Nicholson, Attorney for the estate, McPherson, Rocamora, Nicholson & Hinkle, PLLC, 3211 Shannon Road, Suite 400, Durham, NC 27707. September 25, October 2, 9, 16 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having quali ed as Personal Representative of the Estate of LINVILLE GARNER, deceased, late of CHATHAM County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at: 1917 BERNARD PURVIS RD BENNETT NC 27208 on or before the 5th day of JANUARY, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and Corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 30th day of SEPTEMBER, 2025.
LARRY MATTHEW SAUNDERS
Personal Representative For the Estate of LINVILLE GARNER Frank C. Thigpen Thigpen and Jenkins, LLP
Attorney for Estate PO Box 792 Robbins, North Carolina 27325
PUBLICATION DATES: October 2, 2025
October 9, 2025 October 16, 2025 October 23, 2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
North Carolina Chatham County File#25E000502-180
The undersigned, Helen Frazier having quali ed on the 10th day of September 2025 as EXECUTOR of the ESTATE of JUDITH RAYMOND BOYKIN, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to her on or before the 26th day of December 2025, or this notice will be in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned this the 25th day of September 2025.
Helen Frazier – Executor 347 Meadow View Drive Moncure, NC 27559
Please publish the above notice on September 25, October 2nd, 9th and 16th 2025.
NOTICE OF SALE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM ACE SELF STORAGE, PURSUANT TO NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL STATUTES, CHAPTER 44A, SHALL CONDUCT A PUBLIC SALE OF THE UNITS LISTED BELOW AT IT’S FACILITY LOCATED AT 105 WEST FIFTH STREET, SILER CITY, NC AT 11:00AM ON OCTOBER 30, 2025 WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW ANY UNITS FROM THE SALE. ALL SALES WILL BE CASH TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER.
B-1 BARRY EDWARDS B-2A BARRY EDWARDS B-2B BARRY EDWARDS B-2C BARRY EDWARDS B-21B FRANKLIN BROWN B-13 BLAINE FIELDS B-21A NIKKI GOLDSTON B-8 JEFF HARRIS B4D PAUL JONES B-20 EARNEST ROSEBORO
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Administrator of the Estate of Billy Gene Brewer 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 27th day of December, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 18th day of September, 2025.
Patricia S. Brewer, Administrator of The Estate of Billy Gene Brewer 5 Bennett-Siler City Road Siler City, NC 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE
ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Administrator of the Estate of Charlene Margaret Gaddy 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 15th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.
This the 7th day of October, 2025. Charles David Elder, Administrator of The Estate of Charlene Margaret Gaddy 4428 Huntsman Court Castle Hayne, North Carolina 28429 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 Anhelica Maria Mata, of Chatham County, NC, who died on October 6, 2024, are noti ed to present them on or before December 25, 2025 to David Plowman, Administrator, 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 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM File Number 25E000558-180 Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of D.
GABRIELLE BROUILLETTE, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 16th day of January, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, rms and corporations indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment. This the 16th day of October, 2025. Executor for the Estate Joseph J. DeGeorge 140 Bell Flower Court Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Attorney for the Executor
Jennifer C. Noble N.C. Bar No. 33481 230 N. Elm Street, Suite 1200 Greensboro, NC 27401
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000546-180
All persons, rms, and corporations having claims against Mary H. Hodges, deceased, late of Huntington, West Virginia, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 12th day of January, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment.
This the 9th day of October 2025. Audy M. Perry, Jr., Ancillary Executor c/o Hemphill Gelder, PC PO Box 97035 Raleigh, NC 27624-7035
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000472-180
ALL persons having claims against Judith-Ann Leporino, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Jan 02 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 2nd day of October, 2025.
RENEE EASTMAN, Executor C/O Lenfestey, Maxie & Burger, PLLC 5640 Dillard Drive, Suite 101 Cary, North Carolina 27518 O2, 9, 16 and 23
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
NOTICE
GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION 24CV0000235-180 TO: UNKNOWN HEIRS OF GAITHER RODGERS, SR; UNKNOWN HEIRS OF FREEMAN THOMAS RODGERS
Take notice that pleadings seeking relief against you have been led in the above-entitled civil action. The nature of the relief being sought is for the condemnation and appropriation, for highway purposes, of a certain interests or estates in that certain parcel of land lying and being in Center Township, Chatham County, North Carolina and being more particularly described as follows: Being that land identi ed as part of the Estate of Lillie Freeman Rodgers as set forth in the Estate of Lillie Freeman Rodgers, 83-E-213, Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court. Also, being that land identi ed as Tax Parcel ID No. 0075052 (PIN No. 9742-82-2831)
containing approximately 1.300 acres and described as “K5-78K” and being located on the west side of Hillsboro Street/US Highway 15-501 immediately north of 50 Dark Oaks Drive, Pittsboro, NC, as is shown in the Chatham County Tax O ce. You are hereby required to make defense to such pleadings not later than the 18th day of November, 2026, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the Court for the relief sought. This the 9th day of October, 2025.
JEFF JACKSON
Attorney General Lisa B. Finkelstein
Assistant Attorney General North Carolina Department of Justice 1505 Mail Service Center Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1505
Phone: (919) 707-4480 O9, 16 and 23
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
25E000548-180 ALL persons having claims against Sandra Kay Wicker Cameron, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Jan 16 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 16th day of October, 2025.
JOHN B. CAMERON, III, Executor C/O Privette Legacy Planning 1400 Crescent Green, Suite G-100 Cary, NC 27518 O16, 23, 30 and 6
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000341-180
The undersigned, JO ANNE RUSSO AND JULIE C. RUDOWSKI, having quali ed on the 14TH Day of JULY, 2025 as ADMINISTRATORS of the Estate of BRENDA GRAHAM DOWLING, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 16TH Day JANUARY 2026, 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 16TH DAY OF OCTOBER 2025. JO ANNE RUSSO, ADMINISTRATOR 1113 RUSSET LANE APEX, NC 27523
*MAIL TO: JULIE C. RUDOWSKI, ADMINISTRATOR 10520 SABLEWOOD DRIVE #103 RALEIGH, NC 27617
Run dates: O16,23,30,N6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000542-180
The undersigned, RACHEL MITCHELL, having quali ed on the 29TH Day of SEPTEMBER, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of GERALDINE WALSER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 9TH Day JANUARY 2026, 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 9TH DAY OF OCTOBER 2025.
RACHEL MITCHELL, EXECUTOR 3794 NC HWY 751 APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: O9,16,23,30p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000510-180
The undersigned, JOANNE ALSTON AND JUDY C. REAVES, having quali ed on the 16TH Day of SEPTEMBER, 2025 as CO-ADMINISTRATORS of the Estate of HAYWOOD AL REAVES, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 2nd Day JANUARY 2026, 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 2ND DAY OF OCTOBER 2025. *JOANNE ALSTON, CO-ADMINISTRATOR 45 DAISY SCURLOCK RD. MONCURE, NC 27559
JUDY C. REAVES, CO-ADMINISTRATOR 283 PINECREST DR. BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 Run dates: O2,9,16,23p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000545-180
The undersigned, MICHAEL P ROULEAU, having quali ed on the 1ST Day of OCTOBER, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of PATRICIA JOAN PAIT, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 16TH Day JANUARY 2026, 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 16TH DAY OF OCTOBER 2025.
MICHAEL P ROULEAU, EXECUTOR 209 PARKGATE DRIVE CARY, NC 27519 Run dates: O16,23,30,N6p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM NEWS
FILE#25000500-180 The undersigned, CAROLINE WOOD, having quali ed on the 10TH Day of SEPTEMBER, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of SUSAN WOOD, deceased, of CHATHAM COUNTY, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 2ND Day JANUARY, 2026, 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 2ND DAY OF OCTOBER 2025. CAROLINE WOOD, ADMINISTRATOR 1321 #2 CHILDS DRIVE HILLSBOROUGH, NC 27278 Run dates: O2,9,16,23p
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Wayne Paul Powers, a/k/a Wayne P. Powers, a/k/a Wayne Powers, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at the address
ed companies to provide janitorial services for city owned buildings in the TriRiver Water service area. After the selection and award, selected rms will submit pricing proposals. This Request for Quali cations and others can be found on the TriRiver Water “Bid Opportunity” webpage at https://www.tririverwater.com/Bids. aspx?CatID=17, or companies may call 919-777-1122 for the quali cation requirements. Submittals are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 24, 2025.
NOTICE
State e ort wipes out $6.5B in medical debt for 2.5M people
The project o ers hospitals increased Medicaid reimbursement to forgive debt
By Gary D. Robertson
The Associated Press
RALEIGH — More than 2.5 million North Carolina residents are getting over $6.5 billion in medical debt eliminated through a state government e ort that offered hospitals extra Medicaid funds from Washington if they gave low- and middle-income patients the nancial relief and implemented policies to discourage future liabilities.
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, the state health department secretary and other o cials announced Monday results so far from what then-Gov. Roy Cooper unveiled 15 months ago as a rst-of-its-kind initiative.
While helping almost one-quarter of North Carolina residents, Stein said the effort has exceeded expectations in giving individuals and families a second chance to succeed nancially after medical crises. O cials previously estimated it could help about 2 million people get rid of $4 billion in debt. The debt that had been held by hospitals, and are usually difcult to recover, will be pulled from credit reports, the governor said.
“This is life-changing news for so many families,” Stein said, adding that recipients on average will have $2,600 erased. “No one chooses to have
a heart attack or get diagnosed with a chronic condition — you just have to deal with it. Today’s announcement will free people from the nancial stress so that they can focus on getting healthy.” Another news conference speaker described patients who avoided services or threatened to halt treatments to prevent more debt from accumulating on themselves or their family.
Hospitals that agreed to participate have already alerted many patients to tell them their debt is essentially canceled, state health o cials said Monday. And Undue Medical Debt, a national group working on the e ort and taking over some hospital liabilities, plans to send 255,000 notices this week to other recipients.
The e ort germinated from what’s called the Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program, which state legislators approved in 2023 at the same time as expanded Medicaid coverage to working adults who couldn’t otherwise qualify for conventional Medicaid. Hospitals pay assessments to draw down billions of dollars in federal money.
The state Department of Health and Human Services last year proposed that certain hospitals could receive higher program reimbursement levels to treat Medicaid enrollees if they agreed to medical debt initiatives. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services signed o on the plan details, and by Au-
tain debt collection practices.
Today’s announcement will free people from the nancial stress so that they can focus on getting healthy.”
Gov. Josh Stein
gust 2024 each of the roughly 100 acute - care, rural or university-connected hospitals that quali ed decided to participate.
Under rules previously announced, the hospitals had to eliminate medical debt going back to early 2014 for patients who are Medicaid enrollees. They also would later have to eliminate other debt for nonenrollees based on income levels. And the hospitals were directed to discourage debt by doing things like automatically enrolling people in charity care programs or curbing cer-
The $6.5 billion gure includes debt relieved directly through the initiative and through hospital policy changes to implement it, Stein’s o ce said.
Other state and local governments have tapped into federal American Rescue Plan funds to help purchase and cancel residents’ debt. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs announced in July that $429 million in medical debt had been erased for more than 352,000 state residents.
“North Carolina’s approach is completely unique,” said Jose Penabad, the Undue Medical Debt vice chair. Several states are following North Carolina’s use of Medicaid incentives closely, he added.
North Carolina debt eradication exceeded initial estimates in part because patients outside the population being targeted also had their debt eliminated, Stein said. Hospitals, for example, sometimes have eliminat-
ed debt for patients incurred at associated physician practices, said Jonathan Kappler, a state deputy health secretary. More debt will be eliminated in the future, he added.
State health secretary Dr. Dev Sangvai, told reporters the law approved by Congress in July that made cuts and policy changes to Medicaid won’t immediately a ect the debt elimination initiative.
Some hospitals were initially hesitant about the debt relief initiative because new requirements were being placed upon the reimbursements, Cooper said last year. The North Carolina Healthcare Association, which lobbies for nonpro t and for-pro t hospitals, said Monday in a statement that it’s concerned “recent and proposed government policies could add nancial pressures” that prevent hospitals from expanding programs to help low-income patients.
GARY D. ROBERTSON / AP PHOTO
Gov. Josh Stein, center, anked by Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Dev Sangvai, left, and Undue Medical Debt Vice Chair Jose Penabad, speaks about the elimination of medical debt at the Executive Mansion on Monday.
CHATHAM SPORTS
Northwood beats Jordan-Matthews
Mickell Wilson led the Chargers’ pass rush in the 33-12 victory
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — Northwood’s homecoming weekend got started with a back eld party.
Senior defensive lineman Mickell Wilson recorded ve of Northwood’s (2-5) 13 sacks in a dominant 33-12 over Jordan-Matthews (5-3) on Friday.
The Chargers, who forced four straight punts to start the game, nished the night with 29 tackles for loss. Sophomore Aidan Girard and senior Ben Porter also recorded multiple
sacks as Wilson nished the game with a team-high seven tackles for loss.
“It was really just the energy,” Wilson said. “Just being hyped up all game. We bring the energy, we just play better.”
Said Northwood coach Dalton Brown, “Defense played fast, played physical. They had a good week of practice versus scout team and were rocking and rolling tonight.”
Down two key running backs in Robert Tripp and Leo Mortimer due to injury, Northwood still found a way to pick up big gains against the Jets’ defense.
Senior quarterback Grayson Cox, who lined up at running back on certain plays, led the way with 96 yards and
two scores on the ground. Cox capped o the Chargers’ productive rst drive with a 2-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead, and in the second quarter, he put his team up two scores with a 1-yard trip to the end zone. As a passer, Cox completed 8 of 13 passes for 114 yards and a score. His 35-yard touchdown pitch to wide open junior Nick Armstrong was the knockout punch as it put Northwood ahead 33-6 early in the fourth quarter.
Junior receiver Raje Torres, who lined up at quarterback several times during the game, logged 68 yards and a score on the ground. After a bad Jordan-Matthews snap went out the back of its own end zone, giving Northwood a 19-6
Daisy Collins dons Texas gear, showing where she’ll swim on the college level.
“They had a good week of practice versus scout team and were rocking and rolling tonight.” Dalton Brown, Northwood coach
lead in the third quarter, Torres’ 11-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession but the Chargers ahead by three scores.
“We’ve had two, three really good, solid weeks of practice,” Cox said. “We’ve been stacking days, just going after it day after day. The O-line, kudos to them. They had some push tonight. They played really well.”
Arguably the most import-
ant Northwood possession of the night came just before the half.
Senior quarterback Kamarie Hadley hit sophomore receiver Nolan Mitchell for a 45-yard score to bring the Jets within one possession with under two minutes left in the second quarter. Cox completed multiple passes to march the Chargers within the Jets’ 5-yard line, but a holding penalty brought them back to the 14 with four seconds left on the clock. Following what Brown said was Northwood’s rst successful two-minute drill this season, the Chargers turned to junior Campbell Parks, lling in the
FOOTBALL ROUNDUP
Collins commits to Texas after making USA Swimming roster
The local swimmer will join one of the country’s top programs
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
IT’S BEEN QUITE the month for Woods Charter junior Daisy Collins. Weeks after making the 2025 USA Swimming National Team, Collins committed to Texas on Oct. 5. The three -time NCHSAA state
champion will join one of the most storied swimming programs in the country as the Longhorn women have won seven national championships and nished as national runners-up from 2022-24. Collins visited Tennessee and Indiana before choosing Texas.
“I talked to the coaches, Carol (Capitani) and Erik (Posegay), and they were just so incredible,” Collins said. “They were just so supportive of my needs in swimming.
I got along with the team so well. I just felt so welcomed as soon as I got there, and that was de nitely a really important part of it to me.”
Texas’ “perfect” training program for distance swimmers also in uenced Collins’ college decision. Collins had the opportunity to commit to Texas earlier this year, but she wasn’t yet sold on her future college home.
“At rst, I actually said no to
Season-de ning wins are on the line in Week 9
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
Seaforth 53, Cedar Ridge 6
Seaforth (3-4) dominated Cedar Ridge (1-6) to win its second straight game last Friday. Senior Nick Gregory led the way with two rushing touchdowns and a punt return for a score, all in the rst half. Senior Raiden Flowers also rushed for two scores.
Junior quarterback Duncan Parker threw touchdowns to senior Patrick Miller (also had an interception), junior Max Hinchman and sophomore Jude O’Neill.
The Hawks scored the most points in a game in program history.
Week 9: Seaforth vs. South Granville (Friday at 7 p.m.)
Seaforth will have a chance to break the tie and take the top spot in the Big Seven 4A/5A conference against South Granville (3-4) on Friday.
The Vikings are coming o back-to -back 48-point shutout victories over Cedar Ridge and Carrboro. South Granville’s offense comes with a balance of power and speed. Senior running back Jaylen Wilkerson leads the running back room with three games over 100 yards this season, while freshman Ashton Hailey-Alston and junior Tyrell Thornton have also done
FOOTBALL, page B4 See COLLINS, page B4
3 teams undefeated in Big Seven 4A/5A conference play
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Northwood’s Mickell Wilson (17) closes in on J-M quarterback Kamarie Hadley. Wilson was credited with ve of the Chargers’ 13 sacks in the win.
COURTESY DAISY COLLINS
Nick Gregory
Seaforth, football
Seaforth senior Nick Gregory earns athlete of the week honors for the week of Oct. 6.
Gregory logged two rushing touchdowns and a 65-yard punt return to help put Cedar Ridge away in the rst half Friday.
The all-around athlete has worn multiple hats for the Hawks this season. He’s been a key piece of Seaforth’s defensive back eld, and he’s helped the Hawks’ o ense come alive with his running back skills the past two weeks. Gregory is also a special teams weapon with his ability to ip the eld and score as a returner.
Powell makes NBA preseason debut, local athletes shine on college, pro level
Local volleyball players are making big impacts this fall
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
CHATHAM COUNTY athletes have been competing all over the country and the world in recent weeks. Here’s an update on former local standouts on the college and pro level.
PROS
Former Northwood star Drake Powell made a solid rst impression in his Brooklyn Nets preseason debut against Phoenix over the weekend.
In the rst of two games played against the Suns in Macao, China, Powell recorded six points, two assists, two rebounds and a steal in a 132-127 overtime loss. His plus-minus of plus 8 was the second best amongst the Nets’ 2025 draft picks who played in that game.
Powell followed that with six points (2 for 4 from 3), two rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes during the Nets’ 111-109 win over the Suns Sunday. Throughout the weekend, he made a positive impact on the defensive end. He caused a turnover against Devin Booker, which led to a layup for fellow Tar Heel Day’Ron Sharpe on the other end, and a steal on Jared Butler led to a layup for teammate Ziaire Williams.
Jalen Mcafee Marion, Powell’s cousin and a former Northwood standout, notched 10 points, four rebounds, four steals and a block in his Ireland Super League debut with Eanna on Oct. 4.
Aaron Ross, a teammate of Marion’s at Northwood, dominated at the Copa Élite Baloncesto in Colombia earlier this month, leading the tournament in scoring (24.4 points per game) and scoring a career-high and tournament-record of 47 points in a game.
COLLEGE Football
Brendan Harrington (Northwood, Georgia Southern, seventh year) Harrington, a linebacker, is tied for a team-high 46 tackles through Georgia Southern’s rst six games. He had back-to-back double-digit-tackle games against James Madison and Southern Miss.
Aidan Laros (Northwood, Kentucky, senior)
Laros has logged 21 punts for Kentucky this season with a long of 56 yards. He has landed 11 punts within the opponents’ 20 -yard line.
Volleyball
Hannah Forbes (Northwood, UNCW, redshirt junior) Forbes is back in action and having a career year with team highs of 141 kills and 15 service aces in 59 sets as of Monday.
Kelsey Hussey (Chatham Central, Pfei er, sophomore) Hussey has seen an increased role in her sophomore year as Pfei er’s second-leading setter with 125 assists through 19 games. She’s recorded seven games with at least 10 assists as of Monday.
Maya Sheridan (Woods Charter, Swarthmore College, freshman)
Sheridan is Swarthmore’s second-leading setter with 194 assists in 19 games. She’s reached over 20 assists in two games this year, including a season-high 22 assists in a loss to Ithaca on Sept. 20.
Karaleigh Dodson (Chatham Central, Meredith College, freshman)
Dodson has played in eight sets during her freshman season, recording six kills as of Monday.
Abby Johnson (Chatham Central, Central Carolina Community College, sophomore) Johnson has logged 63 assists, 79 digs and 11 service aces in 58 sets as of Monday.
Kendall Anderson (Seaforth, Geneva College, freshman)
Anderson has recorded 30
kills, 35 digs and nine service aces in the rst 45 sets of her career.
Women’s soccer
Lucy Miller (Woods Charter, Meredith College, junior) Miller scored has made 13 starts this season, scoring her second career goal against Berry on Sept. 12.
Men’s soccer
Ken Vasquez (Northwood, Guilford College, sophomore)
Vasquez has started ve games this season, and scored his second career goal against Blueeld University on Sept. 3. He has taken 11 shots with three being on goal as of Monday.
Julian Bozzolo (Seaforth, Denison, freshman)
Bozzolo has started seven games as a freshman and has scored four goals. He’s also recorded two assists as of Monday.
Cross-country
Caroline Murrell (Northwood, NC State, senior)
Murrell nished second in the women 6,000-meter race at the ECU Pirate XC Invitational on Oct. 3 with a personal-best time of 21 minutes, 16.19 seconds.
Juana Silva Jimenez (Seaforth, Meredith College, freshman)
Jimenez helped her women’s team nish rst at the Royals Cross Country Challenge at Queens University on Oct. 10 with a fth-place nish in the Women’s Blue Blue 5,000 race (19:10.12).
Anna Peeler (Woods Charter, Catawba College, freshman) Peeler ran her best 5,000 race of the season at the Royals Cross Country Challenge, nishing with a time of 19:26.35.
Women’s golf
Mackenzie Crossman (Chatham Charter, Barton College, sophomore) Crossman most recently tied for 18th with a score of 158 (+14) at the Upstate Fall Intercollegiate on Sept. 30.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Points for Drake Powell in his rst two preseason games
UNCW ATHLETICS
Hannah Forbes is having a breakout year with the Seahawks.
Girls’ volleyball regular season ends
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
Volleyball
Woods Charter capped o its regular season with two more straight set wins over The Burlington School on Oct. 6 and East Wake Academy on Oct. 8. The Wolves ended the season on a 16-game win streak, dropping one set during the stretch.
After Naomi Stevenson’s 14 kills led Seaforth over South Granville 3-0 on Oct. 7, the Hawks’ three-game win streak was snapped with a 3-1 loss to Orange on Oct. 9. The Panthers won three straight sets after dropping the rst one 25-14.
Chatham Central ended its regular season campaign with back-to-back straight set wins over South Davidson on Oct. 7 and Winston-Salem Prep on Oct. 9. Junior Chloe Brewer combined for 39 assists in the two games.
Chatham Charter fell to Eastern Randolph 3-0 on Oct. 6 but ended its regular season with a 3-0 win over Ascend Leadership the next day. Sophomore Summer Blanton led the team with 12 kills, and senior Breanna Armstrong tied her season-high of 16 digs in the win.
Jordan-Matthews lost its 11th and 12th games in a row to Uwharrie Charter in straight sets and Eastern Randolph 3-1 to end the regular season.
Northwood closed the regular season with back-to-back straight set losses to Southwestern Randolph and Uwharrie Charter.
Final conference standings (overall, conference)
Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. Uwharrie Charter (22-3, 10 - 0); 2. Southwestern Randolph (16 -9, 8-2); 3. Eastern Randolph (8 -11, 5-5); 4. North Moore (13 -7, 4-6); 5. Northwood (4 -15, 3-7); 6. Jordan-Matthews (4 -19, 0-10)
Central Tar Heel 1A: 1. Woods Charter (18-1, 12-0); 2. Clover Garden School (15- 6, 10 -2); 3. Chatham Charter (11-12, 7-5); 4. River Mill (10 -13, 6-6); 5. Ascend Leadership (8-9, 5-8); 6. Southern Wake Academy (3-14, 2-10); 7. Central Carolina Academy (1-18, 0-12)
Greater Triad 1A/2A: T1. South Stokes (16-6, 11-1); T1. (16-5, 11-1); 3. Chatham Central (10-12, 8-4); 4. North Stokes (6 -16, 6-6); T5. South Davidson (5-17, 3-9); T5. College Prep & Leadership (5-16, 3-9); 7. Winston-Salem Prep (2-19, 0-12) Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Cedar Ridge (20-1, 11-1); 2. Seaforth (13-7, 9-3); T3. Orange (10-10, 8-4); T3. Carrboro (12-8, 8-4); 5. South Granville (7-15, 3-9); 6. Durham School of the Arts
(7-15, 2-10); 7. J.F. Webb (8-13, 1-11)
Boys’ soccer
Jordan-Matthews fell just short of knocking o conference foe Southwestern Randolph, HighSchoolOT’s fourth-best team in North Carolina, 2-1 on Oct. 6. Tied at one goal apiece with just under three minutes left to play in the second half, senior Fernando Hernandez-Dominguez rebounded his own blocked penalty kick and scored the go-ahead goal for the Cougars. Cristian Avalos Diego had an open look to tie the game with seconds left, but his shot went wide right. The Jets responded with back-to-back 5-0 wins over Uwharrie Charter and North Moore. Jeremy Alvarado and Humberto Vargas scored two goals each in the win over the Eagles.
Woods Charter edged Chatham Charter 3-2 on Oct. 6.
The Wolves stretched their win streak to three with a 1-0 win over Eno River Academy on Oct. 8, while the Knights went on to beat Ascend Leadership 2-1 (goals from Breylan Harris and Jacob Stover) and lose to Central Carolina Academy 2-0 to nish the week.
Seaforth defeated Orange, rst in the Big Seven 4A/5A conference, 2-1 on Oct. 6. Jacob Wanderski assisted both the Hawks’ goals to Jack Bali and Collin Atkinson. The Hawks fell to Carrboro 4-3 on Oct. 8.
After a 4-0 loss to South-
western Randolph on Oct. 8, Northwood beat Southern Alamance 4-1, scoring the most goals since defeating the same team in its season opener. Conference standings as of Sunday (overall, conference) Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. Southwestern Randolph (16 -1, 5-0); 2. Jordan-Matthews (11- 5, 3-1); 3. North Moore (5 - 4 -1, 2-3); T4. Northwood (7- 5-5, 1-2-1); T4. Eastern Randolph (4-7-3, 1-2-1); 6. Uwharrie Charter Academy (1-6, 0-4) Central Tar Heel 1A: 1. Clover Garden School (12-3, 7-0); 2. Woods Charter (8-2-1, 5-1); 3. Southern Wake Academy (8-3-1, 5-2-1); 4. Central Carolina Academy (3-8-1, 2-5-1); 5. Ascend Leadership (4-6 -2, 1-4 -2); T6. River Mill (3 -12, 2-6); T6. Chatham Charter (3 -10-1, 2-6) Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Orange (12-5, 6-1); 2. Carrboro (7-7-1, 5-1); 3. Seaforth (5 - 8 -2, 3-3); 4. Durham School of the Arts (3-11-1, 3-4); 5. Cedar Ridge (7-6-1, 2-3-1); 6. J.F. Webb (5-5-1, 1-3-1); 7. South Granville (4-12-1, 1-6) Girls’ tennis
Final conference stand-
ings (overall, conference)
Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. Uwharrie Charter (8-0, 8-0); 2. Southwestern Randolph (11- 4, 6-2); T3. North Moore (4-9, 3-5); T3. Northwood (3 -11, 3-5); 5. Jordan-Matthews (2-17, 0-8) Central Tar Heel 1A: 1. Chatham Charter (9-4, 4-0); 2. Clover Garden School (4-4, 2-2); 3. Southern Wake Academy (2-7, 0-4) Greater Triad 1A/2A: 1. Bishop McGuinness (10-4, 8-0); 2. North Stokes (12-2, 6-2); 3. South Davidson (8 - 5, 4-4); 4. South Stokes (2 -12, 2-6); 5. Chatham Central (0 -12, 0-8) Big Seven 4A/5A: 1. Carrboro (20-1, 12-0); 2. Durham School of the Arts (13-8, 9-3); 3. Seaforth (11-7, 8-4); 4. Orange (13-5, 7-5); 5. Cedar Ridge (9-8, 4-8); 6. South Granville (2-10, 2-10); 7. J.F. Webb (0-15, 0-12)
Cross-country
Results from Woods Charter’s meet on Oct. 8: Boys’ top-10 nishers: 1. Torris Price (Chatham Charter, 17 minutes, 23 seconds); 2. Eli Coleman (Chatham Charter (18:19.80); 3. Holton Mody (Woods Charter, 18:22.10); 4. Camic Dallas (Ascend Leadership, 18:46.30); 5. Aidan O’Neil (Woods Charter, 19:03); 6. Adam Reese (Chatham Charter, 19:15.60); 7. Clint Bristow (Clover Garden, 19:26.60); 8. Kendal Howell (Clover Garden, 19:38.90); 9. Andrew Bednar (Chatham Charter, 20:06);
10. Camden Oler (Clover Garden, 20:16.20) Boys’ team results: 1. Chatham Charter; 2. Clover Garden; 3. Woods Charter; 4. Ascend Leadership; 5. Central Carolina Academy; 6. Southern Wake Academy Girls’ top-10 nishers: 1. Emily Scheidt (Chatham Charter, 24:15.20); 2. Soa Rodriguez (Woods Charter, 24:16.80); 3. Iris Lopez (Southern Wake Academy, 24:18.30); 4. Abigail Blair (Ascend Leadership, 24:34.10); 5. Grace Murphy (Woods Charter, 24:59.40); 6. Ashlynn Gulotta (Ascend Leadership, 25:05); 7. Leah Marshall (Woods Charter, 25.33.80); 8. Katelyn Smith (Clover Garden, 25:49.60); 9. Sonia Messick (Woods Charter, 25:59.50); 10. Chloe McGraw (Ascend Leadership, 26:25.90) Girls’ team results: 1. Woods Charter; 2. Ascend Leadership; 3. Clover Garden Girls’ ag football Week 4 scores Northwood 15, Jordan-Matthews 14 (OT) Seaforth 12, Eastern Alamance 8 Eastern Alamance 22, Jordan-Matthews 18 Southeast Alamance 20, Northwood 7 Southeast Alamance 28, Seaforth 0 Standings: 1. Southeast Alamance (8-0); 2. Northwood (6-2); 3. Jordan-Matthews (3 - 5); T4. Eastern Alamance (2-6); T4. Seaforth (2-6)
SEAFORTHSOCCER / INSTAGRAM
Seaforth’s boys’ soccer team takes a team photo after knocking o rst-place Orange on Oct. 6.
Straight wins for Woods Charter volleyball to end the regular season
damage with some strong runs. On the outside, sophomore receivers Kaiden Curtis and Traevon Hayes have been downeld threats for the Vikings.
The Hawks will need a big night from their defense, especially their senior-led secondary. O ensively, Seaforth will need to build on its newfound success in the run game. Seaforth has yet to rush for over 100 yards against a team with more than two wins this season (0-4 in those games), and its 3-0 when it hits that mark. South Granville has allowed more than 100 yards on the ground three times this year.
Bishop McGuinness 50, Chatham Central 0
Bishop McGuinness (7-1) shut out a shorthanded Chatham Central (1-6) team Friday.
Senior quarterback Tristan Styers threw four touchdown passes, with two going to senior receiver Henry Kyle. Senior running back Ben Stewart rushed for two scores, including the Villains’ rst touchdown on their third play from scrimmage.
With Carson Jackson taking over quarterback duties for an injured Brooks Albright and Nick Glover also out with injury, Chatham Central was held scoreless for the rst time this season. The Bears’ losing streak is now at six games.
Week 9: Chatham Central at South Stokes (Friday at 7 p.m.)
Chatham Central will look to end its losing streak and take its rst conference win at South Stokes (2-5) Friday.
The Sauras are coming o back-to-back losses to Bishop McGuinness and South Davidson. They were limited to six points in each of the two games. Nevertheless, South Stokes has built a solid connection between freshman quarterback Luke Amos and senior receiver Jamison Canty. Amos has thrown for more than 800 yards in the Sauras’ rst six games, and Canty has hauled in over 500 of those yards. It’ll be key for the Bears, who will once again be without Albright at quarterback and possibly shorthanded in the secondary again, to take limit Canty’s impact.
Chatham Central’s o ense will also need to nd ways to build on the positive plays completed by Jackson and the Bears’ receivers against Bishop McGuinness and limit crucial penalties. The Bears were able to move the ball and pick up big gains against the Villains, but they need better execution to get in the end zone.
Week 9: Jordan-Matthews
NORTHWOOD from page B1
kicking duties held by Mortimer, to steal points before the break. Parks, who had a week to learn how to kick, made a 31-yard eld goal to give Northwood a 17-6 lead.
“I was like, ‘Got to do it for Leo, my coach,’” Parks said. “He’d been coaching me up this week. Had to step up for him, so we drilled it.”
Jordan-Matthews put thenal score on the board with a 7-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Eli Rodriguez to junior Namir Wiley. After a historic start to the season, the Jets have struggled o ensively. Jordan-Matthews,
Texas,” Collins said. “And then I went to Junior Worlds in Romania, and my mindset kind of changed on what I wanted from a college. So I started talking to Texas again, and Carol was open to that.
“(Texas) would have been the fastest one I could go to. And that kind of intimidated me a little bit, just because it’s not really how I train right now. I wouldn’t have been pushed in the way Texas pushes me. But I went to Junior Worlds, and I was pushed that way by other girls, other distance swimmers. And I found that was like a really important thing to me.” Before diving into the college waters, Collins will take her international career to the next level.
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM
Northwood’s Raje Torres (1) runs past J-M defenders in Friday’s win. He’ll be a key factor in the Chargers’ success against North Moore.
vs. Southwestern Randolph (Friday at 7 p.m.)
Jordan-Matthews (5-3) will look to bounce back from Friday’s disappointing loss when it hosts Southwestern Randolph (4-3).
The Cougars last fell 38-10 at Eastern Randolph last Friday. They allowed 341 yards and four scores through the air and 126 yards on the ground in the loss.
Southwestern Randolph’s strength is its run game, led by senior running back Brody Sheppard. Senior Devonte Dukes is the Cougars’ most dangerous threat in their passing attack.
Jordan-Matthews’ success depends on what version of its defense shows up and its ability to protect quarterback Kamarie Hadley. The Jets’ defensive line and linebackers have looked very disruptive at times this season, but they haven’t been the most consistent. O ensively, constant pressure has limited Jordan-Matthews’ ability to run the ball and execute plays. The Jets need to gure out how to once again get running back Jakari
which fell to 1-1 in Four Rivers 3A/4A conference play, has lost three of its last four games while scoring no more than 12 points in those contests.
Northwood, which improved to a 1-1 record in conference play with its 12th straight win over the Jets, looked to have found something that works in its o ense.
Changing players’ positions and keeping a balance of throwing and running the ball led to its second largest scoring output of the season.
“It’s been a heck of a buy-in,” Brown said. “I just ask them to trust me lining them up in di erent places. Just know that you’re still going to get the ball. We’re just trying to mix it up a little bit.”
Collins was one of three North Carolina natives to make this year’s USA National Team women’s roster, qualifying with an 11th-place nish in the 10K race at the U.S. Open Water National Championships in April. She’s one of six open water swimmers. The two-time U.S. Junior Open Water National Champion previously made the National Junior Team roster in 2024.
Four current Longhorns also made this year’s national team.
“I nished my open water race,” Collins said. “And I went up to Bryce (Elser). He’s the main open water guy. And I was like, ‘Did I make it?’ And he’s like, ‘I can’t tell you that right now.’ They basically can’t tell us, and so I went home, and I was trying to gure out if I made it. Since the open water race is mixed with Canada and
Blue going and get its speedy receivers in space if they want to keep their conference title hopes alive.
Week 9: Northwood at North Moore (Friday at 7 p.m.)
Northwood (2-5) hopes to carry the momentum from last Friday’s win into a meeting at North Moore (3-4).
North Moore is coming o a bye which followed two straight losses to Thomasville and Jordan-Matthews. The Mustangs, who last beat the Chargers in 2023, failed to score over 13 points in their last two games.
Northwood’s shorthanded offense found ways to still be e ective against Jordan-Matthews thanks to a solid o ensive line performance, unpredictable formations and strong runs from quarterback Grayson Cox and receiver Raje Torres.
Replicating that newfound success will be huge against a solid North Moore defensive line. The Chargers could also use another dominant performance from its own defensive line with
multiple tackles for loss and plays stopped in the back eld.
Conference standings (overall, conference)
Four Rivers 3A/4A: 1. Eastern Randolph (6-2, 2-0); T2. Northwood (2-5, 1-1); T2. Jordan-Matthews (5-3, 1-1); T4. North Moore (3-4, 0-1); T4. Southwestern Randolph (4-3, 0-1) Greater Triad 1A/2A: T1. Bishop McGuinness (7-1, 4-0); T1. South Davidson (7- 0, 3-0); 3. North Stokes (2-5, 2-1); 4. South Stokes (2-5, 1-2); T5. Winston-Salem Prep (1-7, 1-3); T5. College Prep and Leadership (1-6, 1-3); 7. Chatham Central (1-6, 0-3) Big Seven 4A/5A: T1. South Granville (3-4, 2-0); T1. Seaforth (3-4, 2-0); T1. J.F. Webb (5-2, 2-0); T4. Orange (0 -7, 0-2); T4. Carrboro (0-7, 0-2); T4. Cedar Ridge (1- 6, 0-2) Power Rankings (after Week 8) 1. Seaforth
2. Northwood
3. Jordan-Matthews
4. Chatham Central
Last week’s rankings: 1. Jordan-Matthews; 2. Seaforth; 3. Northwood; 4. Chatham Central)
Score predictions
South Granville 34, Seaforth 27 Northwood 28, North Moore 15 Southwestern Randolph 27, Jordan-Matthews 22 South Stokes 22, Chatham Central 6
Prediction record: 14-8 (since Week 2)
Playo picture (RPI rankings, 48 teams qualify per classi cation) 1A: 22. Chatham Central (.25398); 3A: 39. Northwood (.40945); 4A: 34. Jordan-Matthews (.46194); 5A. 47. Seaforth (.39504)
Japan, it’s hard to tell if you made it.
“So I was guring out where I was on the ranking. So I kind of knew I made it, but I couldn’t be sure of that until a month ago. But when I made it, I just started screaming. It was amazing.”
Being on the national team comes with an abundance of resources, including health care coverage, mental health support, nutrition plans and team gear. It’s also a chance to compete with and learn from the best athletes in the world, including nine-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky.
“It still feels unbelievable when the roster came out, and my name’s there, and Katie Ledecky name’s there,” Collins said. “And I’m like ‘What! This is crazy.’ All the girls on the roster, they’re so special.
“I just felt so welcomed as soon as I got there, and that was de nitely a really important part of it to me.”
Daisy Collins
They’ve put in the hard work too, which is so important. It makes me want to keep working hard because I have an expectation if I’m on the roster with them, and I don’t want to let them down.” In such a short time, Collins has come a long way from being the little girl who was once scared of water. She said she didn’t believe she could achieve such an accomplishment like making the national team at
Northwood quarterback Grayson Cox buys time with a sti arm. Cox passed the Chargers to a rivalry win.
a young age looking back, but now, it’s a reality.
“Growing up, I was not very good,” Collins said. “People told me that I had the talent, but I don’t think you believe it until you obviously achieve it. So no, I don’t think I did believe it, but people around me were de nitely telling me, like, ‘No, you have the possibility. You just need to get out of your head.’ I don’t think I thought I would, so, it’s kind of crazy.”
Even though it’s years away, a bid for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is in Collins’ mind.
“I’m de nitely looking forward to 2028,” Collins said. “I’ve been talking to the Texas coaches about this. And if 2028 isn’t my year, there’s always 2032. I’m de nitely training towards that. That’s my end goal.”
COLLINS from page B1
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
SIDELINE REPORT
NCAA FOOTBALL
Penn State res
coach Franklin amid midseason free fall in lost season
State College, Pa. James Franklin is out at Penn State. The school red the longtime head coach less than 24 hours after a 22-21 home loss to Northwestern. Terry Smith will serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season. The Nittany Lions began the year with hopes of winning the national title, but those hopes evaporated by early October amid a string of losses. Penn State, which reached the CFP semi nal 10 months ago, lost at home to Oregon in overtime in late September. A road loss at UCLA followed.
WNBA
Wilson scores 31, Aces win 3rd WNBA title in 4 seasons
Phoenix
A’ja Wilson scored 31 points, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young both added 18 and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury 97-86 in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, sweeping their way to a third championship in four seasons. Vegas scored 54 points in the rst half and averaged more than 90 points per game in the series.
NCAA BASKETBALL
Sister Jean, Loyola Chicago’s beloved chaplain, dead at 106
Chicago Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the beloved chaplain for Loyola Chicago’s men’s basketball team, has died at 106. She became an international celebrity during the team’s 2018 Final Four run, and there was even a bobblehead of her likeness. Health issues led her to step down in August, but she remained an adviser. Loyola President Mark C. Reed praised her as a source of wisdom and grace for more than 60 years.
PGA
Woods has seventh back surgery to have disk replaced
Tiger Woods is recovering from a seventh back surgery. Woods says he was experiencing some pain and lack of mobility. He says scans revealed a collapsed disk in his lower back and with some disk fragments. He decided to have his disk replaced in New York during last Friday surgery. It’s his second surgery on his back in the last 13 months and seventh overall dating to April 2014. Woods also had surgery in March for a ruptured left Achilles tendon. He hasn’t played since the PNC Championship with his son Charlie last December.
NFL Browns owners, Cleveland reach $100M settlement for new stadium
Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb and the ownership group of the Cleveland Browns have reached a $100 million settlement that will clear the way for the franchise to build its new suburban stadium while preparing the site of the current lakefront stadium for future development by the city of Cleveland. The proposed $2.4 billion domed stadium would be built in Brook Park, about 15 miles south of downtown Cleveland.
ACC’s 1st Atlantic-to-Paci c travel o ers tweaks, lessons for Year 2
Stanford and Cal will make logistical changes to make the schedule more bearable
By Aaron Beard The Associated Press
CHARLOTTE — Ask California women’s coach Charmin Smith about her team’s rst run of cross-country travel for Atlantic Coast Conference games last year, and she’ll shrug o the question about the challenges of doing it.
“We’re in the ACC, we’re happy to be in the ACC,” she said during preseason media days. “And we get on a plane and we go.”
Still, the league’s expansion to stretch from the Paci c to the Atlantic coastlines last year led to lots of ight hours, airborne study halls and sleep-altering routines as men’s and women’s teams crisscrossed the country. The losses piled up at a much higher rate than other road games too. And the challenges were particularly acute for teams like California and Stanford
as the ACC’s western outposts, forced to cross all four continential U.S. time zones multiple times in the same season.
“It’s just something we can’t change,” Stanford men’s coach Kyle Smith said with a chuckle. “We can’t move the school closer.”
Losses accumulate
The league revamped its scheduling model with the arrivals of Cal and Stanford, along with SMU, to have teams making the lengthy trip play twice on the same outing. That typically meant men’s teams would cross the country to play a Wednesday-Saturday set, while the women followed a Thursday-Sunday model.
It’s been a tough ask.
ACC women’s teams crossing between the Eastern and Paci c U.S. time zones went just 7-23 — a 23.3% win percentage, far lower than that of all other league road games (67-65, .508).
It was worse on the men’s side, with teams going just 6-26 (18.8%) in road games when crossing all four U.S. continental time zones com-
pared to 61-87 (41.2%) in all other league road games. Neither Cal nor Stanford won both games on a single men’s or women’s trip east, while only the UNC women and Wake Forest men managed to sweep the Bears and Cardinal on the same trip.
Changing logistics
Charmin Smith tinkered with her plans last year, following player feedback by leaving earlier the day before the game so the team could practice after ying out rather than before leaving campus. Stanford women’s coach Kate Paye is altering her schedule to go out the day before a game instead of two days earlier, saying she thought the long stints away from home had a “cumulative e ect.”
“It was brand new,” Paye said. “You make the best choices you can. But again, experience is the best teacher.”
Both the men’s and women’s Cardinal programs will also use a bigger charter plane this year to avoid having to stop to refuel, with Kyle Smith noting: “Getting
home nonstop is important.”
“Our guys never really complained about it,” he said, adding: “I just sell them on, ‘Look, we get to do it, you play in the ACC, you’re going to Stanford and you’re getting paid. And it’s pretty awesome.’”
Heading west
For the Eastern-footprint teams, that challenge comes only every other year. Yet it’s still something that teams are thinking about, some more than others.
Louisville women’s coach Je Walz’s team plays at Stanford on Jan. 29, followed by at Cal on Feb. 1. He joked simply that he’s ruled out taking a bus, adding: “We were trying to see how many national parks we could stop at on the way.”
Louisville sophomore guard Tajianna Roberts is looking forward to the trip, at least. Her hometown is San Diego, and she’ll be able to play in front of family.
“It’s going to be an adjustment for sure,” Roberts said. “But I think if we eat right, sleep right, we’ll be OK.”
Hamlin’s controversial move: Did he make right call in Cup Series playo s?
His late pass of Ross Chastain allowed Joey Logano to advance
By Jenna Fryer The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — The rst thing Denny Hamlin said when he climbed from his car after advancing into the third round of the Cup Series playo s was he wish he’d known not to pass Ross Chastain on the nal lap. In racing Chastain for that position, it knocked Chastain out of the playo s and gave the nal spot in the round of eight to Joey Logano, the reigning Cup Series champion and winner of two of the last three titles.
In fact, Logano and Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney have combined to win the last three consecutive championships, so Hamlin was ercely criticized for not taking Logano out of contention.
There’s controversy surrounding the Hamlin and Chastain incident two Sundays ago in part because a year ago Logano was initially eliminated from the playo s at Charlotte. He learned later that night he was back in the eld when Bowman’s car failed inspection, then Logano won Las Vegas a week later to lock up a spot in the championship-deciding nale.
“Denny would have to ask
himself, ‘What’s going to give me the best chance to win the championship?’ if that’s your No. 1 goal. If that’s your main goal to do that, ‘What gives me the best chances to win the whole thing?’” Logano wondered. “Is one competitor tougher than the other? I don’t know. I don’t know if you want to race against either one of us. Ross has proven to do whatever it takes to get to the next round or to win. He’s done that multiple times. Do you want to race against him? I don’t know.
“Do you want to race against us? I don’t think so either. You’re probably in a no -win situation, so you might as well just pass him and go and get a better spot.”
The entire situation is also being scrutinized by NASCAR, which said this week it would be carefully monitoring potentials of race manipulation over the nal month of the season. NASCAR managing director of communications Mike Forde said on the series’ “Hauler Talk” podcast that series o cials would have acted if it had heard Joe Gibbs Racing telling Hamlin not to pass Chastain.
“If we heard that radio transmission say, ‘Hey, (Chastain) needs this point to advance to the next round over (Logano)’ or something of that ilk, and all of a sudden, (Hamlin) let o the gas, that would probably raise a
red ag on our side,” Forde said. Hamlin believes that isn’t right.
“I don’t see any reason why I can’t know what the point situation is,” Hamlin said. “I had no allegiance to either party, and so at that point, my question would be: ‘Do I have a right to choose my competitor?’
“I think the some of the sensitivity around this is obviously probably gambling focused because I know that NASCAR is very, very sensitive, as they should be, with that to make sure everyone’s getting a fair shake,” Hamlin continued.
The entire eld of eight had the same question for NASCAR.
“It’s a slippery slope either way because where is the line? Is just telling somebody where you are in points and what’s going on around you, is that too far?” Logano said. “Saying straight up what to do is probably too far. We can kind of understand that, but just saying what the point situation is, I don’t think that’s too far.
“I think just feeding someone data it still leaves it in the driver’s hands to do what they please with it. It’s just giving information. That’s all you’re doing.”
“But on the race track, I feel as though, as long as you’re you don’t have a bias to one party or another. ... I don’t know why you can’t make the best decision for yourself. I’m more wondering, what is going to be allowed?”
MATT KELLEY / AP PHOTO
STEPHEN LAM / SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE VIA
Denny Hamlin, left, and Ross Chastain, right, jockey for position behind Brad Keselowski heading into Turn 3 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Judge tosses out Drake’s defamation lawsuit over Kendrick
Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’
UMG, the parent record label for both artists, denied the allegations
By Larry Neumeister and Andrew Dalton
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — A defamation lawsuit that Drake brought against Universal Music Group was tossed out last Thursday by a federal judge who said the lyrics in Kendrick Lamar’s dis track “Not Like Us” were opinion.
The feud between two of hiphop’s biggest stars erupted in the spring of 2024, with the pair trading a series of vitriolic tracks that culminated in Lamar landing the “metaphorical killing blow” with his megahit that May, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas said in her written opinion.
While the track’s lyrics explicitly branded Drake as a pedophile, Vargas said, a reasonable listener could not have concluded that “Not Like Us” was conveying objective facts about the Canadian superstar.
“Although the accusation that Plainti is a pedophile is certainly a serious one, the broader context of a heated rap battle, with incendiary language and o ensive accusations hurled by both participants, would not incline the reason-
“We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”
Attorneys for Drake
able listener to believe that ‘Not Like Us’ imparts veri able facts about Plainti ,” Vargas wrote.
After the decision Drake’s legal team said in a statement: “We intend to appeal today’s ruling, and we look forward to the Court of Appeals reviewing it.”
“Not Like Us” — described by Vargas as having a “catchy beat and propulsive bassline” — was one of 2024’s biggest songs.
It won record of the year and song of the year at the Grammys and helped make this year’s Super Bowl halftime show the most watched ever, as fans speculated on whether Lamar would actually perform it. (He did, but with altered lyrics.)
The track, which calls out Canadian-born Drake by name, attacks him as “a colonizer” of rap culture, in addition to making insinuations about his sex life, including, “I hear you like ’em young” — implications that Drake rejects.
Filed in January, the lawsuit
— which does not name Lamar — alleged that Universal Music Group intentionally published and promoted the track despite knowing that it contained false and defamatory allegations against Drake and suggested listeners should resort to vigilante justice. The track tarnished his reputation and decreased the value of his brand, the suit said.
“From the outset, this suit was an a ront to all artists and their creative expression and never should have seen the light of day,” it said in a statement. “We’re pleased with the court’s dismissal and look forward to continuing our work successfully promoting Drake’s music and investing in his career.”
In the suit, Drake also blamed the tune for attempted break-ins and the shooting of a security guard at his Toronto home.
The mansion was depicted in an aerial photo in the song’s cover art, with what Vargas described as “an overlay of more than a dozen sex o ender markers” — which, she said, was “obviously exaggerated and doctored.”
“No reasonable person would view the Image and believe that in fact law enforcement had designated thirteen residents in Drake’s home as sex o enders,” she wrote.
MATT SLOCUM / AP PHOTO
Kendrick Lamar performs during halftime of Super Bowl 59 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans in February.
this week in history
Marie Antoinette beheaded, “Baby Jessica” rescued, Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrenders
The Associated Press
OCT. 16
1793: Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, was beheaded during the Revolution.
1934: Chinese Communists, under siege by the Nationalists, began their “Long March,” a yearlong retreat from southeastern to northwestern China.
1962: The Cuban missile crisis began as President John F. Kennedy was informed that reconnaissance photos had revealed Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba.
1987: Eighteen-month-old Jessica (“Baby Jessica”) McClure was pulled from an abandoned well in Midland, Texas, after being trapped for more than two days.
OCT. 17
1777: British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, New York, marking a turning point in the Revolutionary War. 1931: Mobster Al Capone
was convicted in Chicago of income tax evasion. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and ned $50,000.
1979: Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
OCT. 18
1867: The United States took formal possession of Alaska from Russia.
1931: Inventor Thomas Edison died at age 84.
1977: Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in Game 6 of the World Series to lead the New York Yankees to an 8-4 win and a 4-2 Series victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. His performance earned him the nickname “Mr. October.”
OCT. 19
1987: The stock market crashed as the Dow Jones plunged 508 points, or 22.6%, on “Black Monday.”
1781: British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia.
1914: The First Battle of Ypres began in World War I.
1960: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested during a sit-in at a segregated Atlanta lunch counter.
OCT. 20
1944: Gen. Douglas MacArthur waded ashore in the Philippines, ful lling his World War II promise to return after being ordered to evacuate in 1942.
1803: The U.S. Senate ratied the Louisiana Purchase.
1947: The House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings on alleged Communist in uence in Hollywood.
1977: Three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, were killed in a plane crash near McComb, Mississippi.
OCT. 21
1805: A British eet commanded by Vice Adm. Horatio Nelson defeated a French-Spanish eet in the Battle of Trafalgar.
1940: Ernest Hemingway’s novel “For Whom the Bell Tolls” was rst published.
1959: The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum opened in New York.
1966: A coal waste landslide engulfed a school and 20 houses in Aberfan, Wales, killing 144 people, including 116 children.
OCT. 22
1836: Sam Houston was inaugurated as the rst elected president of the Republic of Texas, which won independence from Mexico earlier that year.
1934: Bank robber Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd was killed by federal agents and local police.
1962: President John F. Kennedy revealed Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba and announced a naval blockade.
Bad Bunny’s music streams soar since Super Bowl announcement
By Maria Sherman The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny’s music catalog has seen a jump in streams since his 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance was announced.
According to Luminate, an industry data and analytics company, Latin music is primarily consumed via streaming. They found that Bad Bunny saw a 26% increase in on-demand streams in the United States following the Sept. 28 announcement, soaring from 173 million nine days before the announcement to 218.5 million streams in the eight days that followed.
The singer born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio recently said concerns about the mass deportation of Latinos played into his decision to bypass the mainland U.S. during his residency. He performs in Spanish and will do so at the Super Bowl, further proving that connecting with a U.S. and international audience does not require singing in English.
Since the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Bad Bunny will lead the halftime festivities from Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California, the selec -
“What Bad Bunny has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring. We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”
Jay-Z
tion has provoked conversation. For his fans, Bad Bunny’s booking at the Super Bowl is viewed as a landmark moment for Latino culture. That feeling is no doubt related to his just-concluded, 31-date residency in Puerto Rico that brought approximately half a million people during the slow summer tourism season and generated an estimated $733 million for the island.
Roc Nation founder Jay-Z said in a statement that what Bad Bunny has “done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring. We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”
He is a known global hitmaker who ties his music to Puerto Rican identity, colonial politics and immigrant struggles.
Bad Bunny hosted the season 51 premiere of “Saturday Night Live” with a few jokes about his forthcoming Super Bowl halftime show.
solutions
He has long been critical of President Donald Trump and backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Some Trump supporters consider his Super Bowl booking
to be a divisive political pick.
“I’ve never heard of him,” Trump said in an interview on conservative news network Newsmax when asked about Bad Bunny. “I don’t know
who he is. … I don’t know why they’re doing it. It’s, like, crazy. And then they blame it on some promoter they hired to pick up entertainment. I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
AP PHOTO Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd, the notorious bank robber and mass murderer, was shot to death by law enforcement on Oct. 22, 1934.
Donald Trump claims he’s never heard of him
Bad Bunny delivers his monologue on “Saturday Night Live” on Oct. 4.
famous birthdays this week
Eminem celebrates 53, John Lithgow hits 80, Snoop Dogg is 54, Judge Judy turns 83
The Associated Press
OCT. 16
Actor Fernanda Montenegro is 96. Actor Barry Corbin is 85. Musician Bob Weir is 78. Actor-director Tim Robbins is 67. Rock musician Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 63. Singer John Mayer is 48.
OCT. 17
Singer Gary Puckett is 83.
Actor-musician Michael McKean is 78. Astronaut Mae Jemison is 69. Country singer Alan Jackson is 67. Animator- lmmaker Mike Judge is 63. Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 57. Musician Wyclef Jean is 56. Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els is 56. Rapper Eminem is 53.
OCT. 18
Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka is 86. Composer Howard Shore is 79. Actor Joe Morton is 78. Author Terry McMillan is 74. Tennis Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova is 69. Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme is 65. Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis is 64.
OCT. 19
Artist Peter Max is 88. Actor John Lithgow is 80. Fox News host Steve Doocy is 69. Singer Jennifer Holliday is 65. Boxing Hall of Famer Evander Holyeld is 63. Filmmaker Jon Favreau is 59. “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker is 56.
OCT. 20
Japan’s Empress Michiko is 91. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Wanda Jackson is 88. Baseball Hall of Famer Juan Marichal is 88. Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky is 85. Retired MLB All-Star Keith Hernandez is 72. Actor Viggo Mortensen is 67. Rapper Snoop Dogg is 54.
OCT. 21
Rock singer Manfred Mann is 85. TV’s Judge Judy Sheindlin is 83. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
is 76. Film director Catherine Hardwicke is 70. Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) is 54. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian is 45.
OCT. 22
Black Panthers co-founder Bobby Seale is 89. Actor Christopher Lloyd is 87. Actor Derek Jacobi is 87. Actor Catherine Deneuve is 82. Physician and author Deepak Chopra is 79. Actor Je Goldblum is 73. Actor-comedian Bob Odenkirk is 63.
DAVID J. PHILLIP / AP PHOTO Rapper and television personality Snoop Dog turns 54 on Monday.
ALBERTO PEZZALI / AP PHOTO Tennis Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova turns 69 on Saturday.
REBECCA BLACKWELL / AP PHOTO
Former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holy eld turns 63 on Sunday.
the stream
Gucci Mane, Danielle Deadwyler, ‘Loot,’ Pokémon, ‘The Diplomat’
David Byrne contributes songs to Roald Dahl’s “The Twits”
By Lindsey Bahr
The Associated Press
FOUR CAST MEMBERS
from “The Real Housewives” trading places with women living di erent lives in a new iteration of “Wife Swap” and Danielle Deadwyler starring in the apocalyptic thriller “40 Acres” 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 this week: Rapper Gucci Mane returns with a new full-length titled “Episodes,” a new Pokémon game lets you compete in real-time ghts rather than turn-based battles and Keri Russell’s political drama “The Diplomat” premieres its third season.
MOVIES TO STREAM
An animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “The Twits” is coming to Net ix on Friday. The mean, hateful couple are voiced by Johnny Vegas and Margo Martindale in this lm about their rise to power in the city and the group of children who team up to ght for goodness.
Animation veteran Phil Johnson (“Wreck-It Ralph,” “Zootopia”) directed and co-wrote the lm, which features a starry voice cast including Natalie Portman, Emilia Clarke and Jason Mantzoukas. David Byrne also contributed some new songs, with Paramore’s Hayley Williams.
Deadwyler stars in the apocalyptic thriller “40 Acres” about a family, the Freemans, surviving on a farm while the rest of society has collapsed in the wake of plagues and wars. But their survivalist existence is put in jeopardy when her eldest son meets a woman outside of their property. It will be on Hulu starting Friday.
Two standout Sundance documentaries are also worth checking out. “The Alabama Solution,” about horrifying conditions in the Alabama prison system, is already streaming on HBO Max. The Associated Press has written extensively about the problems in the state’s prison system, including high rates of violence, low sta ng, a plummeting parole rate and the use of pandemic funds to build a new supersized prison.
Also coming on Friday to Net ix, “The Perfect Neighbor” from Geeta Gandbhir uses police bodycam footage to recon-
struct a neighborhood dispute in Florida that turns deadly,” AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote. “It’s a riveting real life look at the state’s “stand your ground laws,”
MUSIC TO STREAM
The rapper Gucci Mane returns with a new full-length, “Episodes,” two months after his Gangsta Grillz mixtape “Greatest of All Trappers” dropped. What more would you expect from one of the most proli c trap stars of the last few decades?
The in uence of Australian psychedelic musician Kevin Parker, aka Tame Impala, is hard to undersell — there’s a reason some of the biggest names in the business have been running to work with him, a list that recently includes Dua Lipa for her “Radical Optimism” album. On Friday, he’ll release his fth album, “Deadbeat,” his rst full-length in ve years. It’s as dreamy as ever. In independent music circles, IRL and URL — the subgenre shoegaze (marked by distortion, feedback, loud guitar pedal e ects as popularized by the Jesus and Mary Chain) — has experienced a revival. In the modern era, those familiar-to-some sounds are meshed with other indie rock styles. No band has been simultaneously in uential
and underrated for said impact than Philadelphia’s They Are Gutting A Body of Water. That may change Friday with the release of their next album, “LOTTO,” their rst for ATO Records and best to date. It’s perfect for those who like their bands fuzzy, freaky and future seeking.
SERIES TO STREAM
Four cast members from “The Real Housewives” are temporarily ditching their cushy lives and designer duds to swap plac-
es with women living di erent lives in a new iteration of “Wife Swap” on Bravo. The wives taking part in the four-episode series are Angie Katsanevas of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City”; Dr. Wendy Osefo of “The Real Housewives of Potomac”; Emily Simpson from “The Real Housewives of Orange County”; and Melissa Gorga of “The Real housewives of New Jersey.” It’s available now on Bravo and Peacock. Alex Murdaugh, the disbarred South Carolina attorney
“The Perfect Neighbor” from Geeta Gandbhir uses police bodycam footage to reconstruct a neighborhood dispute in Florida that turns deadly.
convicted of murdering his wife and son along with committing nancial crimes, is serving a life sentence in prison. The story, streaming now, is told in a new true crime dramatization for Hulu called “Murdaugh: Death in the Family.” It stars Jason Clarke as Alex and Patricia Arquette as his wife, Maggie. The series is based on the reporting by South Carolina journalist and podcaster Mandy Matney, whose investigative work was pivotal in the coverage of Murdaugh. If you need a palette cleanser, the delightful comedy “Loot” returns to Apple TV+ for its third season. Maya Rudolph stars as a billionaire who nds her purpose in philanthropy after her tech-bro husband divorces her. It also stars Nat Faxon, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Joel Kim Booster and Ron Funches. Russell’s political drama “The Diplomat” premieres its third season Thursday on Net ix. Allison Janney also returns as a series regular alongside ... wait for it ... her old buddy from “The West Wing,” Bradley Whitford. He plays her husband.
Another one for the true crime fans: A new limited series on Peacock is about the serial killer John Wayne Gacy. “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy,” premieres Thursday and dramatizes the time period in 1978 when police begin to suspect Gacy of the murder of a young man in Des Plaines, Illinois. As they conduct surveillance 24/7, Gacy seems to at rst enjoy the attention, but his behavior becomes more and more erratic over time and leads to his arrest.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings a major change to Nintendo’s 30-year-old franchise: For the rst time, the creatures are competing in real-time ghts rather than turn-based battles. That means more of a focus on timing and re exes, though it will also give your monster the ability to dodge enemy attacks. The story takes place in Lumiose City, a Paris-like metropolis that turns into a battle zone when the sun goes down. Plenty of old favorites like Pikachu and Charizard are on the roster, and if your Pokémon scores enough hits it may undergo “Mega Evolution” to become truly fearsome. You can start trying to catch ’em all Thursday on Switch.
HULU / NETFLIX / PEACOCK VIA AP
“Murdaugh: Death in the Family,” from left, “The Diplomat” and “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy” are all streaming this week.
SCOTT GARFITT / INVISION / AP
Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, pictured performing in London in 2022, releases “Deadbeat,” his rst full-length record in ve years, on Friday.
GAVIN MCINTYRE / THE POST AND COURIER VIA AP
A new true-crime dramatization now streaming on Hulu tells the story of Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted of killing his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, in 2021.