Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson (15) shoots against a Robert Morris defender in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Friday. Stevenson and the Crimson Tide advanced to the third round of March Madness for the second year in a row.
the BRIEF
this week
Teacher at Willow Oak Montessori charged with indecent liberties
Pittsboro
A teacher from Willow Oak Montessori School faces charges of improper sexual contact with two students following an investigation by the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. Kelli Anne Bee, 44, of Chapel Hill, was issued a criminal summons on Tuesday. The alleged incidents occurred last spring at the kindergarten through eighth grade public charter school in Pittsboro. Bee is charged with two counts of felony indecent liberties with a student by a teacher and two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery. She has been suspended from teaching pending a school investigation and will appear in Chatham District Court next month.
County fire marshal issues burn ban
Due to hazardous contitions, the county has canceled all burn permits, and the ban remains in place until further notice.
$2.00
Commissioners reissue special-use permit for new EMS station site
“The site isn’t changing from what was approved the first time.”
Angela Plummer, zoning administrator
The EMS station was previously approved in 2022
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Board of Commissioners met March 17 for its regular business meeting.
The board held a quasijudicial hearing for a special-use permit request related to three acres of property located at 9251 U.S. 15-501 N for the construction of a new EMS station.
The project was previously approved in May 2022, however, due to delays in the bidding process, a building permit wasn’t able to be obtained within the two-year timeframe required by the prior approval.
“We did actually get to the point where we issued a commercial zoning compliance permit for them in December
of 2023, so they were moving right along,” said Zoning Administrator Angela Plummer. “Unfortunately, some things came up which delayed further progress.”
According to Plummer, the project did receive an erosion control letter from NCDEQ in December 2023 which is still valid as it has a three -year applicable window.
According to the site plan, the station will be a single-story, long, metal structure with three attached vehicle bays.
“The site isn’t changing from what was approved the first time,” Plummer said. “One thing that did come out of this is that they went back to the appearance commission and because we had the new, updated suggested plant list, there were some changes that came out of that which have been incorporated into a new, revised landscape plan.
See CHATHAM, page A7
Chapel Hill takes next step in coal ash contamination remediation
The current police station site was discovered to have coal ash in 2013
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
CHAPEL HILL — The Chapel Hill Town Council has taken another step toward the environmental remediation of the Chapel Hill Police Department site.
AtitsMarch12meeting,thecouncilauthorized the execution of a Brownfields Agreement with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality for the 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. site. In 2013, when the county took control of the property through eminent domain, it was revealed that the property contained coal ash dating back to the location having been an infill site in the ’60s and ’70s.
A brownfield site is defined by the state as “any real property that is abandoned, idled or underused where environmental contamination or
See CHAPEL HILL, page A3
“We don’t charge for our services, so the chance to have this event again is a big help to us and what we want to do.”
Joyce Frank
SonShine and Blessings teams with Methodist Church to raise funds
By Bob Wachs For Chatham News & Record
SOMETIMES A CASUAL conversation can lead to big things. That’s the case for local benevolent nonprofit organization SonShine and Blessings and Pittsboro United Methodist Church as they team up again for their Second Annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser, set for Saturday, April 5 in the church’s Family Life Center from 7-10 a.m. That casual conversation, which happened more than a year and a half ago, was the result of what church member
John Wilson calls “divine intervention” and happened in part because of a nonprofit organization he started last year called Brightest Light.
With a lengthy musical background, Wilson had felt led to create an organization aimed at bringing music into places where it might not ordinarily be found in quantity.
“Places like hospitals, prisons, rehab centers, homes for the aged and similar places were what I was thinking,” Wilson says. “I didn’t know anything about how to run a nonprofit, so I asked our choir director and Brightest Light board member David Smith if he knew anyone who had a music-based nonprofit, and he said he knew one — Joyce Frank
SUE OGROCKI / AP PHOTO
Kelli Anne Bee
We stand corrected To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.
CRIME LOG
March 18
• James Austin Smith, 40, of Pittsboro, was arrested for felony stalking and violating a domestic violence protective order.
March 19
• Brandon Dean Beal, 29, homeless, was arrested for breaking and entering and second-degree trespassing.
March 21
• Morgan Thomas Shaw, 35, of Sanford, was arrested for obtaining property under false pretenses.
• Ronny Jonahibel Suarez, 24, of Siler City, was arrested for statutory rape of a child under 15, statutory sexual offense with a child under 15, and crimes against nature.
March 22
• Asyia Viola Thomas, 46, of Graham, was arrested for maintaining a vehicle, dwelling, or place for controlled substances, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, driving with a license revoked (not impaired), and possession of marijuana up to half an ounce.
March 22
• Nicholas Ryan Mullins, 36, of Pittsboro, was arrested for carrying a concealed gun, communicating threats, and resisting, delaying, or obstructing an officer.
March 24
• Clyde Edgar Goins III, 46, of Chapel Hill, was arrested for violating a domestic violence order.
New gun charges filed against followers of Zizian group tied to killings
The
leader and two followers face the charges in Maryland
By Patrick Whittle and Holly Ramer The Associated Press
THE LEADER and two members of a cultlike group that has been connected to six killings in three states face new gun charges in Maryland.
Some of the members have ties to Chatham County, having lived in the woods outside Chapel Hill, where FBI agents executed search warrants earlier this year.
Authorities have described Jack LaSota, who is also known as Ziz, as the apparent “leader of an extremist group” called the Zizians who follow her online writings on veganism, gender identity and artificial intelligence. The group has been linked to killings in Vermont, Pennsylvania and California. A cross-country investigation into LaSota and the Zizians broke open in January when one member of the group died and another was arrested after the shooting death of U.S. Border Pa-
LaSota, Michelle Zajko and Daniel Blank were charged with trespassing, obstructing law enforcement and illegal gun possession last month after a Frostburg, Maryland, man told police that three “suspicious” people parked box trucks on his property and asked to camp there. Their trials had been scheduled to begin in Allegany County District Court on Monday, but their cases were transferred last Wednesday to the county’s higher-level circuit court after new indictments were handed up.
LaSota now faces nine charges, Zajko faces 14 and Blank faces 12. The new charges, which include carrying concealed and loaded
• 37 E Cotton Road (Pittsboro), 0.996 acres, $100,000
handguns, are misdemeanors. The possible maximum penalties for each charge range from three months of incarceration for trespassing and up to five years for some of the gun charges. Initial court appearances are scheduled for April 8. Members of the Zizian group have been tied to the death of one of their own during an attack on a California landlord in November 2022, the landlord’s subsequent killing in January and the deaths of a Pennsylvania couple in between. The Pennsylvania victims were Richard and Rita Zajko, the parents of Michelle Zajko.
A Maryland prosecutor has said two guns Zajko purchased were recovered in connection with the shooting death of Maland, the Border Patrol agent killed in a shootout during a traffic stop in Vermont in January. Teresa Youngblut, who was driving the car and is accused of firing at Maland, has pleaded not guilty to federal firearms charges. Felix Bauckholt, a passenger in the car, also was killed.
Bauckholt and LaSota were living together in North Carolina as recently as this winter, according to their landlord, who also was renting a duplex to Youngblut in the same neighborhood. Youngblut also had applied for a marriage license with Maximilian Snyder, who is charged with killing landlord Curtis Lind in California.
• 10681 US Hwy 64 E (Apex), 3.97 acres, $1,000,000
• 1700 Hillsboro Street (Pittsboro), 29.79 acres, $4,500,000
How To Prepare Rural Homes for Sale in 2025
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
March 27
Anime, Ramen and Sake Watch Party
6-8 p.m.
Join Koshu Sake every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. for an Anime, Ramen and Sake Watch Party! Movie selections are announced a few days before each event on their Facebook page. You must be 21 with an ID to consume sake. Part of the Chatham County Craft Beverages & Country Inns Trail.
The Plant 220 Lorax Lane Pittsboro
April 1
Hinson Wu: Spring 2025 Trunk Show
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dovecote will host designer Hinson Wu for one day only as they delve into his collection of shirts and beautiful dresses. Enjoy whimsical prints, timeless silhouettes and luxe fabrics while being fitted by Hinson himself!
Dovecote Home and Garden, Nest, and Sprout 240 Market St. Pittsboro
April
2
Meet & Greet: Chatham County Authors Silvan and Jordan Goddin
11 a.m.
Chatham County native Silvan Goddin and her husband, Jordan, are coming to McIntyre’s to introduce their new book, “Homegrown, Handgathered: The Complete Guide to Living Off Your Garden” (Countryman Press 2025). Call 919-542-3030 for more information.
McIntyre’s Books 220 Market St. Pittsboro
Jazz Night at The Sycamore at Chatham Mills
6-9 p.m.
Every Wednesday night from 6-9 p.m., The Sycamore at Chatham Mills hosts live Jazz Nights. The series features a rotating list of local musicians. The Sycamore also offers their Lounge Menu in the dining room on Wednesday nights. Reservations are highly recommended.
480 Hillsboro St. Suite 500 Pittsboro
April 5
Spring Celebration at Silk Home Farm Heritage Park
1-3 p.m.
This family-friendly event includes an Easter egg hunt, face painting, a kiddie train ride, farm animals, cookie decorating and more. The egg hunt is for kids up to age 10 and begins at 1:30 p.m. Don’t forget to bring your
Jack LaSota
Michelle Zajko
From stray to stay
A 4-year-old charcoal-colored donkey, recently found as a stray in southwestern Chatham County, was auctioned pursuant to state law by the sheriff’s Animal Resource Center on Friday. Turtle Pants Farm, a local nonprofit animal sanctuary, won the auction with the opening bid of $100, ensuring the sociable and friendly donkey will have a permanent home among other rescued animals.
Siler City recognizes community leaders
As part of a new initiative, each commissioner selected a citizen who went above and beyond
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News and Record
SILER CITY — The Town of Siler City Board of Commissioners is implementing a new initiative to recognize those in its community.
At its March 3 meeting, the board recognized multiple citizens who have been making positive impacts in Siler City.
“This was the brainchild of Commissioner Cindy Bray,” said Mayor Donald Matthews. “She looked over our community and thought it would be a grand idea to recognize some of the people out there. So each commissioner took it upon him or herself to pick an individual who they thought fit the criteria.”
According to Matthews, the criteria for selection was someone who “loves Siler City” and “goes above and beyond what is normal,” but more specifically, according to communications specialist Ryan Brown, the goal is to recognize those in Siler City who have made an
BREAKFAST from page A1
with SonShine and Blessings.”
Shortly afterward, Wilson, Frank and Brightest Light board member and church pastor Lucas Nelson got together to share ideas about how to meet the goals of both organizations.
During that time, Frank spoke of an annual Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser for SonShine and Blessings, the nonprofit she had begun in 2004. Its intent was to help elderly and disabled community residents with simple daily tasks of living — transportation to doctor visits and grocery stores, household and personal care needs or simply wellness checks to let them know they were remembered and loved.
In addition, Frank, who has her own extensive musical background, wanted to teach music — including guitar, banjo, piano and flute — to children and adults alike, regardless of their ability to pay for lessons.
“I didn’t want anyone, child or adult, to miss out on music lessons solely because they or their parents couldn’t afford them,” she says.
For several years, the pancake breakfast had been a major fundraiser for SonShine, which is also funded by donations and whatever amount clients and students are able to afford, which at times is minimal. But when COVID came along, that effort was put on hold and the restaurant where the breakfast was held eventually closed.
“Not having that was a hardship,” Frank says. “We don’t charge for our services, so the chance to have this event again
Church News
PRAISE CHURCH OF DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES
Pastor James Peoples and Prophetess Pastor Callie Peoples
Benefit For Sickness
Minister Natalie Horton
Fellowship House Of God 444 Stage Road
Carthage
Bishop Willie Gilmore & Pastor Faye Gilmore 2 p.m., Saturday, March 29
We will be glad to have you come and be with us in this benefit service. Bring donations or money or whatever God leads you to bring to help her.
Thank You
Prophetess Phone — 984-368-2942 (Callie)
impact in four specific areas: leadership, mentorship, social responsibility and environmental impact.
Those that were recognized included Elizabeth Zeringue, Albert McClain, Alphia Cheek, Louise Adcock, Mary Dudek, Sherille Lee and Eileen Williams.
Each recognized citizen was also presented with an officially signed certificate.
“I thank all of you for your dedicated service to the Town of Siler City,” Matthews said. “This will not be the last time we do this because we do know that there’s more people that really dedicate their time and have their heart right in this community. So don’t be surprised when your name’s called. Just come on down.”
The board also approved a resolution declaring the town’s intent to close Utility Drive.
“Right now, the way things are looking with the merger, TriRiver is going to be taking over the property that surrounds Utility Drive,” said Planning and Community Development Director Timothy Mack. “So it was Public Utilities’ idea that instead of the town maintaining a road that’s not on their property, they just
is a big help to us and what we want to do.”
Enter Wilson, who says the idea to move the breakfast is a natural one. “We have this big Family Life Center with a commercial kitchen,” he said, “so we thought this was a way to help Joyce with what she does and to help us as a church since we’re still paying for constructing the Family Life Center.”
“We broke ground for the Center about three weeks before everything shut down in 2020 from COVID. A big reason we built the Center,” Wilson added, “is to use it to help our community. Being in a position to help Joyce is a God-thing for sure.
“We opened it for worship services and events in late 2021, and it’s become an important facility in the community. Various groups such as the CORA Food Bank, county sheriff’s department, Alston Chapel Church and others
“I thank all of you
for your dedicated
service to the Town of Siler City.”
Mayor Donald Matthews
go ahead and declare the intent to close it and then we’ll take it off our books.”
In order to officially close the road, a public hearing will be held April 21.
In closing, Matthews commented on the current budget cuts being seen at the federal level across the country and urged residents to call their state and federal representatives and speak out on the areas of funding they feel need to be protected.
“We’re in a place we’ve probably never been before across the United States,” Matthews said. “As you well know, there are cuts everywhere. Those cuts will eventually make their way to North Carolina and from North Carolina to Chatham County and from Chatham County to Siler City. So we’re going to have to be really fiscally responsible moving forward, more so than we probably ever have been before because we have no idea what this will look like. It’s never happened before to this magnitude.”
The Siler City Board of Commissioners will next meet April 7.
have used it for their events. And meals are prepared in the kitchen monthly by the Chatham Chuck Wagon to go to people in need.”
Frank says SonShine would like to expand its services but notes it takes more than financial considerations.
“We’re always looking for folks who would volunteer a few hours a month to help,” she says. “We’ve got a dedicated group helping now, but it’s not easy to take on new clients without more helpers. The needs are out there and we want to meet them with the love of Christ.”
She and her board members will be at the breakfast to greet the public and provide additional information and answer questions about how to become involved with SonShine and Blessings.
Additional information is also available by calling 919810-1230 or online at sonshineandblessings.com. Church members will also be on hand, Wilson said, to share information about the life of the church.
The Family Life Center is at the rear of church property at 71 West St., just west of the county courthouse. Entry to the church parking lot is across the street from Circle City Ice Cream. Space is limited there, however, and additional parking is available on Fayetteville Street and at the county annex parking lot across the street from the Justice Center. The cost of the breakfast is by donations. Proceeds will go toward SonShine’s ministries and missions as well as to the church to help with costs of operating the Center.
Pastor’s Phone — 984-270-3011 (James)
CHAPEL HILL from page A1
perceived environmental contamination hinders redevelopment,” and the agreement is a “tool for developers to remove uncertainties in environmental liability.”
The agreement states what uses will be allowed on the property and the type of remediation that would be required for each. It also provides liability protection, which can then be utilized to obtain project financing for future development.
“The main benefit of authorizing the execution of the agreement now is that it would then put us under the auspices of the agreement and we could begin monitoring and reporting to the state,” said interim town manager Mary Jane Nirdlinger. “It does not decide how we’re going to remediate, and it doesn’t decide what happens next on the site.”
Per the agreement, any uses involving housing, child and adult care, and schools will be prohibited on the site, while municipal services center, recreational space, transit access, office, retail and parking are some of the uses that will be allowed.
“Once the agreement is
signed, additional monitoring and reporting requirements begin,” said Community Sustainability Manager John Richardson. “We will be required to report annually on site conditionals and consistency with those conditions as it relates to the agreement. This agreement is also just the acceptable level of remediation according to their standards, but we have the ability to choose whatever course makes the most sense.”
So far, seven public meetings have been held from 2021 to 2024 on potential site remediation and redevelopment plans, and another will be held April 21.
“There are no pure environmental decisions anymore. They’re all trade-offs,” said council member Melissa McCullough. “There is no perfect solution. No matter what we do on this site, there is an impact somewhere. The important thing will be us getting started on these decisions and having the flexibility that we have in this agreement, in terms of covering the range of possible things that we could do. It does not dictate what we have to do.”
The Chapel Hill Town Council will next meet April 9.
COURTESY JOYCE FRANK
Joyce Frank of SonShine and Blessings is helping her fellow nonprofits in Chatham County.
PHOTOS COURTESY CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
In memory of a lion for special education
It is a moral abomination to forget that all children are our children.
DR. H. RUTHERFORD TURNBULL died last week, on March 17. I was one of the many who admired his advocacy and legal scholarship for people with disabilities. Though he was a lifelong Episcopalian, I had the privilege of serving as his pastor when he died. Like many of his friends, I knew him as Rud. “Rhymes with ‘mud,’” he used to say to my young daughter.
Don’t let his gentle way with young children mislead you. “Lions of his caliber are rare,” a former student remarked in tribute. As a lawyer, Rud shaped much of the legislation for Americans with disabilities, laws that are under attack today. I regret that we have lost Rud’s voice at this critical juncture.
The dismantling of the Department of Education is profoundly affecting Rud’s life’s work. While our current federal administration claims that services for children in special education will continue, all but three of the employees who actually distribute the funds to schools have been
COLUMN | BOB WACHS
fired. The government has already cut more than $600 million in funding, which would have supported special education, low-income, and rural schools. It is a moral abomination to forget that all children are our children.
But let me step off the soapbox to explain why special education is so critical to our entire society. Rud, along with his beloved wife, Ann, authored textbooks aimed to equip educators to integrate students with disabilities into mainstream classrooms. Their motivation was intensely personal; the Turnbulls had a son, Jay, with intellectual and social disabilities. Rud told the story of Jay’s senior year of high school. They were living in Bethesda, Maryland, so that Rud could work with Sen. Thomas Harkin of Iowa on legislation that would become the Assistive Technology Act, a powerful tool for educating children with disabilities. Since he was able to be enrolled in the public high school, Jay became the manager of the football team. Rud said that, at the
Loss of interest gumming up life
Chewing gum, especially in school, occupies a large part of my childhood memory.
THERE WAS A STORY in a Sunday paper not so long ago that hurt my heart. Seems, according to that piece, a bit of America is on the way out. It also went on to say that the movement had been going on for quite a while. So what hurt my feelings was not only that it was happening but that I had missed out on realizing it. The fact it was national in scope and not relegated to my small corner of the world explained my ignorance in part, but still, it was painful.
All this news came from a large manufacturing firm — Mars, Inc. They’re not an outer space exploration company but rather the folks who make Milky Ways and other similar basic food groups. Unbeknownst to yours truly, they also own Wrigley, who are the folks who not only gave us where the Cubs play baseball — now, like every other team, under the lights, which is almost sacrilegious — but who also make chewing gum, as in Doublemint and Spearmint.
It seems the story went on to say, that since peaking in 2009, U.S. gum sales have dropped 11% — down to a paltry $3.71 billion recently. Math and economics were never my strong point — lunch and break were — but that seems like more than just pocket change to me, but maybe it’s not enough for the company and is an indicator of dark days and bad times ahead for them.
The story also mentioned that such a poor record was achieved over the same period of time that overall candy sales — which included gum, chocolate, mints and licorice — were up 10% to $31.53 billion. Furthermore, it pointed out that an additional drop in gum sales is expected
— 4% — bringing sales down to a mere $3.56 billion.
At this point, I’m in over my head, so I’m going to leave the dollars and cents to sharper individuals and instead dwell on something else about gum, namely the question of whether all this is a reflection of a change in our culture. If it is, I don’t like it. Where would this great country of ours be without gum? What would baseball be like without it? When speakers stand to speak or preach or teach, what would the audience or congregation look like without some open-mouth gum-chompers? I’ve officiated at funerals and weddings to the beat of four-part gum harmony, even by the bride and groom. While it’s not especially attractive and violates all sorts of rules of etiquette, it’s a big part of life ... or was, according to the story in question.
Gum-buying was one of my early rites of passage into adulthood. Mama would give me a nickel and let me walk the 100 yards to Sam White’s store, even though it was across busy U.S. 64. By the time she let me make that trek, she had drilled into my acorn that I needed to stop at the edge of the road and look and listen both ways ... and on both trips.
Chewing gum, especially in school, occupies a large part of my childhood memory. You weren’t supposed to do it in class; could get you sent to the principal’s office. That’s why when I was in the fourth grade and Mrs. Sears would say, “Bob, are you chewing gum?” that I would swallow it and thereby not lie to her. If I were caught doing the unpardonable sin, usually the teacher would say, “I hope you brought enough for everybody.” One time, I did; she was not impressed.
end of the year banquet, the three captains of that team had to draw lots, for each one wanted the honor of giving Jay his letterman jacket. As Rud put it, the beauty of integration was reciprocal — a young man who passed out towels to the athletes then received recognition and gratitude from those same players. This experience speaks highly of those individuals, and yet it would not have been possible without the funding for skilled educators and programs. This is what we are fighting for today. While it’s true that advocates like Rud Turnbull are rare, it doesn’t mean that you and I should remain silent. The onus and imperative are upon good people of every faith to become peacemakers. Raise your voice and, as Rud would say, raise hell.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, coffee drinker and student of joy.
As a smooth young teen, a pack of chewing gum always occupied a place in my pocket. That way, you could whip out a piece to give your sweet patooty when you wanted to impress her. Even when it got up to a dime a pack, Spearmint was still worth it; ditto for when it went to a quarter.
Gum made its way into larger parts of society. In 1975’s movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” the heretofore silent Chief Bromden doesn’t speak until given a stick of gum and says, “Mmmm ... Juicy Fruit.” That’s the same brand my Uncle Frank gave me every time I left his house ... that and a shiny new dime.
Maybe economics is the reason for the decline — the price keeps going up. I must admit that at our house, we still have packs of gum — the traditional five-stick pack lying here and there, as well as the larger ones for the little folks who come by. Same as in the car and trucks. But it’s getting harder and harder to find those small packs because the 15-20 stick size now occupies most of the space near the check out, and it gets harder and harder to shell out two bucks for a nickel pack of gum.
The folks who study such tell us that part of the decline is not only price but the habits of the 20-something segment of society which drives so much of our larger ways and habits. Those folks are more into Altoids and fruit snacks as their thing.
For the life of me, however, I can’t see my favorite pitcher chewing away on a thin mint or fruity chew.
Do your part, America. Go out and buy some gum. And then buy some more. Don’t let this go down without a fight ... or a chomp.
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
My oh-too-human prism
Geez, couldn’t I just sneak around my values with that one poke in the eye for those who disagree with me?
I SO, SO WANTED TO! I really did. Was just itching to go online and share something I found very, very politically uplifting in the day’s news. Sharing this news tidbit with whom?
Them! People with whom I so vehemently disagree. That’s who! OMG, the temptation to do so just swept through me like an electric current. I could hear a loud “whoopee“ in my mind. Just a magnetic draw I didn’t. I couldn’t. I can’t.
Sigh. Yep, blame it on my damn values! Geez, couldn’t I just sneak around my values with that one poke in the eye for those who disagree with me?
No.
Damn.
OK, OK, OK. Are you planning on telling me why you’re being such a good girl? A good girl when the attraction of digitally poking someone in the eye might feel so incredibly satisfying and justified?
Let me begin by blaming the Quakers, of whom I’ve been an active member for 21 years. Yep, it’s their fault! (Not mine!) I’ve allowed myself, during that period of time, to become indoctrinated (me, indoctrinated!) by a pillar of the Quaker faith. Ready?
“Walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.” — George Fox
In everyone? (No, no I don’t want to!) Everyone. Even those folks who I’d like to digitally poke in the eye? Yep.
COLUMN | REP. RICHARD HUDSON
Oh, but wait, the Quakers cannot take sole blame for my (mostly) good girl identity. Gonna spread that blame around! I grew up Jewish. I need to be fully honest. My Jewish upbringing imprinted on me — no, no, the imprinting did not hurt — a belief in Tikkun Olam. “Repairing the world.” In other words, “Hey, girl, get out there and improve the world and promote social justice.”
Do you now see the burden I bear? Between “repairing the world” and “answering to that of God in everyone,” digitally poking someone in the eye, although massively tempting, must first work it’s way through my Quaker-Jewish sieve.
Now I’ll be fully honest with you (well, mostly): My Quaker-Jewish sieve ain’t perfect. You know why? (Big sigh) Because I’m also human. An imperfect human, at that.
Oh, you’re imperfect, too? Great! At least, I’m not alone. But where do we, and our human imperfections, go from here?
The late Leonard Cohen had a thought about that:
“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in …”
So if some incredibly teeny-tiny digital eye poking manages to get through my Quaker-Jewish human sieve, I’m still OK?
Yep, but don’t make a practice of it!
Such a relief …
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
Protecting your tax dollars from waste, fraud and abuse
In Guilford County, I toured North Carolina A&T University.
AMERICANS LIKE YOU gave President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress a mandate to enact our America First agenda, and we have been working to deliver.
From rooting out waste, fraud and abuse of your tax dollars to supporting our troops and first responders, we are working to put you, your community and your country first again.
Under Trump’s leadership, the new administration has been shining a light on Washington, D.C.’s waste so we can make the government work better for you. House Republicans have also taken action, such as by cracking down on the rampant fraud in the COVID-era unemployment insurance program.
During the pandemic, bad actors stole hundreds of billions of dollars in unemployment insurance benefits — money that was paid for by hardworking taxpayers like you to help people who were going through a tough time. Precious taxpayer dollars went to fraudsters, many overseas in places like China, who spent this money on luxury items while Americans were hurting.
With thousands of complaints and investigations into this fraud still unresolved, we cannot let criminals off the hook without consequences.
That’s why I joined my colleagues recently in passing a bill to give law enforcement the time and resources needed to continue tracking down and prosecuting those who stole from American taxpayers. I will continue fighting for legislation that protects your tax dollars and stops fraud like this from happening again.
While I, along with Trump and my House Republican colleagues, have already begun working to advance our America First
BE IN TOUCH
agenda, there is still so much more to do. Recently, I joined my House Republican colleagues in passing a bill that ensures we can continue our efforts while fully funding our military, VA benefits, Border Patrol and government programs like Medicare. This bill also gives more money toward veterans’ health care programs, like the Toxic Exposures Fund, and provides a 14.5% pay raise for our junior enlisted service members — directly benefiting folks in our community and at Fort Bragg.
Back home, I spent time last week visiting with local law enforcement, first responders, servicemembers and universities to hear about their priorities and listen to their concerns. In Hoke County, I met with folks from the Puppy Creek Fire Department. We discussed how they’re working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and local organizations to expand their facilities and help keep our communities safe.
In Guilford County, I toured North Carolina A&T University. I was so impressed with what the university is doing in areas like engineering, advanced computing, robotics and autonomous vehicles to ensure our students will be prepared to lead America into the future. It is so inspiring to see firsthand the dedication and innovation in our communities, and I will always support their efforts.
In Congress, I will continue working to advance policies that prioritize your needs, safeguard your tax dollars, strengthen our economy and keep you safe. Together, we will keep fighting for a brighter and more prosperous future for our communities and our country.
Richard Hudson represents North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District in Congress.
What is Gavin Newsom doing?
THERE IS AN OBVIOUS answer to what California Gov. Gavin Newsom is doing.
He’s running for president. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. He is nothing if not ambitious. He’s termed out as governor and in two years will be looking for a place to land.
But he’s doing it all wrong, and it’s offensive to the very base he is going to need to win the Democratic nomination.
At a time when Democrats are desperately looking for a leader who will stand up to Donald Trump, Newsom is cozying up to the worst of the Trumpers. He is moving to the center — or more accurately, to the right — as if that is what Democrats want.
How dumb does he think we are?
California is struggling. We could use a leader. Instead, we have a podcaster.
He should stick to his day job — and do it better.
“This is Gavin Newsom” is the name of his new podcast. In his first two outings, he chatted it up with right-wing MAGA maniacs Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon.
Kirk, who runs a group called Turning Point USA, is a radical right-winger. He has been outspoken in denying the results of the 2020 election, spreading COVID disinformation and attacking civil rights. He has argued that “MLK was awful” and “not a good person,” and that birth control “really screws up female brains.”
According to Slate, Kirk said at a Turning Point event that contraception “is awful, it’s terrible, and it creates very angry and bitter young ladies and young women. Then that bitterness then manifests into a political party that is the bitter party. I mean, the Democrat Party is all about ‘bring us your bitterness and, you know, we’ll give you free stuff.’”
Did Newsom take him on for his racism and sexism? He did not. Apparently, he thinks Kirk is someone we should be listening to. Why?
And Bannon? He’s a purveyor of anti-immigrant hate. Indicted for money laundering, pardoned by Trump, whose campaign he ran in 2016, and convicted on multiple contempt charges, he spent four months in prison. He is well known for the strategy that Trump is following to “flood the zone” to overwhelm Congress and the media and dismantle the federal state.
Did Newsom take him on for his history of hate? Did he ask him about his Nazi-like salute at the Conservative Political Action Conference? He did not.
Apparently, he thinks we should also be listening to Bannon.
That’s what he told Tim Walz in his latest podcast. When Walz called out Bannon’s racism and misogyny, Newsom defended the hater, saying, “I don’t think it’s exclusively that,” praising Bannon for talking about working folks and comparing him favorably to “a lot of what Bernie Sanders was saying.”
Did Hitler also do some good things?
But what has troubled me most about Newsom’s latest campaign for the White House is his gratuitous assault on transgender women playing sports.
In his podcast with Kirk, Newsom went out of his way to tank this most vulnerable population. “I think it’s an issue of fairness,” he told the MAGA maniac. “I completely agree with you on that. It is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair. I am not wrestling with the fairness issue. I totally agree with you.”
The last thing the Democratic Party needs right now is leaders who “totally agree” with Charlie Kirk.
Newsom is running a general election campaign. He thinks he can attract white male voters by moving to the middle and cozying up to the haters. But you have to win the nomination first. The voters Newsom is trying to appeal to don’t vote in Democratic primaries. And the people who do aren’t likely to find his new friends — and new targets — very appealing. And rightly so.
Susan Estrich is a lawyer, professor, author and political commentator.
Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or mailed to 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.
Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com
obituaries
IN MEMORY
Kathleen Marie Boren Stewart
May 28, 1958 –Jan. 29, 2025
Kathleen Marie Boren Stewart, 66 of Greensboro NC, entered into eternal rest on January 29, 2025 at home in Greensboro, NC.
Kathy was born on May 28, 1958 in Lockport, NY. She is predeceased by her brother, Ralph McMichael Boren, II, her sister, Penny Nicole Boren Nalley and her father, Benjamin Clark Boren, Jr. She is survived by her mother, Nancy Boren Harris of
Greensboro NC; her daughter, Andrea Marie Merritt(Chris) of Greensboro NC, her son, Andrew Jeffrey Merritt (Amber) of Winter Garden FL, her sister, Patty Boren Baldree (Lane) of James Island, SC, her grandchildren, Alexis Elizabeth Potts, Evan Dane Potts and Emily Marie Merritt, her nieces Nicole Michelle Oakes(Zach) and Christine Elizabeth Cowart(Dean) and her best friend Kimberly Sadoski Howard(Ronnie) of Lake Waccamaw NC.
She will be remembered for her love of animals especially horses, wolves, and her Italian Greyhounds. Kathy had a Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science and Criminal Justice from Guilford College in Greensboro NC. She loved photography, camping, horseback riding, fishing, gardening and anything involving nature. She was intrigued by the horror genre, films and books and enjoyed classic rock music.
A graveside service will be held on April 12th, 2025 at 1:00pm at Oakwood Cemetery in Siler City, NC.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Chatham News & Record at obits@chathamrecord.com
MARTHA ELIZABETH CARTER MANESS
MARCH 23, 1964 – MARCH 15, 2025
Martha went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Saturday, March 15, 2025 at First Health Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Martha was born on March 23, 1964 in Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. Her family returned to Hartwell in the early 1970’s when her father retired from the U.S. Navy. She graduated from Hart County High School in 1983 and graduated from Athens Technical College as a Licensed Practical Nurse. She achieved her associate’s degree in nursing from Greenville Technical College and became a Registered Nurse with Hart County Hospital. Serving more than 20 years in the nursing field, she retired from nursing when her health would not allow her to continue.
Martha leaves behind her devoted husband Shannon Clay Maness of 22 years of marriage. Two brothers, Steven Carter of Hartwell, GA and Ben Carter of Hartwell, GA. Her niece, Dakota Bannister (Brandon), and great nieces Eastyn and Everlee of the home. Her niece Shellie Martin (Vincent), Great nephew Camden from Hartwell. Mother-in-law Betty Maness of Bennett. Brotherin-Law Edward Maness (Helen) of Robbins, NC. Her Uncle Brown Feltman (Sarah) of Hartwell. Martha was preceded in death by her husband of 4 years Ja Ridgway in 1994 also of Hartwell, GA; her father, Lee Elmer Carter, Jr. of Hartwell and her precious mother Martha Jane Feltman Carter of Hartwell, GA, and Father-in-law Edward Maness.
RETIRED MASTER TROOPER
DWIGHT “MARK” COLE
MARCH 23, 2025
Retired Master Trooper Dwight “Mark” Cole, 61, passed away on Sunday, March 23, 2025 at his home. He was born in Lee County to the late Dwight Moody Cole and Bonnie Johnson Cole. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his grandparents Louch and Ruth Johnson and Moody and Louina Cole. After serving with distinction for 30 years as a dedicated law enforcement officer with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Mark retired in 2012 as a Master Trooper, having made significant contributions to the safety and well-being of the community. He was honored in 2006 to be presented the Trooper of the Year award. Mark’s years of service were marked by integrity, courage, and a deep commitment to protecting others. Following his retirement from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Mark continued his service to the community as a valued member of the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, where his wealth of experience and dedication continued to shine. He was currently working at Honorable Arms Gun Shop. Mark was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He cherished his family deeply and took great pride in being a devoted family man. His legacy of love, care, and devotion will forever be a part of the hearts of those who knew him. He is survived by his loving wife of 40 years Wendy Whitaker Cole; daughters Whitney Doby (Daniel) and Meredith Cox (Justin); brother Don Cole (Cindi); grandchildren Ava Grace, Allie, Grady, Rhett and Hayes and special niece and nephew Bailey and Trevor Cole.
RAYMOND CLINT RIDDLE
NOV. 29, 1950 – MARCH 19, 2025
Raymond Clint Riddle of Siler City passed away on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at AuthoraCare in Burlington. The family will receive friends on Saturday, March 29 from 12-2 p.m. at JoyceBrady Chapel with a memorial service beginning at 1 p.m. Raymond was born in Chatham County on November 29,1950 to Roy Riddle and Ollie Fields. He was member of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Goldston. He was a dedicated poultry farmer for 30 years and loved his work. He loved building things, watching Nascar, fishing, beach trips with his grandkids, and he loved his life and lived every day to the fullest. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister and 2 brothers. Raymond is survived by his wife of 50 years, Peggy Riddle of the home, daughter, Sally Riddle Smith (Chris) of Siler City, sister, Janice Ellington (Jimmy) of Pittsboro, special niece, Kim Holshouser (Rodney) of Gulf, Grandchildren: Brandon Todd Smith and Morgan Elizabeth Smith, Great grandchildren: Oaklynn Sweeney and Arabella Holder, and a host of family and friends.
THEONIA SHARNAY PERSON
FEB. 8, 1993 – MARCH 18, 2025
Theonia Sharnay Person was born February 8, 1993 to Theonia and the late Arlie (AC) Person. She transitioned to her heavenly home on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at First Health Moore Regional Hospital, Pinehurst, NC. Sharnay was a daddy’s girl and had much difficulty adjusting to life without her dad. She was really close to her mom and the many challenges she had with diabetes caused her to be dependent upon her mom at all times. Sharnay was Mom to Kadynce Chanel and Khamari Lee Oatts. Sharnay also leaves special memories to her mom Theonia and stepdad, Jerry Leonard, brothers, Cornelious
(Sierra, London, Zada) Person; Jonathan (Jayden, Illiana, Abigail) Person; Myatt Person and bonus brother, Jordan Barnes (Tyara, Avia, Kiarra, River, and Taylor); aunts Ella Mae (Paige), Jerri, Carol, Phyllis, Nannette, Faith (Leonard), and uncles, Thomas, Harrison and Harry. And host of cousins, relatives and friends. Sharnay was a member of Bellview AME Zion Church and faithfully attended when her health permitted. Sharnay was very special and unique in every way. We will miss her dearly, but we find comfort in knowing she is with the Lord.
WILLIAM CEPHUS KIDD
DEC. 21, 1945 – MAR. 18, 2025
William Cephus Kidd, 79, of Bennett, passed away on, March 18, 2025, at Alpine Health & Rehab in Asheboro. The funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 24, 2025, at Beulah Baptist Church with Matt Barbour and Dr. Neal Jackson presiding. The visitation will be Sunday, March 23, 2025, at Joyce Brady Chapel from 6-8 p.m. William, known by friends, family, and community as “Bill” was born in Randolph County on December 21, 1945, to Roby Garland Kidd and Bessie Marie Purvis. He worked as an electrician independently and with many commercial companies throughout his lifetime. He was a military Veteran and an authentic cowboy who did the rodeo circuits in his early years. He had a lifetime love of horseback riding, playing the guitar, singing, and song writing, and took great pride and joy in his grandchildren. Bill was preceded in death by his first wife, Pamela Kidd, and his siblings Nancy Brady and Roby Kidd Jr. He is survived by his wife, LuAnn Kidd, two sons: James (Connie) Kidd from Siler City, Justin (Brittany) Kidd from Asheville, grandchildren: Steven Kidd, Dillon Kidd, Hailey Kidd, Lucy Kidd, Leah Kidd, and Bralyn Kidd, step grandchildren: Cotey Lee Dunlap, Archer Dunlap, Lauren Dunlap, Brooke Dunlap and a host of family and friends.
Chatham County Aging Services Weekly Activities Calendar
Monday, March 31 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:15 a.m. - Total Body Conditioning Exercise
10 a.m. - Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program
11 a.m. - Dominos Noon - Reading Out Loud with Gaines
1 p.m. - Table Tennis
1:15 p.m. - Mahjong Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Strong & Fit
10 a.m. - Cornhole
10:30 a.m. - Health and Wellness with Kathryn
2 p.m. - Strength & Tone Tuesday, April 1 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:30 a.m. - QiGong
9 a.m. - 3G’s Men’s Group
10 a.m. - Woodcarvers; Cardio Drumming
11 a.m. - April Birthday Party; Bingo with Mr. Ed
1 p.m. - Rummikub
2 p.m. - Zumba Gold
3 p.m. - Healthy Lifestyles with Alan Siler City Center for Active Living
8 a.m. - Quilting and Sewing Time
9 a.m. - Cardio Drumming
10 a.m. - Chair Exercises
10:30 a.m. - Mental Health with Mary Anne Fritz
1 p.m. - Rook, Phase 10 & Rummikub Wednesday, April 2 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:15 a.m. - Cardio & Lower Body Exercise
10 a.m. - Chair Yoga with Liz; Music Jam
10:30 a.m. - Coffee & Games with Chatham County Sheriff’s Office
11 a.m. - The Chosen with discussion
1 p.m. - Leaving Your Legacy
2 p.m. - Chess Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Strong & Fit
10 a.m. - Bible Study
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8:30 a.m. - QiGong
9:30
10 a.m. - Hooks & Needles; Kindermusik;
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NC Supreme Court rules against schools in COVID lawsuit appeals
The rulings address UNC student fees and parental approval of COVID shots
By A.P. Dillon North State Journal
RALEIGH — The North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled in a pair of COVID-era lawsuits involving UNC student fees and a teen vaccinated without parental consent.
In a unanimous ruling, the N.C. Supreme Court found that students from UNC Chapel Hill and NC State can proceed with their breach of contract lawsuit which seeks refunds for mandatory fees paid when the two campuses closed during the pandemic in fall 2020.
The case, Lannan v. UNC Board of Governors, is one of several COVID-related lawsuits being reviewed by the state Supreme Court.
The high court’s ruling slightly modifies a 2022 Court of Appeals order that said the case could proceed.
“We agree with the Court of Appeals that sovereign immunity does not foreclose plaintiffs’ breach of contract claims against the Board at this stage of litigation,” wrote Associate Justice Trey Allen. “However, we read the lawsuit to allege the existence of express — not implied — contracts between plaintiffs and the Board.”
During oral arguments, lawyers for the universities argued that students were warned fees wouldn’t be refunded, while the plaintiffs’ attorney maintained that individuals could not register as students without paying those fees. Per a past 2023 filing, the UNC System indicated it could face the loss of “tens of millions of dollars” if the students ultimately prevail.
Allen’s opinion also noted that the student plaintiffs’ case may not succeed due to that reasoning, writing that “the Board correctly observes that
many of the fee descriptions in the amended complaint lack any explicit promise to provide services to students who paid those fees.”
The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that a Guilford County teenager and his mother can proceed with their lawsuit against the local school board and the Old North State Medical Society over a forced COVID-19 vaccination of the teen in 2021.
The case involves 14-yearold Tanner Smith, who was vaccinated without parental consent when a clinic worker reportedly administered the shot despite the teen objecting.
The ruling reverses lower court rulings that had dismissed the case based on immunity provided by the federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act.
Chief Justice Paul Newby, writing for the Republican majority, determined that the PREP Act’s immunity only covers tort injuries, not constitutional violations, and recognized parents’ fundamental rights to make medical decisions for their children and individuals’ rights to bodily integrity.
“We agree with plaintiffs,” Newby wrote. “The literalist interpretation defendants urge us to adopt today defies even the broad scope of the statutory text. Under this view, Congress gave carte blanche to any willful misconduct related to the administration of a covered countermeasure.”
The two Democratic Associate Justices, Anita Earls and Allison Riggs, dissented. Both argued the majority was incorrectly interpreting the PREP Act’s language that includes providing broad immunity “from suit and liability under Federal and State law with respect to all claims for loss.”
The cases will now return to the state appeals court.
CHATHAM from page A1
Otherwise, the site is exactly the same as you saw it three years ago.” Following the hearing, the item was referred back to the Planning Board for final approval.
The board also approved the appointments of Lincoln Frye and Claire Kane to the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee for terms that will expire June 30, 2026. The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will next meet April 21.
To
You
LEARN ABOUT LAND - Chatham Land Experts, www.learnaboutland.com - 919362-6999. JY2,tfnc
FOR RENT
2BDR/1BA MOBILE HOME FOR RENT IN Bonlee Elementary and Chatham Central High School District – No Pets – Call 919742-5187 and leave a message. M13,20,27,A3p
POWELL SPRINGS APTS. Evergreen Construction introduces its newest independent living community for adults 55 years or older, 1 and 2 bedroom applications now being accepted. Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 919-533-6319 for more information, TDD #1-800-735-2962, Equal housing opportunity, Handicapped accessible. A2,tfnc
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS now for onebedroom apartments, adults 55 years or older. Water included, appliances furnished, on-site laundry, elevator, keyless entry. Section 8 accepted. No security deposit. Application fee $25 per adult. Call Braxton Manor, 919-6631877. Handicap accessible. Equal Housing Opportunity. J14,tfnc
YARD SALE
3 Family Yard Sale – Saturday, March 29th, 8:00am – Until – Lots of women, men and children’s clothes, toys, houseware items, etc. You don’t want to miss this!! – Come to the side of the Chatham News Office – Cedar Ave., Siler City - Rain or Shine!! Everything must go!!
Fence Posts for Sale – Treated Round Posts & Cedar Posts – Sold Farm & Must Sell! Let’s Make a Deal! Crutchfield Xrds. Area – 984-265-0402 – Michael Jenks 1tp
Dining Room Set w/China Cabinet, several Curio Cabinets, Treadmill, Sofa and 2 end tables, 2 upright freezers, dishes, Bedroom Suite, 2 Recliners, etc. 919-799-8243.
HELP WANTED
Chaudhry Meat Company Inc. seeking Bookkeeper to maintain financial records in Siler City, NC. Will process accounts payable/receivable transactions and prepare financial reports as needed. Requires at least 2 years of bookkeeping or accounting experience, including Quickbooks. To apply, submit cover letter and resume to Chaudhry Meat Company, Attn: A.Chaudhry, 380 Stockyard Rd., Siler City, NC 27344.
HANDYMAN NEEDED! Gardening and small projects! Please call 919-548-2943. M27,4tp
SERVICES
Affordable Professional Lawncare –Mowing, weed eating and Small bush hog jobs –Call Mike at 919-267-0475. 4tp
CASH PAID FOR JUNK CARS AND PICKUPS – Call Clifton Maness – 336581-3423 M13,20,27,A4p
RAINBOW WATER FILTERED VACUUMS, Alice Cox, Cox’s Distributing - Rainbow - Cell: 919-548-4314, Sales, Services, Supplies. Serving public for 35 years. Rada Cutlery is also available. A26,tfnc
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. A2,tfnc
LETT’S TREE SERVICE - tree removal, stump grinding, lot clearing. Visa & Master Card accepted. Timber. Free estimates. 919-258-3594. N9,tfnc
NOTICE
TOWN OF SILER CITY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
RESOLUTION OF INTENT TO PERMANETLY CLOSE
UTILITY DRIVE
WHEREAS,
of Siler City, North Carolina, at which time the Board shall consider the permanent closing of said street. and so as to determine whether or not said street shall be permanently closed or otherwise restricted in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. §160A299. The public hearing will be held in the Town of Siler City Courtroom located at 311 N Second Street, Siler City, NC 27344. That a copy of this Resolution shall be mailed by registered or certified mail to all owners of property adjoining the said street as shown on the county tax records. That a copy of this Resolution shall
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
aka Betty Fields Nall aka Betty F. Nall aka Betty Nall, Estate File Number 25E000125-180, on or before June 20, 2025, in care of the undersigned attorney at her address, or this notice will be pleaded in a bar of recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to Betty Mae Fields Nall aka Betty Fields Nall aka Betty F. Nall aka Betty Nall, please make immediate payment to the Estate of Betty Mae Fields Nall aka Betty Fields Nall aka Betty F. Nall aka Betty Nall. This is the 20th day of March, 2025. Pamela E. Whitaker Attorney at Law 4145 Randolph Church Road Liberty, NC 27298 (336) 622-3553 telephone (336) 622-3240 facsimile pwhitakerlaw@gmail.com
PUBLICATION DATES: March 20, 27, April 3, 10, 2025
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having qualified on the 28th day of February 2025, as Executor of the Estate of John B. Baer a/k/a John Balfour Baer, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 13th June, 2025, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 13th day of March, 2025. Alison Baer Arter, Executor of the Estate of John B. Baer a/k/a John Balfour Baer c/o Candace B. Minjares, Kennon Craver, PLLC 4011 University Drive, Suite 300 Durham, North Carolina 27707
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF IRIS SHIPP STOUTT
CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO. 25E000097-180
All persons, firms, and corporations having claims against Iris Shipp Stoutt, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina are notified to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before June 8th, 2025 or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 6th day of March, 2025. Dawn Byrd Andrews, Executor c/o Attorney, Walter Brodie Burwell, Jr. Envisage Law 2601 Oberlin Road, Suite 100 Raleigh, NC 27608
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA Chatham COUNTY
NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having qualified on the 18th day of February , 2025, as Executor of the Estate of Eddie S. Williams aka Edward Silas Williams aka Edward S. Williams, deceased, of Chatham County does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before June 12, 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 6th day of March, 2025. Carol B. Williams Executor of the Estate of Eddie S. Williams aka Edward Silas Williams aka Edward S. Williams c/o J Alan Campbell Law PO Box 850 Hillsborough, NC 27278
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF DEBORAH KALISH COPLIN
All persons, firms and corporations having claims against DEORAH KALISH COPLIN, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to exhibit them to Laurie A. Coplin as Limited Personal Representative of the decedent’s estate on or before June 6, 2025, c/o Brittany N. Porter, Attorney at Law, 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the above-named Executor. This the 6th day of March, 2025. Laurie A. Coplin c/o Brittany N. Porter, Atty. TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203 Chapel Hill, NC 27517
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Julie L. Schwab, deceased, of 804 Harsworth Drive, Cary, Chatham County, NC, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned c/o Brady Cobin Law Group, PLLC, 4141 Parklake Avenue, Suite 310, Raleigh, NC 27612, on or before the 10th day of June, 202 5, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 6th day of March, 2025. Kristin Pantiga, Executor Estate of Julie L. Schwab, Deceased c/o Brady Cobin Law Group, PLLC 4141 Parklake Avenue, Suite 310 Raleigh, NC 27612
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having qualified as Executrix of the Estate of Jeffrey Paul Fahlikman, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the offices of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 20th day of June, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 20th day of March, 2025. LISA FISHER, EXECUTRIX ESTATE OF JEFFREY PAUL FAHLIKMAN
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
22E000720-180 ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Joseph Stroud, of Chatham County, N.C., are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before June 13, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 13th day of March, 2025. Daron D. Satterfield Attorney for Personal Representative, Annie C. Capers 307 Meadowlands Drive, Suite 101 Hillsborough, NC 27278
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Co-Executors of the Estate of James C. Brooks, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 12th day of June, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 5th day of March, 2025. Theresa B. Varner, Co-Executor of the Estate of James C. Brooks 7809 Ferguson Road Liberty, North Carolina 27208 James R. Brooks, Co-Executor of the Estate Of James C. Brooks 408 Eden Hills Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
25E000105-180 NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY The undersigned, Karen Howard, having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Ralph A. Howard Jr., deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of June 4, 2025, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 6th of March, 2025.
Karen Howard Administrator
Marie H. Hopper Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post Office Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
All persons, firm and corporations having claims against Toni Goodyear, late of Chatham County, North Carolina are hereby notified to present them to Margaret Pumphrey, as Executor of the decedent’s estate in care of Kendall H. Page, Attorney, 210 N Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 on or before the 20th day of June, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the above named Executor. Kendall H. Page 210 N Columbia Street Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Bar # 14261 Notice to Run: 3/20/2025,3/27/2025, 4/3/2025 & 4/10/2025
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of James H. Lazenby, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned, c/o Jill L. Peters Kaess, Post Office Box 4548, Wilmington, North Carolina 28406, on or before the 23rd day of June, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 20th day of March, 2025. Robert George Lazenby, Executor of the Estate of James H. Lazenby Jill L. Peters Kaess Lee Kaess, PLLC P. O. Box 4548 Wilmington, NC 28406 March 20, 27, April 3, 10
Notice to Creditors
All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Dale Harold Bochenek, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before June 25, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 20th day of March, 2025. Laura B. Smith, Executor c/o W. Thomas McCuiston 200 Towne Village Drive Cary, NC 27513
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#24 E 232
The undersigned, CAROLINE YINGLING TAYLOR, having qualified on the 26TH Day of APRIL, 2024 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of DAVID MURRILL TAYLOR, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 25TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 27TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025.
The undersigned, MATTHEW G. DAVIS, having qualified on the 6TH Day of MARCH, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of DIANNE GAINES DAVIS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 11TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 13TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025.
MATTHEW G. DAVIS, EXECUTOR PO BOX 233 GOLDSTON, NC 27252 Run dates: M13,20,27,A3p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#24E001548-180 The undersigned, SARAH GOYEA, having qualified on the 9TH Day of OCTOBER, 2024 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ELIZABETH ROBERTS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 11TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 13TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025.
SARAH GOYEA, EXECUTOR 103 BLUERIDGE ROAD CARRBORO, NC 27510 Run dates: M13,20,27,A3p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#24E001270-180 The undersigned, SHEARON STROUD, having qualified on the 14TH Day of MARCH, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JOHN O. STROUD, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 18TH Day of JUNE 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.
The undersigned, JOAN P. ROBERTS, having qualified on the 17TH Day of MARCH, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JAMES DREXEL ROBERTS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 18TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 20TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025.
JOAN P. ROBERTS, EXECUTOR
825 E CARDINAL ST. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: M20,27,A3,10p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000083-180 The undersigned, MATTHEW WILLIAM FOUSHEE, having qualified on the 11TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as CO-EXECUTOR of the Estate of HAZEL MANN FOUSHEE, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 18TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 20TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025. MAIL TO:
MATTHEW WILLIAM FOUSHEE, CO-EXECUTOR 4612 BADGER SPRINGS ROAD RALEIGH, NC 27603 ANDREW NELSON WHEELER, CO-EXECUTOR
9226 BEACH DR. SW CALABASH, NC 28467 Run dates: M20,27,A3,10p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000100-180 The undersigned, PAMELA BARTH JACOBS, having qualified on the 24TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of GEORGIA RUTH
HUDSON BARTH, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 11TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 13TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025.
PAMELA BARTH JACOBS, EXECUTOR 7 AZALEA LANE SPRUCE PINE, NC 28777 *MAIL AFFIDAVIT TO: 13604 US HIGHWAY 64 W. SILER CITY, NC 27344-6445 Run dates: M13,20,27,A3p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000020-180 The undersigned, DORIS P. HOLT, having qualified on the 5TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of FLORA MAE CAMERON PETTIT, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 11TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 13TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025. DORIS P. HOLT, ADMINISTRATOR 740 GARNER ROAD SANFORD, NC 27330 Run dates: M13,20,27,A3p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#24E001267-180 The undersigned, JOE LEE WAGONER, JR., having qualified on the 13TH Day of MAY, 2024 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of EMELDA PAYNE WAGONER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 11TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 13TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025. JOE LEE WAGONER, JR. 111 TURTLE CREEK FARM RD. APEX, NC 27523
ADMINISTRATOR Run dates: M13,20,27,A3p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000043-180 The undersigned, KAITLIN HOLDER, having qualified on the 24TH Day of JANUARY, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of MICHAEL CLARK HOLDER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 11TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 13TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025. KAITLIN HOLDER, ADMINISTRATOR 122 STEEL SPRINGS LANE ANGIER, NC 27501 Run dates: M13,20,27,A3p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#25E000082-180 The undersigned, SHERRIE HATFIELD, having qualified on the 14TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of PATSY KING BLACK, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 4TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 6TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025. SHERRIE HATFIELD, EXECUTOR 2129 SANDY BRANCH CHURCH ROAD BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 MAIL AFFIDAVIT TO: THE LAW OFFICE OF LEWIS FADELY 119 N FIR AVE. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: FM6,13,20,27p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000084-180 The undersigned, SHEARON STROUD, having qualified on the 11TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of SARAH B. STROUD, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 18TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 20TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025. SHEARON STROUD, EXECUTOR 376 GARDNER RD. APEX, NC 27523 Run dates: M20,27,A3,10p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000101-180 The undersigned, YVONNE M STEWART, having qualified on the 24TH Day of FEBRUARY, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of THOMAS VINCENT MORLEY, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 4TH Day of JUNE 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 is the 6TH DAY OF MARCH, 2025. YVONNE M STEWART, ADMINSTRATOR 793 ROSSWOOD RD. CHAPEL HILL, NC 27516 Run dates: FM6,13,20,27p
NOTICE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO.: 25JT000015-180 IN RE: “B.N.C” DOB:12/20/17 NOTICE OF SERVICE BY PROCESS OF PUBLICATION TO: Eric Headen, Dana Scott, Biological father/ Father/unknown father of the above female child, born at UNC Hospital to Kiana Craven. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a Petition has been filed to terminate your parental rights to the abovereferenced minor child. You have forty days from 27 March 2025, the first date of publication of this Notice to respond to said Petition by filing a written answer to the petition with the Chatham Clerk of Court. Your parental rights to the juvenile may be terminated upon failure to answer the petition within the time prescribed. Any attorney appointed previously in an abuse, neglect or dependency proceeding and still representing you shall continue to represent you. If you are indigent and not already represented by an attorney, you are entitled to a court-appointed attorney by contacting the Chatham County Clerk of Court. STEPHENSON & FLEMING, L.L.P.
Pope Francis back home after 5-week hospital stay
The pontiff had life-threatening double pneumonia
By Nicole Winfield , Paolo Santalucia and Trisha Thomas The Associated Press
VATICAN CITY — A frail Pope Francis returned to the Vatican on Sunday after a five-week hospitalization for life-threatening double pneumonia, and he made a surprise stop at his favorite basilica on the way home before beginning two months of prescribed rest and recovery.
The 88-year-old pope sat in the front passenger seat of his white Fiat 500L wearing nasal tubes to give him supplemental oxygen as he entered the Perugino gate of Vatican City, where his return brought relief after fears that his illness could be fatal or lead to another papal resignation.
Francis’ motorcade from Gemelli hospital overshot the Vatican initially and took a detour across town to stop at St. Mary Major basilica, where the pope’s favorite icon of the Madonna is located and where he always goes to pray after a foreign visit.
He didn’t get out of the car but gave a bouquet of flowers to the basilica’s cardinal to place in front of the Salus populi Romani icon. The Byzantine-style painting on wood is revered by Romans and is so important to Francis that he has chosen to be buried in the basilica to be near it.
The tour through Rome’s historic center came after Francis made his first appearance in five weeks to give a thumbs-up and brief blessing from a hospital balcony. Hundreds of people had gathered on a brilliant spring Sunday morning to say goodbye and catch a first glimpse of Francis, who seemed to be gasping for air.
“I see this woman with the yellow flowers. Brava!” a bloated-looking Francis said in a breathless voice. He gave a weak sign of the cross before being wheeled back inside.
Chants of “Viva il papa!” and “Papa Francesco” erupted from the crowd, which included patients who had been wheeled outside just to catch his brief appearance.
Resting at home
Doctors say Francis needs two months of rest and convalescence at the Vatican, during-which he should refrain from meeting with big groups of people or exerting himself. But they said he should be able to resume all his normal activities eventually.
His return home, after the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy and the second-longest in recent papal history, brought tangible relief to the Vatican and Catholic faithful who have been anxiously following 38 days of medical ups and downs and wondering if Francis would make it.
“Today I feel a great joy,” said Dr. Rossella Russomando, who was at Gemelli on Sunday but did not treat Francis. “It is the demonstration that all our prayers, all the rosary prayers from all over the world, brought this grace.”
The Rev. Enzo Fortunato, who heads a papal committee dedicated to children, said it was clear that Francis was happy to return home and would surely improve, especially after receiving so many get-well cards from children from around the world.
“If the first medicine was the affection of the children, the second medicine is definitely (going) home,” Fortunato said.
“It will certainly speed up his recovery.”
Pope is to receive 24-hour care
At the Vatican, where a Holy Year is under way, pilgrims cheered and applauded when Francis’ greeting from Gemelli was broadcast live on giant TV screens in St. Peter’s Square.
“For me, it was an important emotional experience to see him because many people were waiting for this moment,” said Sister Luisa Jimènez, a nun from Francis’ native Argentina.
Another nun from the same order, Colombian Sister Angel Bernal Amparo, expressed concern given Francis’ bloating and inability to speak much.
“He didn’t look well,” she said. “He couldn’t (talk), and I realized it was because of his breathing and, well, he left right there. But I was glad to have seen him.”
No special arrangements have been made at the Domus Santa Marta, the Vatican
hotel where Francis lives in a two -room suite on the second floor next to the basilica. He will have supplemental oxygen and 24-hour medical care as needed, although his personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, said he hoped Francis would progressively need less and less assistance breathing as his lungs recover.
Two life-threatening crises
The Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli on Feb. 14 after a bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors first diagnosed a complex bacterial, viral and fungal respiratory tract infection and soon thereafter, pneumonia in both lungs. Blood tests showed signs of anemia, low blood platelets and the onset of kidney failure, all of which later resolved after two blood transfusions.
The most serious setbacks began Feb. 28, when Francis experienced an acute coughing fit and inhaled vomit, requiring the use of a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe. He suffered two more respiratory crises a few days later, which required doctors to manually aspirate “copious” amounts of mucus from his lungs, at which point he began sleeping with the ventilation mask at night to help his lungs clear the accumulation of fluids. He was never intubated and at no point lost consciousness. Doctors reported he always remained alert and cooperative, although they say he has probably lost a bit of weight given a natural loss of appetite.
“Unfortunately yes, there was a moment when many were say-
“One morning we went to listen to his lungs and we asked him how he was doing. When he replied, ‘I’m still alive,’ we knew he was OK and had gotten his good humor back.”
Dr. Sergio Alfieri, medical and surgical chief at Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic
ing that he might not make it. And it was painful for us,” said Mario Balsamo, the owner of coffee shop in front of Gemelli. “Instead, today with the discharge, we are very happy that he is well, and we hope he will recover soon and will recover his strength.”
“I’m still alive!”
Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the medical and surgical chief at Gemelli who coordinated Francis’ medical team, stressed that not all patients who develop such a severe cases of double pneumonia survive, much less are released from the hospital. He said Francis’ life was at risk twice, during the two acute respiratory crises, and that the pope at the time understandably lost his typical good sense of humor.
“But one morning we went to listen to his lungs and we asked him how he was doing. When he replied, ‘I’m still alive,’ we knew he was OK and had gotten his good humor back,” he told a news conference late Saturday. Alfieri confirmed that Francis was still having trouble speaking due to the damage to his lungs and respiratory muscles. But he said such problems were normal, especially in older patients, and predicted his voice would eventually return. Francis is also continuing to take medication to treat a more minor respiratory infection.
No confirmed appointments for now
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni declined to confirm any upcoming events, including a scheduled audience on April 8 with King Charles III or Francis’ participation in Easter services at the end of the month. But Carbone said he hoped Francis might be well enough to travel to Turkey at the end of May to participate in an important ecumenical anniversary.
Only St. John Paul II recorded a longer hospitalization in 1981, when he spent 55 days at Gemelli for minor surgery and treatment of an infection.
NOTICE TO
COUNTY
MAIL TO: DANNY WIMBERLY, CO-EXECUTOR 491 BUCKROE DR. SANFORD, NC 27330 MICHAEL T. PARKER, CO-EXECUTOR 204 WIMBERLY ROAD MONCURE, NC 27559 Run dates: M27,A3,10,17p
more particularly described as follows (the “Property”): ALL THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND IN CENTER TOWNSHIP, CHATHAM COUNTY, STATE OF NC, AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN BOOK 603 PAGE 380 ID# 0068586, BEING
AND DESIGNATED
AND DIVISION OF ELVIE
TRACT #4
ESTATE, FIILED IN PLAT SLIDE
BEING THE SAME PROPERTY CONVEYED BY FEE SIMPLE DEED FROM FRED SCURLOCK, WIDOWER; SHIRLEY SCURLOCK HART AND HUSBAND, JIMMY HART; CLOMAN SCURLOCK, UNMARRIED; AND CATHERINE SCURLOCK BUTTS, AND HUSBAND, MARK BUTTS, HEIRS AT LAWS OF ELVIE SCURLOCK, DECEASED TO RICHARD SCURLOCK, DATED 06/15/1992 RECORDED ON 10/15/1992 IN BOOK 603, PAGE 380 IN CHATHAM COUNTY RECORDS, STATE OF NC. ALSO KNOWN AS:
GREGORIO BORGIA / AP PHOTO
Nuns gather in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican on Sunday to follow on giant screens a live broadcast from Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic.
MARCO RAVAGLI / AP PHOTO
Pope Francis leaves in a car the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome on Sunday.
CHATHAM SPORTS
Local athletes take talents to NCAA Tournament
Jarin Stevenson moved on to his second straight Sweet 16
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
CHATHAM COUNTY once again had a reason to tune into the start of March Madness over the weekend as its former athletes began their quests for a national title.
Jarin Stevenson, the former Seaforth standout and 2023 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year, made his first career tournament start in place of an injured Grant Nelson in No. 2 Alabama’s 90 -81 first-round win over No. 15 Robert Morris Friday.
The sophomore forward had a quiet tournament opener with two points, one rebound, one assist and a block in 19 minutes. Early in the first half, Stevenson had to exit the game due to a wrist injury he suffered on a fall. He checked in minutes later though, and assured he’d be ready to go in the second round following the win. In the 80-66 second-round win over No. 7 Saint Mary’s on Sunday, Stevenson came off the bench and once again had two points along with two rebounds.
After a slow opening weekend, Stevenson is still looking to have a similar impact to
“To experience it with my guys, it was very fun.”
Drake Powell
his contributions in last year’s tournament run. He broke out with 19 points and two blocks in the Crimson Tide’s Elite Eight victory over Clemson, knocking down five 3s and shooting 7 for 11 from the floor. That performance also came after two straight games in which he struggled in the shooting column. Considering how last year’s tournament played out, Stevenson is due for a big game. He’s shown spurts of being a dangerous offensive weapon for the Crimson Tide this season with seven double-digit scoring performances, including a 22-point career night at Texas last month in which he knocked down four 3s.
With No. 6 BYU waiting for Alabama in Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup, the Crimson Tide will need all the help they can get to keep their championship hopes alive. As good as it is on his low-scoring nights, Alabama is much harder to deal with when Stevenson is hot.
While Stevenson is still dancing, the season came to an end for former Northwood five-star Drake Powell and
No. 11 UNC in the first week of the NCAA Tournament.
Powell started and contributed eight points, four assists and seven rebounds in the Tar Heels’ 71-64 loss to No. 6 Ole Miss in the first round Friday. Although he struggled from the floor, going 3 for 11, he made some key plays in UNC’s second-half rally, including a block and a crucial offensive rebound and putback that brought UNC within eight with just over six minutes left to play.
Against No. 11 San Diego State in the First Four round on March 18, Powell made his first career tournament appearance and start.
“Just super excited,” Powell said after playing in his first tournament game. “My parents were in the stands watching the game. And to be able to experience March Madness, something that I’ve watched since a kid growing up, there’s a lot of great players that have played in this tournament, and to experience it with my guys, it was very fun.”
In 21 minutes against SDSU, Powell poured in six points (2 for 4 from the floor), including one of the Tar Heels’ 14 3s. He also came away with a block and a steal, contributing to one of UNC’s strongest defensive performances of the season.
See TOURNEY, page B2
The Jets scored four runs in the fifth inning
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
SILER CITY — Down 5-2 after a slow start at home, the Jordan-Matthews softball team, third in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings entering the game, scored four runs in the fifth inning to come back and beat then-second-place Seaforth 6-5 Friday. With just two hits in the first four innings, the Jets notched four hits in the bottom of the fifth. Although it was counted as an error, freshman Kinley Jordan knocked in the go -ahead run by getting the ball just over the third baseman’s glove, sending senior Kelsey Morris home. Junior Lilli Hicks started the comeback with a double, and seniors Marcy Clark and So -
“We knew once we got on base, we needed to just keep on hitting and just tag them along, and we did.”
Lilli Hicks
phia Murchison kept it going with two singles immediately after (Hicks scored on Murchison’s hit). Moments later, after an error by the Seaforth defense allowed Murchison to score, sophomore Jasmine Sorto singled to right field and sent junior Cassidy Graves home for the tying run.
“We talked to each other and was like, ‘Jump on the first pitch,’” Hicks said. “And we knew once we got on base, we
Gabby White was named District 4 Player of the Year
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
THE HIGH SCHOOL basketball season ended, and postseason awards are rolling in from the winter sports season. The North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association announced its 2024-25 all-district and all-state teams and awards this month, and five Chatham County athletes earned all-district honors. Seaforth girls’ basketball standout and Virginia commit Gabby White earned first-team all-state honors. This is her second time making an all-state team (third team in 2024).
Local basketball players who earned all-district honors
White was also named the District 4 Player of the Year while earning first-team all-district honors. This is her fourth time making an all-district team and second straight time earning first-team honors. White ended her high school career with her best scoring season, averaging a career-high 18.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. She recorded 14 double-doubles in the winter,
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Chatham Central catcher Brett Phillips (2) tags out an Eastern Randolph runner at the plate during the Bears’ nonconference road game last week. CCHS fell to Eastern Randolph, 16-2, We check in with Bears baseball in our weekly roundup on B2.
DAVID RICHARD / AP PHOTO
Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson (15) dunks against Robert Morris in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Seaforth boys extend lacrosse win streak
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record Baseball
Northwood swept Bartlett Yancey (13-4 on March 18 and 2-1 Friday) and beat Chapel Hill 8-7 on March 19 to go undefeated during the week. Sophomore pitcher Finn Sullivan threw 17 strikeouts and allowed just one run in Friday’s win (fourth straight) over the Buccaneers.
Seaforth also won three in a row, sweeping Chatham Central (6-3 on March 18 and 13-3 last Friday) and winning over Eastern Randolph 8-2 on March 19. Senior Daniel White went 3 for 5 from the plate with three RBIs against Chatham Central Friday.
Chatham Charter dominated yet another conference foe, this time outscoring Triangle Math and Science 27-0 (11-0 on March 18 and 16-0 last Friday) for the sweep. Tyner Williams and Ryder Murphy finished Friday’s win with three RBIs.
Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday) (overall, conference): T1. Southeast Alamance (8-2, 6-0); T1. Seaforth (5-6, 2-0); 3. Northwood (6-4, 5-3); 4. North Moore (4-4, 3-3); 5. Chatham Central (3-8, 3-5); 6. Jordan-Matthews (0-10, 0-6)
Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday):
1. Chatham Charter (5-4, 4-0); 2. River Mill (5-1, 4-1); 3. Clover Garden School (2-6, 1-1); T4. Triangle Math and Science (2-6, 0-4); T4. Southern Wake Academy (0-4, 0-3)
Softball
Chatham Central scored 11 runs in the second inning on its way to a three-inning 15-0 win over Northwood Friday. Jordan-Matthews started its week with a 15-0 win over Bartlett Yancey on March 18. Cassidy Graves and Jasmine Sorto knocked in three RBIs apiece. Prior to its close loss to Jordan-Matthews on Friday, Seaforth fell to Western Alamance
TOURNEY from page B1
“I thought our physicality, pressure just took them out of their stuff,” Powell said. “We hang our hat on defense.” Powell finished his first season at UNC averaging 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Well known for his defensive
6-4 on March 19. The Hawks are still looking for their first nonconference win as of Sunday. Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Chatham Central (7-1, 5-0); 2. Jordan-Matthews (7-2, 5-1); 3. Seaforth (5-5, 5-2); 3. North Moore (7-2, 4-2); 4. Southeast Alamance (4-4, 3-3); 5. Northwood (3-7, 3-5); 6. Bartlett Yancey (1-5, 1-5); 6. Graham (09, 0-8) Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Clover Garden School (5-2, 4-0); 2. Chatham Charter 4-4, 3-1); 3. River Mill (3-4, 0-3) Girls’ soccer
Seaforth got hit with some adversity in its nonconference slate last week. The Hawks lost to Cardinal Gibbons 2-1 on March 19 and were held scoreless in a 0-0 tie with Cedar Ridge the next night.
Northwood picked up its third straight conference win with a 9-0 rout over Jordan-Matthews on March 17.
Woods Charter beat River Mill 4-0 on March 19 for its second straight conference win, and Chatham Charter earns its first victory of the year over Albemarle 3-0 on March 17.
Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): T1. Woods Charter (3-2, 2-0); T1. Southern Wake Academy (1-2, 1-0); T3. River Mill (3-3-1, 1-1); T3. Clover Garden School (3-3, 1-1); T5. Triangle Math and Science (0-5, 0-1); T5. Ascend Leadership (1-3, 0-2); T5. Chatham Charter (1-4, 0-0)
Boys’ lacrosse
Seaforth grew its win streak to six with a 19-7 win over West-
prowess, the 6-foot-6 forward turned out to be one of the Tar Heels’ best 3-point shooters this year, making 37.9% from beyond the arc (third-best amongst Tar Heels with at least 50 3-point attempts). When asked about his decision to stay at UNC or declare for the NBA Draft, Powell said
ern Alamance on March 18 and a 16-3 victory over Southern Alamance on Friday. Junior Ivan Grimes combined for 10 goals in the wins while freshman goalkeeper Finn Prospero recorded 10 saves Friday. Northwood defeated Western Alamance 17-5 Friday. Juniors Grayson Cox and Robert Tripp led the way with four goals apiece. Central/Mid-Carolina conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Seaforth (6-1, 6-0); 2. Orange (7-3, 5-1); 3. Southern Alamance (8-2, 5-2); 4. Williams (6-5, 4-2); 5. Northwood (5-6, 5-4); 6. Eastern Alamance (3-5, 2-4); 7. Cedar Ridge (2-6, 2-5); 8. Southeast Alamance (1-9, 1-7); 9. Western Alamance (0-6, 0-5)
Girls’ lacrosse
Seaforth sophomore Natalie
he’s “not sure,” and it wasn’t something he put much thought into during the season. Although the Marquette women’s basketball team didn’t earn a NCAA Tournament bid, Olivia Porter, another former Charger, played postseason hoops in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament over the weekend.
Boecke scored seven goals in the Hawks’ 20-2 win over Riverside-Durham on March 17 (first win of the season).
DC/Northern Lakes Athletic/Central/Mid-Carolina conference standings (as of Sunday): T1. Chapel Hill (7-0, 3-0); T1. East Chapel Hill (7-0, 1-0); T1. Carrboro (2-0, 1-00; T4. Seaforth (1-3, 1-1); T4. Jordan (1-4, 1-1); T6. Northwood (1-2, 0-2); T6. Riverside-Durham (0-7, 0-3)
Boys’ tennis
Seaforth continued its dominant season with three more shutouts over Southeast Alamance (twice) and Jordan-Matthews last week. The Hawks have given up one match in conference play as of Sunday.
Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sun-
goals for Seaforth’s Boecke in the girls’ lacrosse win over Riverside-Durham
day): 1. Seaforth (6-1, 4-0); 2. Northwood (5-2, 4-1); T3. Jordan-Matthews (3-5, 2-2); T3. North Moore (3-4, 2-2)
Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Triangle Math and Science (1-4, 1-0); 2. Chatham Charter (5-7, 1-1); 3. Clover Garden School (0-3, 0-2)
Track and field
Seaforth’s boys and girls took home wins in their home meet on March 18. Northwood’s boys and girls also swept their own home meet the next day.
At the Seaforth meet, Jordan-Matthews senior Rachael Woods recorded personal bests to win both the girls’ long jump (19 feet, 3 inches) and the triple jump (37 feet, 10 inches).
Northwood’s Tequone Moore won the boys’ 400 and 200 at the Chargers’ home meet with personal bests of 51.94 seconds (qualified for regionals) and 23.93 seconds respectively.
Boys’ golf
Team and individual standings from the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A Conference Match No. 4 on March 18:
Team: 1. Seaforth (146 (+2)); 2. Chatham Central (172); 3. North Moore (174); 4. Southeast Alamance (194); 5. Northwood (200); T6. Bartlett Yancey (243); T6. Graham (243); Jordan-Matthews (+46) Individual (top five): 1. Ty Willoughby (Seaforth, 32 (-4)); 2. Griffin Ching (Seaforth, 37); 3. Gray Stewart (Seaforth, 38); 4. Campbell Meador (Seaforth, 39); 5. Ben Buckner (Jordan-Matthews, 40)
Porter, a junior starting guard for the Golden Eagles, scored six points and recorded four rebounds in an 80-76 overtime loss to James Madison in the second round Sunday. She made two layups in the final four minutes of regulation, including a huge bucket with less than two minutes remaining to bring Marquette back within two points. In the 74-69 first-round win over Drake on March 20, Porter scored four points and led the team with seven rebounds. She ended her first season with the Golden Eagles averaging six points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Chatham Central righthander Benjamin Wilson throws a pitch during a game last week.
SOFTBALL from page B1
needed to just keep on hitting and just tag them along, and we did.”
At first, Jordan-Matthews struggled to get anything going against Seaforth pitcher Emma Grace Hill and the Hawks defense, which continued a pattern of slow starts at the plate for the Jets.
Jordan-Matthews was held scoreless in the first two innings for the fifth time this year.
And while struggling to get on base, the Jets’ numerous fielding mistakes gave Seaforth opportunities to build its lead.
The Hawks got just one hit in the top of the first inning, but back-to-back errors allowed two runs to score before the inning flipped.
Up 3-0 in the top of the third inning, another error by the Jets, this time a mishandled throw to second base for a potential out, allowed Annika Johansson to run home from second base. Three batters later, Seaforth reached its largest lead of the night when an error in the outfield allowed Emma Strong’s fly ball to drop and Hill to run in the Hawks’ fifth run.
“I told them like it was,” Jordan-Matthews coach Holly Felder said. “If we keep playing like this and giving them extra bases and throwing the ball around, then it’s going to be a really short game that doesn’t go our way.”
From that point, the Jets started to respond offensively and defensively.
Back at the top of its lineup in the bottom of the third inning, Jordan-Matthews began to get its bats on the ball and take advantage of Seaforth’s de-
fensive mistakes. Hicks reached first base after the first baseman mishandled the throw out, and she eventually scored the Jets first run on a double from Murchison. Graves sent Clark, who walked earlier in the inning, home with a sacrifice fly to bring the deficit to three runs.
Hicks, who pitched all seven innings, further directed the comeback by allowing just three hits, zero earned runs and striking out four batters in the last four innings.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m striking everybody out or they’re getting bombs off of me, I try to keep everything the same,” Hicks said. “I try to keep my composure because I got other teammates behind me. So I just try to pick them up.” Hicks started the comeback on the offensive side, and she helped keep the Jets ahead on the defensive side. But after completing the comeback at the plate, Jordan, who’s had big shoes to fill after standout Logan Gunter graduated, got the opportunity to end it from the shortstop position.
With two outs in the top of the seventh inning and Johansson, the tying run, at third, Jordan fielded a ground ball from Hill and threw her out to clinch the win.
“It’s scary starting at shortstop as a freshman,” Murchison said. “But she’s doing great.”
Said Hicks, “She just caught on. It’s not, ‘Kinley you need to do this like that.’ She just gets it.”
Even though it’s still early in the season, Jordan-Matthews’ win was huge for the conference standings. The Jets are now back in second place, trailing Chatham Central, which has not lost a conference game as of Sunday.
As for Seaforth, the Hawks slid into the third-place spot. Despite the loss, Seaforth has plenty of positives to build on as the season continues. The Hawks are off to their best 10 -game start in program history and has proven themselves as one of the best teams in the conference.
The Hawks and Jets will face off again at Seaforth on April 22 at 6 p.m.
Finn Sullivan
Northwood, baseball
Northwood’s Finn Sullivan earns athlete of the week honors for the week of March 17.
In the Chargers’ 2-1 win over Bartlett Yancey Friday, Sullivan’s late-game ground ball led to a walk-off run, and he threw a career-high 17 strikeouts while giving up one hit and one run in six innings. He faced only three batters in the top of the third, fourth and fifth innings, retiring eight straight batters in that stretch.
Sullivan returned to the mound on March 14 and has been off to a solid start this season. In his first start this spring, Sullivan struck out seven batters in a little over three innings on the way to a 15-0 rout over Jordan-Matthews
Central Electric awards two Touchstone Energy Sports Camp Scholarships annually to local students in Chatham, Harnett, Lee, Moore, or Randolph counties. A young man will be selected to attend the Carolina Basketball School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a young woman will be selected to attend the Wolfpack Women’s Basketball Camp at N.C. State University in Raleigh.
To be eligible to apply, the student must be in the sixth or seventh grade during the upcoming school year, have permission from a parent or guardian to attend the overnight camp and must provide their own transportation if selected to attend.
trict selection in the last four seasons.
Scan the QR code or visit CEMCPower.com for more information or to apply. The deadline for applications to both camps is March 31. Central Electric sponsoring two youth to attend basketball camp this summer
notching three in Seaforth’s run to its third straight 2A East regional final. To cap off her 2024-25 season, White was named the MVP of the Carolinas Classic All-Star game in Wilmington Saturday after scoring 17 points and leading North Carolina to a 93-68 win over South Carolina.
White’s Seaforth teammate Katie Leonard earned third-team all-district honors, making an all-district team for the first time.
Leonard, a junior, was a problem for opposing teams with her ability to knock down the triple and defend. She averaged a career-high 12.8 points per game and shot a career-best 43% from beyond the arc this season.
For the boys’ selections in District 4, Northwood’s Cam Fowler earned all-district honors for the second year in a row and was named to the first team for the first time.
Fowler stepped up in a huge way for Northwood after former five-star recruit Drake Powell graduated last year. The junior guard averaged career highs of 20.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while shooting 41% from 3.
Teammate Beau Harvey earned his first all-district selection on the second team.
Harvey, a senior, became the fifth Northwood boys’ basketball player to earn an all-dis-
Harvey was a key playmaker and elite defender for the Chargers this season, averaging a career-high 6.2 assists and 3.8 steals alongside 5.8 points per game. He recorded double-digit assist totals in four games and snatched at least five steals 12 times.
Chatham Central’s Reid Albright earned his second straight all-district selection, making the second team this season.
Albright, a senior, was consistent and versatile scorer for the Bears, averaging 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and five steals per game this winter. Ending his high school career with 2,009 points, Albright finished as Chatham Central’s second-leading boys’ basketball scorer.
Anissa Little, a graduate of Chatham Central and the head girls’ basketball coach at Union Pines, won Coach of the Year honors for District 4. Little led the Vikings to their most wins (27) since the 2015-16 season (24 wins) and their deepest playoff run since 2014. Union Pines, the Sandhills 3A/4A conference regular season co-champions, finished 27-2 overall and 12-1 in conference play, including an 18-game win streak to start the season. The Vikings had four all-conference players, including Elon signee Ashanti Fox, and Little was named the conference coach of the year.
HONORS from page B1
Lilli Hicks (5) fires a pitch during JordanMatthews’ comeback win over Seaforth.
@UPHSWB / X
Union Pines head coach Anissa Little, a Chatham Central graduate, was named District 4 coach of the year.
ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
SIDELINE REPORT
SOCCER
Panama eliminates U.S. from CONCACAF Nations League with 1-0 victory
Inglewood, Calif.
Cecilio Waterman scored a stunning goal in the fourth minute of second-half injury time, and Panama beat the three-time defending champion United States 1-0 to reach the CONCACAF Nations League final.
Waterman took a pass down the right side from Adalberto Carrasquilla in front of a packed-in U.S. defense and fired a perfect right-footed diagonal shot past Matt Turner into the far left corner. Waterman’s 11th international goal, on Panama’s only shot on target on the night, advanced the Panamanians to a final against Mexico.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Former NFL, Michigan assistant Weiss charged with hacking for athletes’ photos
Detroit
An indictment says a former NFL and University of Michigan assistant football coach hacked into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes to access intimate photos and videos. Matt Weiss was charged with 14 counts of unauthorized computer access and 10 counts of identity theft. Weiss worked for the Baltimore Ravens before joining the University of Michigan in 2021. He was fired in 2023 as Michigan’s co-offensive coordinator after failing to cooperate with the school’s investigation of his access to computers.
NFL
Giants, quarterback
Winston agree to 2-year, $8 million deal
New York
The New York Giants and quarterback Jameis Winston agreed to terms on a two -year, $8 million contract. The 31-year-old Winston joins Tommy DeVito as the only quarterbacks on the Giants’ roster. New York has been in the market in free agency for a veteran, with Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson also mentioned as possible targets. Winston played in 12 games last season for Cleveland and started in seven. The No. 1 overall pick in 2015, Winston spent nine years with Tampa Bay and New Orleans.
MLB Dodgers-Cubs opener in Tokyo averages record 25M-plus viewers in Japan
New York
The first game of the Tokyo Series averaged more than 25 million viewers in Japan according to MLB, making it the most-watched MLB game in the country’s history. The audience for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs surpassed the 18.7 million viewers who tuned in for the first game of last year’s Seoul Series in South Korea, which featured the Dodgers against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers’ 6-3 win last Wednesday averaged more than 23 million Japanese viewers. That game also featured pitcher Roki Sasaki’s Dodgers debut.
Larson wins Cup race at Homestead
His victory in the truck race left him one race shy of a triple-header sweep
By Alanis Thames The Associated Press
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kyle Larson passed Alex Bowman with six laps remaining in NASCAR’s Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, giving the Hendrick Motorsports driver the 30th win of his career at one of his best tracks.
Larson sped by as Bowman scraped the wall on Turn 4 with the lead. Larson extended his edge to more than a second over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, then held on to beat Bowman by 1.205 seconds for his second career Cup Series win at Homestead, and his second victory of the weekend.
Larson fell one race short of sweeping the triple-header weekend. He won the Craftsman Truck race on Friday and finished fourth in the Xfinity Series on Saturday. He was
hoping to join Kyle Busch as the only drivers to sweep a triple-header weekend — Busch did it at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2010 and 2017.
He was far from dominant on Sunday. Larson, driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, led just 19 of 267 laps and had to overcome poor starting position, pit road mishaps and bad restarts to pull off the win — his first victory of the season and first in the Cup Series at Homestead since 2022.
Bowman, who was Saturday’s pole winner, finished second in the No. 48 Chevrolet. Bubba Wallace was third for 23XI Racing after leading 43 laps — the most laps he’s led in a race since September 2023. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
Ryan Blaney was running third when his engine blew up on Lap 207, causing a thick cloud of smoke to cover the track and a lengthy cleanup.
It had been a strong race
Mading’s long road ends where it started — in Raleigh
High Point native finished his college career at the NCAA Tournament
By Shawn Krest North State Journal
RALEIGH — At each year’s Final Four, the building where the games will be played hangs a giant banner reading “The Road Ends Here.”
The college basketball season, and especially March Madness, are often referred to as “The Road to the Final Four” and, for some players, that path can double back to where it all started.
“I went to school probably like an hour away,” said Norfolk State senior forward Kuluel Mading. “So just to be back in North Carolina for the last time. You know, it just feels like everything came full circle. Things started here, and, hopefully, they don’t finish here, but, you know, that’s the plan.”
Mading’s journey began even before he was born. His family fled the civil war that eventually produced the nation of South Sudan back in 1999, before he was born. While he’s a North Carolina-born native of High Point, he still feels a connection to his familiar roots.
“The whole South Sudan, South Sudanese community, is crazy,” he said. “Just watching how much it has grown in the past five, six years. At first, it was like local, like I didn’t really know that many people. But now, seeing it grow worldwide, even in the Olympics, we were in a close game with USA. So just seeing it grow has been amazing. I love to see the growth. I feel like we’ve got a lot that we can bring to the table, and we’re not done yet. It’s crazy watching it.”
Mading played in high school at The Burlington School, winning a state title. He returned with Norfolk State to face top-seeded Florida in the NCAA opening round in Raleigh. The Gators rolled to a 96-69 win.
“My junior year, we were runner-ups in the state championship, and then my senior year, we won,” he said. “It’s kind of the same thing here. In my junior year, we lost in the MEAC semifinals, and then senior year we won it. So I feel like everything that I did at Burlington, and the coaches, the players, they have prepared me for this moment. I’m most definitely not going to take it for granted.”
Mading began his college career with the Buffalo Bulls.
for Blaney before then. He led 124 laps and won Stage 1 after starting sixth. It was the second time in three races that Blaney did not finish a race because of an engine failure with his No. 12 Team Penske Ford.
“It just stinks,” Blaney said.
“Led a lot of laps. Lost a little bit of track position there with some stuff on pit road but got back to third. And it was a great race between me, Bubba and Larson. ... It was going to be a heck of a battle the last 60 laps or so but just didn’t really work out for us. We’ll keep our head up.
“It’s one of those things where it’s not really going our way right now, but the good news is we’re bringing fast cars.”
Pit road mishaps
While exiting pit road on Lap 84, Josh Berry’s No. 21 Ford hit the side of Larson’s car and then struck Joey Logano’s No. 22 Ford. Both Logano and Berry spun then went
“It just stinks,” Ryan Blaney, after suffering an engine failure
the wrong direction into their pit stalls to check the damage. Larson’s car was slightly damaged from the contact. Another incident happened on Lap 172. Chase Elliott received a penalty for not being lined up single-file coming into pit road, even though Elliott could be heard on his incar feed saying he had veered left to avoid hitting someone but gave the spot back. Elliott, driving a No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, finished 18th.
Up next
The Cup series races next at Martinsville Speedway, where Blaney won in November to punch his ticket into last season’s playoff final four. Byron won Martinsville last spring.
“Things started here, and, hopefully, they don’t finish here, but, you know, that’s the plan.”
Kuluel Mading, before Norfolk State’s game against Florida
“Yeah, it’s been a wild journey,” Mading said. “Leaving North Carolina go to Buffalo, which is like, super cold up there, so it’s mad different.” He played sparingly for the Bulls over two seasons, but while he was there, he lost his father, Charles, who died at age 47 in January 2023. Following that basketball season, Mading decided to move closer to home, transferring to Norfolk State.
“Coming closer to home in Virginia, it’s been a long
journey,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, a lot of injuries, close deaths in the family. But I feel like, especially for my dad, I feel like he’s still living through me. Even though he’s not here with us physically, he’s always here in spirit.”
Now Mading got the chance to end his college basketball journey on familiar turf, the conclusion of a long and winding road, with plenty of people lining the shoulder, watching.
“I feel like I have that obligation to put on for the family and make everybody proud that they’re here in North Carolina and Omaha or back home in South Sudan,” he said. “The journey’s been a lot of trials and tribulations, but I’ve got a good group of guys right here. They’ve been keeping me strong the last two years, and it’s the culmination of it all, really.”
STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH / AP PHOTO Norfolk State forward Kuluel Mading (7) watches from the bench with teammates during the second half of an NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Florida.
TERRY RENNA / AP PHOTO
Kyle Larson (5) leads Alex Bowman (48) during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami.
Local athletes make winter all-conference lists
Cam Fowler and Gabby White earned basketball player of the year honors
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
THE CENTRAL Tar Heel 1A and Mid-Carolina 1A/2A winter all-conference lists were released. Here are the local athletes who earned all-conference honors.
MID-CAROLINA
1A/2A
Boys’ basketball
First eam
Cam Fowler (Northwood, Player of the Year), Beau Harvey (Northwood), Chad Graves (Northwood), Isaiah Blair (Northwood), Reid Albright (Chatham Central), Brennen Oldham (Chatham Central), Noah Lewis (Seaforth), Nolan Mitchell (Jordan-Matthews)
Second Team
Zaeon Auguste (Jordan-Matthews), Sean Price (Jordan-Matthews), Hayes Burleson (Northwood), Josiah Brown (Northwood), Luke Gaines (Chatham Central), Aiden Johnson (Chatham Central)
Coach of the Year: Matt Brown (Northwood)
Girls’ basketball
First Team Gabby White (Seaforth, Player of the Year), Katie Leonard (Seaforth), Peyton Collins (Seaforth),Kelsey Morris (Jordan-Matthews), Karaleigh Dodson (Chatham Central), Shaylah Glover (Northwood), Mikaylah Glover (Northwood), Neah Henry (Northwood)
Second Team
Lizzie Alston (Jordan-Matthews), Cassidy Graves (Jordan-Matthews), Noelle Whitaker (Northwood), Alyia Roberts (Northwood), Camille Rozzell (Seaforth), Abby Morgan (Seaforth), Mattie Underwood (Chatham Central), Chloe Scott (Chatham Central)
Boys’ wrestling
Ethan Kuball (Seaforth, Wrestler of the Year), Jordan Miller (Seaforth), Gabe Rogers (Seaforth), Harrison Compton (Seaforth), Judge Lloyd (Seaforth), Carter Kearney (Seaforth), Caden Brewer (Seaforth), Benjamin Johnson (Seaforth),
Alexandra Zumano Garcia (Jordan-Matthews, Wrestler of the Year), Ruth Interiano (Jordan-Matthews), Edith Vargas (Jordan-Matthews), Amani Carter (Chatham Central), Caleigh Warf (Chatham Central), Aspen Phillips (Chatham Central), Marelyn Martinez (Northwood), Caroline Cook (Seaforth), Sarah Tanner (Seaforth)
Augustine Koroma (Seaforth, Runner of the Year), Sebastian Calderon (Seaforth), Nathan Smith (Seaforth), Waylon Vose (Seaforth), London Crowling (Seaforth), Will Cuicchi (Seaforth), Samuel Neil (Seaforth), Asher Aldridge (Seaforth), Matthew Washington (Seaforth), Dylan Watkins (Seaforth), Aiden Danna (Seaforth), Jace Jones (Seaforth), Gabriel Lowery (Seaforth), Micah Miller (Seaforth), Walter Entrekin (Seaforth), Paul Cuicchi (Seaforth), Jason Antley (Seaforth), Jack Anstrom (Seaforth), Joe Flynn (Northwood), Luke Waldstein (Northwood), Owen Zsuppan (Northwood), Easton Evans (Northwood), Jordan Wiley (Northwood), Marcus McKoy (Jordan-Matthews) Coach of the Year: Meredith Bazemore (Seaforth)
Girls’ indoor track and field
Abigail Johnson (Seaforth), Emily Jump (Seaforth), Natalia Davis (Seaforth), Claire Morgan (Seaforth), Juana Jimenez (Seaforth), Caidence Bazemore (Seaforth), Brenne Sovereign (Sea-
Coach of the Year: Brittany Christensen (Seaforth)
Girls’ swimming and diving
Sydney Burleigh (Seaforth, Swimmer of the Year), Sydney Haire (Seaforth), Jade Brown (Seaforth), Eva Wahieb (Seaforth), Piper Bailey (Seaforth), Gillian Eriksen (Seaforth), Alyssa Sarbaugh (Seaforth), Juliette Haire (Seaforth), Abigail Emrich (Northwood), Penelope Faris (Northwood), Holly Thesing (Northwood), Andi Wicker (Northwood), Elizabeth Klier (Northwood), Caroline Trageser (Northwood)
Boys’ swimming and diving
Jesse Eskelund (Chatham Central, Swimmer of the Year), Jackson Vaughn (Seaforth), Evan Hepburn (Seaforth), Benjamin Lajoie (Seaforth), Colton Roberts (Seaforth), Mikel Kokas (Seaforth), George Aden (Seaforth), Ken Gatimu (Seaforth), Isaac Lindgren (Seaforth), Tu-
mani Sissoko (Northwood), Jesse Sikes (Northwood), Christian Smith Pumalpa (Northwood), Brian Krebs (Northwood)
Coaches of the Year: Rebecca Reed (Northwood), Amanda Peele (Seaforth)
CENTRAL TAR HEEL 1A
Boys’ basketball
Levi Haygood (Woods Charter), Alden Phelps (Woods Charter), Bhuvanesh Senthil (Woods Charter), Grant Richardson (Woods Charter), Gabe McKoy (Chatham Charter), Brennan LaVelle (Chatham Charter)
Coach of the Year: Leonard McNair (Woods Charter)
Sportsmanship Award: Woods Charter
Girls’ basketball
Wesley Oliver (Woods Charter), Anna Robards (Woods Charter), Kynzie Jordan (Chatham Charter), Peyton York (Chatham Charter)
Honorable mention: Valentina Podolyanskaya (Woods Charter), Kori Myers (Woods Charter)
Sportsmanship Award: Woods Charter
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Seaforth’s Jordan Miller (top) earned all-conference in boys’ wrestling.
Seaforth wrestlers earn allconference honors
Comedian
Conan O’Brien walks out on stage at 25th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ceremony on Sunday at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Comedian O’Brien accepts Mark Twain Prize for humor as politics roils Kennedy Center
Twain impersonators and Adam Sandler sang “Rockin’ in the Free World”
By Ashraf Khalil
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C.
— On a night when half a dozen people made jokes about this being the last-ever Mark Twain Prize, Conan O’Brien made sure the ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ended on a high note.
O’Brien, 61, was named the 26th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize in mid-January, about three weeks before President Donald Trump upended the Kennedy Center by ousting longtime president Deborah Rutter and board chairman David Rubenstein.
On Sunday, O’Brien specifically thanked Rubenstein and Rutter — drawing an extended round of applause — and also Kennedy Center staffers who, he said, were “worried about what the future might bring.”
He said the example of Mark Twain’s own life and career was particularly resonant at this moment in American history.
“Twain hated bullies. ... He punched up, not down, and he deeply empathized with the weak,” O’Brien said. “Twain loved America, but he knew it was deeply flawed.”
A Mark Twain impersonator then emerged from the au-
dience. After a back-and-forth debate with O’Brien, he joined him on stage and the pair slow danced for a while. They were then joined by a dozen more Twain impersonators and previous Twain Prize recipient Adam Sandler for a raucous rendition of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
That musical ending capped off a night when the uncertain fate of the Kennedy Center itself was woven through the multiple tributes and testimonials to O’Brien.
Once the festivities began, Stephen Colbert joked that the Kennedy Center had announced two new board members: Bashar Assad, the ousted president of Syria, and Skeletor, a fictional “He-Man” supervillain.
John Mulaney quipped that the entire building would soon be renamed “the Roy Cohn Pavilion” after one of Trump’s mentors. And Sarah Silverman made multiple Trump jokes that were too vulgar to print.
Trump, in announcing the Kennedy Center changes, posted on social media that those who were dismissed “do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” Into this maelstrom stepped O’Brien, whose comedic persona has never been particularly political. The comic has always tended more toward goofiness and self-deprecation. But he has also leaned into sensitive societal issues at times.
O’Brien vaulted into the spot-
light from near-total obscurity in 1993 when he was chosen to replace David Letterman as host of “Late Night” despite no significant on-camera experience. The former Harvard Lampoon editor had spent the previous years as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons,” appearing on camera only as an occasional background extra in “SNL” skits. He went on to host “Late Night” for 16 years, longer than any other host. O’Brien was later tapped to replace Jay Leno as host of “The Tonight Show,” but that experiment ended in public failure. After seven months of declining ratings, NBC executives brought Leno back for a new show that would bump “The Tonight Show” back. O’Brien refused to accept the move, leading to a public spat that ended with a multimillion-dollar payout for O’Brien and his staff to exit the network in early 2010.
O’Brien went on to host another talk show on the cable station TBS and has also launched successful podcasts and travel shows. He is currently on a late-career elder statesman hot streak. His travel series, “Conan O’Brien Must Go,” drew popular and critical acclaim, with a second season coming. His recent gig hosting the Academy Awards was so well received that the producers announced they are bringing him back next year. The ceremony will be streamed on Netflix on May 4.
KEVIN WOLF / AP PHOTO
this week in history
Nuclear meltdown at Three Mile Island, “Terra-cotta Army” discovered, Reagan shot
MARCH 27
1939: The first NCAA men’s Division I basketball championship game was held, with the University of Oregon defeating Ohio State, 46-33.
1973: Marlon Brando refused to accept his Oscar for best actor in “The Godfather” and sent in his place actor and activist Sacheen Littlefeather.
1975: Construction began on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline; the 800-mile pipeline was completed just over two years later.
MARCH 28
1898: The U.S. Supreme Court, in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, ruled 6-2 that Wong, who was born in the United States to Chinese immigrants, was an American citizen.
1941: Author Virginia Woolf, 59, drowned herself near her home in England.
1969: The 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, died at age 78.
1979: America’s worst commercial nuclear accident occurred with a partial meltdown
inside the Unit 2 reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania.
MARCH 29
1974: Chinese farmers found fragments underground where archaeologists would ultimately discover terra-cotta sculptures of more than 8,000 soldiers and other figures. The “Terra-cotta Army” would become one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
1951: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted in New York of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union.
1971: Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr. was convicted of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the 1968 My Lai massacre.
1973: The last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.
MARCH 30
1822: Florida became a United States territory.
1867: U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward reached agreement with Russia to purchase the territory of Alaska for $7.2 million, a deal
My Morning Jacket’s 10th album
Producer Brendan O’Brien has worked with Phish and Pearl Jam
By Scott Bauer
The Associated Press
MY MORNING Jacket likes to hide some of its best music behind unassuming titles.
Twenty years ago, the Louisville-based jam-infused rock band led by Jim James released “Z,” one of its most heralded records. And now comes “is,” their 10th full-length record.
So is “is” any good?
Yes, “is” is.
Nearing their third decade as a band, My Morning Jacket’s veterancy shines on “is.” They continue to improve on their ability to write melodic and focused psychedelic rock songs.
And for that reason, seemingly every track on could be a single for the band, a highlight of their live set or a launching pad for improvisation on stage.
For “is,” My Morning Jacket handed the producer duties over to Brendan O’Brien, who has worked with Phish, Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam — a rarity for a band that prefers to self-produce and has for nearly a decade.
It’s paid off. O’Brien doesn’t mess with the sound that My
“Hopefully those songs will be helpful to people and give them some kind of peace as they try to deal with the insanity of the world.”
Jim James
Morning Jacket fans love and expect. Instead, he seems to have focused the band in a way that allows them to deliver a unified, 10-song collection. The songs are meant to communicate “a sense of presence in the now,” as James described the album titled in a press release.
“Hopefully those songs will be helpful to people and give them some kind of peace as they try to deal with the insanity of the world,” James said. “Because that’s what music does for me.”
That happens at the jump. Opener “Out in the Open” leads with a catchy guitar riff.
“I’m realizing what’s at stake now,” James sings. “I can’t pretend that I’m not scared / But I’ll live while I’m still free.”
On the love song “Everyday Magic,” James finds transcendence in the mundane. “Every day magic / A ripple in the fab -
solutions
‘is’
ridiculed by critics as “Seward’s Folly.”
1981: President Ronald Reagan was shot and seriously injured by John W. Hinckley Jr.
MARCH 31
1492: King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain issued an edict expelling Jews from Spanish soil, except those willing to convert to Christianity.
1814: Paris was occupied by a coalition of Russian, Prussian and Austrian forces; the surrender of the French capital forced the abdication of Emperor Napoleon.
1968: President Lyndon B. Johnson stunned listeners by declaring, “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.”
APRIL 1
1865: During the Civil War, Union forces routed Confederate soldiers in the Battle of Five Forks in Virginia.
1891: The Wrigley Co. was founded in Chicago by William Wrigley, Jr.
1945: American forces launched the amphibious invasion of Okinawa during World War II.
1976: Apple Computer was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.
APRIL 2
1792: Congress passed the Coinage Act, which authorized establishment of the U.S. Mint.
1917: President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, “The world must be made safe for democracy.”
2005: John Paul II, the Polish pope born Karol Józef Wojtyła, one of the most influential leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries, died at age 84.
a joy for fans, newbies
ric,” he sings. “Of all space time / Oh you have it / In your heart.”
“Time Waited,” another love song, seems destined to become a standard for the band, with its easy-going melody and inventive sample of pedal steel
giant Buddy Emmons’ “Blue Jade.”
That song may find a place on the playlists at weddings of neohippies, especially those who connect a little later in life.
The evidence is in its lyrics:
ATO RECORDS VIA AP
“We know real love takes forever / And the clock ticks faster every year / But time waited / For you and me,” James sings. From the longtime fan to the newbie, “is” delivers with familiar, elevated songs.
AP PHOTO
British author Virginia Woolf drowned herself on March 28, 1941.
“Is” by My Morning Jacket was produced by Brendan O’Brien.
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famous birthdays this week
The Associated Press
MARCH 27
Actor Julian Glover is 90. Actor Jerry Lacy is 89. Actor-director Austin Pendleton is 85. Actor Michael York is 83. Keyboardist Tony Banks of Genesis is 75. Director Quentin Tarantino is 62.
MARCH 28
Harmonica player Charlie McCoy (“Hee Haw”) is 84. Country singer Reba McEntire is 70. Rapper Salt of SaltN-Pepa is 59. Actor Vince Vaughn is 55. Singer Lady Gaga is 39.
MARCH 29
Comedian Eric Idle is 82. Singer Bobby Kimball of Toto is 78. Singer Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction is 66. Comedian Amy Sedaris is 64. Model Elle Macpherson is 62.
MARCH 30
Actor John Astin is 95. Actor Warren Beatty is 88. Musician Eric Clapton is 80. Rapper MC Hammer is 63. Singer Tracy Chapman is 61. TV host Piers Morgan is 60. Singer Celine Dion is 57. Singer Norah Jones is 46.
MARCH 31
Actor Richard Chamberlain is 91. Actor Christopher Walken is 82. Comedian Gabe Kaplan (“Welcome Back Kotter”) is 80. Actor Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”) is 77. Guitarist Angus Young of AC/DC is 70. Bassist Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers is 54.
APRIL 1
Actor Don Hastings (“As the World Turns”) is 91. Actor Annette O’Toole (“Smallville”) is 73. Rapper-actor Method Man is 54. Filmmakers Albert and Allen Hughes (“Menace II Society,” “Dead Presidents”) are 53.
APRIL 2
Actor Linda Hunt is 80. Singer Emmylou Harris is 77. Actor Pamela Reed is 76. Drummer Dave Robinson of The Cars is 76. Actor Christopher Meloni (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) is 64.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO
Tracy Chapman, seen performing “Fast Car” with Luke Combs at the 2024 Grammy Awards, is 61 on Sunday.
EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Actor-comedian and Raleigh native Amy Sedaris turns 64 on Saturday.
EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Actor Christopher Walken is 82 on Monday.
PHOTO BY AMY HARRIS / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Singer Emmylou Harris turns 77 on Wednesday.
the stream
‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ lands on Disney+, Chalamet’s Dylan hits Hulu, Will Smith drops first record in 20 years
Ritchie’s ‘MobLand’ features Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren
The Associated Press
WILL SMITH’S first new album in 20 years and “Mufasa: The Lion King,” Barry Jenkins’ photorealistic prequel to the 1994 animated classic, are some of this week’s new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time: Seth Rogen stars in a new Hollywood satire called “The Studio” for Apple TV+ and Timothée Chalamet stars in his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”
MOVIES TO STREAM
“Mufasa: The Lion King” started out a little like a cub in theaters but ultimately roared to $717 million in worldwide ticket sales. On Friday, Jenkins’ photorealistic prequel arrives on Disney+. In it, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) tells the story of how he was washed away from the pride lands by a flood but returns years later to fulfill his destiny. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that “Mufasa” “isn’t simply checking off fan services boxes and overexplaining origins that never needed them: It’s actually good.”
James Mangold’s Dylan drama “A Complete Unknown” (out Thursday on Hulu) might not have won any of the eight awards it was nominated for at the Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor for Chalamet, but it was a hit in theaters and managed a possibly even more elusive prize: the blessing of Dylan, himself. The film charts Dylan’s arrival in New York in 1961 and leads up to his infamous Newport Folk Festival appearance four years later. In his review, AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy praised “A Complete Unknown” as more about the Dylan effect than a revealing portrait of enigmatic musician: “It’s not who Dylan is but what he does to us.”
The second 2024 Luca Guadagnino film penned by Justin Kuritzkes and scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, “Queer,” arrived last week on Max. While drastically different from Guadagnino’s “Challengers,” his William S. Burroughs’ adaptation, starring Daniel Craig as the Burroughs alter ego Lee, is likewise concerned with the mysteries of romantic connection.
SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES VIA AP
This week, Seth Rogan’s “The Studio” lands on Apple TV + and the comedy series “Mid-Century Modern” comes to Hulu.
MUSIC TO STREAM
Last week, Will Smith released the 14-track “Based on a True Story.” Previously released songs may offer some hints about what fans can expect. The record will include “You Can Make It,” which Smith debuted at the 2024 BET Awards alongside Kirk Franklin, Fridayy and the gospel choir Sunday Service. Then there are the rap tracks “Tantrum” with Joyner Lucas, “Beautiful Scars” with Big Sean and “Work of Art” with Russ and his son Jaden Smith. Perfume Genius, the musical moniker of Mike Hadreas, creates at a tension point. On “Glory,” his latest collection is at the conceptual intersection of ex-
ternal ambition and a predilection for isolation. On the single “It’s A Mirror,” he makes the stress known in a familiar twang: “What do I get out of being established?” he sings, “I still run and hide when a man’s at the door.” This is sinewy, expansive indie-folk, where domesticity is both scary and sexy and everything in between.
SHOWS TO STREAM
Shows about high-speed racing like Formula One and NASCAR have helped boost the popularity of motorsports, but female racers have typically been overlooked by the genre. Just this month, Katherine Legge became the first woman to
compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race since Danica Patrick in 2018. A new docuseries from Prime Video called “First to Finish” is dedicated to women in motorsports. It follows Heather Hadley and Sally Mott — both female drivers — and Shea Holbrook, a female team owner as they compete in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship. “First to Finish” is ready to stream on Prime Video.
Rogen stars in a new satire called “The Studio” for Apple TV+. Rogen plays Matt Remick, the new head of The Continental, a storied Hollywood studio. Remick loves moviemaking and his romanticized version of the business is often at odds with its need to make money. Rogen is a co-creator on the series and also its writer, director and executive producer alongside his partner Evan Goldberg. Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O’Hara, Chase Sui Wonder also co-star as industry executives. The show also has guest appearances including Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie, Ted Sarandos and Olivia Wilde — all playing exaggerated versions of themselves. It is now streaming. The sequel series to Prime Video’s “Bosch” called “Bosch: Legacy” launches its third and final season on Thursday. It stars Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch, a former LAPD detective now working in the private sector. The character was first introduced in novels by Michael Connelly. And here’s a
Elle Fanning, left, and Timothée Chalamet star in the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown.”
fun fact, in Connelly’s books Bosch is the half-brother of Mickey Haller, who is the subject of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
After one of their closest friends dies, three gay men move in together in Palm Springs in Hulu’s new comedy, “Mid-Century Modern.” It stars Nathan Lane, Nathan Lee Graham and Matt Bomer (as the Rose Nylund of the group if this were “The Golden Girls,” of which there are similarities.) The show debuts Friday and also features Linda Lavin in her final role. Guy Ritchie’s new mafia series “MobLand” comes to Paramount+ on Sunday, March 30. It features an all-star cast including Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Joanne Froggatt as series regulars. The show follows two rival crime families whose middleman is played by Hardy.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
In 1957, a nuclear reactor in the northwest United Kingdom caught fire, releasing radioactive material across Europe. Atomfall, from British studio Rebellion, imagines that the aftermath of that accident was much weirder than reported. Sure, you can expect to run into mutated beasts in the quarantine zone. You might be surprised, though, when you have to deal with rogue government agencies, a creepy cult and killer robots. The Geiger counter starts ticking Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
