The right of the people peaceably to assemble
Protesters gathered at the Chatham County Justice Center in Pittsboro on Saturday as part of nationwide “Hands
demonstrations against Trump administration policies.
the BRIEF this week
Judge restores AP’s access to White House events
Washington, D.C.
A federal judge has ordered the White House to restore The Associated Press’ access to cover presidential events, saying that the AP must be given comparable access to its peer wire services. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, an appointee of Donald Trump, ruled that the government can’t retaliate against the AP’s decision not to follow the president’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The judge said that his decision does not prohibit a government official from choosing which outlets to give interviews to, or choosing which journalists’ questions they choose to answer at a news conference.
CDC may end recommendation to add fluoride to water supplies
New York
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he wants communities to stop fluoridating water and plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control to stop recommending fluoridation in municipal water supplies. He’s assembling a task force to study the issue. He can’t order communities to stop, as it’s a decision left up to states and localities, but many are already pulling back from the additive.
High schoolers bring Revolutionary spirit to local oratory contest
“What makes America great?”
Homeschooled sophomore Jonathan Paul
Students compete with speeches on American history
By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record
CHAPEL HILL — Sev-
en area high school students delivered passionate speeches about America’s founding at the annual Joseph S. Rumbaugh Historical Oration Contest on March 27.
Hosted by the Gen. Francis Nash chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution at Chapel Hill’s Governors Club, the event coincided with upcoming commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
Historian Lowell Hoffman served as master of ceremonies, introducing each speaker and providing his-
torical context between presentations. His commentary covered Revolutionary figures and events, including Dr. Joseph Warren, who warned of British troops marching to Concord, the Battle of Alamance and the Boston Tea Party.
The audience included SAR members, parents and teachers who supported the students’ participation. Hoffman specifically recognized two educators: Northwood High School’s Jill Thomas, whom he called “a jewel of a committed teacher,” and Seaforth High School’s Riley Shaner, herself a former winner who placed second nationally six years ago.
“We truly value her story of now becoming an English and speech teacher
Pittsboro may hold property tax rate steady for next year
The property tax rate currently sits at $0.44 per $100 valuation
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
PITTSBORO — The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners met March 31 for a special-called meeting related to preliminary budget discussions.
Town staff laid out three goals for the upcoming budget: continuation and enhancement of current service levels, recruitment and retention of staff, and maintaining a responsible fund balance. While the board was not presented with a budgetary estimate — last year’s budget was approximately $194 million — town staff did discuss how See CONTEST, page A3 See TAX, page A10
Feds terminating
student
visas over crime, activism
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week students are being targeted for involvement in protests along with others tied to “potential criminal activity.”
Some of the issues are misdemeanor crimes or traffic-related
By Collin Binkley Annie Ma and Makiya Seminera The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A crackdown on foreign students is alarming college leaders, who say the Trump administration is using new tactics and vague justifications to push some students out of the country.
College officials worry the new approach will keep foreigners from wanting to study in the U.S.
Students stripped of their entry visas are receiving orders from the Department of Homeland Security to leave the country immediately — a break from
past practice that often permitted them to stay and complete their studies.
Some students have been targeted over pro-Palestinian activism or criminal infractions — or even traffic violations. Others have been left wondering how they ran afoul of the government.
At Minnesota State University in Mankato, President Edward Inch told the campus Wednesday that visas had been revoked for five international students for unclear reasons. He said school officials learned about the revocations when they ran a status check in a database of international students after the detention of a Turkish student at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Off!”
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
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 31
• Jordan Malik Sanders, 26, of Chapel Hill, was arrested for simple possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia, resisting, delaying, or obstructing an officer, assault on a female, misdemeanor domestic violence, and communicating threats.
April 1
• Gary Lee Louk, 55, of Sanford, was arrested for fleeing to elude arrest with a motor vehicle, failing to heed a light or siren, resisting a public officer, reckless driving with wanton disregard, speeding, driving without a license, using a fictitious or altered registration card or tag, failing to wear a seatbelt, and failing to stop at a stop sign.
• Saul Antonio Ramirez Guevarra, 26, of Siler City, was arrested for first-degree kidnapping, sexual servitude of a child victim, statutory rape of a child (two counts), and human trafficking of a child victim.
• Gabriel Lee Savage Bartholow, 30, was arrested for injury to personal property.
April 2
• Austin Payne Weeks, 29, of Durham, was arrested for breaking and entering a motor vehicle, assault on a female, and criminal trespass related to domestic violence.
April 5
• Kenneth Ray Hayes, 47, of Siler City, was arrested for failing to prevent an attack by a dangerous dog and allowing animals to roam freely.
LAND
• 37 E Cotton Road (Pittsboro), 0.996 acres, $100,000
471 Deer Run (Pittsboro), 4.92 acres, 3 bed/ 2 bath, $400,000
389 Dewitt Smith Road (Pittsboro), 9.109 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $500,000
298 E. Salisbury Street (Pittsboro), 0.40 acres, 3bed/2 bath, $600,000
• 9550 Silk Hope Liberty Road (Siler City), 73.740 acres, 3 bed/3bath, $1,450,000
• 557 Olives Chapel Road (Apex), 12.802 acres, 3 bed/3 bath, $2,500,000
RESIDENTIAL
• 2930 Wayne White Road (Climax), 7.60 acres, 3 bed/2.5 bath, $250,000
• 5515 Rives Chapel Church Road (Siler City), 2.607acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $295,000
• 170 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000
• 188 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000
• 327 Poplar Trail (Siler City), 5.022 acres, $150,000
• 9311 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 4.602 acres, $225,000
• Tract 1 Robedo Road (Mount Gilead), 15.123 acres, $227,000
• 9231 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 5.630 acres, $250,000
• Tract 3 Robedo Road (Mount Gilead), 17.029 acres, $256,000
• Tract 2 Robedo Road (Mount Gilead), 17.425 acres, $262,000
• 323 Wagon Trace (Pittsboro), 10.255 acres, $295,000
• 639 Hills of the Haw Road (Pittsboro), 5.2470 acres, $450,000
• 0 Chatham Church Road (Moncure), 15.94 acres, $750,000
• 00 US Highway 64 W (Siler City), 7.87 acres, $800,000
LAND
• 1115 Manco Dairy Road (Pittsboro), 14 acres, 3 bed/1 bath, $500,000
• 79 John Horton Road (Apex), 4.89 acres, 2bed/2bath, $600,000
• 1701 Mitchells Chapel Road (Pittsboro), 10 acres, $200,000
• 00 Hamlets Chapel Road (Pittsboro), 118.742 acres, $4,250,000
• 0 JB Morgan Road (Apex), 21 acres, $825,000
• 0 Pasture Branch Road (Rose Hill), 29 acres, $1,250,000
• 8636/8710 Johnson Mill Road (Bahama),182.888 acres, $2,800,000
• 0 US 64 W (Siler City), 9.670 acres, $4,500,000
• 0 Olives Chapel Road (Apex), 75.4330 acres, $15,300,000
COMMERCIAL
IMPROVED
• 140 & 148 East Street (Pittsboro), 1.49 acres, $1,350,000
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
April 10
Opinionation Trivia at House of Pops
6-8 p.m.
Join House of Hops every Thursday, 6-8 p.m. for Opinionation Trivia. This Family Feud-style trivia game is so much fun! Play at 6 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. for two chances to win $15 or $25 House of Hops gift cards. More events at House of Hops; part of Chatham County’s Craft Beverages and Country Inns Trail. 112 Russet Run Suite 110 Pittsboro
April 12
Spring Potluck
6-8:30 p.m.
Free vegan potluck at Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge in the Pavilion on Saturday, April 12 from 6-8:30 p.m. Meet like-minded people and share tasty food. Board games are available on-site, but please feel free to bring any games from home to share.
Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge 7432 North Carolina 87 Pittsboro
April 13
House Band Plays at the 23rd Annual Clydefest
2:50-3:20 p.m.
The SORCH House Band plays a 30-minute set at the 23rd Annual ClydeFEST in Chatham County: A Kids’ Festival of Folk Art Fun. Come out for a fun day of music and folk art.
Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center 1192 U.S.-Business Pittsboro
COMMERCIAL UNIMPROVED
• 10681 US Hwy 64 E (Apex), 3.97 acres, $1,000,000
• 1700 Hillsboro Street (Pittsboro), 29.79 acres, $4,500,000
Share with your community! Send your birth, death, marriage, graduation and other announcements to community@chathamnewsrecord.com. The weekly deadline is Monday at Noon.
April 16
Dehydrating fruits and vegetables workshop 10 a.m. to noon
Learn how to dehydrate your favorite fruits and veggies at our hands-on workshop on April 16, at 10 a.m.!
Chatham County Center 1192 U.S. Hwy 64 West Bus. 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
If veterinary care is unavailable or unaffordable, use Happy Jack products to treat itch allergies, yeast infections, & cat flea infestation. Southern States Coop. 742- 2128
eCourts lawsuit can continue against developer, sheriff
Errors allegedly led to multiple arrests on the same warrant
The Associated Press GREENSBORO — A federal lawsuit alleging North Carolina’s new electronic courts records and case management system contributed to unlawful arrests or extended jail detainments can continue against the system’s developer and a county sheriff, a judge ruled this week.
U.S. District Judge William Osteen declined to dismiss the “eCourts” system litigation against Tyler Technologies and Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, meaning the lawsuit can continue to trial against them. But Osteen dismissed Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe from the lawsuit.
About a dozen people are suing over eCourts from when its case management software
was implemented in Wake and three other pilot counties in February 2023 and in Mecklenburg County several months later. Now the case management software serves 62 North Carolina counties and is expected to reach the remaining 38 counties by this fall.
The plaintiffs contend that software errors and human errors led to multiple arrests on the same warrants and extra time in jail after release conditions were met. The plaintiffs allege several dozen people spent extra time in the Mecklenburg County jail during the first days of the eCourts’ rollout in the county. Osteen ruled last Monday in central North Carolina federal court that, in the prediscovery phase of the lawsuit, the plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that Tyler Technologies breached its duty to ensure its software worked and lacked defects that led to unlawful arrests and detentions. As for McFadden,
the plaintiffs in part also have plausibly alleged “their constitutional injury was caused by the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office failure to train its deputies on how to use the eCourts software,” Osteen wrote.
Rowe was granted his dismissal because he held “statutory immunity” for any alleged negligence associated with executing warrants, Osteen ruled, and the plaintiffs haven’t alleged their arrests constituted a constitutional injury within the judicial system.
Last year, lawsuit plaintiffs ended voluntarily civil claims against two leaders of the state Administrative Office of the Courts, which is implementing the system, some state court clerks and another sheriff.
No trial date has been set. The plaintiffs’ lawsuit also seeks to expand the litigation to cover additional people who contend they were jailed longer or wrongly arrested because of eCourts.
By Marcia Dunn
Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.
— A day at Uranus just got a little longer. Scientists reported Monday that observations by the Hubble Space Telescope have confirmed it takes Uranus 17 hours, 14 minutes and 52 seconds to complete a full rotation. That’s 28 seconds longer than estimates by NASA’s Voyager 2
spacecraft in the 1980s. A French-led team studied a decade’s worth of aurora observations at the ice giant to track its magnetic poles. That long-term tracking provided a more precise rotation period for Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun. From that distance, it takes about 84 Earth years for Uranus to orbit the sun.
“The continuous observations from Hubble were crucial,” lead author Laurent Lamy of the Paris Observatory said in a statement.
Lamy and his international team said this new approach can help pinpoint the rotation
of any world with auroras and a magnetosphere. Published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the findings come a few weeks before the 35th anniversary of Hubble’s launch. NASA’s space shuttle Discovery delivered the space telescope to orbit on April 24, 1990.
and motivating her students to enter Rumbaugh,” Hoffman said.
Brooks Bae, last year’s winner and Northwood High senior, opened the competition. His speech examined Revolutionary-era music and its parallels to contemporary artists like Kendrick Lamar.
“United we stand, divided we fall,” Bae said. He also revealed that “Yankee Doodle Dandy” originated as British mockery before Americans embraced it as patriotic.
Judges evaluated competitors on composition, delivery, historical knowledge and significance. GFN Rumbaugh Chairman Guy Guidry announced Seaforth High’s Aiden Danna in third place for her “Battle of Saratoga” speech connecting Revolutionary-era misinformation to today’s social media challenges. Another
Seaforth student, Aria Browndyke, took second with “The Intolerable Acts: A Pivotal Moment in American History.”
Homeschooled sophomore Jonathan Paul from Greenville captured first place with his energetic “American Heroes” oration, posing the question, “What makes America great?”
During the event, Ralph Nelson received a Silver Liberty Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for helping 110 new SAR members join. President Al Segars, a UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School professor, presented Guy Guidry with the Chapter Distinguished Service Medal for his work as Rumbaugh and ROTC Chairman. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Sons of the American Revolution promotes patriotism and historical education. The Gen. Francis Nash Chapter, founded in 1928, honors a North Carolina regiment commander who served under George Washington and was mortally wounded at Germantown in 1777. For more information, visit ncssar.org.
OAKLEY BAPTIST CHURCH
2300 Siler City Glendon Road Siler City, NC 27344
We Will Be Having Our Annual Easter Cantata, Ascend To Heaven, This Sunday, April 13 beginning At 10:30 a.m.
Please Join Us For This Special Easter Service! All Are Welcome!
BEAR CREEK BAPTIST CURCH
480 Bonlee Carbonton Road, Bear Creek, NC, 27207
Join us Saturday, April 12th for our 2nd annual Great Easter Eggspedition!
There will be activities for the children, supper with homemade desserts for the family and an egg hunt for children ages 2 years old through sixth grade. We hope to see you for this family friendly event at Bear Creek Baptist Church!
The data comes from Hubble telescope observations
The
ESA/HUBBLE VIA AP
An image of Uranus’ aurorae taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2022.
COURTESY DENNY COLVIN
From left, competitors Brooks Bae, Aria Browndyke, Aiden Danna, Jonathan Paul, Adsila Getz, Audrey Palmer and Michael Tiul Caseres pose with Guy Guidry, GFN Rumbaugh Chairman.
COURTESY DENNY COLVIN
Ralph Nelson was honored with a Silver Liberty Medal for his service and devotion to Sons of the American Revolution.
THE CONVERSATION
Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
At the rally with a child
Taking a child to a rally or protest may be the best way to remember who we fight for.
WHY DO YOU TAKE a 7-year-old to a political rally? One reason is that she is too young to stay at home alone. Another reason is that she loves art projects, so she helps make your posters. Of course, the prospect excites her. She marches around the house, waving her sign and chanting, “Hands off the trees! Have hope!”
Still another reason to take a 7-year- old to the rally is that the children are our future. A tariff is another word for tax, and the children will ultimately pay, just like they will for the massive tax cuts for the super-wealthy that drive our national debt to astronomical numbers. Meanwhile, 40% of all children are covered by Medicaid, and according to CORA, about 14% of children in Chatham County are food insecure, meaning they will suffer even more by cuts to SNAP and
COLUMN | BOB WACHS
WIC programs. Their learning will suffer as a result of less funding for their schools and teachers. Their lives are more at risk because of less regulation of pollution in the land, skies, rivers and seas. Organizers have dubbed the rallies “hands off” in protest against the federal government’s overreach that threatens these life-giving programs.
Taking a child to a rally or protest may be the best way to remember who we fight for. We must be hands-on when it comes to their care.
An ancient rabbi, who was no stranger to a protest and a parade in the state capital (see Luke 19:28–40), commanded that everyone emulate a child’s faith. Jesus could be a bit cryptic. Maybe he was referring to a child’s capacity to trust or their ability to exist in the moment or that a group of them will gallop in circles
in front of a legislative building like a glee of wild ponies. Maybe Jesus meant that we are to do all we can to make our world better for all children. Perhaps he meant to kindle a belief in our cynical hearts that we are stronger together and doing the right thing matters in ways beyond our kith and kin and even beyond our wildest ken.
Yet another reason to take a 7-year-old to a political rally is that she will insist on bringing her stuffed tiger, and because it is hot under the April sun, she will demand that you carry said tiger on your head. You will comply, and dozens upon dozens of strangers will smile at your peculiar hat. You will realize that, while the issues are serious as hell, joy offers a glimpse of heaven.
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.
Gas stations at one time dispensed more than fuel
In my humble opinion, such an establishment today would go a long way toward eliminating nervous breakdowns and such.
READ A NEWS STORY the other day about a gas station down east in North Carolina that’s a novelty in today’s world.
Seems the little place in a rural northeastern county does more than merely supply petroleum. Rather than you having to get out of your vehicle, the folks who own the place actually come to you and pump the gas ... and check the oil and the tires and wash the windshield and a whole bunch of other things that once were commonplace for the motoring public.
I’m pretty sure I remember when convenience stores, the craze of the day back then, were getting into their own and advertised that you could buy gasoline at a much cheaper price there than you could at the “full-service” outlets since the convenience stores weren’t saddled with the overhead of paying employees. Just out of curiosity, how’d that all work out?
Anyway, this throwback business comes complete with a coffee pot — not a coffee machine — honey buns, seats all around — some of them “assigned” for the regulars — old bottles and pictures of the old high school, long gone now.
There are some petroleum products available other than the gas, which comes from pumps which aren’t digital. That means you can’t pay at the pump; you’ve got to come inside, or either the owner will take your card or cash and go in for you. Sitting on the shelves are cans of motor oil, the paper kind where you have to punch in a pour spout on the top. Nearby on other shelves are individual cans of beans and franks, fruit cocktail and Vienna Sausages, along with the standard box of Lance’s saltine crackers. In short, the place is, as its owner says, “part service station, part old folks’ home, part daycare center. Most of the guys who come in here helped raise me.”
If you ever watched “The Andy Griffith Show,” you’d see a similar place as Gomer or Goober Pyle rushed out of Wally’s Filling
Station to serve a customer. But long ago and far away in my youth in Pittsboro, I was personally acquainted with one.
There were actually several all around, and I knew most of them; in fact, practically all of them were of the same style. There was Marshall Atwater’s Gulf station on the southeast corner of the courthouse circle. D.W. Smith had a similar establishment on the Sanford Road. Phillip Smith had a station on the courthouse circle, and there was also Clark and Eubanks there as well. Just north of Bynum, G.R. “Dobber” Williams ran a Pure oil station where I had many a lunch of pork and beans and Viennas with my dad as he rode his insurance route.
But for childhood memories, for being accepted for who you were by your community as you made the transition to adulthood, for the news and gossip and warmth of small town, for me, the centerpiece of all that was Gordon Burns Esso. The building is still there, only it’s now Elizabeth’s Pizza, and every time I down a pepperoni there, I remind myself I’m having supper in the wash pit.
There was a long list of characters at Gordon’s, both employees and customers, who came in to while away 10 minutes or two hours. It started with Gordon, of course. I can’t remember how old I was when I first met him; I couldn’t have been very old, but from the start, his name was Gordon, not Mr. Burns, and it never seemed anything else other than natural and not disrespectful to call him that. One of my most embarrassing moments as a lad was when he spoke to me at Henry’s, the only restaurant in town at the time, and I didn’t recognize him because he wasn’t wearing his cap at the dinner table. He realized it, of course, and laughed and said, “You don’t know me, do you?” Naturally, I recognized his voice, but after that, I never failed to recognize him again when I saw him.
There were others, of course. Ernest
Hudson was our family’s next-door neighbor on Cornwallis Street when we first moved to Pittsboro about a hundred years ago. He was a good mechanic who could fix about anything mechanical, including things that weren’t broke yet but would be soon.
Odell Jackson was the primary “front” man most of the time. You’d pull up to the pump, and before you could crank — notice I said “crank” — the window down, he was at your door. Smiley, as the whole world knew him, was the only fellow I’ve ever known who could fill your tank, check under the hood and refill the fluids, check the wipers and belts, wash the windshield and check the tires all the while asking how your mama and daddy were doing.
And then there was Bo and Little Bo and Frank Kirby and Fred Marsh and others whose faces I can see but whose names are long gone somewhere. Later on, after I grew up, I got reacquainted with Frank Kirby when he ran the Bike Shop on Sanford Road. It, too, is now long gone.
In those times, we were young and old, black and white. But all were welcome in the little front room with the big plate glass windows, where seats were sometimes so few you made do sitting on the ice cream box and where you could charge your gas and pay for it later. I know BP will let you charge gas today and mail a check later, but it’s not the same. One of my early chores after I got my driver’s license was for Dad to toss me the keys and some money and say, “Run uptown and get some gas and pay Gordon.”
In my humble opinion, such an establishment today would go a long way toward eliminating nervous breakdowns and such.
I miss those guys.
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
COLUMN VICTOR JOECKS
That dream from … Hades?
I’m also accountable for how I treat myself after remembering this unfortunate dream.
I HAD A DREAM. An unbelievable dream. An embarrassing and mortifying one. A dream in which my behavior was, seriously, off the charts of my present-day waking value system.
I was absolutely startled remembering this dream after waking.
No!
Me? This was me?! Not my today “me?” No way. Nonetheless, I still dreamed that dream. Oh God, just so embarrassing! More frightening is the possibility I’m not the person I think I am. I mean, all those years of therapy, self-help potpourri, digging deep inwardly … doesn’t that count?
Just incredibly startled, followed by a boatload of self-criticism, does not make for an idyllic morning. (Does it?) I’d have headed for the hills (if we had any) for a deep nature dunk to soothe my judging heart. Paddling through a churning sea of self-criticism, hoping sharks are, otherwise, occupied. Oh wait, I’m doing a pretty good shark imitation myself, aren’t I? Sharply biting … Whoa! I mean, just, whoa! In this unexpected dream, I was, oh no, a fallible
| SUSAN ESTRICH
and imperfect human being. (You’re not fallible and imperfect?) Now, wait just a moment. Am I saying that only in dreams am I a fallible and imperfect human? Only in dreams? Get a life, girl! For the most part, I’m pretty accountable to my values in my waking hours. But, you know …
Here’s a thought: I’m also accountable for how I treat myself after remembering this unfortunate dream. Let’s beat up Jan because she’s human and has her foibles, whether in dreams or real life? Way too much talk of “beating up.” My inner pacifist is getting a stomach ache.
Solace appeared from a long-remembered (and probably misquoted) line from a favorite book, “We try to live good lives, but take out the change in bad dreams.” Despite our living responsible lives, fear and anger will still leak out in our dreams. And I know I ain’t alone in this.
My dream’s capacity to feel toxic slowly drained away …
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
President Laura Loomer?
When Donald Trump wanted to hire her to work in his campaign, his senior staff revolted.
SHE IS A SELF-STYLED Islamophobe, a proud white nationalist and a conspiracy theorist.
She called 9/11 an “inside job.” She has been banned from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (pre-Musk), PayPal, Uber and Lyft, among others, for hate speech and posting misinformation. She has been banned from events and had her press credentials suspended for harassing politicians she disagrees with and causing disturbances. She has called Islam a cancer and called for a complete and permanent ban on Muslims entering the United States.
When Donald Trump wanted to hire her to work in his campaign, his senior staff revolted.
None of which stopped the president from meeting with her this week to review her “research” on which members of the National Security Council staff were insufficiently loyal to Trump. All of them had been vetted by National Security Adviser Mike Waltz. It didn’t matter. Waltz tried to defend his own people. He failed.
“She is a very strong person, and I saw her yesterday for a little while and she has her, she makes recommendations of things and people,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “And sometimes I listen to those recommendations, like I do with everybody, I listen to everybody, and then I make a decision.”
This time, he listened.
“Out of respect for President Trump and the privacy of the Oval Office, I’m going to decline on divulging any details about my Oval Office meeting with President Trump,” Loomer told the press after her meeting with the president. “It was an honor to meet with President Trump and present him with my findings, I will continue working hard to support his agenda, and I will continue reiterating the importance of strong vetting, for the sake of protecting the president and our national security.”
After what The New York Times described, based on its interviews, as an “extraordinary meeting” with her in the Oval Office, Trump fired six National
BE IN TOUCH
Security officials who she vilified by name based on a pile of papers she brought with her reflecting her own vetting process. These were senior officials with strong Republican credentials, including the senior director for intelligence, the senior director for international organizations and the senior director for legislative affairs.
Defending her, Trump described her as a “great patriot” who had nothing to do with the firings. And if you believe that ... Why do the people around Trump allow this?
Easy. Because there is only one requirement for those on the inside: blind loyalty. He says, “Jump,” and they say, “How high?” Nothing matters except absolute loyalty. That is Loomer’s only qualification for being in the room with Trump, which matters more than her being a racist hater. This has been a terrible week for the country. Against all legitimate advice, ignoring all the lessons of history and of basic economics, Trump has launched a global trade war that will increase prices on everything, could trigger a global recession or depression, and quite frankly makes him and us look like fools. Placing a tariff on islands only occupied by penguins underscores the sloppiness and cowardice of those who have the president’s ear. Why didn’t someone around him tell him how foolish he would look slapping tariffs on uninhabited islands?
For the same reason no one told him that the president of the United States has no business meeting with a disreputable hater like Laura Loomer, let alone taking her advice. Look at his Cabinet. Look at his senior staff. You don’t get there by giving tough advice. You don’t stay there by telling him what he doesn’t want to hear. Republicans who know better — and there are plenty of them — don’t make it into the inner circle. Only blind loyalists do, no matter how hateful. Like Laura Loomer.
Susan Estrich is a lawyer, professor, author and political commentator.
SNAP shouldn’t subsidize Slurpees
EVEN CHICKEN LITTLE would be exhausted trying to keep up with what Democrats claim President Donald Trump wants to do.
Just look at the news. On Tuesday, Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) said that Republican cuts to SNAP “are the difference between life and death for the many in the communities that we serve.” SNAP is the rebranded food stamps program.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has accused Republicans of setting “in motion the largest cut to Medicaid in American history.” Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Trump’s work to dismantle the Department of Education “is a direct attack on America’s students, teachers and families.”
To understand why this is fearmongering, consider a recent trip I made to 7-Eleven. My wife and I wanted to buy our kids Slurpees after baseball practice. (Shhh ... don’t tell Robert Kennedy Jr.)
In between my frantic efforts to keep my kids from overfilling their cups, I noticed a sticker on the machine.
“All Slurpee cups are EBT eligible,” it read.
EBT stands for Electronic Benefits Transfer. It’s how people spend their SNAP benefits at stores. There was a similar sign on the soda machine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture website confirms that the signs are accurate.
Taxpayers are subsidizing Slurpees and sodas. This is wasteful. Food stamps are supposed to help low-income individuals ward off hunger, not satiate their sweet tooth. But imagine the left’s reaction if you proposed making junk food ineligible for food stamps. They’d claim that you wanted to cut benefits from the poor. That you wanted to cut the program. That you wanted to stigmatize poor people. This isn’t speculation. House Republicans are currently pushing a bill to do just that, and those are some of the attacks they’re facing.
Those attacks may have a grain of truth, but they’re deeply misleading. If Republicans pass a ban on SNAP paying for junk food, hunger won’t increase one bit. The biggest impact may be a reduction in diabetes, which low-income Americans are more likely to develop. That could save the Medicaid program money, but then Democrats would likely claim Republicans are cutting the program.
Once you see this pattern, Democrats’ alarmism is hard to take seriously.
The Department of Education has been around for decades. Aside from some bright spots with charter schools, public education is generally terrible. Just because the name says “education” doesn’t mean the department is doing much to improve how kids learn. Now, if I haven’t convinced you, I challenge you to do this: Open the calendar app on your phone. Create an appointment for July 15, 2026. In the notes section, write down three things you think will happen as the result of Republican actions.
Some examples: Republicans will cut SNAP benefits and 100,000 people will die of starvation. Trump will cut Medicaid and people will have worse health outcomes, including 50,000 more heart attack deaths. Gutting the Department of Education will reduce student achievement by five percentage points. A note: Look beyond the funding level of a certain program and consider outcomes. Government programs are supposed to be a means to an end, not just a money pit.
If you think Trump has dictatorial aspirations, set a reminder for November 2026 or 2028. Write down if you think Trump will cancel elections or run for a third term.
Make sure to also write down if someone has made this claim.
When that date comes, look around and see what happened. Perhaps Trump has led America into unprecedented levels of starvation, illness and ignorance. Or perhaps Democrats have staked their electoral success on scaring people like you.
Either way, you won’t have to take my word for it.
Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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
COLUMN
obituaries
Pastor Darrell Newton Garner
Aug. 10, 1942 – April 4, 2025
Pastor Darrell Newton Garner entered his eternal home in heaven to live forever, with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his heavenly father, the Lord God Almighty, surrounded by his family on Friday, April 4, 2025.
Darrell is survived by his wife Bonnie Whitaker Garner. He was the faithful, self-sacrificing, protective and loving husband of Bonnie. Their marriage of 63 years was a reflection, and example of Ephesians 5:25-33.
Darrell was the son of the late Hugh L. Garner and Shula Lewis Garner and grew up on a Farm in Moore County, NC on VassCarthage Road.
Darrell was blessed with, loved and loved by three children, Melissa Garner McKenzie and her husband, Douglas McKenzie, Thomas Darrell Garner and his wife, Kelly Cotten Garner and Tammy Garner Trueblood, and her husband Mark Trueblood; ten grandchildren; Elizabeth McKenzie Baddour, husband Michael, Jessica McKenzie Curlee and husband Paul, Christi Harmon Shaw and husband Eric, Sarah Melissa Cebra and husband Ian, Sawyer Garner, Rachel Trueblood Fann and husband Brandon, Zachary Trueblood, Nathan Trueblood, Noah Trueblood and Courtney Wilson; nine great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Darrell is also survived by his brother Robert E. Garner and wife Bobbie, sisterin-law Betty Gibbons Garner, cousin Jerry Garner, sisterin-law Janet Whitaker Frye, sister-in-law Lucille Whitaker Collins, husband Billy, sisterin-law Wanda Whitaker Garner, brother-in-law Russell Whitaker, wife Mary Ruth, sister-in-law Gail Whitaker Gathagan, husband Gene and many beloved nieces, nephews and extended family that loved him very much.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Jimmy Garner, wife Nell, Sister Mabel Garner Daniel, husband Bob, Brother Paul Garner, wife Carol, Fred Garner, wife Jean, sister Irene Garner Douglas, husband Bobby, Sister Alma Garner Seward Sharpe, husbands Alfred, Tom, Brother Larry Garner, sister Judy Garner Dudley, brother-in-law
Don Garner (Wanda).
Darrell was the Pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Bear Creek NC for 38 years before his retirement in 2024. Previously, he pastored Rainbow Baptist Church for 10 years and Pinecone Baptist Church for two. Darrell treasured his calling to Pastor and put his whole heart into the role, devoutly loving the sheep that The Lord had entrusted to him. The countless number of visits to his flock, wherever they were, for physical health or spiritual needs, only The Lord knows. His church members certainly know in part, but they could always count on “Preacher Darrell” to be there. Whether in the church pulpit, visiting in the hospital or home, Pastor Darrell was sharing The Gospel. He was always sensitive to the Holy Spirits’ leading to share the good news of Jesus and His sacrificial death, His burial and resurrection for the redemption of sins for any who would call upon the Name of The Lord to be saved. Our Lord and Savior is glorified by the redeemed souls in Heaven and still here on Earth with whom Pastor Darrell faithfully shared the Gospel and they in turn received that wonderful free gift of salvation. Praise be to God!
Darrell was a man of great work ethic and was Bi-Vocational for many of his years as he served as Pastor, working as a Salesman at Sears in Aberdeen, NC as well as Lowes and Sears in Sanford, NC. Earlier in his career he worked many years at JP Stephens, a carpet manufacturer in Aberdeen, NC.
Darrell was an avid Wolfpack fan and a lover of cars, especially Mopar (Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth) a love that he shared with his longtime best friend Pastor Don Daniel. Darrell and Brother Don shared many good times at car auctions, buying and selling and rarely making a dollar, but they loved it just the same. Darrell loved life and loved to laugh. He had a wonderfully infectious smile and laugh that his family and friends loved and enjoyed.
Darrell loved his wife, his family, his church, and his friends, but most importantly, he loved the Lord Jesus Christ, and he served them all selflessly.
Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 06, 2025, from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at Cox Memorial Funeral Home, 4888 US Hwy 1, Vass, NC 28394.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, April 7, 2025, at 2:00 PM at Hickory Grove Baptist Church, 17721 NC Hwy 902 Bear Creek, NC 27207. The Burial will follow at Yates-Thagard Baptist Church Cemetery.
In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gideons in memory of Pastor Darrell Garner.
Jessi Robinson McDaniel
March 23, 2025
My mom Jessi Robinson McDaniel, the best mom in the world passed away at the young age of 79 in the early afternoon hours of Sunday, March 23. She was the strongest & most dynamic person I ever
have & ever will know. In the 70’s she was a fashion designer, in the 80’s & 90’s she started 2 businesses; her own interior design business (Jessica’s Attic) which worked out well for her because of her impeccable taste. Her second business was a Christmas tree farm (Indian Ridge) where she also made handmade live wreaths and garland complete with the most gorgeous handmade bows you’ve ever seen. She never let anything get her down just like she made sure I got to go to school for anything I wanted. She always found a way! After retiring from Lowe’s Foods she owned 2 successful hair salons (Bliss & Baxter’s). She will be remembered well & will always be with us. She is survived by her son Baxter McDaniel, Brandi Rhew (who was like a daughter to her & who lived with us all through high school & college) her many nieces
was born on February 10, 1962, to Ethel Walden Foxx and the late John Louis Foxx. With a heart full of love and a spirit that touched everyone she met, Annette passed peacefully from earthly life to eternal rest at her home on January 7, 2025. Annette was preceded in death by her son, Robert Neal Spinks. She leaves behind her husband of forty-one years, Robert; her son Nicholas (Shirley) of St. Mary, Florida; her daughter Nicole, who cared for her tirelessly until her last breath; and four grandchildren, Jayceon, Annelisse, Marcella, and Lincoln. She is also survived by her
& nephews, & the abundance of friends she made along the way especially Nancy Wilson, her partner in crime. Mom’s beauty both inside & out shown like a star for the world to see. As a mother she was always there for me & knew exactly what I needed or what to do. There will never be another Mom (Jessi) & it leaves an enormous whole in my heart (as well as many others), but I feel you with me Mom & know
Mother Ethel Walden Foxx; Brother Gary Foxx (Sylvia) of Elon, NC; her Sister Angela Pratt of Roanoke Rapids, NC; and her Sister Prisilla (Alan) of Siler City, NC. She is further survived by her brother-in-law Tracy Spinks of Siler City and aunts, Bessie McMillan of Siler City, NC; Helen Spinks (Kenneth) of Bennett, NC; and Jeanette Foulks (Clarence) of Greensboro, NC, along with a host of other family and friends who will cherish her memory. Though she is no longer with us, Annette’s love, kindness, and the many beautiful memories she shared will live on in the hearts of all who knew her. May she rest in eternal peace.
Teachers, are you looking for new opportunities to fund projects for your classroom? Central Electric is awarding up to $15,000 in Bright Ideas education grants to local educators in K-12 classrooms for the 2025-2026 school year.
The final deadline for all grant applications is Sept. 15, but don’t wait to apply. Applications submitted prior to the early-bird deadline on Aug. 15 will be entered to win one of five $100 Visa gift cards. Scan the QR code or visit NCBrightIdeas.com for more information or to apply!
Chatham County Aging Services Weekly Activities Calendar
8:15 a.m. - Total Body Conditioning Exercise
10 a.m. - Geri-Fit
11 a.m. - Stories with Neriah
Noon - Reading Out Loud with Gaines
12:30 p.m. - Hiking with Alan
1 p.m. - Table Tennis; Mahjong
1:30 p.m. - Open Quilting Space Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Strong & Fit
10 a.m. - Cornhole
10:30 a.m. - Science with Alan
2 p.m. - Strength & Tone
3 p.m. - Caregiver Support Group Tuesday, April 15 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. - Aging Brain with Holly Thomas
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
Teachers, get your applications in for a Bright Ideas education grant! Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Chatham News & Record at obits@chathamrecord.com Monday, April 14 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
GLADYS ELAINE WILSON ALBRIGHT
JUNE 27, 1944 – APRIL 4, 2025
Gladys Elaine Wilson Albright, 80, of Bennett, passed away on Friday, April 4, 2025 at FirstHealth Moore Regional. The graveside service will be held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Beulah Baptist Church with Dr. Neal Jackson and Pastor Travis Shelton presiding. The family will receive friends in the fellowship hall following the service. Joyce-Brady Chapel will be open on Monday, April 7, 2025 from 1:00 pm-5:00 pm for friends to sign the register. Gladys was born in Chatham County on June 27, 1944 to Grady and Fern Baldwin Wilson. First and foremost , she loved her Savior, Jesus Christ and her husband of 58 years, Lloyd. She was a member of Beulah Baptist Church where she taught Sunday School for over 40 years. She loved her church family and enjoyed singing in the choir and cooking for church meals. Gladys was an All-County Basketball player in high school. She graduated from Elon College and received her Master’s degree from NC A&T. She taught in Moore County Schools for 40 years. After retirement, she volunteered at Bennett School for 8 years. She enjoyed gardening, canning, beach trips and White Lake. She loved her family and cherished the time she spent with them. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy. In addition to her parents, Gladys was preceded in death by her brother, Grady “Monroe” Wilson. She is survived by her husband, Lloyd Ray Albright, of the home; sons, Jay Albright (Jennifer) and Jody Albright (Julie), all of Bennett; brother, Hoyte Wilson (Shelby), of Robbins; sister-in-law, Judy Wilson, of Pinehurst; grandchildren, Jarod Albright and Rachel Albright and a host of family and friends.
HAROLD WAYNE COTTON JR.
JAN. 26, 1963 – MARCH 31, 2025
Harold Wayne Cotten Jr., age 62 of Moncure, passed away on Monday, 3/31/2025 at his home with his family by his side. Wayne was born in Lee County, NC on January 26,1963 son of Harold Wayne Cotten Sr. and Eileen Pendergrass Cotten. Wayne was preceded in death by his mother, Eileen Pendergrass Cotten; son Jacob Daniel Cotten; his maternal grandparents, Worthy and Esther Pendergrass; paternal grandparents, Hudson and Dallie Cotten. Some of Wayne’s favorite past-times were fishing, working in the garden, and watching old westerns on tv. Wayne was a Wolfpack fan, an NFL fanatic, and a gifted carpenter who loved his family and the Lord. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to Heartland Hospice, Lynn Clay, and Jessica Craven for all of the care they gave to Wayne over the last several months. The family would also like to extend a special thank you to Wayne’s dear friends Earlie Mitchell and Tonya Mitchell. Funeral Services will be conducted at 2 PM on Saturday (4/5/2025) at the Moncure United Methodist Church with the Rev. David Edington, and Olivia Vermane Officiating. Wayne is survived by his father Harold Wayne Cotten Sr, (Peggy) of Pittsboro, NC; son Johnny M Cotten (Lore) of Clayton; daughter Taylor Cotten-McClung (John) of Broadway, NC; sister Angela C. Partin (Stevie) of New Hill, NC; brother David Cotten (Susan) of Moncure, NC. Four grandchildren, Adley McClung, Gracie McClung, Grayson McClung and Oliver Cotten.
MARY LOUISE JUSTICE WATSON
MARCH 31, 2025
1 p.m. - Rook, Phase 10 & Rummikub; Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
1:30 p.m. - Cooking with One with Tara Gregory Wednesday, April 16 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 with Jessica Bryan
2 p.m. - Chess Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Strong & Fit
10 a.m. - Bible Study
10:30 a.m. - Nutrition Education with Ann Clark
1 p.m. - Crafts; Pickleball & Cornhole Thursday, April 17 Pittsboro Center for Active Living
8:30 a.m. - QiGong
10 a.m. - Hooks & Needles; Kindermusik; Chair Zumba Gold
10:30 a.m. - Easter Celebration
1 p.m. - Rummikub; Pinochle
1:30 p.m. - Line Dancing
3 p.m. - Gentle Yoga with Liz Siler City Center for Active Living
9 a.m. - Men’s Coffee & Conversations
10 a.m. - Chair Exercises; Crochet Workshop; Music Jam Session
12:30 p.m. - Situational Awareness with Siler City Police Dept.
1 p.m. - Powerful Tools for Caregivers; Book Club
2 p.m. - Strength & Tone
3 p.m. - Thursday Social Friday, April 18 Centers Closed for Good Friday
Our Volunteer Tax Assistance Program is open to taxpayers of all ages!
To see if you qualify, call our appointment line at 919-545-8427. You may qualify and not even know it!
Visit our website at www.chathamcountync. gov/agingservices
Mary Louise Justice Watson, age 90, of Sanford, passed away on Monday, March 31, 2025 at her home surrounded by family. She was born in Wake County to the late George Butler Justice and Anna Laura Cates Justice. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband David B. Watson, two brothers George Justice and Robert Justice and their spouses. Together with her husband she owned and operated Custom Picture Frames. Mary is survived by her children Stephen David Watson and wife Lori, Mary Lou Coffey, and husband David and Robert Anthony Watson and wife Jackie; grandchildren Carmen Eckard and husband Jon, Gary Campbell and wife Emily, Katie Lucas and husband Justin, Daniel Watson and wife Sheila, Matthew Watson and wife Kirsten and seven great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM at Jonesboro United Methodist Church with Pastor Cat Clyburn officiating. The family will gather after the service in the fellowship hall to receive family and friends.
CLASSIFIED ADS
REAL ESTATE
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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 #1-800-7352962, Equal housing opportunity, Handicapped accessible.
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AUCTIONS
RICKY ELLINGTON AUCTIONEERS
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FOR SALE
CEMETRY PLOT FOR SALE –
Located at Chatham Memorial Park, Section C in Siler City, NC. Valued at $2,349.00. Would like full amount paid or best offer. Please call 919-799-7170. 2tp
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
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Affordable Professional Lawncare – Mowing, weed eating and Small bush hog jobs – Call Mike at 919267-0475. 4tp
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
IN SEARCH OF
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– Please call 919-548-2943 2tp
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 be published once a week for four consecutive weeks prior to said hearing, as required by applicable law. That a notice of closing and public hearing shall be prominently posted in at least two places along said street. That after said public hearing, if the Board of Commissioners are of the opinion that the closing of said street
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
ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations holding claims against Daniel Joseph Shannon, deceased, of Chatham County, NC are notified to exhibit same to the undersigned on or before June 23, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 20th day of March 2025. Ellen Elizabeth Shannon, Exec., c/o Clarity Legal Group, PO Box 2207, Chapel Hill, NC 27515.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of JOSEPH J. MINORICS, 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 Munson Law Firm PLLC, P.O. Box 1811 Pittsboro, NC 27312, on or before the 3rd day of July, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 3rd day of April, 2025.
JOSHUA MINORICS, EXECUTOR ESTATE OF JOSEPH J. MINORICS NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having qualified on the 28th day of March 2025, as Co-Executors of the Estate of Dolores Bilangi, 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 3rd day of July 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 3rd day of April 2025
Dona Bilangi & Richard Bilangi, Co-Executors of the Estate of Dolores Bilangi Candace B. Minjares, Esquire Kennon Craver, PLLC 4011 University Drive, Suite 300 Durham, North Carolina 27707 4/03, 4/10, 4/17 and 4/24 The Chatham News Notice to Creditors
Having qualified as EXECUTOR of the estate of the late Horst Albert Dewitz, formerly of 72 Chatham Business Drive, Pittsboro NC 27312, Chatham County, North Carolina, Annette Bucci, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the attorney of the undersigned at OMEGA ELDER LAW, PO Box 820, Fuquay Varina, NC 27526 and the EXECUTOR at 241 High Ridge Lane, Pittsboro, NC 27312 on or before the 1st day of August, 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
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
A public hearing will be held by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners on Monday, April 21, 2025, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The hearing will be held in the courtroom of the Historic Courthouse in Pittsboro, North Carolina at 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro NC 27312. Additional information is available at the Chatham County Planning Department office. Speakers are requested to sign up at the meeting prior to the hearing. You may also sign up on the county website prior to the meeting at www.chathamcountync.gov by selecting the heading County Government, then Commissioner Meetings, then Public Input/Hearing Sign Up. The public hearing may be continued to another date at the discretion of the Board of Commissioners. The purpose of the Public Hearing is to receive input, both written and oral, on the issues listed below: Legislative Request: A legislative public hearing requested by the Chatham County Planning Department to amend the effective date of the adopted Unified Development Ordinance from July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025 as a result of legislative action S382 bill. A legislative rezoning request by TIP Gateway LLC on Parcel 5841 and 66974 on approximately 18.81 acres, located at 680 Pea Ridge Rd., from R-1 Residential to GU RB General Use Regional Business, Cape Fear Township. Substantial changes may be made following the public hearing due to verbal or written comments received or based on the Board’s discussions.
Notice to people with special needs: If you have an audio or visual impairment, unique accessibility requirements or need language assistance, please call the number listed below prior to the hearing and assistance may be provided. If you have any questions or comments concerning these issues, please call the Chatham County Planning Department at 919-542-8204 or write to P.O. Box 54, Pittsboro N.C. 27312. Please run in your paper: April 10th and 17th, 2025
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
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
ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against CLARICE DRIGGERS COTTEN, a/ ka/ CLARICE D COTTEN, deceased, of Chatham County, NC are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before the 3rd day of July 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 3rd day of April, 2025. Billy Driggers, Executor c/o Hopler, Wilms & Hanna, PLLC, 2314 S. Miami Blvd. Suite 151, Durham, NC 27703. April 3, 2025 April 10, 2025 April 17, 2025 April 24, 2025
Notice to Creditors
25E000158-180 NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
The undersigned, Kelley Johansson, having qualified on the 21st Day of March, 2025 as Executor of the Estate of Jerry R. Weaver, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and cooperations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 27th Day of June 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 24th of March 2025. Kelley Johansson, Executor 1449 Luther Rd. Apex, NC 27523 Run dates M27, A3,10,17p
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
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000169-180
The undersigned, RICK BARKER, having qualified on the 27TH Day of MARCH 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of FRANCES V. BARKER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 10TH Day of JULY 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 10TH DAY OF APRIL, 2025.
RICK BARKER, EXECUTOR 24103 MERCERS CROSSING CT. ALDIE, VA 20105
Run dates: A10,17,24,M1p
Notice to Creditors
ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against MARY ANN WILLIAMS a/k/a ANN SWAINEY WILLIAMS, deceased of Chatham County, N.C., are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned at, on or before July 11, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 10th day of April, 2025. Robert R. Oakley, Limited Personal Representative, c/o Deborah A. McDermott, Smith Anderson Blount Dorsett Mitchell & Jernigan, L.L.P., P.O. Box 2611, Raleigh, NC 27602-2611
Chatham News & Record: 4/10/25, 4/17/25, 4/17/25 & 4/24/25
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.
CAROLINE YINGLING TAYLOR, EXECUTOR 18 SUNNYSIDE COURT CHAPEL HILL, NC 27516 Run dates: M27,A3,10,17p
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#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.
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#25E000145-180
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
PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING
Subject: Town of Pittsboro Parks & Recreation Knight Farm Community Park Future Plan Update Date: April 12, 2025 Time: 2:00 PM Location: Knight Farm Community Park, 362 Vine Parkway, Pittsboro, NC Details: Join us for a public information meeting to discuss the proposed updates to the Town of Pittsboro Parks & Recreation Plan for Knight Farm Community Park. Your input is valuable as we work to improve recreational opportunities for our community. Contact: Town of Pittsboro Parks & Recreation at (919) 542-6421or parksandrec@pittsboronc.gov. Website: https://pittsboronc.gov/192/ParksRecreation Why Attend? Learn about proposed changes, ask questions, and share your ideas to shape the future of our parks and recreation system. ###Do not include this information in the advertisement ADVERTISE ON 4/3/2025 & 4/10/2025 PLEASE SEND (1) THE ORIGINAL PUBLICATION AFFIDAVIT TO THE TOWN CLERK AT PO BOX 759, PITTSBORO, NC 27312 AND (2) THE DIGITAL
CERTIFICATION OF ADVERTISEMENT TO THE PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT AT KKELLER@ PITTSBORONC.GOV
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. BY: /s/ ANGENETTE STEPHENSON Attorney for Petitioner, CHATHAM COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
109 Conner Dr. Suite 208 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514 Telephone: (919) 869-7795 03/27/25; 04/03/25; 04/10/25
Notice of Public Hearings
Town of Siler City
The following items will be considered by the Siler City Board of Commissioners as legislative hearings. The hearings will be conducted during the Board of Commissioner’s regular meeting on Monday April 21, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the court room located in the Siler City Town Hall at 311 N. 2nd Ave.
CASE R25-0301 – Mid-State Development Center, LLC (applicant), is proposing a Conditional Rezoning of approximately 228.6 acres of property located at Stockyard Road and further identified as Parcel ID: 12871, 12873, 12878, 13023, 13042, 69027, and 81045 from Heavy Industrial (H-I) and Agricultural Residential (A-R) to Residential – 3 Conditional (R-3-C) for the proposed use of major residential subdivision.
Legislative Public Hearings
These items were reviewed and recommended for approval by the Siler City Planning Board at their March 10, 2025, regular meeting.
The proposed item is available for review by contacting Timothy Mack at tmack@silercity.org or 919-726-8626. All persons interested in the outcome of this item are invited to attend the legislative hearing and present comments, testimony, and exhibits on the above referenced item.
Interested parties may also submit written comments. Written comments can be submitted by email to tmack@silercity.org. Individuals desiring to speak may sign up by registering their name and information on the sign-up sheet, located outside the entry doors to the court room.
The Town of Siler City will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that disabled persons are provided other accommodations, such arrangements may include, but are not limited to, providing interpreters for the deaf, providing taped cassettes of materials for the blind, or assuring a barrier-free location for the proceedings.
This information is available in Spanish or any other language upon request. Please contact Kimberly Pickard at 919-726-8620, 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344, or kpickard@ silercity.org for accommodations for this request. Esta información está disponible en español o en cualquier otro idioma bajo petición. Por favor, póngase en contacto con Kimberly Pickard al kpickard@silercity.org o 919-726-8625 o en 311 North Second Avenue, Siler City, North Carolina 27344 de alojamiento para esta solicitud.
NOTICE 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#25E000135-180
The undersigned, DANNY WIMBERLY AND MICHAEL T. PARKER, having qualified on the 12TH Day of MARCH 2025 as CO-EXECUTORS of the Estate of SARAH H. SMITH, 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. 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
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
Probate #25E000116-180______
All persons, firm and corporations having claims against Barbara B. Modisett, late of Chatham County, North Carolina are hereby notified to
to Kendall H. Page, as Executor of the decedent’s
210 N Columbia
H.
in care of
NC 27514 on or before the 3rd day of July, 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,
Varina, NC 27526
TAX from page A1 the reappraisals from this year would be affecting the budget. The estimated valuations for residential property went from $675 million in 2024 to $1.1 billion and commercial property from $397 million in 2024 to $561 million. Because of those revaluations, the value of a penny at the current tax rate is estimated to be increasing from approximately $119,000 to $171,000 according to Finance Director Heather Meacham.
Also due to the revaluations,
STUDENTS from page A1
The State Department said the detention was related to a drunken driving conviction.
“These are troubling times, and this situation is unlike any we have navigated before,” Inch wrote in a letter to campus.
President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to deport foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian protests, and federal agents started by detaining Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card-holder and Palestinian activist who was prominent in protests at Columbia last year. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last week students are being targeted for involvement in protests along with others tied to “potential criminal activity.”
In the past two weeks, the government apparently has widened its crackdown. Officials from colleges around the country have discovered international students have had their entry visas revoked and, in many cases, their legal residency status terminated by authorities without notice — including students at Arizona State, Cornell, NC State, the University of Oregon, the University of Texas and the University of Colorado.
Some of the students are working to leave the country on their own, but students at Tufts and the University of Alabama have been detained by immigration authorities — in the Tufts case, even before the university knew the student’s legal status had changed.
In this new wave of enforcement, school officials say the federal government is quietly deleting foreigners’ student records
the town was required to present its revenue neutral tax rate of 0.3449, which was based on an average growth rate of 12.8%. “The revenue-neutral property tax rate is the rate that is estimated to produce revenue for the next fiscal year — meaning 2025-26 — equal to the revenue that would have been produced for the next fiscal year by the current tax rate if no reappraisal had occurred,” Meacham said. However, the recommendation from town staff is to maintain the current tax rate of $0.44 per $100 valuation.
“If you were not happy with keeping the tax rate at 44 cents, then you’d have a hard time having any money to accomplish pretty much anything, and there’d be very little forward progress in terms of projects,” Meacham said.
“We want to keep it where it is and then reassess next year because with all this future debt that we’re gonna need, I think it’s going to put us in a really good position to afford to do things,” said Town Manager Jonathan Franklin.
Town staff pointed to current economic trends such as
increasing operational and material costs, supply chain issues, personnel increases in insurance, cost of living adjustments, medical expenses, retirement costs as well as new positions attributing to potential higher expenses.
“I’m concerned that we may be underanticipating what we can do right now in terms of the revenues coming in,” said Mayor Pro Tem Pamela Baldwin. “That’s what concerns me. I don’t want us to get into a situation where we would be in a deficit situation because there are so many
instead of going through colleges, as was done in the past.
Students are being ordered to leave the country with a suddenness that universities have rarely seen, said Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.
In the past, when international students have had entry visas revoked, they generally have been allowed to keep legal residency status. They could stay in the country to study, but would need to renew their visa if they left the U.S. and wanted to return. Now, increasing numbers of students are having their legal status terminated, exposing them to the risk of being arrested.
“None of this is regular practice,” Feldblum said.
At NC State, two students from Saudi Arabia left the U.S. after learning their legal status as students was terminated, the university said. NC State said it will work with the students to complete their semester from outside the country.
Philip Vasto, who lived with one of the students, said his roommate, in graduate school for engineering management, was apolitical and did not attend protests against the war in Gaza. When the government told his roommate his student status had been terminated, it did not give a reason, Vasto said.
Since returning to Saudi Arabia, Vasto said his former roommate’s top concern is getting into another university.
“He’s made his peace with
it,” he said. “He doesn’t want to allow it to steal his peace any further.”
At the University of Texas at Austin, staff checking a federal database discovered two people on student visas had their permission to be in the U.S. terminated, a person familiar with the situation said. The person declined to be identified for fear of retaliation.
One of the people, from India, had their legal status terminated April 3. The federal system indicated the person had been identified in a criminal records check “and/or has had their visa revoked.” The other person, from Lebanon, had their legal status terminated March 28 due to a criminal records check, according to the federal database.
uncertain things right now.”
The board was also presented with various departmental goals for FY 2026, most notably the implementation of a shuttle service, the creation of a master plan for the Roberson Creek Park, an affordable housing study and the addition of two more patrol officers.
The board will hold a public hearing on the proposed 2025-26 budget on May 12 with a tentative adoption date of June 9. The Town of Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will next meet April 14.
Both people were graduates remaining in the U.S. on student visas, using an option allowing people to gain professional experience after completing coursework. Both were employed full time and apparently had not violated requirements for pursuing work experience, the person familiar with the situation said.
Some students have had visas revoked by the State Department under an obscure law barring noncitizens whose presence could have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Trump invoked the law in a January order demanding action against campus antisemitism.
But some students targeted in recent weeks have had no clear link to political activism. Some have been ordered to leave over misdemeanor crimes or traffic infractions, Feldblum said. In some cases, students were targeted for infractions that had been previously reported to the government.
Some of the alleged infractions would not have drawn scrutiny in the past and will likely be a test of students’ First Amendment rights as cases work their way through court, said Michelle Mittelstadt, director of public affairs at the Migration Policy Institute.
America’s universities have long been seen as a top destination for the world’s brightest minds — and they’ve brought important tuition revenue and research breakthroughs to U.S. colleges. But international students also have other options, said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association of international educators.
“We should not take for granted that that’s just the way things are and will always be,” she said.
MAKIYA SEMINERA / AP PHOTO
Students sit inside the encampment protest in Polk Place at UNC Chapel Hill last year. Police swept the area clear the next day.
CHATHAM SPORTS
Uwharrie Charter softball pulls off fifth inning comeback to beat Chatham Central
The Eagles swept the Bears this season.
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
BEAR CREEK — Uwharrie Charter scored 10 runs in the fifth inning to erase a five-run deficit and beat Chatham Central in a nonconference softball rematch 15-7 on April 3.
“We were just trying to move runners and started figuring out they didn’t like when we were bunting,” Uwharrie Char-
ter coach Haven Marine said. “So we kept bunting, and finally in that inning, we had timely hits.”
The Eagles, who handed Chatham Central its first loss on March 12, snapped a two -game -skid and gave the Bears their largest loss of the season.
Emory Johnson led Uwharrie Charter at the plate, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Four other Eagles contributed two RBIs in the win. Down 6-1 after four innings, Ryley Thompson got the ral-
ly started with a single to center field.
“I noticed that they started getting tired, so I just took a deep breath and was patient to bat and waited for my pitch,” Thompson said. Peyton Williams kept it going with another single two at-bats later, starting a run of 10 straight batters reaching a base.
Following a single from Jayla Hurley that brought in the first two runs of the inning, Carly Rush hit a ground ball to third
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
HILLSBOROUGH — Northwood held Green Level scoreless in five innings and overcame a down night at the plate to beat the Gators 4-3 in the Hilltop Invitational at Orange High School Friday.
“It’s always tough following a 19-hit outing that we had on Wednesday night,” Northwood coach Brent Haynes said. “I thought we had some really good approaches, battled back in 0-2 counts, got some walks out of 0-2 counts, hit some fastballs when they presented themselves.”
With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, junior Camden Miller knocked freshman Brody Zsuppan home for the go-ahead run. Facing two outs, senior Kaleb Howell followed the score with a single of his own to send senior Simon Delgado home and give Northwood a two-run advantage. The Chargers never lost the lead for the rest of the evening.
“Sometimes it just doesn’t
“Sometimes it just doesn’t show up in the hit column, but we got it done in the win column which is all I care about.”
Brent Haynes
show up in the hit column, but we got it done in the win column which is all I care about,” Haynes said.
Miller, who replaced sophomore Finn Sullivan on the mound in the fifth, oversaw one run (zero earned runs) and allowed just two hits to help Northwood build and maintain its lead in the final three innings.
“I kind of knew I had to attack,” Miller, whose father is Green Level baseball coach David Miller, said. “I know that on paper they’re not the best hitting team, so just trying to throw strikes and let the defense work behind me.”
Zsuppan made his impact as a baserunner, leading the team
The SAAC won for its assistance towards Hurricane Helene victims
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
A JORDAN-MATTHEWS
High School student organization earned recognition for its efforts in community service.
Members of the Jordan-Matthews Student-Athlete Advisory Council won a North Carolina High School Athletic Association Commissioner’s Trophy for the 2024 -25 school year, the NCHSAA announced last Friday. The honor is given for student athlete initiatives in community outreach. The students earned the honor for their work in their “Buckets of Love” project that assisted people affected by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina.
The Commissioner’s Trophy honor, sponsored by Truist, awards an $1,000 stipend to the respective team or program that wins.
The “Buckets of Love” project aimed to help families
“That’s just the type of kids we have at J-M.”
Barry West
whose homes and businesses were flooded by providing buckets to remove mud washed inside of buildings. A group of 10-12 SAAC members worked on the project.
“I think at that point in time, all the struggles and the devastation in everything in that area of the state was weigh-
ing on everybody’s mind,” Barry West, Jordan-Matthews’ athletic director and adviser to the SAAC, said. “The kids were trying to think of what’s something that we could do that would make some sort of impact in that area.”
The students used paint buckets from the school’s field preparation supply, cleaned them out and wrote encouraging messages for the recipients on them.
“It came from their heart,” West said. “’You’re awesome.’
Both teams picked up a win over Green Level
WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Chatham Central’s Maeson Smith (right) gets caught stealing at third base for the final out in a loss to Uwharrie Charter.
WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Members of JordanMatthews’ StudentAthlete Advisory Council prepare buckets to send to storm victims in western North Carolina. NCHSAA
Chatham Central senior Chloe Scott makes a throw during last week’s game against Uwharrie Charter.
Checking in with local spring college athletes
Former Chatham standouts continue to make an impact on the next level
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
THE WINTER sports season ended with a bang for college athletes from Chatham County.
Not only did the county have Alabama sophomore Jarin Stevenson as representation in the men’s Elite Eight, former Jordan-Matthews swimmer Jennah Fadely capped off her career at Kenyon College with national title victories in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard breaststroke (tied her personal-best time which is also tied for the top time in program history) at the NCAA Division III Championship meet from March 19-22. Fadely now has eight NCAA titles and 24 All-America awards.
But as the successful winter season comes to a close, it’s time to put all attention on the spring athletes. Here’s an update on what some former local standouts are doing on the collegiate level across baseball, softball and lacrosse:
BASEBALL
Aidan Allred (Brunswick Community College, Chatham Charter)
Former Chatham Charter standout Aidan Allred played in 11 games for Brunswick Community College in his freshman year. He has not made an appearance since March 14 due to injury and is out for the season. Allred achieved a batting average of .161 with two RBIs and five runs. In the field, Allred was sharp in his opportunities, recording six put outs, nine assists and an overall fielding percentage of .938 (1.000 in conference play). His best game came in a 14-4 win over Lakeland Community College on March 11 in which he went 2 for 4 from the plate and knocked in two RBIs.
TROPHY from page B1
‘We got your back.’ Some of them put some scriptures on there.”
Jordan-Matthews student resource officer Brent Fonville and the Chatham County Sherriff’s Department made sure the 28 buckets were transported alongside the other supplies
Anthony Lopossay (Cleveland Community College, Chatham Central)
Anthony Lopossay, the former Chatham Central pitcher, has appeared in five games for Cleveland Community College this spring. The freshman has pitched eight innings as of Sunday, recording three strikeouts and an ERA of 1.13.
Sam Murchison (UNC Greensboro, Jordan‑Matthews)
Former Jordan-Matthews Jet Sam Murchison has made eight starts on the mound for UNCG this season as of Sunday. The senior put together some solid games, including a win over Radford on March 7. Murchison also recorded nine strikeouts in the Spartans’ win over Creighton in his first appearance of the season on Feb. 14. Things didn’t go as well in his latest outing Friday, though, as he gave up nine runs in two innings on the way to a 17-3 loss
collected around the county for Hurricane Helene victims.
10
Strikeouts for former Chatham Charter pitcher Hailie Edmondson, a new career-high
to East Tennessee State. Murchison has a 4-3 record as of Sunday.
SOFTBALL
Logan Gunter (Furman, Jordan Matthews)
Logan Gunter, the former Jordan-Matthews standout, made an immediate impact for Furman as a freshman. The shortstop and outfielder appeared in 14 games and made 12 starts, but after March 1, she was ruled out for the season due to a knee injury. Gunter’s best game came in an 11-3 win over SIU Edwardsville on Feb. 28. In that game, she went 2 for 2 from the plate and stole three bas-
es. Gunter achieved seven hits, six runs and a .212 batting average so far this season. She also recorded 16 put outs, 17 assists and a fielding percentage of .917.
Jaylee Williams (App State, Chatham Central)
Former Chatham Central Bear Jaylee Williams has seen a significant increase in her role at App State during her sophomore year. The outfielder has appeared in 25 games and started in 13 as of Sunday. Williams has recorded eight hits in 39 at bats for a batting percentage of .205. She notched a career-high three hits in a loss to Winthrop on Feb. 15, and she recorded a career-high two RBIs the next day against the same opponent.
Hailie Edmondson (Wake Tech, Chatham Charter)
Hailie Edmondson, the former Chatham Charter Knight, has started eight games on the mound for Wake Tech this season. The sophomore is on track
to improve on her freshman numbers, striking out 39 batters (41 last year) with an ERA of 7.00 (8.35 last season) in nine less appearances as of Sunday. In an 11-1 win over Southwest Virginia on March 15, Edmondson retired a career-high 10 batters in four innings.
MEN’S LACROSSE
Payne Swenson (Greensboro College, Seaforth)
Former Seaforth standout
Payne Swenson has played in five games during his freshman year at Greensboro College. He has recorded one goal, one assist and a .750 shot on goal percentage as of Sunday. Swanson’s first career goal came in a 16-3 win over Brevard on March 15. He took a career-high three shots in that game, getting two shots on goal.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Ryan Tinervin (Roanoke College, Northwood)
Former Northwood Charger Ryan Tinervin has appeared in three games during her freshman season as of Sunday. The attack has seen playing time in blowout wins, scoring two goals and getting four shots on goal in her opportunities. In a 22-0 win over Averett on March 15, Tinervin scored her first career goal while getting off a career-high three shots (two on goal).
TRACK AND FIELD
Lucas Smith (UNC Wilmington, Chatham Charter)
Former Chatham Charter sprinter Lucas Smith has been running the 400-meter dash in his freshman outdoor track season at UNCW. At the Raleigh Relays hosted by NC State from March 27-29, Smith ran his collegiate personal-best time of 48.09 seconds (33rd-best time out of 105 runners).
Said West, “They didn’t do this for any type of recognition. They did it because they wanted to offer their love and support to those who need it, and that’s just the type of kids we have at J-M.”
The SAAC also participated in the “Meals for Thousands
“It’s kind of like sometimes in teaching, we don’t get to see the end results of our work,” West said. “And that’s what the kids get here. But for them to realize that there are other people in need and there was some small something that they could do that could possibly help them in that time of need, that’s tremendous.”
Project,” an act of service sponsored by Mountaire Farms in Siler City that provides meals for families in need during the holidays.
The student organization has about 50 members.
“This is our first full year with Student-Athlete Advisory Council, and the kids enjoy doing projects like this,” West said.
West said the SAAC will be sending a group of 10 members to Greensboro for the 2025 NCHSAA Student Leadership Conference on May 6.
“It’s a great opportunity for them to network with other schools, see how other schools do things and share our ideas with other schools as well,” West said.
FURMAN ATHLETICS
Jordan-Matthews’ Logan Gunter makes a play for Furman softball.
Woods Charter girls’ soccer continue conference dominance
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record Baseball
Northwood notched a season-high 19 hits, including a team-high four hits from senior Simon Delgado, to down Southwestern Randolph 18-4 on April 2. Up 8-3 after four innings, the Chargers scored 10 runs in the fifth. Delgado finished the game with a team-high four RBIs, and freshman pitcher Riley D’Angelo struck out seven batters (zero earned runs) on the mound.
Chatham Charter was held scoreless and achieved only one hit in the final four innings of a 11-3 loss to Cedar Ridge on April 1. With the Knights down 6-3 after the fourth inning, the game got out of reach when Cedar Ridge scored five fifth inning runs.
Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday) (overall, conference): 1. Southeast Alamance (12-4, 10-0); 2. Seaforth (6-7, 3-1); 3. Northwood (9-5, 6-4); 4. North Moore (6-5, 4-4); 5. Chatham Central (4-11, 3-5); 6. Bartlett Yancey (3-10, 2-6); 7. Jordan-Matthews (0-12, 0-8)
Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Chatham Charter (7-6, 4-0); 2. River Mill (7-3, 5-1); 3. Clover Garden School (3-9, 1-1); T4. Triangle Math & Science (2-6, 0-4); T4. Southern Wake Academy (0-5, 0-4) Softball
Chatham Charter had a rough week as it lost three straight games.
Hits, a new season-high, for
In a 6-5 extra-inning loss to River Mill on April 1, senior Kayla Stutts tagged up on a line out from senior Lexi Melton and scored the game-winning run. Down 5-4 entering the sixth inning, Chatham Charter’s Ella Ingle singled and knocked in Aubrey Blankenship for the tie. Melton came up huge for the Jaguars on the mound as she held the Knights without a hit in the final three innings and retired 11 batters throughout the game.
After losing to North Moore 12-2 on April 2, Chatham Charter fell to Clover Garden School 6-5 Friday. Down 6-2 entering the sixth inning, the Knights scored three runs with three straight singles, but their rally was cut short with a strikeout.
Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Chatham Central (102, 8-0); 2. Jordan-Matthews (10-2, 7-1); 3. Seaforth (6-5, 6-2); 4. North Moore (11-4, 7-3); 5. Southeast Alamance (6-8, 4-6); 6. Southeast Alamance (6-8, 4-6); 7. Northwood (3-9, 3-7); 8. Bartlett Yancey (1-8, 1-8); 9. Graham (2-12, 1-10)
Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Clover Garden School (10-3, 7-0); 2. Chatham Charter (5-7, 4-3); 3. River Mill (7- 6, 4-4);
4. Ascend Leadership (0-9, 0-9)
Girls’ soccer
Woods Charter continued its dominant run in conference play with back-to-back 9-0 victories over Chatham Charter on April 3 and Ascend Leadership on Friday. The Wolves have outscored conference opponents 31-0 as of Sunday.
Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Seaforth (5-2-1, 5-0); 2. Southeast Alamance (6 - 4 -2, 5-1); 3. North Moore (6-1, 3-1); 4. Northwood (4-6, 3-2); 5. Bartlett Yancey (3-6, 2-2); 6. Jordan-Matthews (3-8, 1-4); 7. Graham (1-6, 1-5); 8. Cummings (0-7, 0-5)
Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Woods Charter (5-2, 4-0); 2. Southern Wake Academy (3-2, 3-0); T3. River Mill (5-5-1, 3-2); T3. Clover Garden School (5-6, 3-2); 5. Chatham Charter (2-6, 1-2); 6. Triangle Math & Science (0-7, 0-3); 7. Ascend Leadership (1-6, 0-5)
Boys’ lacrosse
Seaforth beat Southeast Alamance 20-4 Friday, winning its eighth game in its last nine.
Central/Mid-Carolina conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Seaforth (8-2, 8-0); 2. Orange (9-3, 7-1); 3. Southern Alamance (12-2, 7-2); 4. Williams (8-6, 6-3); 5. Northwood (5-7, 5-5); 6. Cedar Ridge (4-6, 4-5); 7. Eastern Alamance (58, 3-7); 8. Southeast Alamance (2-13, 1-11); 9. Western Alamance (0-9, 0-7)
BASEBALL from page B1
with two runs. After notching a single in the second at-bat of the fifth inning, Zsuppan set up the go-ahead run by stealing second base and advancing to third on a passed ball during Delgado’s turn.
“We’re aggressive on the base paths, so trying to get him into scoring position for those guys at the top is key,” Haynes said.
Prior to the decisive inning, Northwood slowly dug itself out of an early 2-0 hole.
Sullivan didn’t have the best start as hitting a batter, giving up a double and giving up a single in the game’s first three at-bats led to Green Level’s first two runs. However, he quickly settled in, retiring five batters and allowing just one hit in the rest of his stint.
The Chargers’ defense was also crisp throughout the evening when it came to getting batters out. Delgado, the shortstop, was sharp on his throws to first, and sophomore Nic Armstrong made a difficult catch in left field to avoid a momentum swing in the top of the third. Northwood faced no more than four batters per inning from the second to the fifth.
“We always talk, ‘make routine plays,’” Haynes said. “That’s all we preach, and they did that.”
Chatham Central also played in the Hilltop Invitational losing its second game to Orange 11-1 Friday night.
Down 2-1 after the top of the third, the Bears gave up
six runs in the bottom of the inning. The Panthers scored three more runs in the bottom of the fourth and held Chatham Central scoreless in its next batting turn to secure the fifth-inning victory.
Senior Dominic O’Keefe went 2 for 2 from the plate and recorded three RBIs for the Panthers while senior Eli Horton notched a team-high four RBIs.
Chatham Central got two Orange batters out to start the bottom of the third inning, but after sophomore DJ Woods was hit by a pitch, the Panthers reached a base in seven straight at bats.
The most damaging play in that stretch came from Horton who, on a 3-2 count, sent a pitch deep to left field to bring in three runs and give the Panthers a 6-1 lead.
The Bears had a much more memorable outing in the first
ATHLETE
Cameron Exley
Seaforth, boys’ lacrosse
Seaforth senior Cameron Exley earns athlete of the week honors for the week of March 31.
In the Hawks’ 20-4 rout over Southeast Alamance, Exley led the way five goals, and he assisted on three scores. He also recorded a team-high six shots on goal.
Exley has been a key piece to the Hawks’ success this season. He leads the team with 36 goals and is first in assists per game (2.4) as of Sunday. With his leadership alongside standout teammate Ivan Grimes, Seaforth sits at the top of the Central/Mid-Carolina conference standings with an 8-0 record
game on April 3 against Green Level, though. Down 4-2 with just one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, senior Reid Albright doubled and sent in three runs for the walk-off victory. The win snapped a six-game losing streak. On a night in which Chatham Central only came away with three hits, Albright’s heroics were fitting considering he had two of them (Carson Jackson was the only other Bear with a hit).
On the mound, senior Benjamin Wilson, senior Brady Phillips and sophomore Brett Phillips all contributed to a solid team pitching performance. Taking over for his brother after the Gators went up 4-2 in the top of the seventh, Brett Phillips closed the inning with two outs, including a strikeout on a 3-2 count.
ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
@ CCKNIGHTSSPORTS / X
Chatham Charter’s baseball team poses after a recent win at Truist Park.
the Northwood baseball team
ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD Northwood’s (L to R) Camden Miller, Brody Zsuppan and Brent Haynes talk about the team’s performance last week.
SIDELINE REPORT
MLB Geese nest next to iconic Wrigley Field bleachers during Cubs games
Chicago
The iconic Wrigley Field bleachers welcomed an unusual guest during the Chicago Cubs’ series against the San Diego Padres this weekend. Photos on social media showed a goose nesting in a juniper planter next to the center-field seats underneath the scoreboard during Saturday’s game. Several rows of the upper bleachers were blocked off from fans Sunday while two Canada geese stood on a roof nearby. Fans snapped photos of the feathered duo before Sunday’s game began.
NFL Lance moves on from Dallas, signs 1 year deal with the Chargers
El Segundo, Calif.
Quarterback Trey Lance has agreed to a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. Lance spent the past two years with the Dallas Cowboys after playing his first two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, who selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft out of North Dakota State. Lance has yet to live up to his enormous potential, but Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh will get a chance to mold the quarterback while he trains alongside Taylor Heinecke as the backups to Justin Herbert.
NBA Businessman who scammed new Hall of Famer Howard gets 12 years in prison
New York
A Georgia businessman who scammed new basketball Hall of Famer Dwight Howard out of millions of dollars in a bogus scheme to buy the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream has been sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison. Calvin Darden Jr. was also convicted of cheating former NBA forward Chandler Parsons in a separate ruse involving the development of NBA prospect James Wiseman. Darden was ordered to forfeit $8 million and several luxury items he acquired with the ill-gotten gains. He was convicted in October of wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering charges.
FOOTBALL
NCAA
Tulane suspends transfer QB Finley following arrest New Orleans
Tulane transfer quarterback TJ Finley has been suspended from the team indefinitely following his arrest for alleged possession of a stolen pickup truck. Finley’s attorneys say he was a “victim of a Facebook Marketplace scam.” The 23-year-old was charged with possession of stolen goods valued at $25,000 or more. Finley has been suspended pending the outcome of his case. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 1. Finley is with his fifth college football program after previously playing for LSU, Auburn, Texas State and Western Kentucky.
Duke’s Final Four fade puts them among top teams to fall short of title
A look at the best teams that
win a title
didn’t
By Aaron Beard The Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO — Duke had spent much of the season looking like like it was headed to a coronation behind consensus national player of the year Cooper Flagg.
Instead, the Blue Devils improbably squandered a big lead against Houston and saw their season end in the Final Four. And that puts this 35-win Duke team on a select list of elite teams that fell short of winning the NCAA title in the 40 tournaments since expansion to 64 teams in 1985.
“It’s been a special ride,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said, “that ended in a heartbreaking way.”
1984 85 Georgetown
John Thompson’s reigning champion Hoyas (35-3) made it back to the title game behind player of the year Patrick Ewing, only to become the final victim in eighth-seeded Villanova’s improbable title run.
Rollie Massimino’s Wildcats made 22 of 28 shots (78.6%) in the win at Rupp Arena and remain the lowest-seeded team to cut down the nets.
1990 91 UNLV
It seemed Jerry Tarkanian’s Rebels (34-1) were headed for the history as the first repeat champion since UCLA’s run of seven straight from 1967-73, along with becoming the first unbeaten champ since Indiana in 1976.
Yet a season of romping wins ended when Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke team — which lost by 30 to UNLV in the previous year’s final — stunned the Rebels in the Final Four in Indianapolis.
1992 93 Michigan
The famed “Fab Five” burst on the scene as a cultural phenomenon as an all-freshman unit that unexpectedly reached the title game in 1992. A year later, the Wolverines (31-5) made it back and played a compelling finale against UNC.
But that one featured a tournament-lore blunder of eventual No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Chris Webber receiving a
Prop
to Houston in Saturday’s national
3
Number of Duke teams on the list of highest-rated teams to lose in the NCAA Tournament
late technical foul for calling a timeout the Wolverines didn’t have to essentially seal the loss.
1996 97 Kansas
This might have been the best team of Roy Williams’ Hall of Fame career, one led by eventual NBA star Paul Pierce and Raef LaFrentz. But the Jayhawks (34-2) fell in the Sweet 16 to eventual champion Arizona.
1997 98 UNC
The Tar Heels (34-4) played their first year under Bill Guthridge after Dean Smith’s retirement with the national player of the year in Antawn Jamison and a future long-
betting has grown into major wagering attraction
The first Super Bowl prop was on the Fridge scoring a touchdown
By Mark Anderson The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — As Chicago roared through the 1985 NFL season, the Bears bullied opponents with the innovative “46 defense.” Sports betting at that time was anything but innovative. A point spread, money line and total. That was about it. Proposition bets were around, but not a central part of sports wagering. Then Art Manteris at Caesars Palace had an idea. The Bears were identified by their defense, and one of their tackles, William “Refrigerator” Perry, had created national buzz by lining up at fullback and scoring touchdowns on goal-line plays. So Manteris came up with a separate bet on whether the 340-pound Perry would score a touchdown in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.
“It was the biggest thing that ever happened to the prop bet because it made everybody
say, ‘What the hell’s going on?’” said longtime oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro, who now works for South Point in Las Vegas.
Thus a wagering craze began to take hold, expanding into a monster during the leadup to the Super Bowl and moving on to other sports, such as the NCAA Tournament. The men’s and women’s Final Fours both took place over the weekend, and there was no shortage of possibilities in markets where prop betting is legal on college sports.
Among the props offered were who would win Most Outstanding Player at the men’s and women’s Final Fours, how many games would end in buzzer-beaters and whether there would be a 25-point comeback.
“It’s a game within a game, or several games within a game,” famed former oddsmaker Roxy Roxborough wrote in an email. “So it allows bettors to have more action on the games. That’s fundamental.”
That was the thinking at Imperial Palace in the 1990s at a time when the Super Bowl was anything by super. The NFC dominated the AFC, winning 13 in a row with many games
time NBA star in Vince Carter. But the team fell to Rick Majerus and Utah in San Antonio.
1998 99 Duke
Statistically, this is KenPom’s all-time best team. The team was 37-2 and had player of the year Elton Brand as the headliner among four of that year’s top 14 picks. But UConn — led by Richard Hamilton and Khalid El-Amin — pushed past Duke in the title game.
2004 05 Illinois
The Fighting Illini (37-2) spent the last 15 polls at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 with a guard-heavy lineup featuring eventual NBA star Deron Williams, Luther Head and Dee Brown. Illinois lost a tense final against UNC to give Roy Williams his first NCAA title.
2007 08 Memphis
The Tigers (38-2) rode the wizardry of freshman star
and No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Derrick Rose to the brink of John Calipari’s first title. But Memphis squandered a nine -point lead to Kansas in the final 2:12 of regulation in the title game.
2014 15 Kentucky
The Wildcats (38-1) carried an unbeaten record to the Final Four in Indianapolis before falling to Wisconsin in the national semifinals.
2018 19 Duke
The season dominated by the supernova star status of Zion Williamson and fellow NBA lottery picks RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish seemed headed for the Final Four.
Yet the Blue Devils (32-6) fell to Tom Izzo’s Michigan State in a regional final.
2020 21 Gonzaga
The Zags (31-1) rolled through the season unbeaten, only to see a Baylor team blow them out in the title game.
decided either by halftime or shortly afterward.
Sportsbook director Jay Kornegay and his team wanted to find a way to keep gamblers engaged even if the games became one-sided. Prop betting was that way.
“It was just to entertain everyone,” said Kornegay. “They became so popular that they became a revenue stream as well. So we thought, the more propositions we had, it would take some of that weight off the Super Bowl game itself because Super Bowl Sunday was a do-or-die situation for our operators back then. You won the game or lost the game.” Now sportsbooks try to see if they can top each other during every Super Bowl — and other major sporting events. Who can get more creative? Who can attract the most attention?
There also are concerns about prop betting, especially
when it comes to wagering on college sports.
“Bookmakers will have to get pretty particular about props from this day forward because they’re under a lot of fire, especially in college sports,” Roxborough wrote. “Some states will likely restrict props, especially in college sports. However, the new bookmakers constantly push the limits on what they can and cannot do. I expect it to be a back-and-forth tussle with the regulators.”
Vaccaro remembered that 1985 Bears team and the Super Bowl prop that the rest of the Las Vegas Strip was forced to copy.
He opened the odds at about 40-1 at Golden Nugget and had to drop it to 10-1 when money poured in on the Fridge to score. Which he did.
“I was glad he did, even though we took a beating on that game,” Vaccaro said. “It proved it was a nice prop.”
BRYNN ANDERSON / AP PHOTO
Duke forward Cooper Flagg is interviewed in the locker room during media day at the Final Four.
Duke’s Patrick Ngongba II sits in locker room after a loss
semifinals at the Final Four.
Local soccer star aids USA in FIFA U 17 World Cup berth
Cali O’Neill, the Seaforth junior and UNC women’s soccer commit, helped the USA qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team defeated El Salvador 7-0 in its last Group C match in the final round of the CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Qualifiers on Saturday to qualify for its seventh FIFA U-17 World Cup. The World Cup will take place in Morocco from Oct. 17 to Nov. 8. O’Neill got the start as a defender in the USA’s berth-clinching win. After being up 2-0 at halftime, the Americans scored five goals in the second half to put the game out of reach. In the qualifiers opener against Trinidad and Tobago on March 31, O’Neill also started and helped the USA win a 3-0 shutout. The USA also beat Honduras 7-0 in the second qualifiers game on April 2. After only leading 1-0 at the break, the Americans scored six second half goals. Ashlyn Anderson scored two goals and assisted on two more. Coached by Kate Schoepfer, the USA joins Morocco, Mexico, China PR, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, New Zealand and Samoa as the nine teams that have already qualified for the World Cup. The Americans have yet to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup title, finishing as runner-up in 2008 and in third place last year. O’Neill, who plays at the club level with North Carolina Courage Academy, was one of two players from North Carolina on the U.S. roster, joining midfielder Riley Kennedy from Holly Springs who also plays for NC Courage. However, O’Neill isn’t guaranteed a spot on the World Cup roster. She will have to be called up again to compete in Morocco.
Local high school leads Wells Fargo Cup standings after winter season
Seaforth leads the 2A North Carolina High School Athletic Association Wells Fargo Cup standings after the end of the winter sports season. Wells Fargo Cup points are awarded based on a school’s final positioning in a state championship for each sport. The points are awarded as follows: 50 for first place, 45 for second, 40 for third, 35 for fourth, 30 for fifth, 25 for sixth, 20 for seventh and 15 for eighth. For each sport in which a school qualified for the playoffs, five points are awarded. Seaforth, sitting at the top with 367.5 points, has the largest lead (55 points) out of any first-place program and the third-most points in the state. In the 2024-25 school year, the Hawks have claimed 12 state titles (10 individual and two team). The wrestling team won its second individual team title, and the boys’ indoor track team won its first state championship in the winter. The Hawks also finished as state runner-up in volleyball, dual team wrestling and boys’ and girls’ cross country. Seaforth’s boys finished third in the swimming state championship meet. In basketball, the girls made run to the regional final and the boys earned a playoff bid. The girls’ tennis team also made the dual team playoffs, and Lillian McFall finished as a state runner-up in the 2A singles tournament. Seaforth won the 2023-24 2A Wells Fargo Cup and is in good position to repeat. The Hawks graduated just one senior from its 2024 state champion girls’ soccer team and could pick up some more titles in outdoor track during the spring season.
— Asheebo Rojas, Chatham News & Record
Anthony, Howard, Bird highlight Basketball Hall of Fame class
The 2008 Olympic team coached by Mike Krzyzewski was also inducted
By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press
CARMELO ANTHONY and Dwight Howard are going into the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, not once but twice. And LeBron James and Chris Paul are part of the group that’s headed to the Hall as well, even before their playing careers end.
Anthony and Howard were announced Saturday as members of the Class of 2025, as was the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team that they played on — dubbed the “Redeem Team,” the one that captured gold at the Beijing Games and started a still-going run of five consecutive Olympic titles and counting for USA Basketball’s men’s program.
Also selected for enshrinement:
WNBA greats Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Bulls coach and two -time NCAA champion Billy Donovan, Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and longtime NBA referee Danny Crawford.
“I made it to the real basketball heaven,” Howard said. “It’s crazy.”
Enshrinement weekend is Sept. 5-6 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the Hall of
SOFTBALL from page B1
base, sending Hurley in for a 6-4 deficit.
But instead of the play resulting in the Eagles’ second out at first base, Rush made it safe after the throw from third to first didn’t connect.
Costly errors in which throws to first base were out of reach or dropped happened twice more for Chatham Central in the inning, and of course, they both occurred on bunts. The second one, which could’ve been the third out, resulted in an extra run from Gracie Smith’s bunt and a 7-6 lead for Uwharrie Charter.
“Mistakes are going to happen,”
Chatham Central coach John Warf said. “You just got to forget about them and move on. Because if you don’t, they compound. That’s what happened. We had them compound up on us.”
Said Warf, “We had people play-
Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
“When the call comes and, in my case, I saw Springfield on the phone,” Anthony said on the televised announcement. “You know what time it is Springfield is on the phone. You know who it is. You get the phone call and you hear, ‘You’re in.’ And I think for me, it was a burden off of my shoulders.”
Donovan won back-to-back titles as a college coach with Florida. Arison oversaw Miami’s path to NBA titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013. Crawford worked NBA games for 32 seasons and was picked to work the NBA Finals in 23 of those years.
“For some, this is an individual honor,” Arison said. “But for me, this speaks to what our entire Heat family — players, coaches, staff and fans — have built together.”
Combined, the five players selected as individuals — Bird, Moore, Fowles, Howard and Anthony — were part of 11 WNBA or NBA championship teams, won 15 Olympic gold medals, made 37 AllNBA or All-WNBA appearances and were named as All-Stars 45 times in their careers.
“Surreal,” Bird said of her selection. “I don’t think there’s any way to really wrap your head around it.”
Added Fowles: “I don’t think (any) one of us go into this thinking that we’re going to be Hall of Famers. You just do your job ... and
ing out of their normal positions, and when you don’t have everybody, it hurts.”
Chatham Central even made a pitching change, but that didn’t stop the bleeding. The Bears walked in two runs following the switch, and wild pitches allowed another pair of runs to score in the final two at-bats of the inning.
Prior to the dramatic change of events, Chatham Central took advantage of Uwharrie Charter’s defensive mistakes for a 6-0 lead after the first two innings. The Bears struggled to get a hit early in the game, but the Eagles walked in two runs and two second inning errors put eventual scorers on base.
Williams, the freshman who took over the pitching duties for Katelyn West in the first inning, came up huge for the Eagles amid their comeback. After the second inning, Williams retired five bat-
when it’s all said and done, the job is complete and here we are.”
The Redeem Team’s selection means that Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant — already enshrined as Hall of Famers — essentially now go in for a second time. James and Paul, who are obviously both locks to get into the Hall after they retire, also played for that Olympic team, as did Anthony, Howard, Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and Tayshaun Prince.
That team’s managing director was Jerry Colangelo, who now chairs the Hall of Fame.
“We developed a set of standards where all the guys lived by those standards,” said former Duke coach and 2001 Hall of Fame inductee Mike Krzyzewski, who coached that 2008 Olympic team. “They were the best group of guys. I wish like crazy that Kobe was here. He was really the key guy, I think. As many great players as we had at that point, he was the greatest and everyone looked up to him.”
The Redeem Team had that moniker because it was the team tasked with restoring USA Basketball’s place atop the world stage, after the 2004 Olympic team only managed a bronze medal at the Athens Games. The Redeem Team went 8-0 in Beijing, winning those games by an average of 27.9 points.
ters and held the Bears to zero earned runs.
“Because we haven’t won in a few games, I was like, ‘Well, we need to get our rally back,’” Williams said. “So I was fighting out there on the mound for us to win.”
The comeback win was much needed to avoid a third straight loss, but it also served as another reminder why the young and rebuilding Uwharrie Charter squad is still finding success and in the battle for a playoff spot.
Marine said he wants his team to build on their “fight” throughout the rest of the season.
“(Chatham Central) had us down 7-4 the last time we played them,” Marine said. “We came back and won in the bottom of the seventh. So, that’s one thing I like to see. They always continue to fight. We’re mixing different kids in and doing different things, and it’s working for now.”
Lithgow named best actor at London stage Olivier Awards
“Giant” explores children’s writer Roald Dahl’s dark side
By Jill Lawless The Associated Press
LONDON — American actor John Lithgow won the best actor trophy at the London stage Olivier Awards on Sunday for exploring the dark side of children’s writer Roald Dahl in “Giant.”
Backwards-biographical story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was named best new musical at the awards, Britain’s equivalent of Broadway’s Tony Awards.
“Conclave” star Lithgow added the Olivier to an awards shelf that already includes multiple Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe trophies, for depicting the author of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” in Mark Rosenblatt’s play, which confronts Dahl’s antisemitic views.
“I think I’m going to faint,” said an emotional Lithgow, 79.
He said he wanted to assure Britons that the transatlantic “special relationship is still firmly intact.”
“It’s not always easy to welcome an American into your midst, and at this particular moment, it’s probably a little more complicated than usual,” he said.
Lesley Manville, whose resume includes a stint as Princess Margaret in “The Crown,” took the best actress prize for her performance as shocked royal spouse Jocasta in “Oedipus.” Director Robert Icke’s modern-day reimagining of the ancient Greek tragedy — which opens on Broadway later this year — was named best revival of a play.
Imelda Staunton — Queen Elizabeth II in two final seasons of “The Crown” — won the fifth Olivier of her career, best actress in a musical, for “Hello, Dolly!” Best actor in a musical went to John Dagleish as the titular man who ages in reverse in “Benjamin Button.” The musical is based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald that also inspired a 2008 movie starring Brad Pitt.
The Oliviers were handed out in a ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall hosted by Broadway, TV and runway star Billy Porter and British soul singer Beverley Knight.
Stars in the audience included recent Academy Award winner Adrien Brody — a best-actor Olivier nominee for death-row stage drama “The Fear of 13” — and Cate Blanchett, recently seen on the London stage in “The Seagull.”
“Giant” won three prizes, including best new play. “Benjamin Button” also won three, as did a boisterous outdoor production of “Fiddler on the Roof” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, which was named best musical revival. Maimuna Memon was named best supporting actress in a musical for Tolstoy-inspired “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.”
The prizes, which recognize achievements in theater, opera and dance, were founded in 1976 and named for the late actor-director Laurence Olivier.
‘Sour Cherry’ shows author’s stunning talent for modern fairy tales
A sense of danger lurks but is not named nor faced head-on
By Donna Edwards The Associated Press
THE MODERN FAIRY tale is a tricky thing, what with phones and cities and all the trappings of now that tend to suck the magic out of a story and make it impossible to suspend disbelief. But Natalia Theodoridou’s debut novel aces the assignment.
“Sour Cherry” is a masterfully crafted reimagining of the tale of Bluebeard, a serial wife-killer who punishes the women’s curiosity with death.
Theodoridou’s modern take grapples with abuse, generational trauma, dominance and culpability. It begins with Agnes, called upon to be a wet nurse for the local lord in an unspecified time period in an unnamed-but-possibly-European country, told by an unidentified narrator, “I,” to a child, “you,” occasionally interrupted by ghosts of the women we’ll come to know.
It’s a story within a story of a fairy tale told in haste and earnest to convey powerful messages through accessible tropes, starting with one woman’s sorrow redirected to caring for another woman’s son.
Even though Agnes loves the little lord whom she nurses and tends to, he also frightens her. What begins as small abnormal-
er they be repurposed snatches of Greek myths and urban legends, or stories that characters tell each other within the narrator’s story. Every bit the fairy tale writer, Theodoridou leans heavily on sensory nature descriptions and takes short asides for what would be considered platitudes if they weren’t so strange and echoed in the narrator’s characters sometimes chapters or even lifetimes apart.
The whole time, a sense of danger lurks but is not named nor faced head-on.
ities — fingernails that grow too fast and the strong, unexplained smell of soil on the baby — transforms into something far more sinister as he grows into a forest of a man who brings pestilence and death with him wherever he goes.
The narrator breaks from the story to address the passage of time and build tension. She dips into modernity, referencing plays and phones, and mixes up details so you’re never quite sure which pieces of the story are true, and which are smudged or allegorical. Further thickening the haze, references to other tales are littered about, wheth-
Like a magic eye picture, “Sour Cherry” is a horror or thriller when viewed at one angle but, tilted ever so slightly, it’s a myth, legend or bedtime story. It’s a tale of buried pain personified as a curse, a beast, a pestilence that follows the family, the bloodline. The fairy tale style only serves to make the truths within it truer, methodically marching forward through highs and lows. The author perfectly captures how abuse is shrouded in inevitability, the way it’s so often left unaddressed in society, and the seeming impossibility of leaving.
“Sour Cherry” is beautiful and harrowing. With a writing style that had me mesmerized from the first page, Theodoridou has an amazing talent for storytelling that’s so effective that the ending — while predictable and maybe even unavoidable — still stunned me and moved me to tears.
TIN HOUSE VIA AP
“Sour Cherry” is author Natalia Theodoridou’s debut novel.
this week in history
Napoleon banished, Civil War began, Lincoln shot, Titanic sunk
The Associated Press
APRIL 10
1866: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in New York by Henry Bergh.
1919: Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata was assassinated by forces loyal to President Venustiano Carranza.
1963: The nuclear submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593) sank during deep-diving tests east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, killing all 129 aboard.
APRIL 11
1814: Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as emperor of the French and was banished to the island of Elba.
1945: During World War II, U.S. Army troops liberated the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp near Weimar, Germany.
1968: President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
APRIL 12
1861: The U.S. Civil War
Elton John, Brandi Carlile’s collaboration deepens on ‘Who Believes in Angels?’
Power ballads, shockingly, are kept to a minimum
By Maria Sherman The Associated Press
NEW YORK — It started with a movie. Country star Brandi Carlile, so moved after watching a rough cut of the 2024 music documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late,” began writing a song inspired by John’s incredible career. Titled “Never Too Late,” it became the title track for the film and a collaboration with John, producer Andrew Watt and John’s longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin. “This song was about my life,” John told The Associated Press earlier this year. “I’ve been through hell ... and I still come out fighting (on) the other side. So, you know, it’s very true to what I am.”
“Never Too Late” was shortlisted for the 2025 Oscars. It didn’t win, but that’s no matter. Now it is featured on a new, full album’s worth of collaborations between John and Carlile, called “Who Believes In Angels?”
The introductory anthem,
“The Rose of Laura Nyro,” suggests this might be a Carlile-does-John record, largely ornamented with call-and-response harmonies from the man himself, instead of something approximating a true partnership. That concern is quickly shed by the swinging rock ’n’ roll of track two, “Little Richard’s Bible,” lead by John. A pattern is established: The duo takes turns with the reins. Still, Carlile’s voice often emerges the loudest.
Power ballads, shockingly, are kept to a minimum. The best example is likely the title track, written by Carlile about her lifelong admiration-turned-long term friendship with John.
Positivity is in no short supply. “A Little Light” was written by Carlile the day that Israel invaded Gaza; it serves as a rallying cry to bring the world together. The midtempo “Someone to Belong To” mirrors “Never Too Late,” in some ways, as the pair harmonize its optimistic message: “Hang in there, darling, won’t you? / The best is yet to come,” they duet. “I thank my lucky stars / That I’ve got someone / Someone to belong to.” Closer “When This Old World is Done with Me” is a peak-John
solutions
began as Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
1945: President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia, at age 63.
1955: The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was declared safe and effective following nearly a year of field trials undertaken by about 1.8 million American child volunteers dubbed “polio pioneers.”
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1743: Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was born in Shadwell in the Virginia Colony.
1861: Fort Sumter in South Carolina fell to Confederate forces in the first battle of the Civil War.
1964: Sidney Poitier became the first black performer to win an Academy Award for acting in a leading role for his performance in “Lilies of the Field.”
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1828: The first edition of Noah Webster’s “American Dictionary of the English Language” was published.
1865: President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of the
play “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.
1997: Tiger Woods, at age 21, became the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
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1912: The British luxury liner RMS Titanic sunk in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland just over two and a half hours after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage. More than 1,500 people died, while 710 survived.
1947: Jackie Robinson, baseball’s first black major league player of the modern era, made his official debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day at Ebbets Field.
1955: Ray Kroc opened the first franchised McDon-
On its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, on April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. More than 1,500 passengers and crew perished.
ald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.
2013: Two bombs made from pressure cookers exploded at the Boston Marathon finish line, killing two women and an 8-year-old boy and injuring more than 260.
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1945: A Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea torpedoed the ship MV Goya, which Germany was using to transport civilian refugees and wounded soldiers. As many as 7,000 people died as the ship broke apart and sank minutes after being struck.
1963: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in response to a group of local clergymen who had criticized him for leading street protests.
piano ballad, a timeless offering that begs the question: Will the world ever see a new solo record from the pop hero again?
Much like “Never Too Late,” Taupin and Carlile both contributed lyrics, and Watt produced “Who Believes In Angels?” It was recorded in Los Angeles’ Sunset Sound Studios in October 2023, written and recorded in just 20 days, backed by all-star musi-
cians: Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, bassist Pino Palladino (who performs with Nine Inch Nails), and keyboardist Josh Klinghoffer (Pearl Jam, Beck).
Despite its expedition, the album is a full collection. It directly reflects a deepening collaborative relationship between John and Carlile, perhaps not unlike the one the country singer es-
tablished with Joni Mitchell recently, getting the folk icon back on stage. (What other musical heroes should get back in the studio? Give Carlile a call!) It is only natural for fans to leave wanting to hear more John. But in whole, “Who Believes In Angels?” is full of life — and it is a joy to hear an energetic John just a few years after he embarked on his farewell tour.
INTERSCOPE RECORDS VIA AP
“Who Believes In Angels?” by Elton John and Brandi Carlile was backed by all-star musicians.
AP PHOTO
famous birthdays this week
Herbie Hancock is 85, David Letterman turns 78, Claire Danes is 46, Al Green hits 79
The Associated Press THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week
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Actor Steven Seagal is 73. Actor Peter MacNicol (“Numb3rs,” “Ally McBeal”) is 71. Singer-producer Babyface is 67.
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Actor Peter Riegert (film’s “Animal House,” TV’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) is 78. Actor Bill Irwin (“Law & Order: SVU”) is 75. Singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale is 68.
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Actor Ed O’Neill (“Modern Family,” “Married... With Children”) is 79. Talk show host David Letterman is 78. Actor Andy Garcia is 69. Actor Claire Danes is 46.
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Actor Edward Fox is 88. Composer Bill Conti (“Rocky” film theme) is 83. Musician Al Green is 79. Actor Ron Perlman is 75.
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Actor Peter Capaldi (“Dr. Who,” “The Musketeers”) is 67. Actor Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) is 65. Singer-guitarist John Bell of Widespread Panic is 63. Actor Anthony Michael Hall is 57.
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Actor Lois Chiles (“Austin Powers,” “Moonraker”) is 78. Actor Emma Thompson is 66. Country singer Chris Stapleton is 47.
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Actor Michel Gill (“Mr. Robot,” “House of Cards”) is 65. Singer Jimmy Osmond is 62. Actor Jon Cryer is 60. Actor-comedian Martin Lawrence is 60.
EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Longtime talk show host David Letterman turns 78 on Saturday.
ALEXANDER NEMENOV / POOL PHOTO VIA AP
American action-movie actor Steven Seagal, pictured in 2024, hits 73 on Thursday.
SCOTT GARFITT / INVISION / AP PHOTO British actor Emma Thompson turns 66 on Tuesday.
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ returns, Viola Davis in action, Spin Doctors drop new album
“Black Mirror” is back on Netflix
The Associated Press
HULU’S “THE Handmaid’s Tale” returning for its sixth and final season and Viola Davis playing a U.S. president in the action movie “G20” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey reunite in the long-awaited second season of “The Last of Us,” Cillian Murphy plays an Irish coal merchant in the movie “Small Things Like These” and Spin Doctors release their first new studio album in 12 years.
MOVIES TO STREAM
Davis as an action star is, generally speaking, worth seeing. While Davis is best known for more dramatic roles, she kicked serious butt in 2022’s “The Woman King.” In “G20” (streaming Thursday on Prime Video), Davis plays a U.S. president whose military background comes in handy when terrorists take over the Group of 20 summit.
Following up his Oscar-winning performance in “Oppenheimer,” Cillian Murphy stars in and produced “Small Things Like These,” an adaptation of Claire Keegan’s Booker Prize-nominated novella. In the film (streaming on Hulu), Murphy plays an Irish coal merchant and father of five daughters in 1985. Directed by Tim Mielants (who worked with Murphy on “Peaky Blinders”) and co-starring Emma Watson, “Small Things Like These” digs into the brutal traumas of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.
MUSIC TO STREAM
Nearly six years have passed since Bon Iver’s last album, “i, i” was released, but that wasn’t the last we heard from him. His influence is everywhere in contemporary popular music; his world has changed ours, from 2007’s debut album, “For Emma Forever Ago,” recorded in his father’s hunting cabin, to all the Grammy nominations, tours and features with stars from Bruce Springsteen to Taylor Swift. In October, he released indie folk EP “SABLE,” which AP’s Dave Campbell described as arriving like a siren, warning the listener of some intensity ahead. On Friday, that intensity arrives in the form of a new full-length album, “SABLE, fABLE.” Also on Friday, Spin Doc -
tors release their first new studio album in 12 years, “Face Full of Cake,” via Capitol Records. It’s been 33 years since their alt-rock, Grammy-nominated hit “Two Princes” soundtracked the ’90s. Three decades later, their cheeky spirit endures.
SHOWS TO STREAM
After a more than two-year wait, Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” is back for its sixth and final season. Elisabeth Moss returns as June, determined to rescue her daughter from the totalitarian, theonomic society of Gilead, which has taken over the United States. When “The Handmaid’s Tale” debuted in 2017, early into President Donald Trump’s first term, it struck a chord with viewers, particularly women, worried about their rights. The final season returns in the early days of Trump’s second term. Hulu also has ordered a sequel series, “The Testaments,” taking place 15 years later. Both
shows are based on novels by Margaret Atwood.
Netflix’s sci-fi anthology series “Black Mirror” returns for Season 7 on Thursday. There are six new stories — including a sequel to Season 4’s “USS Callister,” with Cristin Milioti reprising her role. Its new cast includes Awkwafina, Peter Capaldi, Emma Corrin, Paul Giamatti, Issa Rae, Rashida Jones, Tracee Ellis Ross and Chris O’Dowd.
A new reality competition show on Hulu may help fill the void left by “The Traitors.” “Got to Get Out” is hosted by Marvel actor Simu Liu and features notable reality TV stars like Spencer Pratt, Omarosa, Val Chmerkovskiy and Kim Zolciak-Biermann facing off against everyday people. They must live in a locked house together for 10 days for the chance of winning $1 million. The contestants have to devise plans to sneak out for challenges, without getting caught. “Got to Get Out” premieres Friday.
Remember Jon Hamm’s
commercial for Apple TV+ where he lamented he was the only Hollywood actor who hadn’t been hired by the streamer? A role on “The Morning Show” changed that for him. Now Hamm is starring in his own Apple show called “Your Friends & Neighbors,” premiering Friday. He plays Coop, a divorced, down- on-his-luck man who loses his hedge fund job. To keep up with the Joneses, not to mention his alimony and child support, he begins to steal from his affluent neighbors when they’re not home. The show, already renewed for Season 2, also stars Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn. Pascal and Ramsey reunite in the long-awaited second season of “The Last of Us.” The series is based on video games of the same name about a fungal infection that turns the infected into zombies. Season 2 picks up five years after the events of the first, with new cast member Kaitlyn Dever. Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Wright and Isabela Merced will also appear. “The Last of Us” Season 2 premieres Sunday.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
The Deep South has so much weird folklore that it should be
a great setting for an eerie video game. Leave it to our friends up north — Canadian studio Compulsion Games — to deliver South of Midnight. After a hurricane blows through a small town called Prospero, a young woman named Hazel gains some magical skills. She’ll need them to fight back against the witches, haints and oversized gators running wild all over the swamp. The supernatural creatures here, including an amiable giant catfish with a Cajun accent, have a distinctive stop-motion look, casting a haunting spell around Hazel’s journey. You can dig into this gumbo on Xbox X/S and PC.
Speaking of eerie settings, who isn’t intrigued by the classic mysterious mansion? Blue Prince, from Los Angeles-based designer Tonda Ros, invites you to explore such a house — and each time you open a door, you have a choice as to what room is behind it. The house is filled with puzzles, some of which require clues and objects from multiple locations. And at the end of the day, the manor resets itself, so the rooms will be in different places the next morning. It all feels like one huge escape room, and you can move in Thursday on
and
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Your Friends & Neighbors” and “The Last of Us” land this week on a device near you.
EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
The Spin Doctors, pictured in 2013, drop “Face Full of Cake,” their first album in 12 years, on Friday.
Elisabeth Moss returns as June, determined to rescue her daughter from the totalitarian, theonomic society of Gilead, which has taken over the United States.