the BRIEF this week
Trump taps housing regulator Pulte to be acting director of national intelligence
President Donald Trump has tapped Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be the acting director of national intelligence — elevating a real estate scion without any clear national security credentials to a key post as the U.S. remains at war with Iran. Trump made the surprise announcement Tuesday on social media that Pulte would be replacing Tulsi Gabbard, the former Hawaii congresswoman who had served as the director of national intelligence. Trump said Pulte will keep his other positions even as he lls in for Gabbard, who resigned last month after revealing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
Trump signs executive order to vet top AI models for national security risks
President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on arti cial intelligence. The order establishes a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release. The government will be able to work with trusted partners “that will have early access to covered frontier models to promote secure innovation and strengthen the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure,” the order says.
$2.00
Siler City approves updated UDO
The previous ordinance had been in place since 1993
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record
SILER CITY — The Siler City Board of Commissioners has adopted a new UDO. At the board’s June 1 meeting, the nal draft of the updated Uni ed Development Ordinance was presented for a public hearing.
The new UDO was devel-
oped in conjunction with town sta and the UDO steering committee, whose members were appointed by the Board of Commissioners.
“This is a review of the draft language for the entire new UDO that will replace the existing UDO that was adopted in August of 1993,” said Director of Planning and Community Development Tim Garner. “This
project was begun shortly after the adoption of the comprehensive plan and is the natural progression as the comprehensive plan outlines the objectives we’re trying to achieve with this new UDO.”
The new UDO follows a lot of what was laid out in the town’s 2024 Comprehensive Land Plan, which intends to ensure quality development within the town, and also updates the outdated plan to keep it in line with the current state statutes.
Some of those goals include encouraging in ll and redevelopment in commercial corridors and near downtown, updating subdivision requirements, encouraging open space, sidewalks and landscape buffers in all new residential developments, promoting a mix of housing types and updating design standards.
“We think we have a document that will really let us start
Wildlife game camera image, drone used to arrest man in fatal shooting of Virginia
By Kathy McCormack The Associated Press
Kids and adults alike were out and about in Pittsboro for Summerfest 2026 on Sunday. “He had a servant’s heart. He cared for others, he cared for his country, he cared for his family.” Kevin Kemp, Carroll County sheri
INVESTIGATORS in North Carolina used a wildlife game camera image and a drone to
I
nd and arrest a man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a Virginia sheri ’s deputy who was conducting a welfare check, authorities said.
The suspect, identi ed as Mi-
The robot handles reminders and daily tasks to help older adults stay independent
By Matt O’Brien The Associated Press
DURHAM, N.H. — After outliving Booker T. Bones, their second service dog, Brenda and Brian Marquis still needed help with some of the more di cult parts of daily life. They found Robbie, a robot that rolls out of a hallway into their living room several times a day. “Do you want to exercise
Brian Marquis
chael Puckett, was found with a gun Sunday night, two days after the shooting, as he was ringing the doorbell of a home less than several miles from the Virginia state line in Surry County. He was arrested and booked without bond, the state’s bureau
now? Please answer yes or no,” the caregiver robot asks 59-year-old Brian Marquis, who has been living with a traumatic brain injury since a 2012 car crash.
“Yes,” he responds. Then he stands up as the robot’s googly-eyed digital screen “face” morphs into an exercise video that guides him through an afternoon workout.
The decades-long quest to build home robots that are both helpful and lifelike — spurred on by ctional machines like The Jetsons’ humanoid maid Rosie — is still mostly a pipe dream. That’s
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
THURSDAY
Young and unemployed? Remote work, not AI, may be the problem, study nds
Employers
say training junior workers remotely is harder than in-o ce mentoring
By Christopher Rugaber The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
The rise of remote work since the pandemic has made businesses more reluctant to hire young, inexperienced workers and is the key driver of higher unemployment rates for recent college graduates, a study released Monday has found.
The study, by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, compared occupations that can be done remotely — such as software development — with those that are done in person, such as nursing. The study nds that the unemployment rate among young college graduates in “remotable” jobs rose by about 1 percentage point from 2017-19 to 2022-24.
Yet for older workers in those elds — those aged 29 and over — the jobless rate declined slightly, leading to a notably higher unemployment rate for college graduates 28 or younger in remotable occupations compared with older ones. Yet in nonremotable jobs, there has been little gap in the unemployment rates between older and younger col-
lege grads, the study nds. A similar pattern exists for those without college degrees, the study found.
The study, led by New York Fed research economist Natalia Emanuel, concludes that businesses are reluctant to hire new college grads into remote work because it is harder to train and mentor them if they work outside of the o ce. The authors of the study calculate that remote work is responsible for nearly two-thirds of the rise in the unemployment rate for young college graduates since the pandemic.
“Remote work has weakened incentives to hire young workers by impeding on-thejob training,” the study said. “Employers may not want to hire fresh graduates onto distributed teams because it is more di cult to teach them the requisite skills from afar.”
The study notes that the rise in unemployment among young college grads predates the development of arti cial intelli-
gence tools such as ChatGPT.
And when the authors looked at the exposure di erent occupations had to AI, it found that AI had little impact on youth unemployment.
The unemployment rate for college grads under 29 rose 20% from before the pandemic to 3.7%, on average, in 202225, the New York Fed said. For college grads aged 22 through 27, unemployment reached 5.8% last year, the highest outside the pandemic since 2012.
The study’s ndings are consistent with the low-hire, low- re state of the job market, where layo s are low and the unemployment rate is mostly stable, but those out of work are struggling to nd new jobs.
The New York Fed study also looked at detailed data from an unnamed Fortune 500 tech company and found that its hiring patterns mirrored what they had seen in the broader data.
When the company’s o ces were closed and sta worked remotely, “the rm hired fewer inexperienced workers and more experienced workers, who might need less mentorship to do their jobs well.”
“Once its o ces reopened, the company shifted back to hiring younger workers,” the study said. But even after the reopening, the company favored more experienced workers for teams that included remote work.
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County.
June 5
Jack the Radio
7 p.m.
Raleigh-based roots-rockers Jack the Radio blend rock, blues, Americana, folk, and country into a swampy Southern-tinged sound. The show is free as part of the Bynum Front Porch Summer Music Series; a hat is passed for the musicians. Food truck on site. No alcohol or pets. Bynum Front Porch 950 Bynum Road Bynum
June 7
Downtown Pittsboro Historical Walking Tour: Transportation Noon
The Chatham County Historical Association leads a 90-minute, roughly one-mile walking tour of downtown Pittsboro exploring how roads, rails and other transit modes shaped the town’s commerce and growth. Tickets are $5 for members, $10 for non-members; capped at 20 participants.
Barcenas-Ordonez, 33, was arrested for felony possession of cocaine, possession of a controlled substance in a state park and possession of drug paraphernalia, and other charges.
• Gerrall Deangelo Johnson, 37, was arrested for assault by strangulation, assault on a female and simple assault, and other charges.
May 27
• Maurico Eugene Long, 42, was arrested for driving while impaired, driving on a revoked license and operating a vehicle without insurance, and other charges.
• Kailah Michele Love, 34, was arrested for driving on a revoked license, resisting a public o cer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Zhari Zhane Goins, 31, was arrested for probation revocation.
• Dennis O’Keith Faulkner, 32, was arrested for involuntary manslaughter; allowing animals to roam at large; and dog, cat and ferret vaccination violation.
May 28
• Justin Middleton Cooper, 39, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance on prison or jail premises, communicating threats and injury to personal property, and other charges.
• Trae Bradley McKinney, 34, was arrested for sexual battery, assault on a female and indecent exposure.
• Jessie McKenley Cameron, 39, was arrested for driving while impaired.
• Breana Natyana Wright, 28, was arrested for attempted larceny and solicitation of prostitution.
• Jacob Lee Arnzen, 25, was arrested for assault on a female and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
May 29
• John Charles Smith, 52, was arrested for rst-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, indecent liberties with a child and sexual battery, and other charges.
• Tyler Mark Mans eld, 39, was arrested for communicating threats.
• Aaron Luis Perez, 34, was arrested for identity theft, nancial card fraud and possession of stolen goods or property.
• Rebecca Ann Pinnix, 58, was arrested for habitual larceny, assault and battery and possession of drug paraphernalia, and other charges.
May 30
• Aleaha Renne Marr, 32, was arrested for driving while impaired.
Historic Chatham County Courthouse 9 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro
June
12
Beach Music Series: Chairmen of the Board 7 p.m.
The Chairmen of the Board, one of the founding groups of Carolina beach music, headline this free outdoor concert on the MOSAIC event lawn. The series runs through late June.
Philip H. Kohl MOSAIC Family Commons 457 Freedom Parkway Pittsboro Library Prom 6-9 p.m.
Chatham Community Library hosts Library Prom at the Holmes Family Meeting Room. The event is free and open to the public.
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 2026-27 school year. Educators in K-12 classrooms with creative ideas for learning projects are encouraged to apply for a grant up to $2,000. Grant applications will be accepted through Sept. 15. However, it pays to apply early. All teachers who submit their applications by the early bird deadline of Aug. 15 will be entered into a drawing for one of ve $100 Visa gi cards. Scan the QR code or visit NCBrightIdeas.com for
information or to apply!
Chatham Community Library 197 N.C. Highway 87 N Pittsboro
June 14
Pittsboro Wine Fest 2-4 p.m.
Vino!! Wine Shop hosts its annual wine expo and tasting featuring more than 44 wines from 11 vendors worldwide, food catered by 39 West Catering, live music from Mondo Guitaro and door prizes. Tickets are $60 per person, available at Vino!! Wine Shop.
Forest Hall at Chatham Marketplace 480 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro
CHEYANNE MUMPHREY
Former NC o cer charged in beating caught on video
The victim’s charges for resisting arrest and assault have since been dismissed
The Associated Press
SHELBY — A former North Carolina police o cer caught on a doorbell camera repeatedly punching a woman in the face was charged Monday with assault.
The video of Shelby Ocer Karson Hyder pummeling Cherrie Moore on Friday has circulated widely on social media.
Hyder, 22, turned himself in to the Cleveland County Detention Center on Monday morning and was released on a $10,000 secured bond. Court records do not list an attorney for him, and a phone number associated with his name was out of service.
Hyder, who was suspended Friday and red on Saturday, was responding to a breaking-and-entering call when the scu e ensued.
According to a warrant, Moore, 34, ed the residence on foot and resisted arrest, assaulting Hyder by “grabbing and ripping (his) uniform.”
A separate warrant led Monday alleged Hyder “unlawfully and willfully did assault and strike Cherrie Moore” by
Church News
OAKLEY BAPTIST CHURCH
As Oakley Baptist Church (2300 Siler City-Glendon Road, Siler City) seeks to begin its next chapter, we are enjoying hearing a word from the Lord from various old and new friends. Our service begins at 10:30 a.m., but we also have Sunday School classes for every member of the family at 9:30 a.m. We would be blessed if you joined us for any and all of these speakers in the coming weeks.
June 7 – Gary McCollough
grabbing Moore “by the arm, pushing her to the ground and striking her in the face with a closed st, thereby in icting serious injury possible broken nose and busted lip.”
The State Bureau of Investigation had announced Saturday it had opened an investigation into Hyder.
Moore was initially charged with breaking and entering, resisting arrest and assault on a public o cer, but the latter two charges have since been dismissed. She was freed on an un-
secured bond. A phone number associated with Moore was disconnected.
Her attorney, Ronald Haynes, told The Associated Press in an email that Moore “is recovering and receiving treatment for her mental health.”
“The heinous actions of former O cer Karson Hyder will forever negatively impact Ms. Cherrie Moore and her family,” Haynes continued. “It’s a small relief that city o cials responded so promptly to terminate and charge Mr. Hyder.”
Experimental pill promises new hope for pancreatic cancer
It uses a molecular glue to target mutations that had eluded treatment for decades
By Lauran Neergaard
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A novel pill helped people with advanced pancreatic cancer live longer, researchers reported Sunday, raising hopes of long-needed better treatments for one of the deadliest types of cancer.
“While not curing the cancer, it is a very large step forward,” said Dr. Zev Wainberg, of the University of California, Los Angeles, who helped lead the study.
The drug is called daraxonrasib, and it blocks a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in more than 90% of pancreatic cancer cases — a target that had eluded treatment for decades.
The daily pills nearly doubled survival time, with fewer severe side e ects, in a study that randomly assigned the experimental drug or more chemotherapy to 500 patients whose metastatic, or spreading, cancer had quit responding to prior treatment. The ndings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented Sunday at the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago.
Those taking daraxonrasib lived for a median of 13.2 months compared with 6.7 months for chemotherapy recipients. While that may seem like a small improvement, Wainberg said it marked the rst drug to show a substantial advantage over chemotherapy.
“Having treated pancreatic cancer for 16 years, I actually started crying” when rst seeing the study results, Dr. Rachna Shro of the University of Arizona Cancer Center, who wasn’t involved with the research, said from the ASCO meeting. She was struck by how “patients stayed on this treatment because it was providing durable and meaningful bene t to them.”
The pills’ e ects eventually wane, but recipients used them for signi cantly longer than the comparison group stayed on chemotherapy, reporting less pain and a better quality
of life as their tumors shrank. Many still were using the drug after the data was analyzed, which Wainberg said means the survival gap may widen as researchers continue tracking them.
Dr. Brian Wolpin, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, presented the ndings Sunday.
He said the drug should become “a new standard of care” for previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, adding that researchers also will explore its use earlier in the disease, including to see if tumor shrinkage might let more patients qualify for surgery.
Side e ects most likely to affect pill usage were a rash that can be severe and mouth sores, he said.
Maker Revolution Medicines funded the study and the Food and Drug Administration plans to expedite review of the drug. Meanwhile, the agency is allowing what’s called “expanded access” to the experimental drug for patients who meet certain criteria. The drug garnered public attention when former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse described on “60 Minutes” how he’s had less pain while taking it. Oncologists are being ooded with requests as the special access program gets started.
Pancreatic cancer is among the most deadly forms in large part because it’s hard to detect before it starts spreading to other organs. The American Cancer Society estimates about 67,000 new cases will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year and more than 52,000 people will die from the disease. The
ve-year overall survival rate is 13%.
Unlike with other cancers that have bene ted from a variety of chemotherapy alternatives, pancreatic cancer has been harder to tackle.
Cancer specialists not involved in the new research expressed optimism that this may be a turning point in the quest for new options, with dozens of experimental drugs in development.
The new drug targets mutations in the RAS gene family that normally regulates cell growth. So-called KRAS mutations are especially critical in fueling pancreatic cancer. But a structure that made it hard for drugs to stick to the mutated proteins meant this cancer driver was long considered “undruggable.”
Revolution Medicines’ drug uses what’s essentially a molecular glue to bind with multiple KRAS subtypes. Wainberg said researchers next will probe whether the drug worked better in certain of those subtypes.
The drug will change pancreatic cancer treatment, said Dr. Andrew Coveler of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, who wasn’t involved in the research.
“This thing works drastically di erently,” he said.
Wainberg said other drugs in development target specific KRAS subtypes. Other approaches in earlier stages of testing include vaccines designed to prevent recurrence after pancreatic cancer surgery by teaching the immune system to recognize the mutated protein.
We look forward to meeting you at any of these services and in the future, and invite you to pray with us as we seek a new pastor. To learn more, go to oakleybaptist.org or email us at oakleybaptistchurch@gmail.com.
DRONE from page A1
of investigation said in a news release. Multiple law enforcement agencies took part in the search.
Puckett, 55, appeared for an extradition hearing Monday, where he waived his right to a court-appointed lawyer and awaited transport to Virginia, WXII-TV reported. In Virginia, the Carroll County Sheri ’s O ce said the fatal shooting occurred after law enforcement received a request from a family member to do a welfare check last Friday. A man at the home began shooting, and the two sheri ’s deputies who had responded returned re, the sheri ’s ofce said. Both deputies were hit, and the man ran away. Other people were in the home at the time. They were
ORDINANCE from page A1
to move forward,” said Mayor Donald Matthews. “It’s been way past time to get this done.” The board also approved on-street parking restrictions along East Cardinal Street adjacent to Jordan-Matthews High School. The changes include limiting parking near the corners of multiple intersections of East Cardinal Street (Central Avenue, White Oak Drive, Matthews Street, Jordan-Matthews Drive, Jet Way) in order to improve visibility and overall tra c safety.
not hurt, according to Carroll County Sheri Kevin Kemp. Deputy Logan Utt was killed. The second deputy, who was struck in his ballistic vest, was recovering at home and was in good condition, Kemp said Sunday. There was a massive search for the suspect, who was “spotted on wildlife game camera in Surry County, North Carolina,” north of the city of Mount Airy, on Sunday morning, police said. A drone was used to track his movements. Utt, 31, was a military veteran who joined the department in 2023. A funeral procession was held Monday afternoon from Roanoke, Virginia, to Mount Airy, where Utt was a former re ghter. “He had a servant’s heart. He cared for others, he cared for his country, he cared for his family,” Kemp said.
Finally, the board approved the setting of a public hearing for the potential renaming of Hill Street to McClain Street.
“Mr. Albert McClain recently celebrated his 100th birthday, he’s also been a mainstay in this community all of his life, an Army veteran and the list is really too long to name what he has done for not only his community, but for the town of Siler City,” Matthews said.
The public hearing will be held July 20.
The Siler City Board of Commissioners will next meet June 10.
HEAR GOD’S TRUTH!
Bible study: 1 Thessalonians 1:3-12 Church of Living Water; Pastor: James Mitchell.
I pray for all souls to repent and come to the knowledge of God’s Truth. All sinners can be forgiven! Why do so many reject God’s mercy? Hear God’s truth: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5. We thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, who have kept the faith and the love you have for each other. You are still standing strong in patience and faith despite the persecutions and tribulations we endure. God’s got it! It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to those who trouble His who refuse to humble themselves to repentance. God’s grace and mercy will carry us through vigorously! Keep standing strong in our Lord and receive the blessings. Just take time to think about how blessed we really are compared to those without God. Have we forgotten that mustard seed of faith that will carry us through the battles of this world? News: Rhino Thomas Massie just lost to a true patriot, Ed Gallrein. Rhino Bill Cassidy is voted out! I pray patriot Ken Paxton beats Rhino John Cornyn in Texas next week. Drain the swamp! MAGA patriots are coming after you, anti-America rhinos, and you Democrats who want to transgender our children, allow illegals to vote in our elections, and give away taxpayer dollars that should go to American citizens in need.
MIN YU / AP PHOTO
A microscope image from USC via the National Institute of Health shows pancreatic cancer cells, nuclei in blue, growing as a sphere encased in red membranes.
AP PHOTO
A doorbell camera video captured former police o cer Karson Hyder, left, punching a woman, Cherrie Moore, during an incident last Friday in Shelby
THE CONVERSATION
Trip
Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
COLUMN | ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN
Magical hawks
“Baseball reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.”
I WRITE in celebration of this year’s Seaforth baseball team. The Hawks clawed their way to the state championship, and though they lost to the No. 1 seed and last year’s champions, North Lincoln High School, I am proud of them. The program has soared in a short amount of time; Seaforth opened in August 2021.
This year’s team began the playo s as the ninth seed, prompting some media outlets to term their championship run a “Cinderella story.” Head coach Spenser Messmore said they used that term as a motivational tool. The Hawks had played one of the most competitive regular seasons in the state, and while they lost a few close games, Messmore believed they were much better than their 21–11 record might indicate. Some say baseball is a game of inches, but really it’s a game of attitude. Like most sports, baseball rewards speed and power. But the fastest or strongest player on the eld is not always the best. It’s a game about quick wrists and quick thinking. Motivation counts.
Baseball is also a time machine. The late, great James Earl
Lessons
in,
People, places and events come to mind, and I wonder where they all are now.
Jones said it best in “Field of Dreams,” the classic movie: “Baseball reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.”
These Hawks reminded me of a few teams that I played on when something clicked at the right time and suddenly the big hit or big pitch happened at just the right time. I remember the feeling of stepping into the batter’s box knowing my team was behind me. We didn’t win a championship either, but for a time, I thought anything was possible.
I’m sorry the ball didn’t bounce their way in the end, but someday, long after they’ve quit playing, these Hawks will watch another team, and what it was like for them the past season will all come back. It will be as real as the smell of a leather glove or crack of the bat. I tell you, it’s magic.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, co ee drinker and student of joy.
of life take years to learn
A SIGNIFICANT event came my way this week.
No, it wasn’t the lottery or last house payment or even a note from old girlfriend Katherine (Kitty) Litter saying she nally realized she missed the boat all those years ago.
Instead, it was the annual celebration of some of my mama’s nest work, notably the day she brought me into the world.
I won’t mention the year this event came about or how many years it’s been but simply say it was before Ike came into the White House. I’ll go on record, however, as saying I can’t believe how quickly it got here.
It’s been a while coming and there has been a fair amount of water over the dam and under the bridge. But I’m also glad the water continues owing, and I hope it will for some time. Looking back over those years, it doesn’t seem so long ago. People, places and events come to mind, and I wonder where they all are now.
Our little family came to Pittsboro when I was a wee, handsome — well, at least wee — little lad of 5. My dad had changed careers, and Chatham County was home to him and Mama anyway. Had that not happened, I would have grown up in Apex and never gotten acquainted with Bonlee or Harpers Crossroads or Rufus’ Restaurant and hundreds of wonderful folks.
My school days would have been spent in Wake County instead of the halls of Pittsboro High School, where I managed to get thrown out of school assembly my senior year when I was student body president and fouled out of a junior varsity basketball game during the warmups when I was in the ninth grade.
I think back on those growing up days, remembering who dated who, who had what car, the words to every rock ’n’ roll song WKIX at 850 AM played and many other important pieces of information. However, I could not then — and still cannot now — tell you the words to the French national anthem, how many bones a frog has in its body or how to nd the square root of 147, all of which various teachers deemed essential at the time. Instead, I think of the 30 or so classmates who are now precious memories. Ditto for the class ahead of and behind me.
The same thing happened with my college career, the one where I managed to cram a four-year course of study into seven years. I knew I was going to Chapel Hill to get an education; I just didn’t think it would all be in campus classrooms. And it wasn’t.
These days I remember the guys in my dorm — Chester “Chuck” Conner, who combined brains, books and looks into one great all-around guy; Sam “Froggy” Greathouse, who got us into trouble with the dean because we hung out the secondstory windows making pig-grunt noises at the female students as they walked by and is now one of those aforementioned memories; Ronald and Donald Green, the twins from Carthage who I never could tell apart and still couldn’t a few years ago when I bumped into them at a funeral service I conducted for a family member of a mutual friend; and numerous others whose faces come to mind but don’t bring names with them.
There are other highlights — many, in fact: A career in community journalism which led me to meet my better — much better — half when we worked beside each other in adjoining buildings in Pittsboro one magic summer; the wonderful days of courtship when I stopped running so she could catch me; the years since then with our two 50-somethings who at one time were teenagers who lived at my house and who now have produced their own set of humans, some of whom are teenagers and high school graduates and college students themselves, but for right now are without doubt the most wonderful grandchildren the world has ever seen.
And there are others — a job once that let me work with farmers and rural folks all over the two Carolinas, a seminary course of study that produced a change in careers and the subsequent places of service, and even an opportunity to combine journalism and ministry as a life’s work for several years. At one time, I thought I’d retire; now I know there’s not enough time to do that. And maybe that’s the best lesson that has come from these yearly celebrations. I know I’m not the only person who has such momentous occasions. My hope through the years of turning out these columns is that maybe once in a while (if you’re brave enough to read them) we all share the human condition known as life and that birthdays are another opportunity to get on with living it.
Hope yours is or was happy and prosperous … whenever it is and however many there are.
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 | BOB WACHS
Unraveling a conundrum
“The
trick … is to make much of mere daylight and the skies.”
STRANGELY ENOUGH, I’m diving into Walt Whitman for a much-needed personal reframe. Walt, are you ready? We’re on our way. The subtext is aliveness, my aliveness and yours, dear readers, but we’ll get to that. Promise. Here’s the venerated Walt W.: “The trick … is to make much of mere daylight and the skies.” What’s this “mere” thing? Our Earth’s “daylight and the skies” are mere? Tri ing? Trivial?
To be sni ed at? “It’s morning. Time to raise the shades.” Raising the shades encapsulates, embarrassingly so, my daily experience of our glorious sun bursting over the horizon. Yep (head hanging low). Those Carolina blue skies? “Oh, nice sky today. Hmmm … when’s my rst appointment? Gotta get dressed.” Oy. As I try to unravel this conundrum of “mere,” I’m reclining on my couch, looking out the window at trees and their spreading greenery. Then that pesky adjective, “mere,” once again, rudely butts into my consciousness. If this panoramic view of North Carolina’s nature quali es only as “mere,” what else is diminished in my eyes? My breathing? Having hands? Working at being a good human? How do I imbue my life with aliveness? For
COLUMN | JAMES CARTER AND JACOB CHOE
that exemplar of nature, Mr. Whitman, the appearance of mere daylight and a cloud- lled sky are more than enough to induce his sense of excited aliveness and awe. But, me, sigh … Not so much, for me. It stings to admit this. The magnetic draw of chocolate-covered ginger, sitting on my kitchen counter, seems to dwarf both daylight, and the sky, in warranting my attention. However, I can’t dive into chocolatecovered ginger without leaving the house, driving to the store, paying and coming home. So many steps needed for chocolate-covered ginger to capture my reverent attention. Whereas the sky, daylight and nature can be had by just opening the blinds and looking out the window. A cheap date.
The awe of morning’s light, and the vastness of blue skies, are available for the price of simply opening my eyes. Store runs for chocolatecovered ginger aren’t requisite for my feeling alive. I’m still a work in progress, even after all these years …
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
The U.S. ally that figured out China’s gameplan long before Washington
China is not a trading partner that plays by the rules.
WASHINGTON HAS SPENT decades talking about the U.S.-Japan alliance in military terms. Carrier groups. Missile defense. Deterrence. Those things matter enormously. But the alliance runs far deeper than defense planning, and right now the economic dimension deserves more attention than it is getting.
It runs through factories, ports, semiconductor supply chains, cattle ranches, shipping corridors, food processing systems and business relationships that never make the evening news.
Understanding why that matters requires being honest about something Washington spent too long avoiding: China is not a trading partner that plays by the rules. It is a strategic competitor that uses economic leverage as a weapon, and every supply chain that runs through Beijing is a vulnerability waiting to be exploited.
Japan gured this out before most American policymakers did.
The U.S.-Japan relationship stands out in the current environment precisely because it is built on something China cannot o er: genuine mutual trust developed over decades of transparent commerce, shared democratic values and consistent institutional behavior.
That is not a diplomatic abstraction but rather a practical asset with real economic consequences.
Japan remains badly underestimated by many in Washington. Its food processing and agricultural technology sectors are extraordinarily sophisticated. Precision packaging, cold-chain logistics, sanitation systems and production e ciency are not glamorous topics, but they matter enormously in modern trade.
They reduce waste, improve reliability and create the kind of supply chain stability that China’s record of concealment, manipulation and economic coercion has repeatedly destroyed.
American agricultural producers bene t from the Japanese relationship more than most people realize. Japan is one of the largest overseas markets for U.S. beef, pork, wheat, corn, soybeans, dairy and seafood. Japanese rms invest heavily inside the United States in automotive manufacturing, logistics, advanced materials, food technology and industrial infrastructure. That is far from dependency. It is the kind of reciprocal economic integration that actually works — because both sides follow the same rules and neither uses market access as a political hostage.
China does. And when it wants to remind you of that fact, it does not send a diplomatic note. It cuts o your supply chain.
Ask any American manufacturer who woke up to nd China restricting exports of gallium and germanium — two minerals essential to semiconductors, defense systems and advanced electronics — what Chinese economic partnership actually looks like in practice. Beijing controls nearly 90% of the world’s rare earth processing capacity. It did not acquire that dominance through superior geology. It acquired it through decades of deliberate state subsidization, below-market pricing designed to drive foreign competitors out of business and a patient willingness to operate at a loss until the
BE IN TOUCH
Democrats are in no position to lecture anyone about candidates
DEMOCRATS ARE AGAIN acting like they occupy the high moral ground of American politics. But if 2026 has proven anything, it’s that there’s virtually nothing a left-wing candidate could say or do that would elicit condemnation from Democrats if doing so threatened their power.
Democrats, for example, demand credit for their opposition to Maureen Galindo, the Texas congressional candidate who proposed putting American “Zionists” (wink, wink) into concentration camps and castrating them, lost her Texas primary last week, winning 36% of the vote — not a bad showing for a politician championing mass imprisonment of her political enemies.
The question, though, is whether House Minority Leader Hakeem Je ries or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or anyone at Pod Save America or the Bulwark had uttered a word in protest, had Galindo already won her primary before making those comments? All the evidence strongly suggests no.
And by evidence, I mean their explicit support for slightly less o ensive cranks, extremists, bigots and terrorism apologists such as new party power broker Hasan Piker, the socialist Hezbollah fan Abdul el Sayed in Michigan or the Hamas apologist Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania, a guy who suggested the massacre of Jews at Bondi Beach was a “false ag” operation by “Zionists.”
competition disappeared. Once the competition was gone, the leverage arrived. It’s a long con.
Japan understood this dynamic earlier than Washington and has spent years building diversi ed critical mineral supply chains precisely to reduce exposure to Chinese chokepoints. That work is directly relevant to American national security interests right now, and it is one reason the bilateral relationship carries strategic weight beyond what any single trade agreement or defense treaty could capture.
The recent weakness of the yen deserves more attention than it has received. Most commentary treats it as a Japanese problem. That misses half the picture.
A weaker yen lowers costs for American importers, manufacturers and rms purchasing Japanese industrial inputs and specialized technologies. It also encourages additional Japanese investment into the United States at precisely the moment America is trying to rebuild domestic manufacturing capacity and cut dangerous supply chain dependence on China. The yen story is, in part, an American opportunity.
President Donald Trump understood the strategic stakes in the Paci c earlier and more clearly than his critics acknowledged. The emphasis on industrial resilience, supply chain repatriation and confronting Chinese economic aggression directly was not protectionist nostalgia.
It was a recognition that the rules-based trading order China pretends to respect is one it has systematically gamed for 30 years. Japanese policymakers understood this concern even when they disagreed with speci c tari decisions. The underlying diagnosis was correct. Events have kept proving it.
The Paci c is now a theater of economic competition whether Washington wants it to be or not. China has made that choice for everyone.
It has used its position in the South China Sea to intimidate smaller neighbors, backed Russia’s war in Ukraine while lecturing the West about sovereignty, and built rare earth dominance into a strategic weapon aimed directly at American manufacturing and defense capacity. It views American alliances not as facts to be respected but as problems to be dissolved.
That is why the U.S.-Japan alliance matters more right now than at any point in recent memory. Not because it is sentimental or traditional but because it is one of the few economic relationships in the Paci c built on rules both sides actually follow, trust both sides have actually earned and interests both sides have actually aligned. In a region where China has made dependency its primary foreign policy tool, that is a genuine strategic advantage.
Don’t take it for granted.
James Carter is a policy advisor with America’s Economy First. Jacob Choe is an international strategist and a member of the Bretton Woods Committee and a Ben Franklin Fellow.
(Copyright 2026 Daily Caller News Foundation)
Imagine telling someone 20 years ago that a leading congressional candidate in a New Jersey district situated right outside New York City had both volunteered for an al Qaeda front in Europe and spent years being friends with “The Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdel-Rahman, the longtime jihadi preacher who was sentenced for seditious conspiracy after planning a “day of terror” in 1995. Adam Hamawy defended Abdel-Rahman during his trial. And yet not a single notable Democrat has called him out on it.
Many of the same Democrats who expect Republicans to wring their hands over Republican Texas senatorial candidate Ken Paxton, a man tainted by corruption, have o ered a full-throated endorsement of a man who knowingly got and kept a Totenkopf SS Nazi tattoo for 20 years. It’s not just that Graham Platner’s mentally unstable ravings, including saying a Purple Heart recipient didn’t “deserve to live,” that “all cops are bastards,” that white rural Americans were “racist and stupid,” that the Virgin Mary was a “skank,” defending child killers of Hamas or contending that sexual assault victims bring it on themselves. It’s that he still uses unhinged Marxist language right now.
Platner isn’t the rst skeeze to run for major o ce, but he might be the most extreme. Only two elected Democrats, as far as I can tell, have spoken out about Platner’s soft spot for Nazis. One is Sen. John Fetterman, who is under relentless attack from his own party for supporting Israel over Islamists, and Rep. Jake Auchincloss.
Now, if Platner’s opponent in Maine was a raging, corrupt ideologue, independents might be torn between two dangerous candidates. But the Republican in Maine is incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, perhaps the most milquetoast centrist member of the entire chamber.
Some Democrats rationalize their support for a self-described “communist” by noting that control of the Senate is far more important than worrying about the individual ravings of unhinged candidates. Though gutless establishment Democrats did virtually nothing to counter extremists during the primaries, there’s a utilitarian logic to this thinking. But then you’re in no position to lecture Republicans about Paxton or anyone else, for that matter.
The 2026 elections will be held during the second term of an unpopular presidency, so there’s no telling how many Democrats will win. Or, perhaps, the new reality is that proIslamist Marxists are now an in uential part of the contemporary Democratic Party. How popular such a party will be nationally moving forward is yet to be seen.
I am constantly being assured that Democrats are the adults in the room. I’m supposed to believe that self-styled socialists are not only going to uphold norms, decency and democratic institutions but also improve the economic conditions of Americans. That contention clashes with every shred of historical evidence we possess.
Democrats had a chance to be normal. They chose crazy.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)
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.
Hazel Marie Newby Horton
Feb. 18, 1944 –May 28, 2026
Hazel Marie Newby Horton, 82, of Siler City, went to her Heavenly home on Thursday, May 28th, 2026, at her home surrounded by family.
Hazel was born in Chatham County on February 18th, 1944, to the late Thomas and Willia Headen Newby.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 57 years, James Edward Horton; her brothers, Ray Newby and Terry Newby; and her sister, Janice Lee.
Miss Hazel was a wonderful homemaker and a great cook.
She was known for her chicken and dumplings, sausage gravy, and pound cake. She was always positive and encouraging to everyone. She was a devoted wife and mother.
She used to work for Glendale Hosiery, she worked as a CNA, and she worked in the cafeteria at Jordan Matthews High School. She was a member of Wesley Chapel Christian Fellowship Church where she was also the trustee.
Left to cherish Miss Hazel’s memory is her son Chris Horton (Keith Olson) of Portsmouth, VA; her daughter, Angela H. She eld (Gary) of Siler City; her sister, Marsha Newby; her brothers, Milton Newby and Henry Newby; and several nieces, nephews, and friends.
A visitation will be held at Smith & Buckner Funeral Home Chapel on Thursday, June 4th, 2026, from 6-8 pm.
The family requests all cards and owers to be delivered to Smith & Buckner Funeral Home.
Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Horton family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com
Larry King, ex-husband of Billie Jean King who helped with growth of women’s pro tennis, dead at 81
He designed colorful courts and revamped scoring to help popularize World TeamTennis
The Associated Press
GRASS VALLEY, Calif. — Larry W. King, the former husband of Billie Jean King who partnered with her on the creation of the WTA Tour and the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match, died Friday. He was 81. King died at his home of prostate cancer, said his wife, Nancy Bolger King.
Larry King and Billie Jean King met at Cal State-Los Angeles and married in 1965. Billie Jean King credited him as “one of the unsung heroes in the establishment of women’s professional tennis in the early 1970s.”
“Larry’s intelligence, love, commitment and humor helped me navigate my career for more than 20 years,” Billie Jean King added in a statement, saying, “We were married for 22 years and in business together for decades. He was involved behind the scenes when the Original 9 signed our $1 contracts and he and I co-owned several tournaments on the Virginia Slims Tour.”
Together, Larry and Billie Jean King founded World TeamTennis, after Billie Jean was long interested in a team format for the sport. Larry King designed the colorful courts and a revamped scoring system that helped popularize the sport.
He played a major role in a
“Larry King didn’t just champion equality from the sidelines — he embodied male allyship at a de ning moment for sports, culture, and society.”
Valerie Camillo, WTA chair
breakthrough for women’s tennis in 1973. The WTA Tour was formed that year, before King went on to beat Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” which remains the most-watched tennis match in history.
“Larry King didn’t just champion equality from the sidelines — he embodied male allyship at a de ning moment for sports, culture, and society,” WTA chair Valerie Camillo said. “Standing with Billie Jean and sharing her mission for positive change, his moral advocacy and vital contributions as a lawyer and businessman set the stage for the WTA Tour as we know it.”
Larry and Billie Jean King divorced in 1987. He later married Nancy Bolger King, whom he met on the women’s tour in the late 1980s. They moved a few years later to Grass Valley, where he co-founded Roller Hockey International, a professional roller hockey league played on inline skates; and Bridge Pro Tour, a professional bridge tour. Besides his wife, King is survived by son Sky King and daughter Katie King, and their families.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Chatham News & Record at obits@chathamnewsrecord.com
Donald Newhouse, newspaper publisher and former AP board chairman, dead at 96
He quietly shaped American journalism while navigating the digital age
By Scott Mayerowitz The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Donald E.
Newhouse, president of one of the largest family-controlled publishing companies in the nation and a former board chairman of The Associated Press, died Tuesday. He was 96 and died at his home in New Jersey, his family said.
During his career, Newhouse served as president of the Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey, and head of Advance Publications’ newspaper group, which he navigated into the internet age.
“You reveled in his company. He lled you with energy and humor when you felt doubtful and weak,” said Anna Wintour, the global editorial director of Vogue and Conde Nast’s chief content o cer.
“He was scrupulous about not interfering in editorial business, but if you turned to him for counsel, he invariably o ered judicious advice,” she said in an obituary released last week by the Newhouse family.
Newhouse, who lived in New York, spent nearly 50 years overseeing the 35 newspapers of Advance Publications, the media business started by his late father, Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr., in 1922. His older brother, S.I. Newhouse Jr., was chairman of the company and oversaw Conde Nast magazines. He died in 2017.
Louis D. Boccardi, retired president and CEO of the AP, said Newhouse was an extraordinary chairman for the cooperative.
“His voice was never the loudest in the room, but it was often the wisest,” Boccardi said. New-
“His voice was never the loudest in the room, but it was often the wisest.”
Louis D. Boccardi, retired Associated Press president and CEO
house was instinctively private, but behind that, Boccardi said, was a generous man, at home anywhere and curious about everything.
“He could come across as self-e acing and deferential, but in Don’s skilled hands those were qualities that made him an enormously strong and effective leader,” Boccardi said.
“You don’t often see the adjective ‘warm’ attached to a titan of industry, but it applied to him.”
A man who didn’t chase the spotlight
Newhouse, born in 1929, was known for staying out of the public eye. A reporter once asked him to list the biggest chances he took in his career. The answer: “Inviting your questions.”
The usually reserved Newhouse did step into the spotlight when he took on the role of chairman of the Newspaper Association of America from 1993 to 1994 and then chairman of the AP board of directors from 1997 to 2002. He had served on the AP board for nine years before becoming its chairman.
“He was a smart and shrewd businessman but as thoughtful and kind a man as you’ll nd. Being in his presence was always a joy,” said Doug Clifton, editor of one of Newhouse’s papers, The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1999 to 2007.
Newhouse attended Syracuse University but never graduated, heading into the family’s
newspaper business instead. He would regularly visit his newspapers but left the ultimate authority of running them to his publishers.
“Each of our newspapers operates independently, with publishers who are strong, who set policy for their individual organizations and who have the authority and responsibility of carrying out the policies they set,” he said in 1993 when taking over as chairman of the newspaper association.
Newhouse was known for spending money to make sure that papers got the best stories. Jim Willse, editor of The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., from 1995 until 2010, said he would give “us all the resources we needed to make The Ledger really special.” Willse said Newhouse loved newspapers and newspaper people.
“He especially enjoyed it when we’d have a story about some politician caught with his hand in the cookie jar, or a spicy feature about stu ed shirts behaving badly,” Willse said.
Newhouse’s philosophy of spending money to produce quality coverage and a hands- o approach toward his editors led to many successes, including multiple Pulitzers.
Many of those newspapers were able to thrive and remain pro table because they dominated their market, but Newhouse said he was very much aware of what he called the “dramatically changing media landscape” and how people get their news.
“The 15th-century revolution was epitomized by the printing of the Gutenberg Bible; ours by Ted Turner’s cable news network and by web -based news sites — news in real time from anywhere to everywhere,” he said in 2004 at the rededication of a communications school named after his father at Syracuse University.
New Berkshire Hathaway CEO Abel makes rst deal since taking over from legendary Bu ett
The acquisition tests whether Abel will move beyond Bu ett’s hands-o management style
By Josh Funk
The Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. — Berkshire
Hathaway’s new CEO Greg Abel hinted that he may depart from Warren Bu ett’s longtime hands-o operating model at the conglomerate as he announced a $6.8 billion acquisition of homebuilder Taylor Morrison.
Abel suggested in the deal announcement he plans to consolidate Taylor Morrison with Berkshire’s existing site-built homebuilding operations that are part of its Clayton Homes subsidiary. For six decades under Bu ett, Berkshire promised to largely leave companies alone after it acquired them and allow the executives to keep running the day-to-day operations the same way.
“We are excited to welcome Taylor Morrison into Berkshire’s portfolio, re ecting our long-standing commitment to housing, exempli ed by Clayton Homes and our other building products businesses. Over time, we expect to unify our site-built homebuilding operations into a combined platform enabling us
Begum, a professor of computer science, speaks about the robotics program at the University of New Hampshire, on April 21 in Durham, New Hampshire.
to deliver the dream of homeownership to more Americans,” Abel said in the announcement.
In addition to Clayton, which specializes in manufactured homes but also has a site-built unit, Berkshire also owns several other housing-related businesses, including Benjamin Moore paint and Shaw Floors.
It’s not clear how much consolidating Abel might do among Berkshire’s dozens of companies that include an assortment of major insurers, including Geico, major manufacturers such as Precision Castparts and a bunch of retail and service companies like NetJets, Dairy Queen and Helzberg Diamonds. But Abel is known as a much more active manager than Bu ett ever was.
“Given Greg’s strength as an operator it will be interesting to see if he does consolidate these units to get some greater scale and e ciencies,” said CFRA Research analyst Cathy Seifert.
Abel has been overseeing all of Berkshire’s noninsurance businesses since 2018, and he hasn’t made any major changes in operations, though he has encouraged subsidiaries to cooperate more when it makes sense. Abel became CEO in January, but Bu ett remains chairman and Berkshire’s largest shareholder.
Berkshire shareholders will
likely be excited just to see Abel making deals given that the Omaha-based company is currently sitting on nearly $400 billion cash. This deal by itself isn’t likely to make a meaningful impact on Berkshire’s bottom line because the conglomerate is so big, but dealmaking and investing are the areas of Abel’s resume that investors had the most questions about.
Bu ett praised Abel in an interview with CNBC on Monday morning.
“Greg did that faster than I could have done it, smoother
ROBOT from page A1
despite growing appeal as the oldest baby boomers are turning 80 this year and the United States faces a deepening shortage of home care aides, driven by low wages, high turnover and demanding workloads.
But the machine helping the Marquis family — a robot piloted by a University of New Hampshire laboratory, with funding from the National Institute on Aging — offers a glimpse of the emerging possibilities.
“Stretch” aids dementia patient with range of tasks
The wheeled robot that some have likened to a coat rack was not what Brenda Marquis initially had in mind when she wrote an email to a robotics professor at nearby UNH asking for advice on robotic dogs.
Robbie, the couple’s name for a new robot model o cially called Stretch 4, spends much of the day at a charging station between the kitchen and bedroom. When it comes out, it does important work, like nudging Brian, who has dementia, to eat lunch or drink water.
Brenda Marquis, 59, said she and her husband have physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities that make life complex.
“We’ve been kind of trapped in a problem here in New Hampshire of being able to nd and recruit enough home care support,” Brenda Marquis said in an interview at the couple’s Durham, New Hampshire apartment, where she scoots around in a motorized wheelchair while taking care of her husband. “That was when I started looking into robotics and trying to gure out what to do.” At the other end of Brenda’s
email was Momotaz Begum, a UNH computer science professor who has spent years experimenting with “socially assistive” robots that can aid people with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. Her robotics lab is full of experimental robots, including the four-legged variety.
Begum said the lab asked focus groups of older adults at memory care units what kind of robot they would like as a home companion. Many preferred pet-like robot designs.
“The common feedback that we got about Stretch was, ‘OK, this one looks like a coat hanger,’” she said. “But what we learned over time is that the look doesn’t matter.”
Several makers designing robots for elder companionship
Apart from robotic vacuum cleaners, the closest thing many older adults have to caregiving robots is a speaker powered by an arti cial intelligence voice assistant like Alexa. Some robot makers have expanded that concept into swiveling tabletop machines like ElliQ, designed for elder companionship.
But those aren’t mobile or functional enough for Begum, who said she is “trying to reduce that caregiver burden. And the caregiver actually does way more than social companionship.”
Humanoids, meanwhile, are still far from being useful in most homes and pose physical danger to people with limited mobility if the robot trips and falls.
The founders of Hello Robot, maker of the Stretch robots, said its simplicity is the point.
“Our robot’s very practical, pragmatic. I think it communicates that,” said CEO Aaron Edsinger, a former director of
robotics at Google. “If you show up looking like a humanoid, that expectation’s going to be set so high, it’s going to be very hard to do.”
The typical version of the Stretch 4 includes a telescoping gripper that can retrieve a water bottle and hold it out for a person to drink through a straw. Show it a prescription bottle and it can help read the ne print. The robot pulls together information from its cameras and onboard sensors, together with other sensors installed in a home, to gure out its location and who is in the room.
Manufactured at Hello Robot’s headquarters in Martinez, California, and sold for nearly $30,000, the new model that launched in May is far from being as ubiquitous as a Roomba or an AI-powered speaker. But for its target clientele, it can be a lifeline.
Robbie’s programmed care protocol for Brian is posted on the couple’s wall, and it includes exercise instructions, meal and medicine reminders, evening routine reminders and quick washup prompts that are only triggered after Brian enters the bathroom.
“I was never into technology,” Brian Marquis said. “Then I realized I can’t remember to wash my face and my armpits. So it just really kind of set me free almost.”
Brenda Marquis said it also freed her from hours of daily work and helped her reduce expenses. Fearful of leaving her husband at home too long, she was ordering groceries on Instacart. Now she can leave him with Robbie and go get groceries herself.
“I can go ahead and go to that mahjong game or whatever. Robbie’s gonna take care of him,” she said.
“Greg did that faster than I could have done it, smoother than I could have done it, and I never talked to the CEO. He has launched.”
Warren Bu ett, Berkshire Hathaway chairman
Berkshire agreed to pay Taylor Morrison investors $72.50 per share in the all-cash deal. That represents a 24% premium over the company’s previous closing price of $58.50.
than I could have done it, and I never talked to the CEO. He has launched,” Bu ett told CNBC. Abel has led acquisitions before while leading Berkshire’s massive utility division, but obviously Bu ett would have signed o on those. Now Abel is making the decisions with advice from Bu ett and the rest of the board.
“I think investors will cheer Greg’s foray into M&A as CEO. The purchase price seems rich given the current interest rate/ macro environment,” Seifert said.
Shares of the Scottsdale, Arizona-based homebuilder jumped up near that purchase price on Monday while Berkshire’s shares slipped 1%.
But Raymond James analyst Buck Horne said in a research note that it’s possible Berkshire could face some competition from private equity rms or other potential buyers who might be willing to pay more for Taylor Morrison before its shareholders can vote on whether to accept this o er.
“We would not be shocked if other players and/or private equity began to sharpen their pencils before the ink on this agreement is fully dry,” Horne said.
8 crested ibises released in Japanese town decades after extinction in Japan
Japan’s last native crested ibis died in 2003, but now the species is thriving again
By Mari Yamaguchi
The Associated Press
TOKYO — Eight crested ibises were released into the wild in a north-central Japanese town, decades after the birds went extinct in the country.
The endangered birds took o from each of their wooden cages at a ceremony Sunday in Hakui city in the Noto region, where they were last seen in the wild.
Residents cheered when the birds soared into the sky the moment Crown Prince Akishino, his wife Kiko and other o cials cut a ribbon around the cages.
The eight birds have been raised at a conservation center on Sado Island in the neighboring prefecture of Niigata following a successful captive-breeding program. Ten more birds are waiting to be released.
The white birds, called Toki in Japan, are native to East Asia and admired for their orange-pink hues under their wings and bright red marks around their eyes.
The birds went extinct on the Honshu main island in the 1970s, threatened by over-
KAZUSHI KURIHARA / KYODO NEWS VIA AP
A crested Ibis marked with painted wings ies as it was released.
hunting and environmental degradation. The last remaining Japanese native ibis died in 2003 on Sado Island. But the birds came back to life thanks to China’s support for breeding. In 1999, arti cial breeding by a pair donated from China successfully led to the rst Japanese crested ibis chick born in captivity, according to the Environment Ministry.
The breeding and conservation e orts have since helped the recovery of the birds’ population. In 2008, 10 of the birds raised at the Sado conservation center were released into the wild on the island, where their population has increased to around 500, the ministry says.
The release of the beloved birds on Sunday was also seen as a good omen for the Noto region, which is still recovering from the deadly 2024 earthquake.
ROBERT F. BUKATY / AP PHOTO
Momotaz
JOSH FUNK, FILE / AP PHOTO
Berkshire Hathaway’s Greg Abel poses for pictures with shareholders while touring the booths Berkshire’s companies set up in May 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska.
JAPAN POOL / KYODO NEWS VIA AP
Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, second right, Crown Princess Kiko, right, and other o cials watch a crested Ibis marked with painted wings released into the wild during an event in Hakui, Japan, on Sunday.
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PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
A public hearing will be held by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners on Monday, June 15, 2026, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The public 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 o ce. 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 Comment. 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:
1. A legislative rezoning public hearing requested on Parcel 10737, located at 4051 Silk Hope Gum Springs Rd., being approximately 20.736 acres, to rezone from R-1 Residential to Conditional District Regional Business (CD-RB) for grounds and facilities for outdoor sports or games (i.e. cricket elds), Hadley Township.
Testimony is required to be given under oath during the evidentiary hearing for the following item:
Quasi-Judicial Request:
1. A quasi-judicial public hearing requested by Lockley Holdings, LLC for a Special Use Permit for a contractor’s storage yard and staging area on parcel 9390, located at 1656 Campbell Road, Bear Creek, NC, being an area of 3.9 acres out of the 10.02acre tract.
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 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.
NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE
Under and by virtue of an order of the District Court of Chatham County, North Carolina, made and entered in the action entitled COUNTY OF CHATHAM vs. HUBERT MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and all possible heirs and assignees of HUBERT MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, DERRY MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and all possible heirs and assignees of DERRY MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, THOMAS MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and all possible heirs and assignees of THOMAS MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, WENDELL MATTHEWS A/K/A ANTHONY WENDELL MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and all possible heirs and assignees of WENDELL MATTHEWS A/K/A ANTHONY WENDELL MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, FRANCES MCCORMICK and spouse, if any, and all possible heirs and assignees of FRANCES MCCORMICK and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, RAY MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and all possible heirs and assignees of RAY MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, FRANK MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and all possible heirs and assignees of FRANK MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, FREDERICK H. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and all possible heirs and assignees of FREDERICK H. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, DORA LEE MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and all possible heirs and assignees of DORA LEE MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, THE HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND DEVISEES OF WILLIAM MATTHEWS, JR. and spouse, if any, which may include MICHAEL R. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, KAREN S. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, THE HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND DEVISEES OF LORI MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and THE HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND DEVISEES OF MICHELLE MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, which may include PATRICE L. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, THE HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND DEVISEES OF JAMES E. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, which may include MILDRED M. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, THE HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND DEVISEES OF PAMELA COLE A/K/A PAMELA MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, which may include FREEMAN O. COLE, JR. and spouse, if any, LELAH B. BAKER and spouse, if any, DAPHNE S. BAKER A/K/A DAPHNE BIAGAS and spouse, if any, BRADLEY W. BAKER and spouse, if any, LAURA DENISE MATTHEWS A/K/A LAURA MARSH and spouse, if any, THERL R. MATTHEWS A/K/A THURL R. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, JAMIE D. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, JERROLD L. MATTHEWS A/K/A GERROLD L. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, JONATHAN E. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, THE HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND DEVISEES OF DONALD MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, which may include DONNA P. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, THE HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND DEVISEES OF KEVIN TERRELL MATTHEWS A/K/A TERRELL MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, and THE HEIRS, ASSIGNS AND DEVISEES OF EARL B. MATTHEWS and spouse, if any, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder, et al, 19CVD000838-180, the undersigned Commissioner will on the 17th day of June, 2026, o er for sale and sell for cash, to the last and highest bidder at public auction at the courthouse door in Chatham County, North Carolina, Pittsboro, North Carolina at 12:00 o’clock, noon, the following described real property, lying and being in Gulf Township, State and County aforesaid, and more particularly described as follows: All of that certain tract or parcel of land lying and being in Gulf Township, Chatham County, North Carolina, and more described as follows: Being Lot No. 5 of the plat and survey entitled Horton Park as surveyed by R.H. Hancock, Surveyor, on August 26, 1959, and recorded in Chatham County Registry, Plat Book 6, Page 48. and being a portion of the lands heretofore conveyed by Burton C. Jessup and wife, to H.L. Oldham and wife. Subject to restrictive covenants and easements of record. Parcel Identi cation Number: 0010107
The undersigned Commissioner makes no warranties in connection with this property and speci cally disclaims any warranties as to title and habitability. This property is being sold as is, without opinion as to title or any other matter.
This sale will be made subject to all outstanding city and county taxes and all local improvement assessments against the above described property not included in the judgment in the above-entitled cause. A cash deposit of 20 percent of the successful bid will be required. In addition, the successful bidder will be required, at the time the Deed is recorded to pay for recording fees and revenue stamps assessed by the Chatham County Register of Deeds.
This sale is subject to upset bid as set forth in N.C.G.S. Section 1-339.25.
This the 27th day of May, 2026. Mark D. Bardill/Mark B. Bardill, Commissioner P.O. Box 25 Trenton, NC 28585
Publication dates: June 4, 2026 June 11, 2026
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
TOWN OF PITTSBORO, NC
On Monday, June 8, 2026 at 6:00 pm, the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners will hold a legislative public hearing for the following requests at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center at 1192 Hwy 64 Business West:
The Town of Pittsboro’s Development Fee Ordinance for FY 2026-2027 has been submitted to the Board of Commissioners, and a copy is available for public inspection in the o ce of the Town Clerk, Town of Pittsboro Town Hall, 287 East Street, Suite 221, Pittsboro, NC.
A legislative public hearing on a voluntary, contiguous annexation petition (A-2026-01/PB-26-150) from Highcroft Investors, LLC, and Chatham Park Investors, LLC. The applicant is requesting to annex 95.795 acres south of Highway 64 Business and east of Chatham Park Way (PID 7310 partial, 70324, 7311 partial, and 75046 partial).
The hearing will be held in person. The public can also watch the hearing live on the Town’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@townofpittsboronc/ streams. Members of the public must attend in person if they wish to speak at the hearing. Contact the Town Clerk, Carrie Bailey, by 4 pm on June 8, 2026 with written comments or to sign up to speak at the hearing. You can contact Carrie Bailey at cbailey@pittsboronc.gov, (919) 542-4621 ext. 1104, or PO Box 759, Pittsboro, NC 27312.
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Towers, LLC is proposing to build a 299-foot SelfSupport Telecommunications Tower. Anticipated lighting application is medium intensity dual red/ white strobes. The site location is 371 Silk Hope Liberty Road, Siler City, Chatham County, North Carolina 27344 (35° 46’ 50.48” North, 79° 22’ 29.95” West). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Antenna Structure Registration (ASR, Form 854) ling number is A1382731. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS – Interested persons may review the application (www.fcc.gov/asr/ applications) by entering the ling number. Environmental concerns may be raised by ling a Request for Environmental Review (www.fcc.gov/ asr/environmentalrequest) within 30 days and online lings are strongly encouraged. You may le on paper if a request to waive the electronic ling requirement is included. The mailing address to le a paper copy is: FCC Requests for Environmental Review, Attn: Ramon Williams, 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. You may also email, fax, or mail a paper copy to the contact information provided in the application. HISTORIC PROPERTIES EFFECTS Public comments regarding potential e ects on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Terracon, 2105 Newpoint Place, Suite 600, Lawrenceville, GA 30043; 770-623-0755; atlantapublicnotice@terracon.com.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Thomas Earle Tillman, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Munson Law Firm PLLC, P.O. Box 1811, Pittsboro, NC 27312, on or before the 19th of August, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment.
This May 21, 2026. Gillian Tillman, Executor Estate of Thomas Earle Tillman
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of MARGERY KEASLER, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the o ces of Munson Law Firm PLLC, P.O. Box 1811 Pittsboro, NC 27312, on or before the 4th day of September, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment.
This 4th day of June, 2026. COLIN DEKEERSGIETER, ADMINISTRATOR ESTATE OF MARGERY KEASLER
NOTICE
ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations holding claims against Charles Albert Lewis, Jr., deceased, of Chatham County, NC are noti ed to exhibit same to the undersigned on or before September 7, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This June 4th, 2026. Mark O. Costley, Exec., c/o Clarity Legal Group, PO Box 2207, Chapel Hill, NC 27515.
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
The undersigned, having quali ed on the 30th day of April, 2026, as Executor of the Estate of James E. Merkel, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 21st day of August, 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment to the undersigned.
This 21st day of May, 2026. Hugh T. Merkel, Executor of the Estate of James E. Merkel c/o Gwendolyn C. Brooks Kennon Craver, PLLC 4011 University Drive, Suite 300 Durham, North Carolina 27707
THE CHATHAM NEWS: 5/21/2026, 5/28/2026, 6/4/206, and 6/11/2026
NOTICE
CHATHAM COUNTY PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing in accordance with NCGS 158-7.1 on Monday, June 15th, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Historic Courthouse, located at 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro, NC to consider a request for an economic development incentive grant. The anticipated new capital investment for Mosaic Hospitality LLC is $14 million. The Chatham County Board of Commissioners believes that this project will stimulate the local economy and will provide local economic bene ts for the residents of Chatham County through an increase in sales tax revenues and the increased purchases of local goods and services. The public is invited to attend the hearing to express their viewpoints. Persons having questions may contact County Clerk Jenifer Johnson at 919-5428200, jenifer.johnson@chathamcountync.gov Those wishing to speak may sign up on the county website or submit written comments to the Town Clerk Jenifer Johnson at PO Box 1809, Pittsboro, NC 27312 or jenifer.johnson@chathamcountync.gov.
Notice to creditors
NORTH CAROLINA
CHATHAM COUNTY
26E000103-180
Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Mark Beals, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the Estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned at the following address on or before August 28, 2026 or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment. This the 18th day of May, 2026.
Ashley Hensley, Administrator Estate of Mark Beals 1761 North Main Street Goldston NC 27252
NOTICE TO CREDITORS STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION CASE NO 26E000235-180
Having quali ed as Administrator of the Estate of Juan Carlos Gonzalez, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the Estate of said Juan Carlos Gonzalez, to present them to the undersigned on or before the 12th day of August, 2026 (this date being 3 months from the rst publication date of this notice) or same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate please make immediate payment. This the 14th day of May, 2026.
Susana Gonzalez Administrator of the Estate of Juan Carlos Gonzalez 2865 1st Street Vero Beach, FL 32968
Attorney’s Address: Stephanie M. LeBlanc, Esq. LeBlanc Law Firm, PLLC 1 Page Avenue, Suite 229 - Grove Arcade Asheville, NC 28801
Publication Dates: May 14, May 21, May 28, June 04, 2026.
NOTICE
NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF CARL EUGENE RENZ
TAKE NOTICE: All persons, rms, and corporations having claims against Carl Eugene Renz, deceased, are noti ed to exhibit them to Nancy Jane Donahue, Administrator of the Estate, at the following address: c/o Harvell and Collins, P. A., 1107 Bridges Street, Morehead City, North Carolina 28557 on or before August 28, 2026, or be forever barred from their recovery. Debtors of decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the above-named Administrator. Cecil S. Harvell Harvell and Collins, P.A. Attorney for the Estate of Carl Eugene Renz, Deceased 1107 Bridges Street Morehead City, North Carolina 28557
Publish: Thursday, May 28, 2026; Thursday, June 4, 2026; Thursday, June 11, 2026; and Thursday, June 18, 2026.
NOTICE
NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS
CHATHAM COUNTY
HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Clyde William Jones of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 2nd day of September, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 26th day of May, 2026. Robert Earl Jones, Executor Of the Estate of Clyde William Jones 3183 White Oak Way Staley, North Carolina 27355 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp
NOTICE
Chatham County, North Carolina
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
ESTATE OF PAUL LESLIE SANDERS FILE NO. 26E000278-180
The undersigned, Regina Leigh McCoy, having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of Paul Leslie Sanders, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against said estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at 42 Carson Ct, Pittsboro, NC 27312 on or before the 21st day of August 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment. This the 21st day of May 2026. Chatham News & Record May 21, 28, June 4, 11, 2026
NOTICE TO CREDITORS:
Chatham County, North Carolina RE: THE ESTATE OF KENNETH CARO– 26E000190180 Having quali ed as Executor of the Estate of KENNETH CARO, deceased, Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, rms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 19th of, August, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 15th day of May, 2026. Nicholas Young, Executor DSR Legal, PLLC PO Box 51596 Durham, NC 27717 5/21, 5/28, 6/4, 6/11, 2026
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#26E000194-180 The undersigned SUSAN GILLIAM RAAF, having quali ed on the 8TH Day of APRIL 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of PHILLIP LESLIE GILLIAM, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 21ST Day OF AUGUST 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 21ST DAY OF MAY 2026. SUSAN GILLIAM RAAF, EXECUTOR 912 FITTS STREET SANFORD, NC 27330 Run dates: M21,28,J4,11p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#26E000275-180 The undersigned, SUSAN E. WELSH-ARDOIN, having quali ed on the 19TH Day of MAY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JAMES ROTH CONRAD, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 28TH Day OF AUGUST 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 28TH DAY OF MAY 2026. SUSAN E. WELSH-ARDOIN, EXECUTOR 5901 WHATSIT LANE RALEIGH, NC 27603 Run dates: M28,J4,11,25p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#26E000292-180 The undersigned, ROBERT DOWLING, having quali ed on the 28TH Day of MAY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of EILEEN DOWLING, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 4TH Day OF SEPTEMBER 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 4TH DAY OF JUNE 2026. ROBERT DOWLING, EXECUTOR 1536 PATHWAY DRIVE CARRBORO, NC 27510 Run dates: J4,11,25,Jy2p
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#26E000038-180 The undersigned SHARON GUARIGLIA, having quali ed on the 6TH Day of MAY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of DUNCAN CRUICKSHANK, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 14TH Day OF AUGUST 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 14TH DAY OF MAY 2026. SHARON GUARIGLIA, ADMINISTRATOR 665 REBECCA LANE SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: M14,21,28,J4p
Notice to Creditors
Estate of Barbara J. Swartz ALL PERSONS, rms and corporations having claims against Barbara J Swartz, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are noti ed to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before 9/4/2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 4th day of June, 2026. Arthur H Swartz, Executor 2819 Ferdinand Ct. Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 c/o Hopler, Wilms & Hanna, PLLC 2314 S. Miami Blvd. Suite 151 Durham, NC 27703 6/4,11,18,25, 2026
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY
FILE#26E000236-180 The undersigned LATOYA D. FOX, having quali ed on the 22ND Day of APRIL 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of JUNE TAYLOR ISAAC FOX, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, rms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 4TH Day OF SEPTEMBER 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 4TH DAY OF JUNE 2026.
LATOYA D. FOX, ADMINISTRATOR 97 RILEY LANE SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: J4,11,18,J25
Treasured memories, people encountered on epic trips abroad
Walt Disney had it right
By Erika Ho man For Chatham News & Record
IT’S FUNNY how memory works. Sometimes what you plan to remember isn’t what you do remember.
I once read a novel about Korea during the Japanese occupation, and there’s a line that stuck with me, something to the e ect that without coincidence there is no story. I nd that true when I travel. I recall the observation, but I’m no longer sure of the title of the book. “Pachinko”? Maybe.
Recently, we traveled to the south of France with a group, mostly from Siler City, on a tour arranged by NC Travel in Siler City. I had not been to Provence for decades. (I won’t say how many. I spent a fall semester abroad in Aix-en-Provence during college.)
Some sights I saw this time were new to me. Some words I learned I’d never heard before. Some French dishes I had never tasted before.
Yet what I remember most from this trip di ers from the brochure descriptions of the excursions we took or the notes I scribbled in a tiny composition book while jostling around on a bus. Because of my illegible penmanship, I’m not sure whether some words I jotted down are French or American.
Of course, I remember certain words: Charolais, torchon, Hotel Dieu, bocage, quenelles, coussins, Barthelasse and Scotch broom.
These are terms and expressions I penned while riding through Provence, where the lavender elds had not yet bloomed. As best I can discern, Charolais refers to the white cattle our guide informed us produce some of the nest beef. A torchon is a dish towel, a prac-
tical souvenir because it’s light in your luggage, which is meticulously weighed at the French airport.
Quenelles are a specialty of Lyon. This ancient city, founded by those ubiquitous Romans, is known as the gastronomic capital of France. I ordered these pu y creations with pike. Maybe crushed pike bones were inside the dough? I saw no recognizable sh. I found the dumplings awful and inedible.
The bowls of soupe à l’oignon and boeuf bourguignon I enjoyed in Paris were far superior to the meals I consumed in Lyon.
“Coussins” is the name of Lyon’s specialty turquoise candy.
Truthfully, I prefer Valrhona chocolates.
A Hotel Dieu is a hospital for the poor. We toured a couple of them, dating from centuries ago, where nuns served as nurses. Barthelasse is an island near Avignon, home to views of the Popes’ Palace and the famous partially ruined bridge celebrated in the children’s song “Sur le Pont d’Avi-
gnon.” A bocage is a type of hedgerow marking property boundaries while helping retain moisture in agricultural elds. Scotch broom is a yellow owering plant growing near Gordes whose stalks were once used to make brooms.
In Lyon, we visited Les Halles, the marketplace where famed chef Paul Bocuse got his start and learned from the renowned female cooks who served French nobility. Our guide shared interesting facts, including that the word “charcuterie” comes from chair cuit, meaning “cooked esh.”
He also explained how the French eat o al and tripe and even consume rosette, which is
Summer
Happens
made from a portion of an animal’s intestine. That bothered me about as much as when he said the French eat donkey. Before I rattle on about the many noteworthy French attractions we toured — material for future columns, perhaps — I’ll circle back to my theory about what you remember after a trip ends.
We ew from RDU to Paris on Air France. My husband sat by the window. I was wedged into the middle seat. A tall man in a ball cap occupied the aisle seat. He and I shared the armrest.
I felt sorry for him because of his long legs. Despite my short stature, I felt cramped. The situation became even less comfortable when the passenger in front of me reclined her seat. The person in front of my seatmate reclined fully for nearly the entire ight.
When I got up to use the lavatory, he kindly stepped into the aisle to let me pass. I lingered near the back of the plane to stretch my legs before returning. When I came back, he was still standing patiently in the aisle waiting for me.
After squeezing back into my seat, I asked whether Paris was his nal destination.
No. He was headed to Cairo for a wedding.
Was he Egyptian?
Yes.
I told him our son-in-law is Egyptian and named Mohamed. His name was Mohamed, too. I asked where he lived.
“Oh, a small place — Bear Creek,” he said.
“I know it well. We used to live in Siler City,” I replied. He then looked at my husband and said he recognized him from years ago at Chatham Medical Center. He had been a patient of Dr. Zeringue.
Later, while telling the story to friends on the trip, Margaret of NC Travel said she had recently been talking with a young woman at a local bank who mentioned her father was traveling to Cairo for a wedding.
It turned out she was Mohamed’s daughter. It’s a small world after all.
on the Green
Easy summer evenings, Saturday treats and weekends spent outdoors – summer at NoVi is all about gathering together. Join us on the NoVi Green for a season of casual community events in Chatham Park. Everyone is welcome!
JUNE
The NoVi Flow
1st & 3rd Saturdays (6/6 & 6/20) I 10:15AM Games on the Green 2nd Thursdays (6/11) I 4PM – 8PM
JULY
Food Truck Friday
1st & 3rd Fridays (7/3 & 7/17) I 5PM – 8PM Saturday Scoops Saturdays I 1PM – 3PM
AUGUST
Barre3 on The Green 8/1 & 8/22 I 8:30AM – 9:30AM
Food Truck Friday 1st & 3rd Fridays (8/7 & 8/21) I 5PM – 8PM
*Events are weather dependent. Check our social channels for updates.
NoVi Vibes & Bites 6/18 I 5:30PM – 7:30PM
Games on the Green 2nd Thursdays (7/9) I 4PM - 8PM
Barre3 on The Green 7/25 I 8:30AM – 9:30AM
Saturday Scoops Saturdays I 1PM – 3PM
Games on the Green 2nd Thursdays (8/13) I 4PM - 8PM
PHOTO BY ERIKA HOFFMAN
The Pont d’Avignon (o cially Pont Saint-Bénézet) is a famous medieval bridge in Avignon, France.
“Oh, a small place — Bear Creek.” Mohamed, fellow traveler
CHATHAM SPORTS
Woods Charter breaks through for rst girls’ soccer title
The Wolves defeated Summit Charter 3-0
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
DURHAM — Woods Char -
ter’s girls’ soccer team did many end-of-season “ rsts” at thenal buzzer of the NCHSAA 1A state championship in Durham County Memorial Stadium on May 27. For the rst time, the Wolves threw their hands in the air. Their on- eld players and reserves ran toward each other
for an embrace. Coach Graeme Stewart jumped up and down in the team huddle.
And before leaving the eld, they held a trophy that read “State Champion.”
Woods Charter, making its fourth state championship appearance, defeated Summit Charter 3-0 to claim the school’s rst team title.
“It’s surreal,” Stewart said.
“I’m just so happy for the kids.” Said Stewart, “I’m just so excited that the kids get that moment, and it’s something that nobody can ever take away from them.”
Junior mid elder and captain Lucy Poitras, the championship game MVP, notched a hat trick in seven shots ( ve on goal). She scored her rst goal on a free kick after a handball from over 20 yards out with 11 minutes left in the rst half. Her second score, another long shot from left of the net, put the Wolves up 2-0 three minutes into the second half. With 15 minutes left to play, junior Annabel Unah assisted Poitras on her nal score of the afternoon.
“We actually went in, kind of beforehand, just being aware of that gap between their mid-
Seaforth baseball nishes as Class 5A runner-up
The Hawks fell 2-0 in the championship series against North Lincoln
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
BURLINGTON — A historic ight for Seaforth’s baseball team fell just short of its desired peak last week. The Hawks, making their rst state championship appearance their ve-year existence, nished as the NCHSAA 5A runners-up after
“It came together at the right time.” Spenser Messmore
a 2-0 series defeat to defending champions North Lincoln at Burlington Athletic Park. In both games, Seaforth’s bats struggled to land hits and connect with pitches thrown by North Lincoln sophomores Bryson Schmidt and Parker Williams.
eld and defense,” Poitras said.
“Which is what we’ve seen a few times, which we love to see because that just allows me and (Leah Marshall) to rip it from above their back line. It’s hard to take a back line on 1v1, but if our forwards are able to do that, then they leave that gap beneath their mid eld. Then after our forwards take them on, they can pop it back out to us where our attacking mids can shoot it.” Poitras was dealing with a right hamstring injury during the playo s and in the championship game. She had her in-
“It’s something that nobody can ever take away from them.”
Graeme Stewart
jured leg wrapped in gauze and exited the game with nine and a half minutes remaining due to a cramp.
Senior Wesley Oliver, the Wolves’ other captain and defensive leader, also dealt with a back injury, and Marshall was also banged up.
“I think just kind of staying con dent through injury and through that pressure was the hardest piece for me,” Poitras said. Said Stewart, “They just wanted to compete, and they wanted to get over the line.”
The Hawks mustered four hits in each contest. In an 11-1 Game 1 loss on May 27, which ended after six innings, Seaforth repeatedly put the ball in play, but the Knights’ defense was consistently in position to make an out. The Hawks went without a run until the top of the sixth inning. North Lincoln, meanwhile, ripped o 16 hits, including seven doubles, and ve runs in each of the fourth and fth innings. Going into a do-or-die See TITLE, page B4 See YARDBIRDS, page B4
Yardbirds play rst game, host kids’ night at Braxton Field
Chatham County fell to Sanford in its home opener
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
SILER CITY — The Chatham County Yardbirds, a new Old North State League team based in Siler City, nally broke in their new home at Braxton Field.
Chatham County played its rst-ever home game Sunday, falling to the Sanford Spinners 16-6. The Spinners smashed four home runs, including two in the top of the sixth inning when they scored ve runs to take a 10-5 lead.
“It feels great to see the eld being used in a good way.”
Sam Glover
or to the Yardbirds’ arrival, the eld was most recently used as a space for soccer and football practices.
“I’m loving it,” Siler City resident Sam Glover, 47, said. “It’s a positive move for the town, and for the eld itself. I played over here whenever I was probably 15, 16 years old. So it feels great to see the eld being used in a good way.”
See SEAFORTH, page B4
Chatham County had a rough night at the plate, mustering ve hits compared to Sanford’s 17. Two of those hits were homers by Gabriel Ferrell and Nick Papciak. The Yardbirds, who picked up their rst win Saturday over the Danville Dairy Daddies 15-7, fell to 1-4 with the loss. More than 100 fans lled in the seating behind home plate and along the foul line fence. The game marked the return of baseball to the historic site where American Legion, youth baseball leagues and other sports once called home. Pri-
The eld is oriented differently than its past version though. Unlike the previous baseball eld where home plate was near the corner of Chestnut Street and South Third Avenue, the current home plate sits closer to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Carolina. That makes for a shorter left eld and more opportunities for home runs.
“From the pitcher’s perspective, unique is the way to put it,” Chatham County pitcher Anthony Lopossay, a Chatham Central alum, said. “One little y out, and your heart drops to the oor.”
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Woods Charter holds the champion’s banner and trophy after claiming its rst state title.
ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD Seaforth takes a photo with the state runner up trophy after its 2026 playo run.
Lucy Poitras
Woods Charter, girls’ soccer
Woods Charter junior Lucy Poitras earns athlete of the week honors for the week of May 25.
Poitras notched a hat trick in the Wolves’ 3-0 win over Summit Charter in the NCHSAA 1A girls’ soccer state championship. She earned the game’s MVP honors as her e orts helped the Wolves win their rst girls’ soccer state title and the rst team title in school history.
For the majority of the season, Poitras dealt with a hamstring injury. She battled through the pain through the playo s, playing with her leg wrapped. Poitras ended the 2026 season as the Wolves’ scoring leader (42 goals).
The Chargers are sending boys’ and girls’ players to the next level
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record College commitments
A few Northwood basketball players made their college decisions nal during a signing day ceremony held at the school last week.
Twins Shaylah and Mikaylah Glover will continue to share the court together at Guilford College next winter. This past season, the sister forwards led the Chargers in eld goal percentage (both shot at a 41% clip). Shaylah averaged 10.1 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds, while Mikaylah averaged 8.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and logged a teamhigh 25 blocks. Both earned multiple all-conference honors.
On the boys’ team, forward Bakari Watkins solidi ed his intent to play at Averett, an NCAA Division III program in Danville, Virginia. Watkins was the Chargers’ second-leading scorer (12 points per game) while leading the team in eld goal percentage (61%), rebounds (seven) and assists (2.8) as a senior. He earned all-conference honors this winter.
Before his lone season at
Playo appearances for Northwood’s boys’ lacrosse program under Randy Cox
Northwood, Watkins played at Carrboro for three years. As a junior, he averaged career-highs of 17.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals.
Alyia Roberts and Cam Fowler, who had previously announced their commitments, were also celebrated.
Roberts will also head to Averett to join its women’s basketball team. The guard led Northwood in scoring (10.5 points per game) and 3-point percentage (31%) while also logging three rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. She earned all-conference honors for her senior campaign and, alongside the Glover twins, helped the Chargers reach the regional nal for the rst time since 2022.
Fowler, the 2025-26 Four Rivers 3A/4A Conference Boys’ Player of the Year, will continue his career at Davidson-Davie CC. This winter, the guard took a step up from his stellar junior season, averaging a career-high 22.3 points per game. He also recorded 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 steals. Against
North Moore on Feb. 6, Fowler set a school scoring record of 51 points while knocking down a school record 11 3s.
Northwood athletes make college decisions, Cox steps down 8
Forward Chad Graves committed to Flight 22 Prep Academy after averaging 9.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game as a senior. Flight 22, a post-grad program led by coach and founder Nathan Faulk, is based in Wilmington.
Cox steps down
Northwood boys’ lacrosse coach Randy Cox is stepping down from his position with the team. The school announced Cox will remain with the program but will be taking a “lesser role.” He’ll also help with the team’s transition to a new head coach. Cox coached the Chargers for nine seasons (including the shortened 2020 season). Under his leadership, Northwood made eight playo appearances, including a state runner-up nish in 2023.
In his younger days, Cox played lacrosse at UNC from 1981-84, helping the Tar Heels win two national titles in 1981 and 1982. He was a defender on the 1986 Team USA squad that won the International Lacrosse Federation Championship (now known as the World Lacrosse Championship) over host country Canada.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Alyia Roberts, Shaylah Glover (20) and Mikaylah Glover (30) will play in college next winter.
Spring sports all-conference lists
Garrison Clark, Finn Sullivan and others earned pitcher of the year honors
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
CENTRAL TAR HEEL 1A
Baseball
Garrison Clark (Pitcher of the Year, Chatham Charter); Ryder Murphy (Chatham Charter); Westin Phillips (Chatham Charter); Brandon Rives (Chatham Charter); Tyner Williams (Chatham Charter); Jace Young (Chatham Charter); Jax Young (Chatham Charter)
Softball
Kynzie Jordan (Chatham Charter); Allie McLeod (Chatham Charter); Makenly Stanley (Chatham Charter)
Girls’ soccer
Graeme Stewart (Coach of the Year, Woods Charter); Lucy Poitras (O ensive Player of the Year, Woods Charter); Wesley Oliver (Defensive Player of the Year); Eve Terrell (Woods Charter); Leah Marshall (Woods Charter); Avery Wesololoski (Woods Charter); Annabel Unah (Woods Charter); Lorelei Cherry (Woods Charter, honorable mention); Jody Shreef (Chatham Charter); Emily Scheidt (Chatham Charter)
Boys’ tennis
Thomas Bjork (Chatham Charter); Miguel Kirkman (Chatham Charter)
Boys’ golf
Channing Jordan (Chatham Charter); Finnley Smith (Chatham Charter)
GREATER TRIAD 1A/2A
Baseball
Brett Phillips (Chatham Central); Westley Brower (Chatham Central); Reid Caviness (Chatham Central); Wyatt Clewis (Chatham Central); Blake Ritter (Chatham Central)
Softball
John Warf (Coach of the Year, Chatham Central); Maddie Kaczmarczyk (Chatham Central); Maeson Smith (Chatham Central); Sallie Oldham (Chatham Central); Chloe Brewer (Chatham Central); Ansley Preslar (Chatham Central); Lillie Poe (Chatham Central); Addison Goldston (Chatham Central)
Track and eld
Boys: Tyler Congrove (Male
Sprinter of the Year, Chatham Central); Quamae’ Brower (Chatham Central)
Boys’ golf
Tyler Measamer (Chatham Central); Gavin Vanderford (Chatham Central); Jesse Eskelund (Chatham Central)
FOUR RIVERS 3A/4A
Baseball
Brent Haynes (Northwood, Coach of the Year); Finn Sullivan (Northwood, Pitcher of the Year); Dylan Perry (Northwood); Riley D’Angelo (Northwood); Zeke Wicker (Northwood); Landon Moser (Jordan-Matthews)
Softball
Logan Thompson (Northwood, Pitcher of the Year); Ruby Parks (Northwood); Kelis Watson (Northwood); Allison Bryant (Northwood); Ella Parks (Jordan-Matthews); Lilli Hicks (Jordan-Matthews)
Girls’ soccer
Ascary Arias (Coach of the Year, Northwood); Gwen Williams (Northwood); Sulema Arias (Northwood); Madilyn
Bolejack (Northwood); Amelia Cherry (Northwood); Annastyn Trogdon (Northwood); Olivia Sturtz (Northwood); Mabel Collins (Northwood); Genesis Granados (Jordan-Matthews); Ariadnne Gomez (Jordan-Matthews)
Track and eld
Boys: Austin Graham (Coach of the Year, Northwood); Ben Altenburg (Field Event Athlete of the Year, Northwood); Jamison Brown (Field Event Athlete of the Year, Northwood); Ezra Roebuck (Runner of the Year, Northwood); Jaxon Green (Northwood); Kaleb Powell (Northwood); Aldo Pelosi (Northwood); Skyler Tillery (Northwood); Tequone Moore (Northwood); Wyatt Webster (Northwood); Juan Sanchez (Northwood); Owen Hearn (Northwood); Owen Becker (Northwood); Jordan Wiley (Northwood); Zaire Ellis (Northwood); Sam Bachelor (Northwood); Liam Patterson (Northwood); Drew Yeli (Northwood); Kamarie Hadley (Jordan-Matthews); Yadiel Zayas (Jordan-Matthews); Markel McSwain (Jordan-Matthews); Jeremiah Alston (Jordan-Matthews); Dylan Leysath (Jordan-Matthews); Elvis Nino-Choy (Jordan-Matthews);
Lennox Mordecai (Jordan-Matthews); Jayden Fisher (Jordan-Matthews) Girls: Laura Sescilla (Coach of the Year, Northwood); Jada Everson (Northwood); Evelyn Becker (Northwood); Chloe Waldstein (Northwood); Synai Palmer (Northwood); Sydney Gray (Northwood); Saniya Baldwin (Northwood); Gabby Ghitta (Northwood); Ti any Monroe (Northwood); Sanai Lee (Northwood); Taylor Perry (Northwood); Hailee Hunt (Northwood); Lely Harrison (Northwood); Ashley Perry (Northwood); Ava Zawada (Northwood); Juanita Perez (Jordan-Matthews); Khamya Woods (Jordan-Matthews); Athena Dispennette (Jordan-Matthews); Makayla Martin (Jordan-Matthews); Zana Hedgepath (Jordan-Matthews); Madelaine Lozano (Jordan-Matthews)
Boys’ tennis
Jensen Mitchell (Jordan-Matthews); Justin Gonzalez Suarez (Jordan-Matthews); Isaac Gilligan (Northwood); Ryan McNaught (Northwood); Michael Beck (Northwood)
Boys’ golf
Ben Porter (Northwood);
Local coaches who earned coach of the year honors
Tanner Gilchrist (Northwood); Ben Buckner (Jordan-Matthews)
BIG SEVEN 4A/5A
Baseball
Jaedyn Rader (Seaforth); Colin Dorney (Seaforth); Bryce Huneycutt (Seaforth)
Softball
Brian Ledford (Coach of the Year, Seaforth); Emma Grace Hill (Pitcher of the Year); Annika Johansson (Seaforth); Alyssa Harris (Seaforth); Blair Hill (Seaforth); Cami Brinkley (Seaforth); Abigail Johnson (Seaforth)
Girls’ soccer
Katie Leonard (Defensive Player of the Year, Seaforth); Sydney Nezos (Seaforth); Regan Willauer (Seaforth); Carsyn Ward (Seaforth); So a Viana (Seaforth); Eva Morrison (All-Conference Sportsmanship, Seaforth)
Track and eld
Boys: Dylan Watkins (Seaforth); Ryan Yoder (Seaforth); Warren Washington (Seaforth); 4x100 team (Ryan Yoder, Noah Minor, Evan Minor, Du y Palmer)
Girls: Tinsley Borland (Seaforth); Amber Brown (Seaforth); Lyla Jacobs (Seaforth)
Boys’ tennis
Joaquin Hernandez Gonzalez (Seaforth); Lukas Olson (Seaforth)
Boys’ golf
Ty Willoughby (Seaforth); Campbell Meador (Seaforth); Alex Ferm (Seaforth); Ryan Powell (Seaforth); James Wright (Seaforth)
Boys’ lacrosse (Seaforth and Northwood only)
Carter Kearney (Seaforth); Oscar Ditter (Seaforth); Tyler Watkins (Seaforth); Ivan Grimes (Seaforth); Jack Petrusa (Seaforth); James Flanagan (Northwood); Grayson Cox (Northwood); Enzo El-Yousef (Northwood)
Girls’ lacrosse (Seaforth and Northwood only)
Natalie Boecke (O ensive Player of the Year); Evie Kamen (Specialist of the Year); Renee Rizvi (Seaforth); Addie Ayers (Seaforth); Rose Costa (Northwood); Andrea Angeles Morales (Northwood)
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Northwood’s Logan Thompson earned pitcher of the year honors as a freshman in 2026.
Boutier rallies from 4 down to win ShopRite LPGA
The Wolves held 53% of the possession and took 18 shots (11 on goal). Junior goalkeeper Grace Wilson recorded six saves, and the Wolves notched their third clean sheet of the playo s.
“We knew that (Victoria Clement) was their best player, and that’s who they were looking for every time,” Oliver said. “So just making sure we were like right on her back every single time, and then also mak-
YARDBIRDS from page B1
During the game, fans could grab concessions items (pizza, chips, candy, popcorn and drinks) that were priced no more than $5. Team merchandise was also sold at the concessions stand where kids’ T-shirts ($20), adult T-shirts ($25), trucker hats ($30) and on- eld hats ($35) could be purchased. Behind the out eld, adults could enjoy the beer garden, a shed serving light beer, IPAs and seltzers for $6 with nearby seating.
It was also “Kids Run the Bases” night during the inaugural home game, and many of the children in attendance participated in mini games featured on the eld during game breaks.
Siler City Parks and Recreation director Treiston Burnette, who also played baseball on the eld in his youth days, described the night as a “great atmosphere.”
“Having baseball out here again and just seeing all the excitement it brought to the town and just a di erent brand of
SEAFORTH from page B1
Game 2 situation the next day, Seaforth’s approach was to “scrap.”
“We just had to be scrappy, had to battle and just ght for everything that we got,” Seaforth senior Jaedyn Rader, who started on the mound in Game 2, said.
Despite the Hawks’ ght through the end of the afternoon, North Lincoln’s speedy baserunning and Williams holding Seaforth to one hit in the rst six innings allowed the Knights to clinch the series with an 8-3 win in Game 2. The Knights out hit Seaforth
ing sure we were just sending it up out wide as much as possible, like, allowing them as few shots as possible.”
Woods Charter ended the season 22-0, nishing undefeated for the rst time in team history. Often, the Wolves won in dominant fashion as they allowed 12 goals all season. During the playo s, they outscored opponents 23-1.
Stewart has coached many talented teams while leading Woods’ soccer program, but what made this team di erent
baseball, a high level of baseball, is always good for people to see,” Burnette said. “Because the kids around this area, they don’t get to see much. You know what I mean. As far as they know, it’s just high school kids, and I know it’s a couple of kids from high school playing here, but getting to see some college kids and their preparation throughout the week and just how they take the eld and warm up, that’s always good for people to see.”
After the game, the kids came by the Yardbirds’ dugout and asked the players for autographs.
“It’s a good feeling,” Jackson Shaner, in elder and Northwood alum, said. “It’s nice to see the smile on their face that we’re making their day.” Said shortstop Aidan Allred, a Chatham Charter alum and brother of The Players League CEO Alec Allred, “It’s kind of a full circle moment. I remember when I was doing that as a kid, so, it’s pretty cool to be the one giving out the autographs now.”
10-4, stole seven bases and struck out four times (six times in the entire series). Up 1-0 after three innings, North Lincoln scored three runs in the top of the fourth inning. After two walks and a single loaded the bases, Caleb Hancock recorded an RBI single to put North Lincoln ahead 2-0. Seaforth pitcher Jaedyn Rader then walked in a run, and UNC Wilmington commit Cason McGinnis (the series MVP) followed with a ground ball RBI to put the Knights ahead by four runs.
“They’re a uniquely strong offense,” Seaforth coach Spenser Messmore said. “It’s not a power o ense. It’s not one of those
The former Duke golfer wins for the seventh time in the LPGA
The Associated Press
GALLOWAY, N.J. — Celine Boutier rallied from a fourshot de cit Sunday, making three birdies around the turn on her way to a 5-under 66 for a one -shot victory over Arpichaya Yubol in the ShopRite LPGA.
Soo Bin Joo, the 22-yearold South Korean going for her rst LPGA Tour title, lost her four-shot lead at the turn and then fell behind for good on the 13th hole, the same hole where earlier Boutier had taken the lead with a 30-foot birdie putt.
Joo missed another fairway to the right into a clumpy lie, pitched back to the fairway, sent her wedge over the green with a front pin, chipped 8 feet by the hole and missed the putt, taking a double bogey to fall three shots behind.
Boutier kept hitting solid shots, rarely getting in trouble. She missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the nal hole to post at 9-under 204, and no one could catch her.
“To have a chance to win today is de nitely something very special,” said Boutier, the 32-year-old French player who won the ShopRite LPGA ve years ago. “I think it’s great tournament, very special for me, so really excited to be able to have another win here.”
Yubol, who was penalized one shot in the second round Saturday for going over her maximum time, birdied the last two holes for a 66. It was her second runner-up nish of the year, having nished four
is how much they wanted it for themselves.
Breaking through the glass that was three straight state runner-up nishes by defeat of Christ the King from 2022-24 started with a players-only meeting set up by Poitras and Oliver, who was there for two of those state championship losses, at the beginning of the season.
“The meeting was discussed over pizza, which really got the morale going,” Poitras said. “We were like, ‘All right guys, if
we focus enough, I think states is a very attainable goal for us.’
And that was just as honest as we can really be.”
Stewart recalled his team being honest with each other when they didn’t perform at the level they expected. He recalled the moments they applied the repeated lessons on mental fortitude in their successes. In re ection of what the past endings looked like on the Wolves’ sideline, Stewart realized the pain that comes
shots behind Nelly Korda in Mexico.
Lauren Walsh (67) nished third, followed by Joo among four players who tied for fourth.
“It was so fun. It was my rst time leading the tournament, and I think I did my best out there as much as I can and I prepared well and I’m very proud of myself,” Joo said. “I was trying to do my best to stay mentally calm, and I think I still got to work on that a little more.”
Chizzy Iwai, who also started four shots behind, had two birdies in three holes, but then closed with 15 straight pars. Boutier nished the front nine with two straight birdies to reach 7 under, and that gave her a share of the lead when Joo made bogey on the par- 4 eighth. Boutier then hit her approach to 4 feet for birdie on 10th. Joo caught her with a birdie on the ninth but couldn’t keep up the rest of the way.
The ShopRite LPGA is one of two 54-hole events on the schedule, and the eld was particularly weak this year — one player from the top 10 — because of timing. The U.S. Women’s Open is next week across the country in Los Angeles, held at Riviera for the rst time. Boutier now has seven career LPGA titles and 12 worldwide. She has struggled to start this year, with a tie for ninth her best nish among 10 tournaments.
“I feel like my game has turned around the last few weeks. I could see it coming together, and I de nitely did not expect it to come together this week and today,” she said. “But I’m super excited to be back in the winner’s circle.”
with the pursuit for greatness is worth feeling the jubilation once it’s achieved.
“I think it obviously is an afrmation that the way you’re going about as a program has got some merit to it,” Stewart said. “Everybody forgets how small this school is. When I rst started, there were people that were like, ‘I mean, you’re only 180 kids. You can’t do this. You can’t have that high expectation. You can’t achieve so and so. But what we’ve proved is you can.”
situations where you’re looking for a single name in their lineup and saying, ‘Don’t let this guy beat you.’ They, one through nine, just make things di cult. They don’t strike out a ton. They don’t swing at pitches outside of the zone.”
No. 9-seeded Seaforth, the lowest seeded team across all NCHSAA baseball championship series, nished its season with a 21-11 record.
During their run to the state nal, the Hawks won four games on the road, including a 4-3 win over No. 1 Hunt in the third round.
“Obviously, getting past that third round against the one
seed was huge for our condence,” Seaforth senior catcher Colin Dorney said. “That was when I was like, ‘Oh, crap. This might be something.’”
The outside noise called Seaforth the “Cinderella,” but the team never felt the shoe t. Seaforth prepared for playo -level competition in the regular season, going toe to toe with teams like Grace Christian (Sanford), the back-to-back-to-back NCISAA 3A champions, and the Wake County Homeschool Warriors, which won the 2026 Homeschool World Series.
“There never really was any point in time during the year where we weren’t con dent in
the ability to make a run in the playo s and get to the state championship,” Messmore said. “It just has to come together, and it came together at the right time. The vibes were strong, the practices were really positive and really good, and it showed on the eld.”
Seaforth will graduate two seniors in Rader and Dorney. Should all its underclassmen return, the team will have 10 seniors in 2027. “I think that moving forward, like this experience with so many guys coming back, is going to be huge,” Dorney said. “I think they have a real chance next year.”
CHRIS SZAGOLA / AP PHOTO
Celine Boutier tees o from the 11th hole during the nal round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
ASHEEBO ROJAS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Chatham County’s Dawson Wiggins throws a pitch in the team’s home opener on May 31.
TITLE from page B1
SIDELINE REPORT
NFL
Packers’ Jacobs released from jail as prosecutors weigh ling charges
Green Bay, Wis. Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was released from a Wisconsin jail while authorities further investigate allegations of domestic abuse. The Brown County prosecutor gave an update. District Attorney David Lasee said it’s too soon to make a formal charging decision. Jacobs was arrested Tuesday in Brown County on allegations of strangulation and other o enses over the weekend. Jacobs’ lawyers said they’re pleased that he’s out of jail.
NBA Rozier hit with new bribery charges in sports gambling sting
Federal prosecutors have indicted ex-Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier on additional charges related to a sports gambling sting. The 32-year- old was charged with bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. Prosecutors allege he took a hefty bribe to exit a game early in March 2023. He has denied participating in the gambling scheme and is ghting to have the case dismissed. His attorneys argue the government’s theory runs afoul of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
NCAA ATHLETICS
Big 12 becoming rst Power Four conference to have all members agree to CSC participation Frisco, Texas
The Big 12 is the rst Power Four conference to have each of its members sign participation agreements with the College Sports Commission. That is the agency formed last year to police name, image and likeness payments. The agreement requires schools to waive their right to le lawsuits against the enforcement agency and gives it wide latitude to sanction programs for violating rules that outline how players can be paid. All 68 Power Four schools must sign the 11-page document for it to become valid.
NCAA FOOTBALL
Sorsby made thousands of bets totaling at least $90,000, court documents show Lubbock, Texas Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby made thousands of bets totaling at least $90,000 while in college. Those include at least 40 bets on Indiana football when he was a Hoosiers freshman in 2022, according to court lings in the transfer player’s lawsuit seeking to have the NCAA restore his eligibility. Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech for a reported multimillion- dollar deal after playing for Cincinnati the past two seasons. He was ruled ineligible after he acknowledged wagering on sports.
MLB Mazzilli, Valentine
enshrined in Mets Hall of Fame
New York
Longtime friends and former roommates Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine were inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame. Mazzilli, a Brooklyn native, batted .277 with 53 homers, 262 RBIs and 117 stolen bases from 1977 through 1980 while playing for New York. After playing for the team, Valentine made a far bigger impact as the team’s manager from August 1996 through 2002, directing the Mets to the World Series in 2000.
Hart’s highly scrutinzed comeback has arrivex at Stanley Cup nal
The Golden Knights’ goalie was acquitted of sexual assault charges
By Mark Anderson The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — No strangers to controversy, the Golden Knights know the spotlight is going to shine even brighter now that they are back in the Stanley Cup nal with a particular glare on goaltender Carter Hart.
Hart is a major reason Vegas is playing for the Cup for the third time in their nine years and going after their second championship in four seasons. The rst three opponents in the NHL playo s failed to solve him.
Hart’s very presence in the NHL generated discussions about whether he should even be allowed to suit up. He was one of ve 2018 Canada world junior hockey players acquitted of sexual assault last July. The NHL ruled those players were eligible to sign deals beginning Oct. 15 and to play starting Dec. 1. Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Vegas and hasn’t looked back.
Hart has emerged as a Conn Smythe Trophy candidate for playo MVP. His interviews the past couple of months have been limited, and he avoided talking about his legal troubles before Game 1. Golden Knights fans welcomed him from the beginning, clapping for him when he took the ice for the rst time Dec. 2 against Chicago, some even bringing signs expressing their support. Those cheers have only grown during the club’s Cupnal run; he receives among the loudest ovations when the starting lineup is introduced before home games.
“Everybody here has been so awesome,” Hart said after the Golden Knights swept Colorado in the Western Conference Final. “You see it every day with the fans. They show up at the rink and our practices. The support that we get is unbelievable. They’re just so excited about the Vegas Golden Knights, and I’m so blessed to be here.”
Torts in his corner
Vegas might have been the perfect spot for Hart to land. He is playing for a coach who knows him and strongly defends him as a person and a goalie. John Tortorella coached Hart in Philadelphia in 2023-24, when the league suspended the goalie along with the other four players involved in the scandal.
“I think he’s a strong kid mentally,” Tortorella said. “I certainly watched him when he came into the organization and played in his rst couple of games, and I watched him play in an overtime game where he played really well. He’s dialed in. ... He was growing tremendously in Philly until he had to step out of the league, and he’s right back at it.”
“I loved playing for him in Philly,” Hart said. “Super happy he’s here.”
More women watching NHL’s Stanley Cup playo s
Everything from the Olympics to “Heated Rivalry” gets credit for the increase
By Stephen Whyno The Associated Press
THE FIRST TWO rounds of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playo s are the most-watched in the U.S. in league history.
Women are the primary driver of that growth.
TNT Sports reported female viewership is up 66%, and ESPN reported a 106% increase, with plenty of that audience coming from 18-to-34 -year-olds tuning in to hockey at its most exciting time of year.
“We see the numbers up everywhere,” ESPN VP of production Linda Schulz said.
“[Hockey] is a particular challenge because sports fans tend to follow something that they themselves have participated in, and hockey is one that is not as commonplace for people to have actually strapped on skates. I approach it with, ‘If I get a new fan coming to hockey, what is going to keep them?’”
What’s bringing fans in, Schulz and other executives said, is a result of a handful of factors. The success of the 4 Nations Face-O tournament last year, the Olympics in February when the U.S. men and women won gold, the qual-
ity of play, an in ux of young talent and the viral popularity of the “Heated Rivalry” and “O Campus” hockey romance shows have combined to bring more women to the sport.
“It’s not any one thing,” TNT Sports executive VP and chief content o cer Craig Barry said. “It’s the collective of the planets aligning that has shown dramatic increases in the female audience.”
The NHL says the playo s are averaging 1.4 million viewers, up 63% from last year and up 24% from the previous high set in 2024. Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in how Nielsen is counting viewers, causing bumps across the board, though hockey has been seeing an upward trend in viewership predating that.
That began after the 4 Nations, which NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said caused a viewership increase late in the 2024-25 season and into the playo s. The Olympics built o that, with the Milan Cortina Games drawing huge ratings.
“The Olympics was a cultural moment,” NHL chief operating o cer Stephen McArdle said. “We know that Olympic viewership does appeal to those demographics, to that female demographic, and so I think the Olympic bump that we saw was really in part in uenced by that female Olympic audience.”
How big a role “Heated Rivalry” plays is di cult to measure.
“I think he’s a strong kid mentally.” John Tortorella, Vegas coach
The fact Hart is in Vegas was far from a sure thing last summer. He was one of the junior players charged in 2024 in connection with an incident in London, Ontario, that occurred six years earlier. The judge overseeing the trial said the prosecution did not meet the burden of proof to convict the players and that the allegations lacked the credibility to justify the charges.
The NHL conducted its own investigation in 2022, and after the players were cleared of legal responsibility, the league announced they would be reinstated. With the
league calling the players’ actions “deeply troubling and unacceptable,” there wasn’t a rush by clubs to start signing them. The Hurricanes considered signing Hart and Michael McLeod, but ultimately decided to pass.
Hart read a statement to reporters back then, saying he wanted “to show the community my true character and who I am and what I’m about.”
Hart is 12-4 with a 2.22 GAA and a .924 save percentage in the playo s. He has won six starts in a row.
“I think he’s just been getting more and more con dent each game, each round he’s played,” forward Brett Howden said. “There’s a lot of momentum in these rounds of games. Obviously, it’s going to go back and forth. I feel like he does an unbelievable job of keeping us in the game. He’ll bail us out if we need to be bailed out.”
Schulz, who grew up as a sports fan in the Boston area, said it does not enter her mind, but the networks and the league are well aware of the conversation going around it.
“We know that the ctional series are a gateway to our sport,” McArdle said. “We know that it opens doors to an interest in the sport of hockey, and it’s incumbent upon us to make sure that new audiences that are coming through those doors feel welcomed as they come in, and also that we help them nd their way through the door.”
Schulz said technology helps with that, pointing to aerial sky cams that highlight the speed and physicality of the game, and the addition of a camera person on the ice to capture emotional moments like a player expressing frustration after getting called for a penalty.
“It is incredible how that emotional draw, to me, is the real way to pull in a casual fan,” Schulz said. “It’s that balance
of getting the feel of the ice through something like your aerial coverage and the feel of the player or the emotion of the player.”
McArdle said the NHL has also leaned into TikTok, where many of the top videos were viewed by more women than men. A clip of Carolina’s Jordan Martinook losing a skate blade particularly stood out as something that was popular beyond highlight-reel goals, saves and hits.
Social media has drawn in more young fans, men and women, and promotion of broadcasts on ESPN, ABC, TNT, TruTV and on HBO Max has gotten them to watching live on one platform or another.
“That’s why it’s so important to meet them where they are,” Barry said. “That’s why our kind of strategy is put it everywhere in a simulcast capacity, so regardless of where you are consuming and digesting your content, in this particular case, NHL games, it’s there for you.”
CRAVE VIA AP
Hudson Williams, left, and Connor Storrie face o as opposing players and secret lovers in a scene from “Heated Rivalry.”
DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP PHOTO
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart makes a glove-save during the Western Conference nal.
this week in history
Israel attacks Egypt, Battle of Midway ends, Salem witch trials begin
The Associated Press
JUNE 4
1940: Allied forces completed the evacuation of more than 338,000 troops from Dunkirk, France, during World War II.
1940: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared to the House of Commons, “We shall ght on the beaches ... we shall never surrender.”
1989: Chinese troops crushed pro-democracy demonstrations centered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, killing hundreds, possibly thousands, of protesters.
JUNE 5
1794: Congress passed the Neutrality Act, barring Americans from participating in military actions against nations at peace with the United States.
1967: The Six-Day War began as Israel launched preemptive airstrikes that largely destroyed Egypt’s air force.
1968: Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was shot and mortally wounded at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
JUNE 6
1944: Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy, France, on D-Day, launching Operation Overlord to begin the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
1966: Civil rights activist James Meredith was shot and wounded by a sniper during his march from Memphis, Tennes-
see, to Jackson, Mississippi.
JUNE 7
1776: Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution to the Continental Congress declaring “that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent States.”
1929: Vatican City formally became a sovereign state as Italy rati ed the Lateran Treaty.
1942: The Battle of Midway ended with a decisive U.S. naval victory over Japan.
1976: New York magazine published an article by journalist Nik Cohn entitled “The Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night” that inspired the 1977 lm “Saturday Night Fever” and sparked a nationwide disco craze.
JUNE 8
1789: James Madison proposed a series of constitutional amendments to the U.S. House of Representatives that would become the Bill of Rights.
1949: George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984” was rst published.
1968: U.S. authorities announced the arrest of James Earl Ray, the suspected assassin of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
JUNE 9
1973: Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, capturing the Triple Crown and setting a still-standing record of 2:24 for the 1½-mile race.
1732: James Oglethorpe received a charter from King George II to establish the colony of Georgia.
1954: During the Army-McCarthy hearings, Army attorney Joseph N. Welch rebuked Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, asking, “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
JUNE 10
1692: Bridget Bishop became the rst person executed during the Salem witch trials when she was hanged in Massachusetts.
1854: The U.S. Naval Academy held its rst graduation ceremony.
1940: Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared war on France and Great Britain, bringing Italy into World War II.
2023: Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-educated mathematician dubbed the “Unabomber” by the FBI, died in a federal prison in North Carolina at age 81. Before his capture, Kaczynski conducted a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others.
AP PHOTO
George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984” was rst published on June 8, 1949.
DICK STROBEL / AP PHOTO
Sen. Robert F. Kennedy speaks with campaign workers in Los Angeles moments before he was shot on June 5, 1968.
Trolls come indoors as Danish recycling artist stages rst museum exhibit
His creations were exhibited at Dix Park in Raleigh
By James Brooks The Associated Press
ISHØJ, Denmark — For
more than a decade, Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo has scattered wooden troll sculptures around the world. He has created almost 200 in 19 countries.
Now the poet and former hip-hop artist is bringing a collection of fairy tale-inspired creations in from the cold for his rst museum exhibit.
“The Garbage Man,” at the Arken Museum of Contemporary Art on the outskirts of Copenhagen, tells the story of a group of mischievous trolls who secretly move into the museum, take it over and redesign it.
“They build and leave a giant human made of trash … as a lesson for the humans to behave better and don’t put their trash where everybody else lives,” Dambo said at his studio near the Danish capital.
The 46-year-old artist started spreading his trolls back in 2014, when he built two sculptures for a Danish music festival.
Two years later, he hid six giant trolls in wooded areas around Copenhagen. The project went viral, drawing millions of viewers online.
“I was like, if I tell a story that combines them all, then when I’ve done this (for) 10 years, I will probably have made over 100 sculptures and … I have made the world into my stage,” he said.
Twelve years on, Dambo has made almost 200. The artist and his team build about 25 new trolls annually. “Long Leif,” the tallest at 43 feet high, stands in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
Usually, Dambo’s work is as much treasure hunt as exhibit. His fairy-tale creations are tucked away in forests, mountains, jungles and grasslands around the world, discoverable using an online “Troll Map.”
There is “Little Lisa” hidden in a German forest, and “Happy Kim” lounging in a South Korean botanical garden.
What to keep eye out for at Tony Awards on Broadway’s biggest night
Three-time Grammy Award Pink will make her debut as host
By Mark Kennedy The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Twenty-four shows on Broadway received Tony Award nominations this season, but not all will walk away with a trophy and the box o ce attention they usually bring.
Here are some key things to know as Broadway’s biggest night approaches, including how to watch, the top nominees, who is poised to make history and what shows secured performance slots.
When are the Tony Awards?
The Tonys will be broadcast to both coasts Sunday from 8 to 11 p.m. Eastern, live from Radio City Music Hall.
How can I watch them?
On CBS and streaming for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers in the U.S.
What performances will there be?
The seven best new musical and best musical revivals — “The Lost Boys,” “Schmigadoon!,” “Titanique,” “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Ragtime” and “The Rocky Horror Show.”
What are the top nominees?
There are two top nominees: “The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon!” each earned a leading 12 Tony Award nominations. “The Lost Boys” is an adaptation of a 1987 teen movie vampire thriller, and “Schmigadoon!” is an adaptation of an Apple TV series that gently mocks Broadway musicals. They’re followed by a revival of “Ragtime,” a big, soaring musical celebrating early 20th-century America, with 11 nominations, and “Death of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller’s masterpiece that looks at the unraveling of the American Dream, starring Nathan Lane, which nabbed nine nods.
Who is vying for best new play and musical?
For new musicals, it’s “The Lost Boys,” “Schmigadoon!,” “Titaníque” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).”
For new plays, it’s “The Balusters,” “Giant,” “Liberation” and “Little Bear Ridge Road.”
Can history be made?
History has already been made, in a way. June Squibb became the oldest Tony-nominated actor in history at 96 and could become the oldest Tony winner, surpassing Lois Smith. who was 90 when she won in 2021.
Lane is hoping for his fourth Tony, which would make him tied as the most-awarded male performer in Tony history, alongside Boyd Gaines and Frank Langella. If he does win for best lead actor in a play for the revival of “Death of a Salesman,” he’d have Tonys in three separate acting categories, previously winning featured actor in a play for “Angels in America” and lead
Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo poses for a photograph in his new exhibit “The
at Arken Museum of Contemporary Art in Ishoj, Denmark, on May 14.
Children clamber and adults gasp as they nd the trolls. Dambo estimates about 5 million people visit his works annually.
“The sculptures bring people out to experience things that they would otherwise have been too lazy or maybe not creative enough to go and visit,” he
said. “My trolls, they bring people to all these small, little corners of the world.”
Each of Dambo’s trolls has a unique name and design. In the Arken exhibit, which opens Sunday and will be on show until Nov. 29, his new works are based on friends he had when growing up.
They have “personalities of a late teenage, young 20s type of group of boys that are causing havoc, and the type of gang that would break into a museum and ll it up with trash,” Dambo said.
Trolls often appear in Scandinavian folklore, but Dambo said he chose to work with the mythical creatures as a vehicle to convey messages on waste and recycling.
The recycling artist’s sculptures are made almost entirely from waste and discarded materials, such as wooden pallets, old furniture and whisky barrels.
Dambo hopes museum visitors will leave with an urge to buy less.
“This is not my recycling project; this is my stop buying stu project,” he said.
actor in a musical twice for “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “The Producers.” And for the first time since 2002, the contenders for best leading actress in a musical are all first-time nominees: Sara Chase (“Schmigadoon!”), Stephanie Hsu (“The Rocky Horror Show”), Caissie Levy (“Ragtime”), Marla Mindelle (“Titanique”) and Christiani Pitts (“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York”). Broadway’s big season
The 2025-26 Broadway season set a new box o ce record for the second year in a row. Over the 52 weeks of the season, Broadway brought in a combined total of $1.9 billion. In more gloomy news, attendance was actually down — 14,577,322 versus 14,658,531 from last season.
MATTHEW MURPHY VIA AP
Christian Pitts and Sam Tutty perform during a production of “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” in 2025.
JAMES BROOKS / AP PHOTO
Garbage Man”
famous birthdays this week
Actor Angelina Jolie turns 51, Mark Wahlberg celebrates 55, Tom Jones hits 86, Dick Vitale is 87
The Associated Press
THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.
JUNE 4
Actor Bruce Dern is 90. Golf Hall of Famer Sandra Haynie is 83. Singer-actor Michelle Phillips is 82. Actor Keith David is 70. Actor Noah Wyle is 55. Actor Angelina Jolie is 51.
JUNE 5
USA Track & Field Hall of Famer John Carlos is 81. Musician-artist Laurie Anderson is 79. Finance author Suze Orman is 75. Musician Kenny G is 70.
Actor Mark Wahlberg is 55.
JUNE 6
Singer-songwriter Gary U.S. Bonds is 87. Civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman is 87. Actor Robert Englund is 79. Tennis Hall of Famer Bjorn Borg is 70.
JUNE 7
Filmmaker James Ivory is 98. Singer Tom Jones is 86. Actor Liam Neeson is 74. Author Orhan Pamuk is 74. Rock musician-TV host Dave Navarro is 59. TV personality Bear Grylls is 52. Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson is 51.
JUNE 8
Singer Nancy Sinatra is 86. Musician Boz Scaggs is 82. Pianist Emanuel Ax is 77. Actor Sonia Braga is 76. Actor Grifn Dunne is 71. Actor-director Keenen Ivory Wayans is 68. Musician Nick Rhodes (Duran Duran) is 64. Actor Julianna Margulies is 60.
JUNE 9
Sportscaster Dick Vitale is 87. Film composer James Newton Howard is 75. Author Patricia Cornwell is 70. Actor Michael J. Fox is 65. Writer- lmmaker Aaron Sorkin is 65. Actor Johnny Depp is 63. Actor Natalie Portman is 45.
JUNE 10
Political commentator Je Green eld is 83. Actor Frankie Faison is 77. Football Hall of Famer Dan Fouts is 75. Actor Gina Gershon is 64. Actor-model Elizabeth Hurley is 61. Comedian Bill Burr is 58. R&B singer Faith Evans is 53.
ANDY KROPA / INVISION / AP PHOTO Actor Elizabeth Hurley turns 61 on Wednesday.
JAMES CRISP / AP PHOTO
Broadcaster Dick Vitale turns 87 on Tuesday.
GEORGE WALKER IV / AP PHOTO
Actor Michael J. Fox turns 65 this week.
‘Hoppers,’ ‘Love Island,’ albums from Lizzo, Death Cab for Cutie
“O ce Romance” staring Jennifer Lopez hits Net ix
The Associated Press
NEW ALBUMS FROM Lizzo and Death Cab for Cutie and the streaming service debut of animated hit “Hoppers” are some of the new television, lms, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also, among the streaming o erings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: the new season of “Love Island,” a new rom-com starring Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein, and the quiet puzzle game “Swan Song.”
MOVIES TO STREAM
With strong reviews and good ticket sales, “Hoppers” was one of the better received Pixar originals in recent years. The lm, a zany body-swapping comedy about environmental protection, is streaming now on Disney+. In it, Mabel (Piper Curda) is trying to defend a pristine pond from development by the local mayor (Jon Hamm) when she transforms, or “hops,” into the body of a robotic beaver. In her review, AP lm writer Lindsey Bahr called it a “buoyant, freewheeling adventure.”
“O ce Romance” (Net ix on Friday) pairs Lopez and Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”) in a workplace rom com. Lopez star as a chief executive of an airline who falls for the company’s new lawyer (Goldstein). Goldstein also wrote the movie with “Ted Lasso” co-creator Joe Kelly.
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson continues his documentary tours through music history with “Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World).” Questlove’s tribute to the seminal Chicago group debuts on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, days after its premiere at the Tribeca Festival.
Harry Lighton’s “Pillion” (HBO Max on Friday) is one of the more memorable love stories in recent years. Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård star as an unlikely BDSM couple: one sings barbershop quartet, the other is a gru biker. In my review, I praised “Pillion” as the portrait of a relationship “in the extreme, one that ultimately, like any other, is guided by needs and wants.”
MUSIC TO STREAM
It has been four years since Lizzo last released a full-length project. That was “Special,” lead by the ubiquitous funk-pop “About Damn Time.” This time around, she’s promised “good, clean fun” on her new one, the suggestively titled “B----.” Led by the ’80s ballad “Don’t Make Me Love U,” it’s clear that she’s still in it for the big pop songs. Death Cab for Cutie’s forthcoming studio album, “I Built You A Tower,” has two main inspirations, if they can be called that. It’s the beloved indie rock
band’s rst full-length project since the end of the anniversary tours for their career-de ning albums, 2003’s “Transatlanticism” and 2005’s “Plans,” which reinvigorated their songwriting. It was also written while principal songwriter and frontman Ben Gibbard was going through a separation and eventual divorce. “I was doing a lot of context switching,” Gibbard told the AP. “I started to write a lot about how we contextualize, compartmentalize, speci cally our grief.” Luckily, that kind of humanity is the stu the band excels in.
Of the former members of One Direction, Niall Horan has stayed truest to the boy band’s propulsive pop-rock, but don’t think that means his matured work is derivative. He’s taken those classic tools and aged them. “Dinner Party,” his fourth full-length al-
bum as a soloist, draws inspiration from the place where he met his long-term partner. Damien Rice is a main in uence, and the songs are dreamy and romantic. It began with “Blackberry Marmalade,” Vince Staples’ rst solo song in two years. It was a heavy introduction to his hyper-independent “Cry Baby” album, out Friday — all noise-rock, critical messaging (“Empires build on bloodstained ground,” he opens the rst verse) and a music video styled like a rst-person shooter video game. Then came the even darker “White Flag.” The musician, known for his inventiveness and often surrealist approach to art making, is clearly taking a direct approach here.
SERIES TO STREAM
Some people look forward to the summer months because of the warm weather and because school is out. Others get hyped because of a new season of “Love Island USA” is airing ve nights a week on Peacock. The season is approximately six weeks of scantily clad, single contestants sequestered in a villa in Fiji. They must couple up or they’re sent home. The last couple remaining wins a cash prize. AMC has given the third season of “Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire” series a new name. The show is now called “The Vampire Lestat” with Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) sharing his story. Unhappy with the way he was written in Daniel Molloy’s book, Lestat forms a rock band and goes on the road. Lestat craves attention and admiration, and he’s certain his rock star persona will attract adoring fans. AMC is leaning into Lestat’s music, making it available on music streaming apps. Fun fact: Reid performed his own songs. “The Vampire Lestat” premieres Sunday on AMC and AMC+.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY Amid all the noise and chaos of modern culture, sometimes you just want to solve a nice, quiet puzzle. That’s what Belgium’s Business Goose Games is aiming for with “Swan Song.” It’s essentially a music box with two compartments: one contains sheet music, while the other contains a maze. You need to choose the right notes in order to make each maze solvable. The developer’s last mellow brainteaser, “Sizeable,” found an enthusiastic audience, and its new puzzler has a similar vibe. Open the box Thursday
or Mac.
on PC
ROB GRABOWSKI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie performs during Riot Fest in Chicago in 2023. The band’s new album, “Somewhere Else We Are,” is out now.
TAYLOR JEWELL / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Harry Melling poses for a portrait while promoting the lm “Pillion” in New York. The lm premieres Friday on HBO Max.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO
Edward James Olmos, left, and Jennifer Lopez star in “O ce Romance,” which premieres Friday on Net ix.
“Hoppers” is a buoyant, freewheeling adventure.”
Lindsey Bahar, AP lm writer