It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Philip Jason Frazier, age 54, of Siler City, NC on Monday, June 1, 2026, at Moses Cone Hospital, Greensboro, NC. He is survived by his parents Thomas Earle Frazier and Carol P. Frazier, along with many aunts, uncles, and cousins
He was a proud graduate of Oak Ridge Military Academy class of 1989, and furthered his service commitment by enlisting in the US. Army where
Donald Ray Maness
Jan. 6, 1943 – June 6, 2026
Donald Ray Maness, 83, of Siler City, North Carolina, passed away peacefully at home on June 6, 2026, surrounded by the love of his family. Born on January 6, 1943, Donald was raised in High Falls, North Carolina. He was the son of the late Mack Maness and Mamie Maness and was preceded in death by his brother, Wilbert Maness.
Donald proudly served his country in the United States Army, a role that remained one of the greatest sources of pride throughout his life. Being a veteran was an important part of who he was, and he carried a deep love and respect for his country throughout his 83 years. A skilled master upholsterer and supervisor, Donald was known for his craftsmanship, strong work ethic, and dedication to doing a job right. He took pride in his work and earned the respect of those who worked alongside him.
Donald found joy in life’s simple pleasures. He loved spending time shing, took great pride in keeping his yard looking its best, and rarely missed an opportunity to enjoy breakfast at the local café with friends and familiar faces. He appreciated the simple blessings of life and the people who shared them with him.
While Donald was proud of his work and military service, nothing mattered more to him than his family. He loved his wife, Jane, with all his heart, was a devoted father to his daughter, Laurin, and cherished his role as “Big Daddy” to his grandchildren. Known to Jackson and Charlotte as Big Daddy, he took immense pride in them and found great joy in watching
he served for seven years in the 82nd Airborne Division. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army he worked maintenance within the apartment management sector.
Jason’s (better known as P.J.) life was enriched by his many passions. He was deeply involved in the rodeo community, both as a bull rider and a judge. His love for sports also extended to softball and coaching baseball, where he shared his knowledge and enthusiasm with young athletes. Additionally, he cherished the times spent duck hunting with his close friend Berry Craven, (B.J.).
Jason was a member of Piney Grove Methodist Church, Siler City. There will be a Celebration of Life held at a later date, where family, friends, and all who were touched by his life will gather to honor and remember him. May he rest in peace and eternal happiness.
Memorials may be made to:
Pinay Grove Methodist Church Cemetery Fund, PO Box 9. Siler City, NC 27344 or N.C. High School Rodeo Association, 215 Button Branch Lane, Lagrange, NC 28551
them grow. They brought him endless joy, and few things made him happier than talking about them and celebrating their accomplishments. Though often a man of few words, there was never any doubt about how deeply he loved his family.
Donald was a faithful member of Fall Creek Baptist Church and found strength and comfort in his faith throughout his life. He is survived by his beloved wife, Jane McLaurin Maness; his daughter, Laurin Maness Lance and husband, Nathan Lance, of Inman, South Carolina; his grandchildren, Jackson Gray Councilman of Columbia, South Carolina, and Charlotte Jane Boyd of Inman, South Carolina; and his brothers, Michael Maness of Rockingham, North Carolina, and Dale Maness and wife, Lisa of High Falls, North Carolina. Donald will be remembered for his quiet strength, unwavering patriotism, dedication to his family, and the kindness he showed to those around him. Though he will be deeply missed, his family nds comfort in the memories they shared and in the legacy of love, hard work, and devotion he leaves behind.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the hospice team whose compassionate care, guidance, and support allowed Donald to spend his nal days peacefully at home, surrounded by those he loved most. Their kindness during this di cult time will never be forgotten.
In lieu of owers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516, Disable American Veterans, 707 Pinehurst Ave., Carthage, NC 28327 or Rockingham AMVETS, Post 316, c/o John Patrick, 304 Freeman Mill Rd., Hamlet, NC 28315.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026 at First United Methodist Church in Siler City.
The family will receive friends after the service in the Fellowship Hall. Joyce-Brady Chapel will be open from 1:00-5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 for friends to sign the register. Condolences may be o ered online at www.joycebradychapel. com
Joyce-Brady Chapel of Bennett is honored to serve the Maness family.
Gordon S. Wood, eminent scholar of the American Revolution, dead at 92
The historian’s in uential works shaped scholarly understanding of America’s founding for generations
By Hillel Italie The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Gordon S. Wood, the eminent and prolific scholar who forged a highly in uential and sharply debated narrative of the country’s early years of independence through such prize-winning works as “The Creation of the American Republic” and “The Radicalism of the American Revolution,” has died. He was 92. Wood, a professor emeritus at Brown University, died Sunday after being struck by a car in a supermarket parking lot in East Providence, Rhode Island, according to police.
Author of dozens of books and essays, Wood never gained the mass audience of historians like David McCullough and Doris Kearns Goodwin, but his ndings became standard references for discussions about the formation of the U.S. and the legacy of the revolution. Many peers regarded the white-haired, mild-looking Wood as the embodiment of the learned, traditional historian, guided by facts rather than ideology.
In 2011, President Barack Obama presented him a National Humanities Medal “for scholarship that provides insight into the founding of the nation and the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.”
In recent years, younger academics increasingly alleged that Wood was too well-established, the epitome of the old-school historian who minimized the lives of slaves, women and Indigenous people. John L. Brooke, a history professor at Ohio State University, would fault him for “a distinct avoidance of interpretative paradox and complexity,” even as he cited Wood’s “scale and scholarly enterprise.”
His success was immediate and lasting. His rst book, “The Creation of the American Republic,” won the Bancroft Prize in 1970 and lived on with generations of students who embraced and contended with Wood’s ndings that the Constitution was unintentionally subversive, a document devised by elites that led to “the destruction of the very social world
they had sought to maintain.” His “The Radicalism of the American Revolution” won the Pulitzer in 1993, and the epic “Empire of Liberty” was a nalist in 2009. Wood did welcome scholarly breakthroughs, notably Annette Gordon-Reed’s “persuasive contextual case” that the enslaved Sally Hemings bore some of Thomas Je erson’s children. In “Empire of Liberty,” which covered the years 1789 to 1815, he included lengthy passages on slavery and called it a cancer “eating away at the message of liberty and equality.”
At other times, Wood angrily resisted new approaches. He was a prominent critic of The New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize winning 1619 Project and its contention — later amended — that maintaining slavery was a key motivation for the American Revolution. He alleged that the project encouraged a sense “victimhood” and feeling “aggrieved,” even as he acknowledged he hadn’t read most of it. He would counter that the founders, even such plantation owners as Je erson and James Madison, believed — mistakenly — that slavery would die a natural death and the revolution itself energized the American abolitionist movement.
“We all want justice, but not at the expense of truth,” he wrote in 2019, adding, in a widely disputed statement, “I don’t know of any colonist who said that they wanted independence in order to preserve their slaves.”
Wood was born into history: His hometown, Concord, Massachusetts, had been the residence of Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott, among others. But his passion for the subject he later mastered did not arise until college. Wood found his high school history education unbearable, su ering through classes in which the teacher simply read from a textbook. Wood did admire his Latin instructor, who encouraged him to attend Tufts University, from which he graduated summa cum laude. He received a master’s and doctorate from Harvard University and studied under a celebrated Revolutionary War historian Bernard Bailyn, whose documentation of the intellectual forces behind independence in his landmark “The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution” Wood would build upon in “The Creation of the American Republic.”
In his introduction to “The Idea of America,” published in 2011, Wood looked back on his own work and the evolution of scholarship in his lifetime. He noted the many errors of the country’s founders but warned against scolding historical gures because of mistakes which seem obvious now, what he and others call “Presentism.”
“The drama, indeed the tragedy of history, comes from our understanding of the tension that existed between the conscious wills and intentions of the participants in the past and the underlying conditions that constrained their actions and shaped their future,” he wrote.
“If the study of history teaches anything, it teaches us the limitations of life. It ought to produce prudence and humility.”
Actor Anthony Head, known for ‘Bu y the Vampire Slayer,’ dead at 72
His career encompassed television, lm, stage performances and musical theater roles
By Jill Lawless and Brian Melley The Associated Press
LONDON — Anthony Head, the suave, smooth-voiced British actor known for roles in “Bu y the Vampire Slayer” and “Ted Lasso,” has died, his family said Friday. He was 72.
Head’s daughters, actors Emily and Daisy Head, told the Press Association news agency that the actor passed away due to complications from pneumonia.
The stage and TV performer became well known to British audiences in the 1980s as one half of a will-they, won’t-they
romantic couple in a series of ads for Nescafe Gold Blend instant co ee. The ads were later reshot for a U.S. audience for Taster’s Choice.
Head achieved wider fame as librarian Rupert Giles, mentor to the title character in the cult-favorite supernatural series “Bu y the Vampire Slayer,” which ran from 1997 to 2003. He most recently played Rupert Mannion, the villainous ex-husband of Hannah Waddingham’s character Rebecca, in “Ted Lasso.”
“Our grief is far greater than the hole he has left behind, but we know his legacy will live on, in the shows he was a part of, and in the audiences that love them,” his daughters said.
“How lucky we are to know we are able to watch him doing what he loved, even when he is no longer with us.”
Head was born in London on Feb. 20, 1954, to Sea eld Head, a documentary lmmaker, and Helen Shingler, an actor. His older brother, Murray, is also an actor. Other notable roles included playing Geo rey Howe, the deputy to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, played by Meryl Streep, in the Oscar-winning “The Iron Lady.” Head portrayed a prime minister himself in the sketch comedy show “Little Britain,” as well as King Uther Pendragon, the father of Prince Arthur, in the “Merlin” TV series. He also appeared in “Motherland,” Manchild” and “Silent Witness,” along with acting in many plays, musicals and recording music as a singer. He was predeceased by his longtime partner, animal welfare activist Sarah Fisher, 61, in 2025.
PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS / AP PHOTO
President Barack Obama, right, presents a National Humanities Medal to author, historian and Brown University professor emeritus Gordon Wood during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 2, 2011.
A judge credited social media perfectionism for driving the mullet’s global comeback
By James Brooks The Associated Press
COPENHAGEN — Business in the front, party in the back.
A packed Danish crowd celebrated on Saturday the much-maligned but enduring mullet hairstyle, de ned by very short hair at the front and longer hair at the back.
Denmark’s raucous 2026 Mullet Championship, presented on an outdoor stage in central Copenhagen, attracted 12 well-coi ed competitors and more than a thousand spectators to the evening’s “mane” event.
Organizer Ste en Stiw Weber, a 37-year-old electrician, said the championships, now in their fourth year, began after he had a hair transplant and chose to grow out a mullet.
After realizing he couldn’t compete in a mullet competition in the United States because he wasn’t a U.S. citizen, Stiw Weber started his own in Denmark.
“I was like, OK, I have to do it on my own here in Denmark,” he said while smiling.
Competitors in Saturday’s
championships were evaluated on their cuts’ style, uniqueness, and overall performance and “mullet moves,” explained judge Bobby Agren.
Contestants were given 60 seconds each to perform on stage to showcase their cuts.
“I like the nesse, the twist, the nostalgia. I like it if it looks ridiculous or maybe ugly in
a beautiful way,” said Agren, who owns two hair salons in Copenhagen.
“I think in our culture, when everything must … be perfect on social media and everything like that, I think that’s why people have to stand out from the crowd,” said Stiw Weber.
The event featured an array of over-the-top performances, in-
Competitor Martin Sedolf performs as character pro wrestler “Benny Bacchus” at Denmark’s Mullet Championship in central Copenhagen on Saturday.
to distribute points to the competitors.
Forty-three-year-old construction worker Thomas Berg eventually took home the top prize after wowing judges by frantically jumping on a trampoline while clad in neon green gym wear. He completed his mullet haircut with an orange headband. “I think it’s just funny. It’s just a big party,” said a smiling Berg after collecting his prize. “It’s just nice to be a bit outside the box.”
Though mullets have likely been around longer than there have been barbers, the Oxford English Dictionary cites hip-hop legends the Beastie Boys for helping popularize the term mullet with the song “Mullet Head” on their 1994 recording “Ill Communication.” The short-in-the-front, longin-the-back coi ure was popularized by ice hockey players and ’80s musicians but later fell out of favor.
Fashion magazine Vogue reportedly once described the mullet as “history’s most divisive hairstyle.”
cluding beer-swilling, body-popping, and a live saxophone show.
One competitor even wore a mullet haircut styled to resemble the Danish ag.
The crowd screamed and chanted with their energy seemingly feeding directly into the various performers on stage.
After every performance, judges held up scorecards
FACILITY from page A1 in the district by recruiting current Chatham County Students.
Each student in the partnership program will receive a $10,000 scholarship ($2,500 annually for four years) and are promised a teaching position in the district once they meet all the licensure requirements for North Carolina.
In turn, those students will be required to ful ll a four-year teaching commitment, else they will be required to repay any tuition paid for by the scholarship.
“Last year, we had the privilege of awarding one scholarship and this year, we have the privilege of awarding two scholarships,” Burton said.
The two recipients are both Chatham Central High School seniors: Peyton Douglas, who will attend NC State,
But in recent years, the mullet has seen a global resurgence — British magazine i-D declared 2020 “the year of the mullet” as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered hair salons and lockdown-weary citizens let their locks ow.
Numerous mullet competitions are now staged around the world. Belgium hosted the European Mullet Cup last month. “It comes back every 20-30 years. There’s always a circular motion in fashion,” said Agren, the Denmark mullet competition judge.
and Landon Johnson, who will attend Central Carolina Community College before transferring to a four-year institution.
Finally, the board approved the surplusing of around 0.7 acres of property located near JS Waters School.
The property was previously used as part of the school’s on-site wastewater treatment before they joined the Town of Goldston’s sewer system
The reason for surplusing it now is because the district was approached by a nearby land owner about purchasing the parcel.
The board of education rst has to o er it to the county commissioners, but should they refuse, the parcel will be put up for bid at a price just under $4,500.
The Chatham County Schools Board of Education will next meet July 13.
JAMES BROOKS / AP PHOTO
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Cuba’s iconic antique cars sit idle as US energy blockade deepens fuel crisis
Drivers face monthlong waits through a government fuel app for rationed gasoline
By Martin Silva Rey The Associated Press
HAVANA — A worsening fuel crisis across Cuba is testing the island’s famed “almendrones,” the vintage American cars that serve as vital shared taxis and embody the island’s ingenuity and endurance.
These days, many of the iconic gas-guzzling antique cars sit idle, casualties of fuel shortages that have gripped Cuba since January and that Cuban ocials blame on a U.S. energy blockade.
Outside his modest concrete-block home on a dirt road in Las Minas, a town of about 2,000 people on the outskirts of Havana, Diriel Valdez is restoring a 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe. The burgundy body is intact and the original engine still works. Finding fuel for it, however, is another matter.
Valdez is among thousands of Cubans waiting for fuel through a government reservation app that, for many, has become a symbol of the shortages
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The shift comes after federal judges blocked Trump’s administration from making crippling cuts at Harvard and the University of California, Los Angeles. It also follows a mass exodus in civil rights lawyers who traditionally guide investigations against universities. Still, Trump hasn’t backed down from his campaign to end what he calls “wokeness” run amok in academia. Through regulation, the administration is going after many of the same targets it hammered with investigations — diversity, equity and inclusion policies, transgender athletes, antisemitism and a variety of practices perceived as anti-white discrimination.
Several U.S. agencies propose new rules
One new rule being proposed by the Education Department would overhaul the system that decides which colleges can receive federal money, known as the accreditation process. Among other changes, the proposal would require accreditors to make sure colleges have “intellectual diversity,” a veiled call for more conservative voices.
Many people in higher education are alarmed by a proposal from the O ce of Management and Budget that would order agencies to ensure federal grants “advance the President’s policy priorities.” Trump o cials would verify that grants aren’t used to promote DEI, “anti-American values” or anything denying “the sex binary in humans,” according to the proposal issued last week. An OMB spokesperson said the rule aims to promote transparency.
Another proposal from the General Services Administration would require federal grant recipients, including universities and their contractors, to certify they don’t have DEI policies deemed unlawful by the administration.
At least 11 new rules have
it was designed to manage. “I signed up in February. ... I’m still somewhere around No. 2,800,” said the 27-year- old who runs an auto body shop from his home.
The reward for the wait would be 20 liters (5.3 gallons) of gasoline — enough fuel, Valdez says, to get him to the beach.
Almendrones represent Cuban improvisation
The name almendrón comes from the Spanish word for almond, a reference to the rounded shape of the large American sedans imported before Cuba’s 1959 revolution.
For decades, sanctions, shortages and limited imports forced Cuban mechanics to become masters of improvisation.
Engines were swapped, bodies rebuilt and replacement parts sourced from wherever they could be found.
On a recent night in Havana, as another blackout darkened much of the city, taxi driver Leonardo Daniel González steered a friend’s glowing purple 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster through the darkness.
“These cars are passed down from generation to gen-
“These cars are passed down from generation to generation. I had one that belonged to my great-grandfather. It went from him to my grandfather, then to my father, and then to me.”
Leonardo Daniel González, taxi driver
eration,” said González, 30. “I had one that belonged to my great-grandfather. It went from him to my grandfather, then to my father, and then to me.”
The wait for fuel
Cuba is experiencing one of its most severe energy crises in years. The population, already battered by decades of economic crises and shortages, is now navigating daily blackouts that can last up to 20 hours in some parts of the island.
The country produces only about 40% of the fuel it consumes and depends heavily on imports to keep its power plants
Massachusetts.
been proposed at the Education Department, including one aimed at “streamlining the process” to cut money for schools that violate the Trump administration’s interpretation of civil rights law.
Making federal rules can take months of debate in humdrum bureaucratic processes.
But unlike earlier strategies that tested the limits of White House power, the rulemaking process is a widely accepted route to establish federal policy into law — without needing to go through Congress.
Some in higher education welcome the change. Unlike last year’s attacks, the new approach opens the door for a conversation, said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, which represents college and university presidents.
“We’re playing a game that has rules and referees, and that’s good,” said Mitchell, a former Education Department ofcial under President Barack Obama, a Democrat. “It gives us an opportunity to talk about where we might agree with the administration. That was impossible to do when these were just straight-on attacks.”
The administration launches fewer new investigations
Meantime, the Education and Justice departments have announced fewer higher-education investigations, issuing news releases on roughly a dozen at U.S. universities so far this year. In the same span last year, they announced more than 70, according to an AP analysis. The exact number of new investigations is unclear — a public database has not been updated since January 2025.
Kent said the Education Department will continue to open investigations as needed, describing it as using a “scalpel to cut out the bad.” But he said colleges have started to come to heel on the administration’s priorities.
“Folks realize that it’s a new day and that we’re paying attention,” Kent said.
The vast majority of the investigations opened last year are still open. The White House struck deals with Columbia, Brown and a handful of other campuses, but most cases are unresolved with no public update in months.
Catherine Lhamon, who led the Education Department’s Of-
running and its transportation network moving.
Since January, the Trump administration has tightened sanctions on Cuba as an element of its ongoing pressure campaign against the island’s communist government.
Trump also threatened tari s on countries that sell or transport oil to Cuba, further complicating the island’s e orts to secure fuel supplies. Just a single Russian tanker has delivered oil to the island nation since then.
Standing beside his Chevrolet in Las Minas, Valdez, who runs the auto body shop, said the fuel shortage is also a ecting his livelihood. He learned auto-body work from his stepfather and has been repairing classic cars since he was 13.
“People don’t want to do major repairs anymore,” he said. “A lot of them have their cars parked. They don’t have much hope that they’ll be circulating the way they used to.”
Almendrones persist even with electric vehicles
As gasoline becomes harder to obtain, many drivers are turning to Cuba’s black market, where fuel can often be found
ce for Civil Rights under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, said the barrage of investigations amounted to “performance art” that grabbed attention but had little impact. After pushback from schools, she said, the Trump administration is backing o .
“It stopped putting itself in a position to lose,” said Lhamon, who now leads the Edley Center on Law and Democracy at the University of California, Berkeley. Still, some ghts have intensied. The White House has doubled down on battles with Harvard and UCLA after federal judges blocked the administration from cutting o research funding from the campuses.
The Justice Department has sued Harvard and UCLA four times since February, alleging that both campuses tolerated antisemitism and that Harvard refused to release admissions data sought by the administration. Leaders of both universities say they have worked to ght antisemitism.
Admissions cases become a top priority
A White House o cial said the investigative slowdown is also the result of a mounting focus on college admissions. The administration has been building cases against colleges accused of considering race in admissions decisions even after the Supreme Court struck down afrmative action. Those investigations can take more time because they require large data collections, said the o cial, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy. Some of those cases are now coming to bear.
The Justice Department recently concluded that medical schools at Yale and UCLA discriminated against white and Asian American students by allegedly favoring Black and Latino applicants. The universities have defended their ad-
more quickly, though at signicantly higher prices that can reach up to $8 per liter ($30 per gallon).
Omar Everleny Pérez, a former economist at the University of Havana’s Center of Cuban Economic Studies, said the country’s transportation system still depends heavily on almendrones because modern vehicles remain out of reach for most Cubans.
“They’ve been vital to the transportation of ordinary Cubans,” he said. “Not only in Havana but throughout the country.”
New vehicles have become available in Cuba in recent years, but at prices far beyond the reach of most state-sector workers, Pérez said. That has helped keep the aging American cars on the road, even as a di erent future is beginning to emerge on Cuba’s streets.
Electric motorcycles imported from China have become increasingly common. Small electric vehicles are also appearing, aided by a growing network of solar-powered charging stations promoted by the government as part of its push toward renewable energy.
Back in Havana, González is not ready to write o the almendrones. Despite the lack of fuel and a sharp decline in tourism, he can still make a living o the old Chevrolet.
“There are ... several WhatsApp groups for us to nd rides and so on,” said González. “But tourism in Cuba is in very bad shape.”
missions processes, saying they were rigorous and based on merit.
Trump o cials are taking a hard-line approach against any use of race in admissions, clashing with colleges that invite students to discuss their race in application essays. In its 2023 decision, the Supreme Court said nothing stops schools from considering how applicants’ race speaks to broader qualities.
“We are making sure,” Kent said, “that we are elevating our best and our brightest and that we’re not putting the thumb on the scale because of somebody’s skin color.”
Higher education has already been changed
Facing last year’s blitz, many campuses quietly made changes to avoid scrutiny. Some closed DEI o ces. The NCAA moved to limit transgender athletes. Universities from UCLA to Columbia tightened campus protest rules after pro-Palestinian demonstrations were the subject of federal investigations.
Research has been scaled back as top schools face continued funding cuts.
In the classroom, there’s been a chilling e ect as professors fear that what they say or teach could attract federal attention, said Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors.
Still, he’s optimistic the balance of power is shifting in universities’ favor. Students and faculty members on several campuses built pressure to reject a White House invitation last fall to sign on to aspects of Trump’s agenda in exchange for favorable access to research funding, he said. The AAUP has brought several lawsuits against the administration, including one that stopped funding cuts at UCLA.
“The sector is getting its feet under it, and it’s only getting stronger,” Wolfson said. “I can promise you that we will ght them tooth and nail.”
COLLEGES
STEVEN SENNE / AP PHOTO
People take photos near a John Harvard statue on the Harvard campus in January 2024, in Cambridge,
Landon Moser
Chatham American Legion, baseball
Chatham American Legion catcher Landon Moser earns athlete of the week honors for the week of June 1.
In a 9-6 loss to the Garner Nationals on June 2, Moser hit two home runs and drove in a team-best two RBIs. He nished the game 2 for 3 with two runs. Against the Yardbirds on June 1, Moser went 1 for 4 with a run.
Moser is coming o his senior season at Jordan-Matthews. This season, he earned NCBCA 4A All-State honors.
from page B1
During that stretch, Chatham County gave up 11 home runs, and ve came in Sunday’s 18-run loss to Wake Forest.
The Yardbirds are 1-9-1 overall and 1-8 in ONSL play as of Monday. They sit at the bot-
tom of the Piedmont division.
Chatham Junior Legion and Pittsboro
The Chatham Junior Legion team and Pittsboro split their two-game series last week. Pittsboro scored three runs
Chatham Central, Northwood lead NCBCA award selections
Landon Moser is Jordan-Matthews’ lone All-State player
By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record
THE NORTH CAROLINA Baseball Coaches Association released its postseason awards last week.
Chatham County had ve high school players named to the NCBCA All-State teams and one named to its All-Region teams. Here are the local All-State and All-Region selections.
Brett Phillips (Chatham Central, 1A All-State)
Chatham Central shortstop Brett Phillips earned 1A/2A All-State honors for his junior season. It is his rst All-State selection. Phillips batted .352 and logged 25 hits, 29 runs (teamhigh), 18 RBIs, eight doubles, a triple and two home runs (teamhigh). He also led the Bears on the mound, notching a 4-2 record and three saves. In 17 appearances (402⁄3 innings), Phillips struck out 61 batters and recorded a 2.06 ERA.
Westley Brower (Chatham Central, 1A All-State)
Chatham Central third baseman Westley Brower led the Bears in batting average (.468), hits (37) and RBIs (30) while logging 11 doubles and 20 runs to earn his rst All-State selection. His best game of the season came in an 18-2 win over South Davidson in which he went 3 for 3, including two doubles, with two runs and ve RBIs.
Finn Sullivan (Northwood, 3A All-State)
Northwood junior Finn Sullivan earned All-State honors for the rst time. As one part of the Chargers’ one-two punch on the mound, Sullivan logged 98 strikeouts, a 1.00 ERA, nine earned runs and limited op-
in the seventh inning to take the first game 9-6 on June 1. In the top of the final inning, Chatham walked four Pittsboro batters, and three of them scored on pitches that went out of the catcher’s reach.
Bryson Sanders went 1 for 2
Northwood’s Finn
6
Players earn All-State or All-Region honors
ponents to a .150 batting average. At the plate, Sullivan batted .380 with 27 hits, ve doubles, two triples, two home runs, 27 RBIs and seven stolen bases.
Riley D’Angelo (Northwood, 3A All-State)
Northwood sophomore Riley D’Angelo made the All-State team for the rst time. D’Angelo batted .455 with 33 hits, eight doubles, two home runs, 24 runs, 16 RBIs and 16 stolen bases this spring. As the other part of the Chargers’ dynamic pitching duo, he achieved a 2.50 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 15 earned runs in 42 innings. Opposing batters hit .125 against D’Angelo.
and led Pittsboro with three runs.
Chatham responded with a 13-1 run rule win over Pittsboro on June 4 thanks to a big night from Iker Vicente. Vicente went 2 for 2 with two runs and a team-best three RBIs. On the mound, Chatham’s
Landon Moser (Jordan-Matthews, 4A All-State)
Jordan-Matthews catcher
Landon Moser earned his rst All-State selection. As one of two senior Jets, Moser led the team in batting average (.508), on-base percentage (.628), hits (31), doubles (15), runs (21), RBIs (20) and home runs (four). He also set career highs in all the aforementioned stats. On the mound, Moser logged a 5.61 ERA in 11 appearances. He struck out 49 batters, notching double-digit strikeouts in two games this season. Dylan Perry (Northwood, All-Region)
Northwood senior Dylan Perry was the only Chatham County player to earn All-Region honors for Region 5. Perry batted .391 with 29 hits, seven doubles, two triples, 12 RBIs, 21 runs and 12 stolen bases.
Mason Hayes struck out five batters and allowed two hits and one earned run.
Chatham improved to 3-3 after last week’s slate.
After losses to Cary (10 - 6) on June 2 and High Point (11-7) on June 3, Pittsboro fell to 1-4 on the season.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
DIAMOND
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Sullivan earned NCBCA All-State honors for the rst time.
Hamlin goes back to front again to win Cup race at Michigan
on a three-wide pass during a restart with 38 laps remaining, sweeping into rst around Spire Racing teammates Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar, a home-state favorite.
The Associated Press
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Denny Hamlin went from the rear to rst again Sunday, winning at Michigan International Speedway to earn his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory.
Just like last week’s win at Nashville Superspeedway, when the Joe Gibbs Racing car started on the pole position but was penalized for jumping the start, Hamlin quali ed rst at Michigan but dropped to the back at the green ag because of a penalty for unapproved adjustments to his No. 11 Toyota. Hamlin patiently worked his way to the front over 400 miles. He took the lead for good
It’s the 63rd career victory for Hamlin, tying the late Kyle Busch for ninth on the Cup Series’ all-time win list.
“Great job, guys,” Hamlin radioed his crew. “Great car. Unbelievable. We love you, KB.”
Erik Jones (another Michigan native) nished second, followed by Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson and Hocevar.
Crash causes red
The race was stopped with 51 laps remaining to repair a damaged SAFER barrier after a hard crash involving Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.
During a restart on the 148th lap, the drivers were running side
by side for second. Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet bobbled and skidded up the track into Bell’s No. 20 Toyota, which shot into the outside wall at the 2-mile oval where speeds top 200 mph.
The impact with Bell’s Camry severely deformed the SAFER barrier, which is comprised of steel and foam to absorb energy in wrecks. A red ag was displayed for 20 minutes to x the damaged section of the barrier.
Both drivers climbed from their cars and walked to an ambulance for a trip to the track’s in eld care center. Elliott patted Bell on the shoulder and apologized for the wreck before they entered the ambulance.
“I’m ne; it was totally my fault,” Elliott said. “I feel really bad for Bell, just taking him out. I was trying to run on the bottom and make use of our fresh tires and at least get to second and hopefully stay side by side with
“Great job, guys. Great car. Unbelievable. We love you, KB.”
Denny Hamlin, on radio with his crew after winning
him. I got in there and got free and thought I was going to spin and was committing to spin out, and as soon as I started to commit to spinning, it just hooked up and hooked a right. Unfortunately, it sent Christopher into the wall super hard, and then me shortly there behind.
“Just racing really hard. I felt like that was kind of a turning point in the race. We needed to make something happen. I stepped over the line again and paid for it. … I just told him I’m sorry. Obviously, it was not on purpose.”
Rough rookie season
A nightmarish debut season in the Cup Series continued for Connor Zilisch, who crashed twice in the first eight laps and finished last in the 37-car field. The Trackhouse Racing driver has finished outside the top 30 the past three races and is still seeking the first top 10 of his rookie campaign.
“I was really loose, but it’s just unfortunate,” Zilisch said. “Another short race for us. We’ll go try and get them at Pocono next week.”
Up next
The Cup Series will make its lone trip this season to Pocono Raceway on Sunday. Chase Briscoe won last year to earn his rst victory with Joe Gibbs Racing.
REWIND from page B1
soccer teams were the county’s only team state champions this season. For Northwood, it was the rst boys’ team title in school history. At the state championship meet, junior Ben Altenburg (the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer) set a new 3A meet record in pole vault, and the boys’ 4x400 team put the Chargers atop the team standings by winning the nal event of the day. For Woods Charter, the triumphant 3-0 win over Summit Charter in the state title game secured the rst team state championship in the school’s history. The Wolves had reached the state nal three straight times from 2022-24 but fell short against Christ the King each trip. Junior Lucy Poitras notched a hat trick, earning championship game MVP honors.
Here are the individual state champions from this school year (school, sport/event).
• Torris Price (Chatham Charter, indoor track 1,000 and 1,600 and outdoor track 1,600; won rst state championship in Chatham Charter history)
Ezra Roebuck (Northwood, indoor track 300 and outdoor track 400)
Ben Altenburg (Northwood, indoor track 55 hurdles and pole vault and outdoor track pole vault)
• Kamarie Hadley (Jordan-Matthews, outdoor track long jump)
Ryan Yoder (Seaforth, indoor track pole vault and outdoor
Jesse Eskelund (Chatham Central, swimming 50 free and 100 free; won rst swimming state title in Chatham Central history)
• Sydney Burleigh (Seaforth, swimming 200 IM and 100 y)
• Colton Roberts (Seaforth, swimming 500 free)
Northwood boys 4x400 (Tequone Moore, Juan Sanchez, Ben Altenburg and Ezra Roebuck won the indoor title; Moore, Altenburg, Roebuck and Wyatt Webster won the outdoor title)
OTHER TOP MOMENTS
Jordan-Matthews’ historic football season
The Jets won their season opener over Carrboro by a point and proceeded to beat their next three opponents by more than 30 points. Finishing the year with a 5-6 record, Jordan-Matthews achieved its best win percentage since 2012, most wins since 2013 and made its rst playo appearance also since 2013.
Seaforth football’s breakout year
In the rst year under coach Tolbert Matthews, the Hawks
beat rival Northwood for the rst time, set a new single season wins record (six) and claimed their rst conference title. They also made their rst playo appearance, coming from behind in the nal minutes at South Brunswick to earn their rst playo win.
Seaforth volleyball returns to the state championship
Cedar Ridge had the Hawks’ number all regular season, going 3-0 in their rst three matchups. It was no secret that Seaforth’s conference foes would stand in the way of another state title appearance. In the fourth round, the Hawks won when it mattered, taking down top-seeded Cedar Ridge 3-1 for a spot in the regionalnal. On the road against Person, Seaforth came back from down 2-0 to advance to the state championship.
Woods Charter volleyball makes dominant run
The Wolves saw little resistance in the regular season, losing just one game and winning 18 by straight sets before the postseason. The dominance carried into the playo s as Woods Charter made its deepest run in volleyball and dropped one set before falling to Falls Lake 3-0 in the regional nal.
Northwood wins a girls’ ag championship
Girls’ ag came to Chatham County this year, and in a league with Northwood, Seaforth, Jordan-Matthews, Eastern Alamance and Southeast Alamance, the Chargers came out on top.
Northwood girls reach basketball regional
Coming out of winter break, the Chargers put their heads down and won 14 straight games all the way up to their rst regional nal appearance since 2022. Only the eventual state champions had an answer for Northwood when the calendar turned to 2026.
Woods Charter’s boys’ basketball team earns rst playo win
The Wolves stretch of thrilling wins at the end of the year continued into the postseason. Woods Charter defeated Phoenix Academy at home in the rst round of the state playo s, picking up the team’s rst playo win. Just prior to that, Woods Charter beat Chatham Charter on a buzzer beater to advance to the conference tournament championship, and it then upset Southern Wake to claim the conference tournament title.
Seaforth boys’ basketball sweeps the conference
The Hawks won the Big Seven 4A/5A regular season title and won their rst conference tournament championship with an overtime win over South Granville. Seaforth nished with the best winning percentage in program history.
Northwood boys’ basketball’s continued dominance
The Chargers continued their regular season conference win streak (excluding tournament games), extending it to 72 straight games since the 2020-21 season. Senior Cam Fowler was
a huge part of the team’s success, notching a career-high 22.3 points per game and setting a school scoring record of 51 points with 11 threes (also a school record) against North Moore.
Jordan-Matthews wrestling’s big year
Jordan-Matthews saw its rst 100-win wrestler in senior Jakari Blue, and Alexandra Zumano Garcia placed fourth in the 1A-4A girls’ state tournament (114 pounds). The Jets had 12 wrestlers qualify for regionals and sent three to states.
Seaforth baseball reaches the state championship series
The No. 9-seeded Hawks went matched every challenge on the way to becoming state runners-up, including taking down top-seeded Hunt on the road in the third round. Seaforth was the lowest seeded baseball team in the statenals across all classi cations.
Northwood softball’s turnaround
The Chargers went from 4-11 in 2025 to 15-11 this spring with many freshmen, especially pitcher Logan Thompson, taking on major roles. Freshman Ruby Parks set a new single season stolen bases record, and the Chargers won their rst playo game since 2017. Northwood girls’ soccer wins rst conference title since 1997
After years of coming close, the Chargers nally broke down the door of a conference championship.
The comeback victory ties him with Kyle Busch on the career win list
PAUL SANCYA / AP PHOTO
Denny Hamlin drives during his NASCAR Cup Series win Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.
SIDELINE REPORT
NFL
Broncos linebacker Cooper arrested on domestic violence charges
Englewood, Colo.
Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper has been arrested on domestic violence charges. Jail records show he faces two counts of domestic violence and one count of criminal mischief. The Broncos said last Friday they are aware of the situation and are gathering more information. Cooper, a seventh-round draft pick from Ohio State in 2021, is entering his sixth season with the team. He has started every game since 2023 and has 311⁄2 career sacks.
UFC Lawsuit seeks to stop UFC ght on White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday
New York
A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming UFC ght card on the White House South Lawn as part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The ling contends the event violates National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands. It also says Congress didn’t consent to the construction of the event space and no environmental review was conducted.
NHL
Meehan, one of rst Sabres, in uential GM, dead at 79
Bu alo, N.Y. Gerry Meehan, one of the Bu alo Sabres’ rst players who went on to an in uential role as the team’s general manager, died at 79. The Sabres announced that he died last Friday. The cause and location of death were not immediately available. Meehan was from Toronto but essentially adopted Bu alo as his hometown as a player and executive. As GM, he was responsible for acquiring eventual Hall of Famers Dominik Hasek, Pat LaFontaine, Alexander Mogilny and Dale Hawerchuk spanning the late 1980s and early 1990s.
WORLD CUP
Tentative deal in place, stadium workers near LA say, averting strike ahead of World Cup
Los Angeles Stadium workers near Los Angeles say they have reached a tentative contract deal, averting a strike ahead of the U.S. men’s soccer team’s opening World Cup match. The union representing 2,000 bartenders, servers, cooks and dishwashers at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, voted last week to authorize a strike after contract talks had stalled with the stadium’s food service provider, Legends Global. Workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 11 were seeking pay increases, protections from subcontracting and security on the job amid ramped-up immigration enforcement. Eight matches are scheduled for SoFi Stadium starting Friday.
Colts QB Jones takes another signi cant step in way back from torn Achilles tendon
The former Duke quarterback was cleared to participate in drills
By Michael Marot The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones was cleared to participate in seven-on-seven drills Monday, marking yet another signi cant step in his comeback from a torn right Achilles tendon.
Coach Shane Steichen hinted last week that Jones’ workload may increase during this week’s workouts. Jones has been throwing throughout Indy’s o season team activities, which began in April. Throughout the process, Jones has made steady progress, though he’s not expected to do full-team workouts until players report to training camp in July.
“To get him out there in seven-on-seven was huge, to get him in the fold, running plays with the guys,” Steichen said.
“It just feels more like you’re back in the swing of things and back a part of it.”
Daniel Jones
“We’ll keep that trend going, probably through the end of OTAs and then, obviously, get him into team stu at training camp. It’s spring, we don’t play for a while, so we’ve got to be smart with his injury. But he’s making great progress.”
Jones has not played since early December when he suffered the injury during a loss at Jacksonville. He also was playing with a broken bone in his left leg.
The two injuries derailed the Colts’ strong start. He wasn’t the same after the leg injury and missed the rest of the season after getting hurt against the Jaguars.
Jones spoke with reporters last week but was not available Monday.
“You just feel more a part of it, I think, prepping for practice
and the meetings, being a part of the walkthroughs, kind of going through the plays, being back there with the quarterbacks talking through things,” Jones said last Wednesday. “It just feels more like you’re back in the swing of things and back a part of it. So it’s been good this week to be back.”
The Colts continue to believe Jones is on schedule, perhaps even slightly ahead of schedule, in his recovery and remain hopeful the former Duke star and New York Giants draft pick will start the Sept. 13 season opener against Baltimore.
Jones also believes he’ll be ready for Week 1 after signing a two-year contract extension worth up to $100 million in March.
But the depth chart behind Jones remains clouded.
Steichen reiterated Monday that Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2023, and Riley Leonard, a late-round pick in 2025, continue to share the snaps with Indy’s starting o ense while Jones sits out. Richardson and Leonard are competing to be Jones’ backup.
Longtime Los Angeles Chargers backup Easton Stick joined the mix Monday when Indy signed the free agent and released Seth Henigan. Steichen served as the Chargers quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for two of the six seasons Stick was with Los Angeles. Stick was with the Atlanta Falcons last year.
“We wanted to get him in, get him up to speed with everything, a really good competitor,” Steichen said while describing Stick. “He’s really smart, has some familiarity with the o ense. Obviously, things have changed, but we’ll get him in here, get him up to speed and see where it goes.”
And they’ll keep monitoring Jones, too.
“He’s been throwing routes with the guys, and we’re telling him ‘Don’t scramble, it’s seven-on-seven, be smart in these situations, if it’s not there throw it out of bounds or if you want to drop it on the ground, I’m good with that,’” Steichen said. “But, yeah, he looked good out there today.”
Poston loses 4-shot lead, comes up clutch to win Memorial in playo
The former Western Carolina golfer held o former Tar Heel Ryan Gerard
By Doug Ferguson The Associated Press
DUBLIN, Ohio — J.T. Poston built a four-shot lead Sunday morning in the rain-delayed Memorial and won the biggest tournament of his career. It just turned out to be a lot more work than he would have imagined.
Poston, a Hickory native and former Western Carolina golfer, lost his lead after 12 holes, then made a 7-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to salvage an even-par 72 and force a playo with Ryan Gerard. He then won on the second extra hole when Gerard missed a 6-foot par putt.
Gerard, a Raleigh-born UNC alum, made a 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to brie y take the lead, closed with a 68 and didn’t really make a mistake over the nal four hours until the nal putt. So ended the longest day for both of them — 33 holes, including 13 in the morning to complete the third round and two playo holes. But what a payo for Poston in so many ways. He had not nished in the top 20
in his previous 13 tournaments this year. And then he delivered the goods and celebrated with a handshake with tournament host Jack Nicklaus.
“A lot of holes, a lot of grit,” Poston said. “Obviously didn’t play my best rst 12, 13 holes, but I told myself I knew I was going to shake Jack’s hand walking o 18, and I wanted to be proud of that handshake regardless of how it turned out. So I’m thrilled it happened this way.”
The perks went beyond the $4 million prize. Poston earned a spot in the next three majors with one great week — high enough in the world ranking to avoid a 36-hole quali er Mon-
day for the U.S. Open, the one British Open spot available this week, and a return to the Masters. They nished at 12-under 276 after Poston and Gerard pulled away from what had been a ve-way tie for the lead with an hour to go in the tournament. Tommy Fleetwood drilled a fairway metal to 5 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th. Wyndham Clark made a late surge. Sam Burns was never too far behind. All of them were at 11 under heading to the nal few holes.
Clark, who made birdie on the 16th to reach 11 under, closed with two pars for a
67. He wound up alone in third, one shot out of the playo . Fleetwood hit into the rough with his rst three shots on the 17th and had to scramble for bogey. He shot 68. Burns also missed the 17th fairway, and his next shot tumbled back down the rough and settled on the bridge over a small creek. He hit that to 40 feet, and his long par putt peeked into the cup and somehow stayed out. A 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th narrowly missed. He shot 69 and tied for fourth with Fleetwood.
Two storm stoppages Saturday led to the marathon Sunday. Poston did some of his best work in the morning, running o three straight birdies on the back nine for a 69 for a four-shot lead.
He had a long three-putt bogey on the third, but as Burns and Gerard and Clark began to inch closer, Poston was missing fairways and losing ground — another three-putt bogey on the ninth from long range, a bogey from deep rough on the par-3 12th, and a weak par putt from 10 feet on the 13th to fall behind for the rst time.
But he followed with an 18-foot birdie putt on the 14th, an up-and-down from the bunker for birdie on the par-5 15th and a 12-foot par save on the 17th hole when he couldn’t afford another mistake.
SUE OGROCKI / AP PHOTO
J.T. Poston celebrates after winning the Memorial golf tournament Sunday in Dublin, Ohio.
MICHAEL CONROY / AP PHOTO
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones throws at the team’s practice last week.
this week in history
Escape from Alcatraz, Medgar Evers killed at 37, British victory at Bunker Hill
The Associated Press
JUNE 11
1509: England’s King Henry VIII married his rst wife, Catherine of Aragon.
1962: Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin, prisoners at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in San Francisco Bay, staged an escape, leaving the island on a makeshift raft. They were never found or heard from again.
1963: The University of Alabama was desegregated as Vivian Malone and James Hood became the rst two black students allowed to enroll in classes; Alabama segregationist and Gov. George Wallace initially blocked the doorway to the auditorium where course registration was taking place, delivering a speech before deferring to National Guard orders to move.
JUNE 12
1963: Civil rights leader Medgar Evers, 37, was shot and killed outside his home in Jackson, Mississippi.
1978: David Berkowitz was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for each of the six “Son of Sam” killings committed in New York City over the previous two years.
1987: President Ronald Reagan, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, exhorted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”
JUNE 13
1966: The Supreme Court
Thurgood Marshall smiles after President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated him to the U.S. Supreme Court on June 13, 1967.
ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional rights to remain silent and to consult an attorney.
1967: President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall to become the rst non-white justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
1971: The New York Times began publishing excerpts of the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret study of America’s involvement in Vietnam since 1945 that had been leaked to the paper by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg.
JUNE 14
1775: The Continental Army, forerunner of the United States Army, was created by the Second Continental Congress.
1846: A group of U.S. settlers in Sonoma proclaimed the breakaway state of the California Republic, declaring independence from Mexico.
1940: German troops entered Paris during World War II; the same day, the Nazis transported
their rst prisoners to the Auschwitz concentration camp in German-occupied Poland.
JUNE 15
1215: King John of England a xed his seal to the Magna Carta, a charter that limited the power of the monarchy.
1775: The Second Continental Congress unanimously appointed George Washington commander of the Continental Army.
1934: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, now the most-visited national park in the United States, was established by Congress.
JUNE 16
1858: Accepting the Illinois Republican Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate, Abraham Lincoln delivered his “House Divided” speech, arguing the nation could not endure permanently half slave and half free.
1884: LaMarcus Thompson opened the Switchback Railway at Coney Island, New York, the rst commercially successful roller coaster.
1903: The Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Detroit.
JUNE 17
1775: The Battle of Bunker Hill ended in a British victory, though British forces su ered heavy casualties.
1930: President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tari Act, raising U.S. tari s and triggering retaliatory measures from other countries.
1994: O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman following a widely televised slow-speed police chase in Southern California.
HENRY GRIFFIN / AP PHOTO
JOSEPH R. VILLARIN / AP PHOTO
A white Ford Bronco carrying O.J. Simpson is followed by police during a slow-speed chase on Los Angeles freeways June 17, 1994.
LaBeouf pleads guilty, gets probation for punching Mardi Gras bargoers
The actor faced misdemeanor battery and petty theft charges in 2020
By Jack Brook The Associated Press / Report for America
NEW ORLEANS — Actor Shia LaBeouf was sentenced to probation last Wednesday after pleading guilty to punching three people outside a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras.
LaBeouf must attend an alcohol treatment program under the sentence handed down by an Orleans Parish judge, according to Sarah Chervinsky, an attorney for the actor.
LaBeouf, most widely known for his starring roles in 2007’s “Transformers” and in 2008’s “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull,” had been released on bail following his arrest near the city’s historic French Quarter. Video of the Feb. 17 encounter shows a shirtless LaBeouf outside a bar shoving one person to the ground and hitting another person in the face, “causing his nose to possibly dislocate,” ac-
said there was “no evidence it was about bias or prejudice.” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said in a statement that his o ce consulted with the victims to ensure their support before o ering LaBeouf the plea deal.
Je rey Damnit, a local entertainer whom police identi ed as Je rey Klein, said he was one of the people attacked by LaBeouf. He has said LaBeouf had pushed him from behind at the bar earlier in the night, shouting homophobic slurs and threatening his life.
cording to a New Orleans police report.
LaBeouf pleaded guilty to three counts of simple battery.
Orleans Parish Judge Juana Marine-Lombard handed the actor a six-month suspended sentence and two years of probation. LaBeouf also must stay away from the victims and the bar.
Chervinsky said LaBeouf wanted “to take accountability for his part in what happened” and called it a “minor Mardi Gras bar tussle.” Chervinsky
Damnit’s attorney said his client hopes LaBeouf’s behavior improves after the actor undergoes substance abuse treatment.
“In New Orleans, we are all equal, we should all feel safe, and we don’t treat people di erent based upon relative fame,” attorney Michael Kennedy said.
After LaBeouf was charged in February, a judge ordered him to return to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Days later, LaBeouf denied having a “drinking problem” in an interview with journalist and YouTuber Andrew Cal-
laghan. LaBeouf said he doubted rehab would help him. He told Callaghan that the issues leading to his aggressive behavior during Mardi Gras were more rooted in “anger and ego” than alcohol.
LaBeouf also said that “big gay people are scary to me.”
“When I’m standing by myself and three gay dudes are next to me touching my leg, I get scared,” he told Callaghan. “I’m sorry. If that’s homophobic, then I’m that.”
LaBeouf, who converted to Catholicism a few years ago, has had several run-ins with the law during his career, including a 2017 New York City arrest on suspicion of assault that happened during a livestream.
While on location in Georgia lming “The Peanut Butter Falcon” later that year, he was arrested for public drunkenness and accused of disorderly conduct and obstruction and sentenced to probation.
That year, the English singer and actor FKA Twigs, whose legal name is Tahliah Barnett, also led a lawsuit alleging LaBeouf was physically and emotionally abusive to her.
Actors’ union approves 4-year contract with studios, streamers
Actor Sean Astin serves as president of SAG-AFTRA
By Andrew Dalton
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Television and movie actors last Thursday voted overwhelmingly to ratify a four-year contract with studios and streaming services, a month after their union leaders negotiated a deal they say provides protections against synthetic actors created by articial intelligence. The rati cation was widely expected, and a walkout never seemed to be in the cards during drama-free negotiations, but the vote assures there will be no repeat of the 2023 actor and writer strikes that seriously shook the entertainment industry.
More than 90% of votes from members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists approved of the agreement, with about 19% of eligible voters casting ballots.
Like the Writers Guild of America, whose members approved their own contract April 24, the actors’ new deal is for four years instead of the usual three, providing an extra layer of labor stability in the industry.
Actor Sean Astin, president
“These deals demonstrate what is possible when the industry works toward practical solutions.”
Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
of SAG-AFTRA, said in a statement that the contract “delivers meaningful gains in compensation, strengthens protections around arti cial intelligence and digital identity, reinforces the long-term security of members’ bene t plans and recognizes the realities of how performers work today.”
The contract says AI performers must bring “signi cant additional value” over a live actor or a digital capture of them if producers are to use them. Union leaders say this and other provisions will keep use of AI actors minimal.
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which negotiates for a coalition of Hollywood’s major studios, streamers and production companies, congratulated the union on the rati cation.
“SAG-AFTRA’s leadership brought a genuine commitment to partnership, and together with the WGA agreement, these
a strike in 2023,
deals demonstrate what is possible when the industry works toward practical solutions,” the alliance said in a statement.
May
AMPTP negotiators have been in contract talks with the Directors Guild of America since
11. The negotiations
are the rst under new DGA president Christopher Nolan. That contract is set to expire June 30.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO
After
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have reached an agreement protecting them from the threat of arti cial intelligence.
LEWIS JOLY / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Actor Shia LaBeouf arrives at the premiere of the lm “The Phoenician Scheme” at the 78th Cannes International Film Festival in 2025.
famous birthdays this week
Kenny Wayne Shepherd celebrates 49, Tim Allen turns 72, Marla Gibbs is 95, Joe Piscopo hits 75
The Associated Press
JUNE 11
Drummer Bernard Purdie is 87. International Motorsports Hall of Famer Jackie Stewart is 87. Actor Roscoe Orman is 82.
Actor Adrienne Barbeau is 81. Rock musician Frank Beard (ZZ Top) is 77. Singer Graham Russell (Air Supply) is 76. Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana is 70.
JUNE 12
Actor Sonia Manzano is 76. Olympic track gold medalist Gwen Torrence is 61. Actor Rick Ho man is 56. Actor-comedian Finesse Mitchell is 54. Actor Jason Mewes is 52. Blues musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd is 49.
JUNE 13
Actor Malcolm McDowell is 83. Actor Stellan Skarsgård is 75. Actor Richard Thomas is 75. Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Weaver is 75. Actor-comedian Tim Allen is 72. Actor Ally Sheedy is 64. Musician Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) is 56.
JUNE 14
Actor Marla Gibbs is 95. U.S. President Donald Trump is 80. Olympic speed skating gold medalist Eric Heiden is 68. Jazz musician Marcus Miller is 67. Singer Boy George is 65. Tennis Hall of Famer Ste Graf is 57.
JUNE 15
Baseball Hall of Famer Billy Williams is 88. Former MLB player and manager Dusty Baker is 77. Actor-comedian Jim Belushi is 72. Actor Julie Hagerty is 71. Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs is 68. Actor Helen Hunt is 63. Actor Courteney Cox is 62. Rapper-actor Ice Cube is 57.
JUNE 16
Author Joyce Carol Oates is 88. Country singer Billy “Crash” Craddock is 87. R&B singer Eddie Levert is 84. Boxing Hall of Famer Roberto Durán is 75. Pop
Gino Vannelli
JUNE 17
Filmmaker Ken Loach is 90. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is 83. Musician Barry Manilow is 83. Comedian Joe Piscopo is 75. Filmmaker Bobby Farrelly is 68. Actor Thomas Haden Church is 66. Actor Greg Kinnear is 63. Actor Jason Patric is 60. Actor-comedian Will Forte is 56.
singer
is 74. Actor Laurie Metcalf is 71. Golfer Phil Mickelson is 56.
MARK VON HOLDEN / INVISION VIA AP
Actor Marla Gibbs turns 95 on Sunday.
MARTIN MEISSNER / AP PHOTO Musician Boy George turns 65 on Sunday.
RICHARD SHOTWELL / INVISION VIA AP Rapper and actor Ice Cube turns 57 on Monday.
