Independence Day
the BRIEF this week
US launches new strikes on Iran, revokes oil sales permit after 3 ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. military has attacked Iran after it said Tehran struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes Wednesday came as part of an American e ort that also revoked the Islamic Republic’s ability to openly sell crude oil in the world market. Iran immediately warned Washington it would “take whatever measures it deems necessary.” That raises the risks that an interim agreement in the war halting ghting could break down, putting the wider Middle East again at risk of a wider con ict.
NATO unveils billions in arms deals to prove its repower as Trump demands Greenland Ankara, Turkey President Donald Trump insists the United States should control Greenland instead of Denmark, renewing tensions in Europe at a NATO summit. Trump spoke during a meeting with the summit host, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. Trump also announced the U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey that were imposed after Ankara bought a Russian missile defense system. This decision could ease Turkey’s re-entry into the U.S. F-35 ghter jet program. NATO is showcasing military projects worth billions, aiming to satisfy Trump. Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged NATO to allow Ukraine to join the alliance.
$2.00
Fireworks shows occurred across the nation and the state on Saturday, as the country celebrated its 250th birthday, including these from the Pinehurst Harness Track.
New Chatham County Schools superintendent sworn in
Kelly Batten has been with the district for the past 14 years
By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record CHATHAM COUNTY
Schools o cially has a new superintendent as of July 1.
With the turning of the calendar, Kelly Batten steps into a new role with the district, taking over for outgoing superintendent Anthony Jackson, who retired after a 39-year career in public education. Batten brings over two decades of public education experience to the table and has been with Chatham County Schools
now for 14 years, having previously served as the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources.
“Dr. Batten is a proven leader who understands our schools, our community, and our commitment to excellence,” said Board of Education Chair Gary Leonard in a press release. “His depth of experience, steady leadership, and unwavering focus on students make him the right choice to lead Chatham County Schools into the future.”
A graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, Batten has also previously served as a high school social studies teacher, assistant principal and principal before joining
Democrats’ narrow path to Senate majority gets rockier as Platner faces allegations
The Maine allegation complicates races Democrats considered their best chances to ip Senate seats
By Bill Barrow and Mike Catalini The Associated Press
A NEW ACCUSATION that Graham Platner once sexually assaulted a woman he was dat-
ing has rocked the U.S. Senate race in Maine and cast fresh doubt on Democrats’ path to a Senate majority. Republicans currently have a 53-47 advantage in the Senate, and Maine is viewed as a neces-
sary win for Democrats to gain the minimum of four new Senate seats.
But now there’s a question of whether Platner, who denied the allegation, will remain on the ballot and, if he does, whether he can defeat veterm Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Small businesses having good summer as Americans travel closer to home
“Things are crazy expensive, from travel costs to food costs to gas.”
Morgan Kain, Baltimore teacher
The shift could help reduce the nation’s travel and tourism trade de cit
By Mae Anderson The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Small business owners in U.S. tourist destinations say they’re seeing more Americans sticking closer to home this summer, trading overseas travel for road trips, choosing daylong sojourns over extended beach stays, and cooking instead of eating out while on vacation to save money.
The reported boost to domestic tourism, though anecdotal, comes as higher airfares and gasoline prices have made vacations more expensive. The FIFA World Cup soccer tournament and celebrations of the nation’s 250th birthday have given some U.S. residents additional incentives to create summer memories without going far. Motor club federation AAA estimated that 72.2 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles from home between June 27 and this Sunday. That’s
Democrats see some pickup opportunities
ALASKA: Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola’s candidacy against incumbent Republican
Here’s a closer look at the top races that Democrats are targeting.
DAVID SINCLAIR FOR CHATHAM NEWS AND RECORD
THURSDAY 7.9.26
NATO chief demands allies present credible plans to reach defense spending targets
As the U.S. draws down its security role, NATO allies face new spending expectations
By Lorne Cook and Suzan Fraser The Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey — NATO Secretary-General
Mark Rutte on Monday demanded that the allies put forward “clear, concrete and credible plans” to reach the organization’s spending targets at its annual summit in Ankara.
Rutte made the remarks in the Turkish capital ahead of a two-day summit starting on Tuesday that comes at a crucial time for the alliance with the United States scaling down its security role in Europe. Washington has been pressing allies to shoulder more of the spending burden.
The 32 nations agreed last year to invest 5% of their gross domestic product on defense — 3.5% on their defense budgets and 1.5% on roads, bridges and ports so troops and
CRIME LOG
June 29
• Edward Ray Simkins, 39, was arrested for felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Jonathan Adam Knight, 51, was arrested for misdemeanor larceny and possession of stolen goods.
June 30
• Omar Dominguez, 27, was arrested for possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia and reckless driving to endanger, and other charges.
• Nelda Jean Saunders, 58, was arrested for driving while impaired and reckless driving to endanger.
• Christopher Lee Blake, 55, was arrested for driving while impaired.
Central
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Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon
CHATHAM happening
Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:
“President Trump fully expects that all allies will step up immediately and get on the path to 5% and do it with urgency.”
Matthew Whitaker, U.S. Ambassador to NATO
equipment can move faster in con ict.
Spain endorsed the goal but said that it could ful ll NATO’s security requirements without spending so much. Some countries are still struggling to meet the alliance’s old target of 2% of GDP.
Asked what would happen to allies that don’t have a clear plan, Rutte said: “If one or two still have to be convinced, we have ways to do that.” He did not elaborate. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker suggested last week that the United States does have something in store for those who do not step up, but he declined to say what that
might be.
“President Trump fully expects that all allies will step up immediately and get on the path to 5% and do it with urgency,” he said.
On spending among European allies and Canada, Rutte said that “the evidence we see so far is impressive.” He said that NATO estimates that they will invest a combined $258 billion more in defense in 2025 and this year than they have in previous years.
But the numbers might not be enough to satisfy the Trump administration. Trump has repeatedly lashed U.S. allies over defense spending, and in the past threatened not to come to the defense of any member not doing enough.
Trump has called for “loyalty” from NATO allies, after some of them declined to allow the use of their bases in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
“We need our allies in NATO to step up and assume leadership roles, and I mean that not only in sort of loud cheerleading but also the moral authority and the moral compass of the alliance,” Whitaker said last week.
July 10
Boom Unit Brass Band at The City Tap
7:30 p.m.
The Boom Unit Brass Band performs a live outdoor set at The City Tap in downtown Pittsboro. The show runs approximately two hours. The City Tap 89 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro
Chatham County Yardbirds vs. Sanford Spinners
7 p.m.
The Chatham County Yardbirds, Siler City’s collegiate wood-bat baseball team in its inaugural Old North State League season, host the Sanford Spinners in a home game at the new Yardbirds Field. The team draws its roster from college players competing between semesters.
Yardbirds Field at Paul Braxton Park 111 S. 3rd Ave. Siler City
July 1
• Tevin Lamar Frazier, 32, was arrested for probation revocation.
July 2
• Christopher Allen MacMillan, 18, was arrested for robbery with a dangerous weapon, felony conspiracy and assault by pointing a gun.
• Teresa Kathryn Kirby, 33, was arrested for rst-degree burglary, felony aiding and abetting and breaking or entering a motor vehicle with theft, and other charges.
• Micah McCrae Morgan, 37, was arrested for driving while impaired, simple possession of a controlled substance and reckless driving with wanton disregard, and other charges.
July 3
• Cassey Elizabeth Carnes, 28,
was arrested for driving while impaired.
July 4
• Quinten Gregory Kight, 41, was arrested for seconddegree murder, serious injury by impaired boating and boating while impaired, and other charges.
• Diomendes Mora Gomez, 34, was arrested for driving while impaired, driving on a revoked license and driving left of center.
July 5
• Tabatha Denise Wall, 51, was arrested for assault and battery, nancial card theft and injury to personal property.
• Carlos Hernandez, 66, was arrested for assault on a female and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
Electric providing grants to local educators to fund innovative projects
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 more information or to apply!
Mad Crush at Bynum Front Porch
7 p.m.
Mad Crush, a North Carolina indie folk-rock duo built around songwriters John Elderkin and Joanna Sattin, performs at the historic Bynum Front Porch as part of the venue’s 25th annual Friday Night Music Series. The show is free with a hat passed for the musicians; a food truck will be on site.
Bynum Front Porch 950 Bynum Road Bynum
July 11
Jive Bombers at The City Tap
7:30 p.m.
The Jive Bombers play a live set at The City Tap in downtown Pittsboro. The performance runs approximately two hours.
The City Tap 89 Hillsboro St. Pittsboro
July 17
GrassStreet at Bynum Front Porch
7 p.m.
GrassStreet, a traditional bluegrass band rooted in the Flatt & Scruggs and Doc Watson traditions, performs a free concert at the Bynum Front Porch as part of the Friday Night Music Series. A food truck will be on site.
Bynum Front Porch 950 Bynum Road Bynum
Rescue mission launches to save NASA telescope that’s falling back to Earth
The commercial spacecraft will boost Swift 150 miles higher to resume its observations
By Marcia Dunn
The Associated Press
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —
A three-armed spacecraft rocketed into orbit Friday to rescue a NASA telescope that’s in danger of crashing back to Earth.
Northrop Grumman launched Katalyst Space Technologies’ Link spacecraft from the Marshall Islands in the Paci c. The Pegasus rocket blasted o from the belly of a modi ed airplane, putting Link on course to reach and capture NASA’s Swift Observatory in about a month.
Launched in 2004, Swift is sinking faster than ever because of recent solar storms. NASA is paying $30 million for Katalyst to capture the telescope and boost its orbit so it can continue tracking some of the biggest explosions in the universe, like gamma ray bursts and exploding stars. If all goes well, Swift could be back scanning the cosmos by September. Observations are currently on hold to preserve theç telescope’s orbit as long as possible.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope could be a candidate for a similar salvage operation in a few years. It’s also slipping in altitude because of increased atmospheric drag caused by the sun’s outbursts. The 1.6-ton (1.4-metric ton) Swift currently is circling 224 miles (360 kilometers) above Earth. Katalyst aims to raise the telescope’s altitude by 150 miles (240 kilometers), back to where it all began. Link’s thrusters will re to boost Swift slowly, so there’s no heavy jostling.
Katalyst threw the mission
BUSINESSES from page A1
0.5% more than the number who got away during last year’s July Fourth travel period, but the forecasted increase is almost all due to people taking cruises, buses and trains; AAA expects no change in the number driving or ying to their destinations.
A meaningful reduction in summer globetrotting might have an upside for businesses that depend on tourists, said Tarik Dogru, an associate professor at Florida State University’s Dedman College of Hospitality. Fewer U.S. residents heading abroad or ying across the country means more of their vacation budgets are staying local too, Dogru said.
“The current economic and tourism dynamics are likely to redirect spending toward small businesses, such as regional restaurants, local attractions, Airbnb hosts, and roadside businesses along drive routes that serve budget-conscious and close-to-home travel,” he said.
If the trend holds through the summer and the rest of the year, it could reduce a travel and tourism trade de cit the United States has run since the COVID-19 pandemic. Each year since 2020, Americans spent more on foreign travel than international visitors spent on travel-related goods and services in the U.S., according to the National Travel and Tourism O ce.
Morgan Kain, a teacher in Baltimore, said her family is among the ones keeping their travel bugs in check for nancial reasons. Kain, her husband and three children usually take multiple trips each summer, including a weeklong stay at a Virginia lake house. Last year, they spent six weeks traveling around Italy.
“This summer, we’re still doing a couple overnights and the lake house, but nothing else,” Kain said. “Things are crazy expensive, from travel costs to food costs to gas.”
Vacationers are taking trips within driving distance
Despite gasoline costing more than it did a year ago, 85% of Independence Day week travelers were expected to drive to their destinations, AAA said, noting that car trips still are cheaper than ights for the most part.
Around Lake Tahoe, which straddles California and Nevada, several businesses reported spotting more visitors driving in from cities along the West Coast.
Ron Williams, who owns Tahoe Sports, said he worried at the beginning of the season
that customers might not show up to rent boats and Jet Skis due to economic concerns. Like the gasoline that powers cars, the price of boat fuel went up during the Iran war.
But Williams so far is “pleasantly surprised with how well the business is doing across the board.” His future bookings are 10% higher compared to the same time last year, he said.
“I think people are probably sticking close to home, and being in Lake Tahoe, we have such a huge drive-up market,” Williams said.
Increased demand for the three Lake Tahoe area rental properties that Jerry Bindel manages for Pyramid Global Hospitality also came as a relief. Ski season bookings petered out along with the snow during an unusually warm winter, but “we just saw that ip” with the arrival of hiking and boating weather, he said.
Bindel, an area general director for the property management company, said he spotted a possible sign of Tahoe visitors watching their spending: more of them skipping restaurants and using the kitchens in their rental units or outdoor barbecue grills to prepare their own food.
“We’re seeing a lot of additional use on those items this summer,” he said.
Locals still want to have memorable summer experiences
In Asheville, North Carolina, small business owners have hoped tourism would rebound since Hurricane Helene and ooding from days of torrential rain caused widespread destruction to the city’s landscape, buildings and infrastructure in September 2024.
Aubrey Anderson, who owns a river tubing out tter in Asheville, reduced her summer sta from 100 people to 25 after Helene. After reservations picked up earlier this year and she noticed “a lot new people coming into town,” Anderson felt encouraged enough to hire 50 workers for Zen Tubing’s current season.
The unfamiliar faces include day-trippers driving in from South Carolina, Tennessee and other parts of North Carolina to spend several hours oating down the French Broad River for around $30 per person, Anderson said. After tubing, customers from around the region often grab a meal, stop at a brewery, shop or visit other local attractions before heading home, which is “a win for Asheville as a whole,” she said.
“We’re de nitely seeing a lot
together in just nine months. NASA insisted on a rush job because the telescope will be too low to recover by the fall. Without a boost, it’s predicted to plunge to its demise in October.
Bad weather and technical issues caused a series of last-minute launch delays.
“This is a high-risk, high-reward mission,” Katalyst Space CEO Ghonhee Lee said ahead of lifto . “The biggest danger was always we don’t launch anything and we let Swift burn up in the atmosphere. So we were always trying to avoid that risk, and our team has done that.”
of locals, so to speak,” Anderson said. “People are maybe skipping the long drive to the beach this year, and they’re kind of doing just something close by so that they can save a little money and still enjoy a family outing.”
Factory tours o ered by French Broad Chocolate have surged this summer, according to Jael Ske ngton, the Asheville chocolate maker’s CEO and co-founder. Tour-takers often stop in the on-site cafe for ice cream or co ee and buy a box of chocolate bars or bonbons before they leave, she said.
“So it’s good for business, but it also seems to be what people are looking for is something to do, not just something to eat — something to experience.” Skeington said.
Cities are getting a World Cup boost
Soccer enthusiasts have poured into Kansas City, Missouri, just like other North American cities hosting World Cup matches.
Made in KC, a chain of four cafes and 11 shops that sells locally made sauces, Kansas Citythemed gifts and T-shirts for fans of the city’s professional sports teams, has gotten “really noticeable spikes of tra c” at all its locations during the tournament, co-owner Keith Bradley said. World Cup-related merchandise, including $40 hats featuring the team colors of this year’s competitors, have been a big hit, he said.
American tourists from other Midwestern cities — Des Moines and Omaha both are within a three-hour drive from Kansas City — seem to outnumber U.S. visitors from farther away, Bradley noted.
“We have a couple locations that are in tourist parts of Kansas City. ... But then we also have little shops that are just in suburban neighborhoods in Kansas City, and those have also seen World Cup tra c of people going to watch parties, people coming in town to go to the games, and then tourists just exploring Kansas City on their own.”
Mollie Lothman, co-owner of McLain’s Bakery, a family-owned cafe with ve locations, said she thinks the cost of food and lodging in Kansas City compared to bigger or better known host cities has helped.
“We’re one of the smaller markets who got the World Cup in Kansas City, but we’re also probably one of least expensive markets, in terms of family budgeting, to try to come and experience the World Cup,” Lothman said. “So I think that’s been a huge draw for people.”
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.
July 14 – Gary McCollough – Interim
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.
REAVES CHAPEL AME ZION CHURCH
7888 Goldston-Glendon Road
Goldston, NC 27252
Rev. Joseph L. Marsh, Pastor
Reaves Chapel AME Zion Church will be having their annual Family & Friends Days Program on Sunday, July 12th @ 11:00 am. You are cordially invited to come out and celebrate with us on this special occasion. Dinner will be served in the Fellowship Hall immediately after service. The guest speaker for our Annual Family & Friends Day Program will be Rev. Anissa Thompson Little of Mitchell Chapel AME Zion Church.
SCHOOLS from page A1
Chatham County Schools.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as Superintendent of Chatham County Schools,” Batten said. “This district has been my professional home for many years, and I am proud of the work we have accomplished together. I look forward to continuing our e orts to ensure that every student has access to an excellent education and the support they need to thrive.”
Along with Batten, Chatham County Schools also announced a pair of leadership changes within its central ofce sta .
Michelle Burton was named Deputy Chief of Student Support & Innovative Programs, having previously served as the Executive Director of Secondary Education & Career and Technical Education.
In her new role, Burton will support e orts relating to student services, innovative programming and expanding student opportunities.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as Superintendent of Chatham County Schools.”
Superintendent Kelly Batten
In this role, Murray will lead the district’s academic services as well as provide support for school leadership.
“Chatham County Schools is fortunate to have experienced, thoughtful leaders who understand our schools, our students, and our community,” Batten said in a press release. “Mrs. Murray and Dr. Burton have demonstrated a deep commitment to student success, academic growth, and supporting the educators who make that work possible.”
Carla Murray was also named the new Deputy Chief of Academic Services & School Leadership, having previously been the district’s Executive Director of Elementary Instruction.
VICTORY FOR AMERICA!
Bible study: PHILIPPIANS 2:1-18 Church of Living Water; Pastor: James Mitchell.
To all my Black, Hispanic, Latino, and White brothers
SOPHIA ROBERTS / NASA VIA AP
Kieran Wilson and Hunter Robertson stand next to their spacecraft inside the Space Environment Simulator at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in April, ahead of thermal vacuum testing.
THE CONVERSATION
Trip Ho end, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor
The love of our fathers
My father told me that part of the maturation process of an adult is to recognize the faults of one’s parents.
LIKE MANY Americans, the celebration of 250 years of our country prompted re ection over the weekend. Our country is full of so-called “ordinary” people who do not make headlines yet live in honorable ways and practice extraordinary kindness on a daily basis, love in action.
And America, like any other nation, has faults.
History evinces our guilt, but so does an ancient record: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8). James Baldwin went further: “I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” The point is that love of country entails criticism, not unquali ed support.
The Ancient Greeks called Baldwin’s love for his country “storge,” which is often translated as “familial love.” In a broader sense, it is love for one’s country. The word “patriot” is derived from the Latin for “father,” likening one’s relationship as a citizen to the “fatherland” or state.
Thinking about this patriotic love of country, I remember that my father told me that part of the maturation process of an adult is to recognize the faults of one’s parents. Again, no one is perfect; we all sin, miss the mark and fall short of doing the right thing.
COLUMN | BOB WACHS
“But,” my dad continued, “you hope as a parent that your adult child pardons you.” Such forgiveness does not change the past or deny the wrongdoing, but it does seek to move forward. Once you know better, you do better.
My father’s wisdom took root with me as a young man, which is really to say that it gave me a perspective that continues to take hold of my thoughts and actions now that I am a parent.
I understand why Americans want to be proud of our country, but I do not understand why any American would seek to deny the sins of our past unless they wished to continue to perpetuate injustice, as the white supremacist, neo-fascist group called the Patriot Front did when they marched in our nation’s capital last weekend. Those cowards wore masks.
I think that younger generations can handle the stark truth and unmask all the sins of our past. The truth will set us free, but only if we confess it. It takes courage to love.
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.
Long-ago special day turned out pretty good
Any time two folks decide to marry, it’s a leap into the dark. And for things to turn out even halfway good, both have to work at it.
In the rush of the July 4th holiday, some family business to handle, and the host of other life events, I almost overlooked an important holiday that came earlier than that holiday this month.
Well, at least important to me since it has some pretty direct connection to my presence in today’s world.
I speak of my mama and daddy’s wedding anniversary — July 1, to be exact. It would be number 93 for them, if they were still here to enjoy, which they weren’t since the possibility of that ended in 1992 when my dad cashed in his chips. Mama lived on another 11 years or so and every year about the last week of June she’d start saying something about that red-letter day.
I thought I was young the day we tied the knot after letting Shirley chase me for awhile. I was 23 and that’s kind of young but I’m pretty sure I was very mature for my age. (I think I’ve slipped some since then but that’s another story.)
Anyway, that’s what Mama used to say about her own wedding day — to me or to anyone else who would listen — that she was very mature for her age. She was 15 that day in 1933 she and Daddy and their friends Frank and Mary Gattis, who would serve as witnesses, slipped away from their Bynum homes and eased down the road to Bennettsville, South Carolina to nd ol’ Marrying Sam, the local justice of the peace.
Apparently that was not out of the norm for that day and age, both the running away part and the Bennettsville location since through the years I’ve met other couples who went to the same town for the same reason. No doubt it had to do with the fact you could cross the border, where Bennettsville sat just on the edge, and do right away in South Carolina what couldn’t happen in the Tar Heel state.
From time to time, we’d talk about that day and those times. I’d ask her about her life growing up and how she and Daddy met and how she stood him up the rst time they went out because he was late getting to her house and how, according to her, he had a reputation as a “ladies’ man” and she wasn’t going to be another notch in his gun. Obviously they got all that worked out “but still,” I’d say, “you were 15?”
“I was mature for my age,” she’d reply. “You had to be. The
Depression made you.”
Looking back today with the bene t of 20/20 hindsight, I’m pretty sure she was right in her assessment. Circumstances and details do play a big part in how we turn out. As the middle child of a dozen youngsters, she went through the seventh grade before not going back, instead turning her attention toward caring for the younger little ones and cooking and keeping house for her parents and older siblings, several of whom were working at the local mill, glad to have any kind of job during the 1930’s.
Obviously things are di erent today. For one thing, now you’d get into a bit of legal di culty transporting 15year olds across state lines if they weren’t your daughter or granddaughter. And, no slam intended, I’m pretty sure a good number of today’s 15-year olds would nd it hard to put down their electronic gadgets or cell phones to stir a big pot of pintos simmering over an open re or to tend a load of biscuits in the wood-burning stove without the bene t of air conditioners.
Now, as I have more birthdays and move farther and farther away from my own 15-year old life and memories and the subsequent time with my folks, at least two things keep happening with more frequency — I miss them more and I appreciate them more.
Any time two folks decide to marry, it’s a leap into the dark. And for things to turn out even halfway good, both have to work at it. But it’s good work and the results can be, too.
Through the almost 60 years they did have, my folks had opportunities to work on their lives together. I’d like to think they’d be pretty satis ed with how things turned out and with what they produced. At least they gave me a shot at trying out life.
And, by the way, Daddy was 21 on that fateful day. Mama never did say if he was mature or not but if he weren’t he probably was by the time she got through with him.
Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.
Is it my gene pool?
Sighting a roach usually raises my BP 10 to 15 points, and yuck, they certainly would not be competitors for “beloved pet of the year.”
THERE SHE GOES AGAIN. Me, that is. Not wishing to kill some very small, multi-legged, critter who has decided to share the house with me. In this case, in the bathroom. I continue to wonder, even after all these years, if I’m a native of the “she hates killing buggy critters” gene pool?
It’s a challenge, carting around my considerable self judgment, when a person in front of me at a store yells “Roach” and stomps on it. Basic painful admission: I feel sorry for the roach, not for the surrounding folks who are incredibly relieved at this particular outcome. Can I blame them? Absolutely not. Sighting a roach usually raises my BP 10 to 15 points, and yuck, they certainly would not be competitors for “beloved pet of the year.“ Still, it was alive… Over the years, I’ve created interventional tools to catch, and ferry roaches, and other buggies, outside. Mostly e ective. Unless it’s late at night when my soft heartedness gets overwhelmed by exhaustion, and out comes the vacuum cleaner. You can guess the rest.
Human…
Now, about that decent sized, intransigent spider, hanging out in the bathroom. With good faith, my generally, e ective “tried and true” implements for bug ferrying, have been employed, and failed. The spider has lodged itself into a 90-degree corner, making my careful interventions impossible.
COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI
What now? Still unwilling to bring my size 9 heel down on the spider, so I’m talking to it. Well, not out loud, but in my head, continuing to share that it’s safe from this human’s “OMG, it’s a spider” lethal reactions. At the moment, ‘tis a cli hanger. I admit to wishful thinking that I’ll wake up some morning and nd, positioned in the corner, its little body. Cop-out? I don’t know. Mostly, a re ection of my embarrassment, even after having been inextricably led down this buggy rescue path for so many years.
And then, like a long unanswered prayer, Kermit the Frog (and his muppet buddies) begin to sing “It’s not easy being green” in my head:
“When green is all there is to be It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why?
I am green and it’ll do ne,
And I think it’s what I want to be.”
Kermit knows best, does he not? (I mean, he was a hugely successful froggy on TV, and in movies, for many years. He’s gotta know something.) No, it’s not easy being green, di erent, or even a buggy savior, but “I am who I am and it will do ne.”
Onward…
Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.
The United States has always been at war
Centuries before the modern state of Israel existed or any American military interventions in the Middle East, Je erson was confronted with Islamic supremacy.
ONE OF THE MOST popular complaints of the younger Americans is that the United States has been bogged down in endless war and interventionism virtually their entire lifetimes.
Welcome to history. As much as we may not like it, the United States has engaged in con ict and meddling more or less since its inception. The U.S. was born in war. It expanded through war. It freed its slaves through war. It grew into a superpower through war. And until utopia exists, it’s exceedingly likely we will need to clash with those who threaten our prestige and power.
Indeed, you can look at the parallels between today’s war against the Iranian terrorist regime and our very rst foreign con ict to understand why.
From the founding, the Islamic states in Algiers, Tripoli and Tunis in North Africa were capturing American ships, demanding tolls and taking hostages. Without the protection of the British Royal Navy, President George Washington felt compelled to pay o the emirs. President John Adams was even more susceptible to blackmail, appeasing the Islamic rulers with ships, weaponry, ammunition and annual sums — let’s call them “pallets” — of gold and silver.
The Barbary States took the bounty, strung the U.S. along in negotiations, ultimately ignored the treaties they did sign and continued to take captives, murder Americans and disrupt trade.
After winning the White House in 1801, Thomas Je erson halted the payo s. His justi cations for ghting the Barbary “pirates” — a historical mischaracterization that understates the importance of the Islamic sultans who had been raiding coastal towns and ships in the Mediterranean and Atlantic for two centuries, grabbing over a million European slaves — were more than just narrow trading interests.
When serving as ambassador in Britain in 1785, Je erson had met with Tripoli’s representative Abdul Rahman Adja and asked him why the Barbary States were targeting Americans who had shown them no hostility. Je erson, in a letter co-written by Adams, described Adja’s response in a letter to John Jay.
“The Ambassador answered us that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Mussulman (Muslim) who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise,” Je erson wrote. Sounds familiar. Centuries before the modern state of Israel existed or any
IN TOUCH
BE
The fall of Vicksburg
WHEN I WAS 19, I knew a much older man who’d grown up in 1930s Alabama.
“We didn’t celebrate the Fourth of July,” he told me. “For us, it was the day Vicksburg fell.”
Vicksburg, Mississippi, fell to Union troops on July 4, 1863. The Confederates surrendered, as was their habit. Long memories still mourn the Lost Cause of Black backs whipped bloody.
So how am I, a resident of Rhode Island, supposed to celebrate the Fourth of July this year?
When I was maybe 8 years old, reworks were illegal in Massachusetts, but my father, a bartender who invariably “knew a guy,” brought home a box of sparklers for me.
That’s all the celebrating and decorating we’ll do because America is too sad this year, and the future is too frightening.
The sparkler is the lowest form of rework. It doesn’t blow up, it doesn’t make a loud noise and it doesn’t go up in the air. It’s a long wire, the top half of which is coated with some sort of chemical mix that throws o showers of silver sparks when it’s lit. You hold the sparkler by the uncoated bottom half. Those kids who hold the sparkler by the burning top half don’t do it for long.
I would use the sparklers on the top step of the three steps that went down from the kitchen door of our rented house in Taunton, Massachusetts, under the supervision of my father.
I remember the metallic brightness of the sparks against the dark sky, and my father’s deep voice.
American military interventions in the Middle East, Je erson was confronted with Islamic supremacy. Paying tributes to these “barbarians,” Je erson later argued, not only rewarded aggression and subverted America’s standing but was in direct con ict with the ideals of the new nation.
When Je erson congratulated the Marines on their victory against the Algerians, it wasn’t merely for valiantly ghting the enemy but defeating those who “trample on the sacred faith of treaties, on the rights and laws of human nature.”
President James Madison also sent another naval force to Algiers in 1815 to subdue the Islamic corsairs.
Yet, in the imagination of contemporary isolationists, early American foreign entanglements were only taken on for immediate national interests, stripped of any idealism. This simply isn’t so.
And every subsequent generation saw war, as well. Initially, these were con icts of Western expansion. Soon we were involved in con icts around the world.
The Left and isolationist Right are perturbed by our interference with Venezuelan and Cuban sovereignty. But American history is littered with instances of us meddling in places including Haiti, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Panama, El Salvador and Cuba, again, to name a few.
“Gunboat diplomacy” was not predominantly deployed to uphold the Monroe Doctrine and eject European powers from the Western Hemisphere, but rather to intimidate and quash domestic movements that threatened American in uence.
By 1852, President Millard Fillmore famously dispatched Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan to end that nation’s isolationist policies and open trade by force, if needed. President Ulysses Grant sent another military expedition to Korea in 1871 to do the same. President Grover Cleveland sent the Navy to Samoa to protect American commercial interests from the Germans and British.
None of those nations threatened American sovereignty.
Some of these con icts were more moral than others. Some back red. Some were unnecessary tragedies. Some made the world safer. The U.S. has kept Europe free of allencompassing war since 1945. Neither war nor intervention should ever be taken on lightly. The notion, however, that Americans are living through some uniquely bellicose or interventionist era is debunked by even a cursory reading of history.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 creators.com)
“Be careful,” he’d say. “Don’t hold it too close to you.”
I’ve always held things too close, and that’s true of both my memories and America.
I don’t hate America. I love America. What I hate is our gradual weakening, our string of lost or inconclusive wars, our blustering, Jesuspimping leadership. We crow endlessly about this being “the greatest country in the world,” but the highway bridges are rotting, we don’t have enough technical skill to reline a pool and we’re pushing hard to regain the use of every vile term we’ve ever used to describe nonwhites and women.
“If you don’t like it here, why don’t you move to Iran?” I’m asked.
I can’t. I can’t go anywhere else. My ethnic heritage is so jumbled that I can only call this country my own because America is where they made a new people from French and Irish and Scottish and English, which is what I am “by blood” if you think blood sings in di erent languages.
Maybe 2 miles from our house, my uncle Kendall’s name is engraved on the town honor roll. He served in World War II and the Korean War. The honor roll is granite, and it’s dead. Kendall is dead. When he came back from his wars, he pumped gas for the rest of his working life.
I’ve touched his name where it’s cut into the stone.
It’s not as though there are no Fourth of July celebrations taking place near me, either. The worse the country gets, the bigger and tackier the patriotic celebrations get. If we ght a draw with Iran, next Fourth of July, there will be a pro wrestling show at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The ags keep getting bigger, too. In my neighborhood, there are people ying ags bigger than the one they y outside the post o ce.
Rhode Island opted out of the Great American State Fair, as did most of the American population. Not even a speech from our rapidly failing president could save that disaster.
My wife Deborah was in charge of our yard decorations for the Fourth of July. She put out a owered ag with a peace sign in the middle. It’s a small ag, close to the ground, and it utters from a small iron stake driven into the lawn. It probably stands 2 feet high, and on either side, there are small American ags on skinny sticks.
It’s a modest display, is what it is, a little splash of peace and patriotism next to the rhododendron bush.
I’m already starting to feel protective of the little display. I don’t want it to feel bullied by the big ags that have their own tall poles.
That’s all the celebrating and decorating we’ll do because America is too sad this year, and the future is too frightening.
Dion’s latest book, a collection of his best columns, is called “Mean Old Liberal.” (Copyright 2026 creators.com)
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obituaries
Betty Sizemore King
June 3, 1931 – July 2, 2026
Betty Sizemore King, a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 2, 2026. Her hospitality, dry wit, and deep love for family and friends will be missed by all whose lives she touched. Born June 3, 1931, in Bear Creek, NC, Betty was the rst daughter of Florence Brewer and Walter Floyd Sizemore. She learned cooking and household management from her Grandmother Sizemore at a young age and took a special interest in her younger siblings—10 and 17 years her junior.
Betty graduated from Bonlee High School in 1949. Her yearbook quote beautifully foreshadowed the life of devotion she would lead: “Life will not be useless if lived for service to God and man.” Those words proved profoundly true. She began her lifelong service to God by being born into the Tysons Creek church family, where she served as the church pianist while still in her teens. A decade later, her life of service expanded to include a deep devotion to a very special man: Charles Conaway King. The matchmaking e orts of her cousin’s husband sparked a whirlwind romance that culminated in their marriage on November 22, 1959, at the same church where she had once played the piano. From that day forward, she was his constant companion in all things concerning God and Man. The newlyweds worked and saved to build their ranchstyle home on Greenhill Drive. When their daughter, Dorlisa Dawn, was born, Betty chose to leave her work as a beautician to focus entirely on her family as a homemaker. She loved spending time outdoors tending her butter y bushes, cultivating a vegetable garden, hanging laundry to dry in the sunshine, and even helping Charles mow the lawn. Inside, she famously served three home-cooked meals each day. Anyone at her table was treated to a full spread of meat, two vegetables, fresh bread, a homemade dessert, and sweet iced tea. As a mother, Betty was fully present in Dorlisa’s world: volunteering as a class mom, fostering a love of music and piano, and serving as the ultimate shopping buddy for school holiday trips to Greensboro’s malls. Charles remained the center of Betty’s
universe throughout their nearly 64-year marriage. She supported his career as a professor and corporate executive and later walked alongside him in his avocation as a cattleman, checking cows and mending fences. As his health declined, her erce devotion as a caregiver took over. Her intense focus on his needs masked her own Alzheimer’s diagnosis until her early 90s. This caregiving journey peaked with their move to Lake Wylie Assisted Living. When Charles passed away in October 2023, the grief nearly overwhelmed Betty, and she spent much of the rst year waking each day to relive the fresh pain of his loss. Eventually, her mind drifted back to the simpler years of her youth, and she found a gentle, lasting peace. Her resilient spirit returned, and she endeared herself to her caregivers, who adored her radiant smile and trademark dry wit—which she often shared with a sharp comment just when they thought she was fast asleep. Betty recently celebrated her milestone 95th birthday at Lake Wylie—and again at The Brownstone at Park Crossing in Charlotte. The transition to this residential home, which accommodates six residents, provided her with the additional care and support she needed to enjoy her nal weeks in comfort and peace, thanks to an incredibly dedicated sta . Left to cherish Betty’s life are her daughter, Dorlisa Flur; her son-in-law, Peter; and her granddaughter, Arella. She is survived by her sister, Nancy Williamson, and her husband; her sister-in-law, Belinda Sizemore; four Sizemore nieces and nephews and their families; three sisters-in-law— Anne Clark, Doris King, and Ann King; and nine King nieces and nephews and their families.
In addition to her husband and parents, Betty was preceded in death by her two brothers, James Everette Sizemore and Ronny Floyd Sizemore.
On behalf of her mother, Dorlisa extends special thanks to the sta at The Brownstone at Park Crossing and VIA Health Partners for their loving care during her mother’s nal weeks. She also thanks the sta at Lake Wylie Assisted Living and the caregivers from Agape Care and Visiting Angels for serving as her mother’s SC family over the past four years.
A service to celebrate Betty’s life will be held at Tysons Creek Baptist Church in Bear Creek, NC, on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., led by Reverend Bob Wachs.
A reception will follow in the Family Life Center.
Smith & Buckner Funeral Home of Siler City, NC, is serving the family and provided Betty with her angel wings home from Charlotte—so she could rejoin Charles. Memorials may be made to Tysons Creek Baptist Church, located at 10891 Siler CityGlendon Road, Bear Creek, NC 27207.
Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Chatham News & Record at obits@chathamnewsrecord.com
Virgil Lee Hunt
May 19, 1945 – July 4, 2026
Virgil Lee Hunt Jr., 81, of Siler City, North Carolina, peacefully entered eternal rest on July 4, 2026.
Born on May 19, 1945, in Randleman, North Carolina, Virgil was the beloved son of the late Virgil Lee Hunt Sr. and Mary Everhart-Hunt. He was also preceded in death by his sisters, Elizabeth and Claire.
Virgil graduated from UNC Charlotte and enjoyed a distinguished career as an Electrical Engineer for many years. After his engineering career, he continued his life’s work of serving others by supporting the individuals and dedicated sta of Chatham County Group Homes. Whether through his profession or his personal life, Virgil believed
in helping people, o ering encouragement, and making a meaningful di erence wherever he was needed. For the past 27 years, Virgil shared a loving and devoted marriage with his wife, Martha Moore-Hunt. Together they built a life grounded in faith, love, compassion, and family. Anyone who knew Virgil knew a man of quiet strength, unwavering kindness, and genuine compassion. He found joy in life’s simple pleasures. He loved spending time on the golf course, reading a good book, and serving others as a hospice volunteer. His generous heart, gentle spirit, and willingness to help those in need touched the lives of many.
Faith was the cornerstone of Virgil’s life. He was a proud and faithful member of Corinth AME Zion Church, where he worshipped faithfully, sang in the Men’s Choir, and served as Superintendent of Sunday School for several years. His dedication to his church re ected the same compassion, humility, and servant’s heart that de ned the way he lived each day.
Above all, Virgil cherished his family. He was a devoted husband, father, stepfather, grandfather, and friend whose love, wisdom, and steady presence will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
He leaves to cherish his memory his beloved wife of 27 years, Martha Moore Hunt; his sons, Todd Hunt (Christina) and Barry Hunt (Jennifer); his stepchildren, Maria JordanMason (Antonio) and Jaie Jordan; his grandchildren, Garrett Hunt and Elliott Hunt; his cherished step-granddaughter, Jordan Jeppé; and a host of extended family members, church family, dear friends, and all whose lives were touched by his kindness and compassion.
A funeral service celebrating Virgil’s life will be held on Wednesday, July 8th, 2026 at Corinth AME Zion Church in Siler City, where he faithfully served and worshipped for many years. The Public Viewing will begin at 1pm and the funeral service will begin at 2pm, with burial to follow at Chatham Memorial Park.
The Hunt family extends its heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has o ered prayers, love, and support during this di cult time. Although Virgil’s physical presence will be deeply missed, his legacy of faith, service, compassion, and unconditional love will continue to live on in the hearts of all who were blessed to know him.
Smith & Buckner Funeral Home is serving the Hunt family.
Online Condolences may be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com
David Clayton-Thomas, powerhouse lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, dies at 84
The former street ghter and petty thief became a Grammy-winning rock superstar
By Hillel Italie The Associated Press
NEW YORK — David Clayton-Thomas, the lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, whose husky, high-strung tenor on “Spinning Wheel,” “And When I Die” and other hits helped make the so-called “brass rock” band among the most popular acts of the late 1960s, has died at age 84.
Spokesperson Eric Alper said that Clayton-Thomas died “peacefully” Wednesday at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Alper did not cite a speci c cause.
Clayton-Thomas was a onetime street ghter and petty thief from Canada who briefly became a rock superstar, the front man of a nine-member group that sold millions of records and won two Grammys for “Blood, Sweat & Tears,” which beat out the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” for best album of 1969. Calling out amid a jazzy parade of horns, keyboards and percussion, Clayton-Thomas’ urgent shout was a signature voice of the era, preaching love on the Motown cover “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” a lasting legacy on Laura Nyro’s “And When I Die” and a cool head on his own “Spinning Wheel.” Meanwhile, Blood, Sweat & Tears helped inspire a wave of horn-led bands, among them Chicago, the Electric Flag and Ten Wheel Drive.
“A lot of the guys (in Blood, Sweat & Tears) would play a Broadway show matinee, then go up to Harlem and play Latin music or R&B and funk at night, or come down to the Village and play pure jazz the next night,” Clayton-Thomas told bestclassicbands.com in 2023. “I was just a blues player: give me three chords and I’ve got a song.”
At its peak, Blood, Sweat & Tears’ appeal was so broad it helped lead to the band’s downfall.
Hip enough to perform at the 1969 Woodstock festival, where they were among the highest paid acts, they also were known enough to the establishment to tour Eastern Europe the following year on behalf of the State Department. When Clay-
“I was just a blues player: give me three chords and I’ve got a song.”
David Clayton-Thomas
ton-Thomas and other band members denounced the Communist regimes on the other side of the Cold War, Rolling Stone’s David Felton wrote that “the State Department got its money worth.” Yippies would turn up at a 1970 Blood, Sweat & Tears show at Madison Square Garden, carrying obscene banners outside and dumping manure by the front gate.
The band had practical reasons for going along with the government: Clayton-Thomas, who had allegedly wielded a gun at his girlfriend, had been denied a green card and faced deportation. But after topping the charts in 1970 with the album “Blood, Sweat & Tears 3,” their appeal soon faded. A burned out Clayton-Thomas left the group in 1972, and neither he nor the remaining musicians ever regained their old stature. Blood, Sweat & Tears would continue recording over the next few years, and even brie y reunited with Clayton-Thomas, who went on to release more than a dozen solo albums and tour on his own for decades.
Clayton-Thomas was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996. “Spinning Wheel,” covered by everyone from James Brown to TV star Barbara Eden, was voted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame a decade later.
Clayton-Thomas is survived by his daughters, Ashleigh Clayton-Thomas and Christine Graham.
Up from the streets
Born David Henry Thomsett in Surrey, England, and raised near Toronto and Ottawa, he was the son of a Canadian World War II veteran and of a pianist-entertainer who helped inspire her son’s interest in music. Thomsett was lucky to have the chance. He fought violently with his father, was living in the streets by his mid-teens and by age 20 was serving time in a reformatory for vagrancy, assault and other crimes.
An old guitar, left behind by
a fellow inmate, changed his life. He taught himself to play and began spending extensive time in the early 1960s around Toronto’s Yonge Street music “strip,” where peers included the American rockabilly star Ronnie Hawkins, a mentor to Robbie Robertson and other future members of the Band and a guide for Thomsett early in his career.
Anxious to reinvent himself, he changed his last name to Clayton-Thomas while leading his own groups. In the mid60s, he released such albums as “Sings Like It Is” and had a hit single with the anti-war rocker “Brainwashed.” He would also befriend a rising star, Joni Mitchell, whose childlike “Circle Game” helped inspire “Spinning Wheel,” and the venerable John Lee Hooker, who would indirectly contribute to Clayton-Thomas’ breakthrough in the U.S.
America beckons
Hooker had encouraged Clayton-Thomas to move to New York, where the American bluesman had an engagement at the Cafe Au Go Go in Greenwich Village. When Hooker unexpectedly departed for a tour of Europe, club owner Howard Solomon needed a replacement and recruited Clayton-Thomas.
“So I played him a couple songs on the guitar,” Clayton-Thomas told bestclassicbands.com. “He said, ‘Do you have a band?’ I said, ‘Sure,’ and went out into Greenwich Village looking for anybody carrying a guitar case or even looking like a musician, and we put together a little band and we opened there that night. We ended up staying there for several months.” Around the same time, session man-producer Al Kooper was looking to form a jazz-rock group and was joined by such musicians as guitarist Steve Katz, drummer Bobby Colomby and horn players Randy Brecker and Jerry Weiss. They called themselves Blood, Sweat & Tears, releasing the debut album “Child Is Father to the Man” early in 1968. Although praised by Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner as “a ne, exemplary group,” members were torn between those allied with Kooper and those who thought his vocals too weak to attract a substantial audience.
Sen. Dan Sullivan has buoyed her party.
Peltola, one of a handful of Democrats who’ve won in Republican dominated states, was the rst Alaska Native to serve in Congress, winning special and regular elections in 2022 for the state’s only House seat.
At center stage for the state’s Aug. 18 primary is drama involving a man running with the same name and party a liation as Sullivan. The state supreme court has said the challenger is quali ed to be on the ballot.
Peltola’s campaign and state Democrats have denied Sullivan’s allegation that they’re working with the challenger to cause confusion..
MAINE: Platner catapulted to the Democratic nomination despite earlier controversies. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer initially backed sitting Gov. Janet Mills but reluctantly aligned behind Platner -- until Monday’s latest bombshell accusation.
Now, Schumer and many Democrats are pushing for Platner to withdraw. If he does that by July 13, Maine Democrats can put a replacement on the ballot. If not, Platner could have to face Collins with little to no national party support.
If Platner drops out, his replacement could meet a similar challenge to what presidential candidate Kamala Harris faced in 2024, when she had a late start to appeal to a general election audience without having won the nomination in a competitive primary.
Meanwhile, Collins has won elections for 30 years despite no
Republican presidential nominee, including President Donald Trump, winning Maine since 1988.
NORTH CAROLINA: Democrats landed one of their prize recruits with former Gov. Roy Cooper, who has never lost a statewide election through four terms as attorney general and two terms as governor. Republicans answered with Trump’s handpicked candidate, Michael Whatley, who’d previously served as state GOP chairman and as the Republican National Committee chairman.
Whatley was viewed as a prodigious fundraiser and ideal Trump surrogate in a state the president carried three times, and he has history on his side -- Democrats have won just two U.S. Senate races and one presidential contest in North Carolina in the last three decades.
Yet Cooper won governors races in two of Trump’s three presidential cycles and is leveraging his centrist image at a time when independents have soured on Trump. That leaves Whatley with the di cult tasks of satisfying Trump’s core supporters without alienating other voters; introducing himself to voters who don’t know him; and convincing enough North Carolina voters that they’ve been wrong about Cooper for decades.
OHIO: Democrats are counting on former Sen. Sherrod Brown to unseat Republican incumbent Jon Husted in what’s shaping up to be another expensive contest in the state — its third in four years.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC, has pledged $79 million to defend
Husted’s seat. Brown served three terms in the Senate before losing a tough reelection contest in 2024. Ohio has steadily trended Republican. But Brown won previously as an advocate of unions and the working class, and Democrats believe he can attract some of the voters who’ve helped Trump win the state three times.
Husted, a former lieutenant governor, was appointed to ll the vacancy created when JD Vance became vice president.
Underdogs could o er surprises
IOWA: The state, which Trump won three times gives Democrats an opportunity to ip a Senate seat with two-term Republican Sen. Joni Ernst’s retirement.
Democratic Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek faces Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who has been endorsed by Trump.
Turek is a relative newcomer to elected o ce and has pointed to his experience winning in a red, Trump-won state House district as proof he could appeal to independent and moderate Republican voters in November.
Hinson is a three-term House incumbent representing northeastern Iowa, and claims Trump needs a ghter who would “always have his back.”
TEXAS: State Rep. James Talarico, a 37-year-old seminarian, has become a national fundraising phenomenon.
Talarico faces the scandal-ridden Republican nominee Ken Paxton. The Texas attorney general has weathered an impeachment attempt by his own
party, a yearslong corruption investigation and public airing of his martial di culties. Through all that, Paxton has won multiple reelections. Democrats were buoyed by their primary turnout of about 2.3 million eclipsing Republicans’ 2.2 million, something that hasn’t happened since the state ipped to Republicans in the 1990s. But the challenge for Talarico is turning that momentum into a racially, ethnically and geographically diverse coalition in November.
The seats Democrats have to hold
GEORGIA: Sen. Jon Osso is the only Democratic senator running for reelection this year in a state Trump won in 2024. He had no primary opposition, and he’s been a fundraising force with more than $30 million cash-on-hand as he entered the general election campaign. Ossof has attracted national attention with his unapologetic broadsides against Trump. Republican Rep. Mike Collins is playing catchup after winning a bruising GOP primary runo . He must navigate skeptical Republicans who believe he’s too conservative or controversial for this battleground state. Collins repeats Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, and he’s also facing a House ethics inquiry over allegations that he misused taxpayer money to pay the girlfriend of a former top aide.
Collins’ strongest line of attack against Osso comes on immigration. Collins sponsored the Laken Riley Act, named for a Georgia nursing student killed
by a Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally. The law, among other provisions, requires immigrants accused of certain crimes to be held without bond. Osso voted against the measure before reversing his vote after Trump returned to the White House.
MICHIGAN: Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ retirement opens up a seat the party must hold in a key presidential battleground that Trump won twice and former President Joe Biden carried in 2020.
The Aug. 4 Democratic primary is a contest between moderate Haley Stevens and progressive Abdul El-Sayed. It was a three-way contest until Mallory McMorrow, who had backing from some progressive Democratic senators, suspended her campaign.
Stevens and El-Sayed have split support among Democratic senators. Stevens has the support of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, while El-Sayed has support from Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives.
Stevens has also bene ted from heavy outside spending, including nearly $8 million from a super PAC a liated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, has run on issues like Medicare for All and halting all U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. He has campaigned with popular-yet-controversial streamer Hasan Piker, who has millions of followers online and has said things such as that “America deserved 9/11.”
The winner is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers, who lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, in 2024.
Penelope Keith, star of classic British sitcom ‘The Good Life,’ dies at 86
Her velvet voice and imperious wit made her beloved across British television
The Associated Press
LONDON — Penelope Keith, a comic performer who shone as inty but loveable upper-crust characters in British sitcoms “The Good Life” and “To the Manor Born,” has died aged 86.
Keith’s family said Monday that she had been diagnosed with cancer and died at her home in Surrey, near London.
Keith began her acting career onstage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963. But she found her greatest fame on television.
She won a BAFTA award in 1977 for “The Good Life,” playing Margo Leadbetter, a snobbish suburbanite appalled by her back-to-the-land neighbors Tom and Barbara Good, played by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal.
Kendal called Keith a “comic genius.”
“She was a joy to know and work with, and she will be much missed,” Kendal said.
Keith displayed a similar mix of imperiousness and deadpan wit in “To the Manor Born,” broadcast between 1979 and 1981 and brought back for a 2007 Christmas special. Keith played cashstrapped aristocratic widow Audrey orbes-Hamilton,
forced to sell her country estate to a nouveau millionaire, played by Peter Bowles, with whom she has a love-hate relationship.
Keith’s velvet tones featured on children’s show “Teletubbies” and in ads for everything from Pimm’s to Parker Pens. She also presented cozy documentary TV series, including “Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages.”
Keith continued to perform in stage roles into her 80s. Theaters in London’s West End will dim their lights on Wednesday evening in tribute to her. In 2014 she was made a dame, the female equivalent of a knight, for services to the arts and to charity.
She is survived by her husband, Rodney Timson, and their two adopted sons.
Send your birth, death, marriage, graduation and other announcements to community@ chathamnewsrecord.com
ANDREW MATTHEWS / PA VIA AP
Dame Penelope Keith after she was made a Dame Commander at Windsor Castle, England in 2014.
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TAKE NOTICE NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND FORECLOSURE SALE
WHEREAS, on June 5, 2015, a certain Deed of Trust was executed by Walter Breyer and Judith K. Breyer as grantor in favor of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as mortgagee, as nominee for One Reverse Mortgage, LLC, its successors and assigns as bene ciary and Michael Lyon as trustee, and was recorded on June 9, 2015 in Book 01801 at Page 0227 in the O ce of the Register of Deeds, Chatham County, North Carolina; and WHEREAS, the Deed of Trust was insured by the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (the Secretary) pursuant to the National Housing Act for the purpose of providing single family housing; and WHEREAS, the bene cial interest in the Deed of Trust is now owned by the Secretary, pursuant to an assignment dated October 26, 2023 and recorded on November 17, 2023 in Book 2389 at Page 1075, in the o ce of the Register of Deeds, Chatham County, North Carolina; and WHEREAS, the Secretary is the present holder of the Note secured by the above-referenced Deed of Trust; and WHEREAS, Grantor has died and the Property described below is not the principal residence of at least one surviving borrower; and WHEREAS, the default upon which this foreclosure and the acceleration of the secured indebtedness is based, is as follows: That under Paragraph 6(A)(i) of the above-referenced Note and Paragraph 10(A)(i) of the above-referenced Deed of Trust, upon death of the Borrower/Grantor, should the Property not remain the principal residence of at least one surviving Borrower, the Secretary has the right to demand, and the Secretary has demanded, the immediate payment in full of all outstanding principal and accrued but unpaid interest; and WHEREAS, a default has occurred under the terms and conditions of the above Note and Deed of Trust, in that a demand has been made for the immediate payment in full of all outstanding principal and accrued interest, which remains unpaid; and WHEREAS, the entire amount delinquent as of June 11, 2026 is $475,098.63; and WHEREAS, by virtue of this default, the secretary has declared the entire amount of the indebtedness secured by the Deed of Trust to be immediately due and payable; NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to powers vested in me by the Single Family Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1994, 12 U.S.C 3751 et seq., by 24 CFR part 27, subpart B, and by the Secretary’s designation of me as Foreclosure Commissioner, recorded on May 15, 2026, in Book 2526 at Page 633 of the Chatham County Register of Deeds, notice is hereby given that on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 11:00 A.M. local time, all real and personal property at or used in connection with the following described premises (“Property”) will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder: BEING ALL of Lot 697, Phase Two, Section II, Final Plat, FEARRINGTON WOODS, as shown in Plat Slide 90- 214, Chatham County Registry, to which slide reference is hereby made for a more particular description. *** Commonly known as:697 Spindlewood, Pittsboro, NC 27312 The sale will be held at the place where foreclosure sales are customarily held at the Chatham County Courthouse located in Pittsboro, North Carolina. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will bid $482,994.08.
Piecing together clues from photos after forgetting rst cruise stop
CSI
By Erika Ho man For Chatham News & Record
I’M LIKE A CSI detective from that old TV program I enjoyed decades ago, except there’s no corpse, no forensic science and no police involved. Only photos! I’ve loads of pictures on my cellphone with dates and regions named. Trouble is I didn’t jot down on paper the exact place I was, nor was I smart enough to photograph signs. So, where was I?
On May 7, 2026, we spent the morning on a wine tour. Where? That’s the million-dollar question. I saw one photo I took that morning of our tour bus about to leave Macon, France. We were driving to the white wine region called Maconnais. I snapped a photo of one sign en route: “Solutre-Pouilly,” with an arrow pointing to a spot reading, “Vous êtes ici.” Therefore, I know the direction we headed on the highway. My next photos were of grapevines and then more grapevines and then hills — with grapevines.
Next, I had photos inside a building of murals depicting the history of wine, starting with drawings of Egyptians and pyramids and grapes. I saw one photo of a cellar with oak casks. Another photo showed tabletops and corners of chairs. I had a short video where I accidentally recorded accordion music.
I began my investigation to decipher the exact location. The
place must have a name. I consulted Detective Google. Atop several photos on my mobile phone were the words “Romaneche-Thorins.” I typed that into Google and was taken to a few pages advertising wine tours and urging me to accept all cookies. Some were tours to a Chateau de Moulin. Nah, I ruled that destination out because I’m sure I’d recall seeing a windmill had I actually seen one that day. I’m not blind, yet. In these pages, I read a lot about “terroir,” which is the philosophy of winegrowing. I read about chardonnay, Gamay, Beaujolais, and how alkaline clay best suits the grapes used to make chardonnay, the white wine Maconnais is known for.
I noticed pages about a theme park with vineyards as the theme. This amusement had carousels and rides for kids. An outdoor patio of a restaurant featuring massive outdoor umbrellas and many potted plants looked — familiar. BINGO! I remembered spotting a snapshot of mine that had a white umbrella. This children’s adventure park had a specialty restaurant with murals of vineyards tracing 2,000 years of wine history. A partial cellphone shot I’d taken of a mural was similar to one I’d seen on my computer. I then noticed a red leather chair in my accidentally recorded video. VOILA! Now, I was certain I’d discovered where we were that morning of May 7, on our rst Amadeus cruise bus foray through Provence. The place is named Hameau Duboeuf. Case solved! I gured out the mys-
tery! I knew exactly where I’d been! Hallelujah!
Ergo, here’s my takeaway message, fellow travelers: Always scribble down, at the time, where you are, even if it means using a Sharpie on your fore-
arm. But what if folks think you’re an old hippie with a tattoo? Isn’t that better than their thinking you’re an old geezer with forgetfulness — because you can’t name the very rst place visited on your sev-
“Erika, always write the date and people’s names on the back of your snapshots. You think you’ll remember forever. Trust me; you won’t.”
Dr. Byron J. Ho man Sr.
en-day cruise, taken only a few weeks ago? The real kicker is I didn’t even taste any wine the morning in question! Luckily, CSI skills gleaned by watching countless hours of “Crime Scene Investigation” kicked in. Those minutes in front of the tube weren’t wasted, after all.
Another piece of advice I recall decades later is something My late father-in-law, Dr. Byron J. Ho man Sr. of Atlanta, said: “Erika, always write the date and people’s names on the back of your snapshots. You think you’ll remember forever. Trust me; you won’t.”
skills solve wine country mystery
PHOTOS BY ERIKA HOFFMAN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
wall at Le Hameau Duboeuf, a winery and theme
Vineyards stretch across the Solutré-Pouilly area in France’s Mâconnais region.
CHATHAM SPORTS
Jordan-Matthews hopes for football turnaround
The Jets look for their rst winning season in 15 years
Chatham News & Record sta JORDAN-MATTHEWS just missed breaking through last season. The Jets won their rst four games and held on to nish the regular season at .500. A loss in the rst round of the playo s dropped them to 5-6 on the season, however. That meant one more year added to the streak.
The Jets haven’t posted a winning season since 2011. The streak reaches the decade and a half mark this season, and J-M thinks that’s long enough. The Jets are coming o their best season since matching that 5-6 mark in 2012, year one of the streak. It’s their third year under coach Reginald Carter.
The Jets have to replace a senior class that included quarterback Kamarie Hadley, running back Jakari Blue and defensive standout Deantaye Smith. They have an impressive
group of big-play receivers returning, however.
Here’s a look at the team’s announced schedule:
• Aug. 21 7 p.m. Home vs. Carrboro
• Aug. 28 7 p.m. Home vs. Chatham Central
• Sept. 4 7 p.m. Away at North Stokes
• Sept. 11 7 p.m. Home vs. Wheatmore
Chatham Central seeks progress in 2026 season
Experience could help rewrite the Bears’ story
Chatham News & Record sta
CHATHAM CENTRAL will look for tangible signs of progress as the Bears enter the 2026 football season. The team is coming o a 1-10 campaign, its second straight. The Bears haven’t had multiple wins in a season since 2022. They haven’t posted three wins since 2018 and haven’t won four since 2012. There were reasons for optiSee CENTRAL, page B3
2005
Chatham Central’s last six-win season. The Bears haven’t won ve in a season since
• Sept. 18 7 p.m. Away at Providence Grove
• Sept. 25 7 p.m. Away at East Chapel Hill
• Oct. 2 7 p.m. Home vs. North Moore
• Oct. 9 7 p.m. Home vs. Northwood
• Oct. 16 7 p.m. Away at Southwestern Randolph
The Jets swap out a home game with American Lead -
ership Academy-Johnston for a game at East Chapel Hill, swapping out a non-conference loss from last season with a team that went 3-7 in 2025. Otherwise, the weekover-week schedule is identical to last season’s, other than flipping home and road designations.
J-M opened with wins over Carrboro, Chatham Central, North Stokes and Wheatmore, then added a win over North Moore later in the season.
Powell struggles to open Summer League
The Northwood standout is looking to make a splash ahead of his second NBA season
Chatham News & Record sta DRAKE POWELL had big plans for the summer. Last season, a lingering knee injury cost him the chance to play in NBA Summer League before his rookie year with the Brooklyn Nets. The former Northwood Charger and UNC Tar Heel went on to have an up-and-down season, averaging 6.5 points in 63 games, including 24 starts. This o season, he’s been
able to put in some of the work he’s missed.
“It’s been good,” Powell told the media following a practice last week. “I’m just spending time in the gym, the weight room, just trying to get better each and every day … I say the main thing was the weight room, just trying to build some muscle, get stronger and just add to my athleticism, just being able to move well on the court.” Powell thought we’d see a di erent player this season as a result. “I’d say de nitely nishing at the rim, as well as getting up more threes,” he said, See POWELL, page B2
Jordan-Matthews huddles up during a game last season.
GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Of last year’s team leaders, Sayvion Burnette (12), Bryson Alston (9) and Brooks Albright (10) were all underclassmen. Nicholas Glover (1) was the lone senior in the group.
YUKI IWAMURA / AP PHOTO
Brooklyn Nets guard Drake Powell (4) powers up a shot against the Milwaukee Bucks in an April game.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Andrew Riedel
Chatham County Yardbirds
Andrew Riedel is a catcher for the Chatham County Yardbirds in the Old North State League. The Yardbirds have won three straight, beating the Wake Forest Fungo 17-7, then topping the Danville Dairy Daddies by the same score. They capped the weekend with a 12-9 win over the Dairy Daddies in the rematch.
Riedel, a Cardinal Gibbons grad who is headed to play college ball at Denison, had a big game at the plate to beat the Fungo. He doubled and homered his two times up, driving in four runs. He also walked four times and scored three runs.
For the summer, Riedel is hitting .333 and leading the team in home runs and RBIs.
POWELL from page B1
“and then I’d say getting to the paint, making the right reads for my teammates.”
It’s still early in the summer. Las Vegas Summer League hasn’t even started, but, in two games in the California Classic, Powell has struggled.
Powell made his debut in a loss to the Kings and missed all nine shots he took from the eld, including ve three-point attempts. He shot 2-of-3 from the line, taking advantage of a new experimental rule being tested this summer that gives players one two-point free throw on shooting fouls instead of two from the line. He nished with four points, eight rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes.
He was scratched from the Nets’ second game—a win over Milwaukee—for undisclosed reasons, although speculation was that it was just a rest day with three games in
“I’m just spending time in the gym, the weight room, just trying to get better each and every day.”
Powell
Drake
three days. Things weren’t much better against Golden State. He did make a rst shot from the eld but nished 1-of-8 in 23 minutes for two points. He missed all four three-point attempts and added just four rebounds without an assist.
The Nets have added veteran talent, including Keon Ellis, Julius Randle and Mo Wagner, as well as a pair of rst-round draft picks. Powell will need to improve his shooting in the remaining summer games to secure a spot in the rotation and possibly on the roster.
After his suspension was lifted in scrutinized move, Balogun has little impact in US World Cup loss
The controversial decision didn’t have a major impact on the game against Belgium
By Andrew Destin
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — Folarin Balogun’s presence on the eld for the United States against Belgium had a seismic impact on the world of soccer, but he ultimately played a forgettable role in the Americans’ 4-1 loss in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday.
The 25-year-old striker, who had three goals in this World Cup, was shown a red card during the U.S. victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, but FIFA lifted his suspension for Monday’s match after U.S. President Donald Trump intervened on Balogun’s behalf.
FIFA’s decision prompted soccer leaders to question the integrity of the World Cup, with European soccer body UEFA saying FIFA “crossed a red line” and Belgium’s soccer federation contesting Balogun’s eligibility.
“I accepted the decision when I was given the red card, and I accepted the decision when I was told I was allowed to play,” Balogun said. “I didn’t have any involvement in the process, and that’s not something that has anything to do with me personally.”
Balogun did not score on Monday. He helped set up Malik Tillman’s goal in the 31st minute when he was fouled by Belgium defender Brandon Mechele roughly 25 yards outside the Red Devils’ goal.
Tillman scored on the ensuing free kick. Just before the goal, Balogun waved his arms and pumped up the American fans.
The U.S. tried to set up Balogun multiple times. He made use of his speed on several runs but could not get past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. His best chance came in the 82nd minute, when Courtois got in front of a left-footed attempt. Balogun was replaced by Haji Wright in the 92nd minute.
To a suggestion that Balogun wasn’t a major presence on the eld, U.S. mid elder Tyler Adams responded: “Was anyone a major presence on the eld today?”
“We were happy that we had
“I accepted the decision when I was given the red card, and I accepted the decision when I was told I was allowed to play.”
Folarin Balogun
the opportunity for him to play,” Adams said. “He tried today to be a presence and a nuisance, and at times he was — getting the ball in behind and doing what he does. Just didn’t have too many opportunities.”
Balogun said it was di cult to understand why the U.S. didn’t play with the intensity the team brought to its earlier games.
“Today we didn’t give the crowd a lot to cheer for,” he said. “That’s the most disappointing thing, and that’s the part that hurts the most for me personally.”
Last Wednesday during the Americans’ 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, Balogun was shown a red card by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus for stepping on an opponent’s ankle, triggering an automatic onegame suspension.
After Trump spoke by phone to FIFA president Gianni Infan-
tino, FIFA’s disciplinary committee suspended the discipline for a year on Sunday.
Infantino said he did not play a role in the decision by the disciplinary committee, which also ned Balogun $40,000, a penalty that can be paid by the U.S. Soccer Federation.
The FIFA president was in attendance for the match, watching from a suite with Pascale Van Damme, chair of the Belgian Football Association, and Cindy Parlow Cone, president of the USSF. U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was seated nearby.
Belgium fans chanted “FIFA Ma a!” during their pregame march to Lumen Field.
Balogun’s three goals matched Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second most by an American in a World Cup. Bert Patenaude holds the U.S. record with four in the initial tournament in 1930.
Balogun, who was playing in his rst World Cup for the Americans, became the rst U.S. player to score two goals in a match in the tournament since 1930. But he failed to lead the U.S. to what would have been its rst consecutive knockout-stage wins. The best performance by the Americans since 1930 remains their run to the quarternals in 2002.
COURTESY CARDINAL GIBBONS HIGH SCHOOL
MANU FERNANDEZ / AP PHOTO
United States’ Folarin Balogun tries to control the ball during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match against Belgium.
CENTRAL from page B1
Chestnut eats 66 hot dogs to again claim Mustard Belt at Nathan’s Famous contest
The July 4th win was his eighteenth
By Sa yah Riddle
The Associated Press
CROWDS GATHERED in the sweltering heat Saturday to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday by watching famed competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut defend his world hot dog eating championship in Coney Island, where he downed 66 hot dogs in just 10 minutes. Miki Sudo defended her title as well in the women’s division.
Saturday marked the 18th time Chestnut, 42, won the socalled Mustard Belt in just 21 appearances at the internationally televised Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. He beat out 13 competitors who came from around the country and world, trekking from the Czech Republic, Australia and South Korea.
“It’s a dream, it’s electric, there’s no place better on Earth,” Chestnut said breathlessly in an interview immediately after the showdown, donning a bulky, bejeweled necklace bearing the name of the sports betting company “Polymarket” around his neck. In a video posted on Instagram before the competition, Chestnut called competitive hot dog eating “the most patriotic sport we’ve got.”
Chestnut handily defeated the second-place winner, Patrick Bertoletti, 41, who ate 50
hot dogs, but fell short of his own 2021 record of 76 wieners and buns — or approximately 7.6 hot dogs per minute.
Defending champion in the women’s division, the 40-yearold Sudo of Tampa, Florida, won the bright pink Mustard Belt for the 12th time, downing 38.75 dogs. In 2024, she ate a record 51 links.
After competing, Sudo joined the crowd to watch her husband — who proposed to her in 2021 immediately after downing 50 boiled eggs in just over 3 minutes to set a world record — compete in the men’s event.
Both champions said that the heatwave that scorched New York on Saturday — bringing temperatures in Brooklyn to roughly 90 de -
grees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) during the competition — made that much more di cult. On top of that, ESPN announcers said the humidity changed the consistency of the buns.
“I just said I would have to rely on muscle memory, and the crowd really carried me through to another belt today,” Sudo said.
A large crowd braved the heat to watch the event, wearing foam hot dogs on their heads and standing outside the original Nathan’s Famous restaurant that has been in Coney Island, Brooklyn, since 1972. The superfans who stood closest to the stage wore ponchos as protection in case a competitor threw up.
There was brie y some con-
and other competitive eaters consume hot dogs during
cern earlier this year that Chestnut wouldn’t be able to participate in the 2026 competition after he was arrested for allegedly slapping a man in an Indiana bar. He was put on probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery, but is allowed to travel outside Indiana. Hot dog contest organizer Major League Eating said the criminal case didn’t a ect Chestnut’s eligibility for the competition.
Despite his continued reign, Chestnut told an ESPN interviewer after the game that he was disappointed that he wasn’t able to top his previous record.
“Dang, I got so much room left,” said Chestnut, who announcers referred to as the “Michelangelo of Mastication.”
mism. A season-opening win over Graham put the Bears over .500 at any point in a season for the rst time since 2020-21, and the team had three losses that were decided by one score, so the record could have been signi cantly better with a little luck and experience in tight games.
Chatham Central returns that experience. Receiver Nicholas Glover is the only senior loss from the team’s o ensive statistical leaders last season. The team has experience at quarterback and will look to make a step forward.
Here’s a look at the team’s announced schedule:
• Aug. 21 7:00 PM Home vs. Graham
• Aug. 28 7:00 PM Away at Jordan-Matthews
• Sept. 4 7:00 PM Away at East Columbus
• Sept. 11 7:00 PM Home vs. North Moore
• Sept. 18 7:00 PM Away at Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy
• Sept. 25 7:00
•
• Oct. 23 7:00 PM Home vs. South Stokes
• Oct. 30 7:00 PM Away at South Davidson
The Bears moved the game with WSPA from the end of the season to Week Five, bumping the remaining games back a week. Otherwise, the schedule is a match to last year’s, with just the home/road locations ipped.
Central beat Graham by four, lost to East Columbus by two, North Stokes by one and TCPLA by eight. So the team could get o to a running start this year.
Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@ chathamnewsrecord.com.
Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon
Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, winners of the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, hold their title belts at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Saturday, July 4, 2026.
ANNA CONNORS / AP PHOTO
Joey Chestnut
the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island
ANNA CONNORS / AP PHOTO
A red card means trouble and controversy at the World Cup: Here’s what to know
The U.S. red card is not the rst, or last, the process has raised a fuss
By Jim Vertuno
The Associated Press
THE AMERICANS are seeing red over the most controversial and consequential red card so far in the World Cup.
While the United States celebrated a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, fans and players were angry and frustrated by a second-half red card that sent o star striker Folarin Balogun.
The penalty, called after the referee watched a video replay, ignited debate over whether it was too harsh and whether other players, most notably Argentina’s Lionel Messi, have unfairly avoided similar punishment.
Red cards are the most serious form of punishment in a referee’s pocket. A red card does more than just send a player out of the game. It also means the team can’t replace them and must play shorthanded. The ejected player is also suspended for the next match — and sometimes longer depending on the o ense.
The red and yellow card system of discipline was invented after the 1966 World Cup by former referee Ken Aston, who came up with the color-coded level of discipline while stopped at a tra c light.
“I thought, ‘Yellow, take it easy; red, stop, you’re o ’,” said Aston, who died in 2001.
Much is left to the referee’s discretion in the heat of play. A player who receives a second yellow card during a game is automatically ejected with a red card. Direct red cards usually result from more serious offenses, such as dangerous tackles and violent play.
Under FIFA rules, “Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of
serious foul play.”
Balogun’s red card sparked a debate over whether the foul should have been deemed intentional or just a hard tackle that would have justi ed a warning with a yellow card.
“It never was intentional,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “If the intention is to damage the opponent, OK, I understand. But that never was. It was a normal action in football that you are ghting for the ball and your feet land.”
The referee has the challenge of watching all the action all the time. In a tangle of bodies, something could be missed. FIFA introduced the use of Video Assisted Review, or VAR, in the World Cup in 2018.
In Balogun’s case, Brazilian referee Raphael Claus didn’t initially signal a card. But an order from the VAR o cials to review
Too pushy? Gau brought to tears by interaction with anti-doping tester
The players at Wimbledon want changes to the drug testing system
By Ken Maguire The Associated Press
LONDON — Coco Gau said she was brought to tears by a “pushy” anti-doping tester. Serena Williams called the system “grueling.”
Protocols designed to protect tennis from doping are in the spotlight as players open up about their experiences navigating the system in the aftermath of a four-year ban handed to 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova — not for testing positive but for refusing to take a test.
Players are required to provide a 60-minute time slot each day to be available for testing, plus the International Tennis Integrity Agency says that if a doping control o cer “locates and noti es a player outside of that hour, they must complete the test.”
Naturally, there’s a need for communication between players and testers.
“I’m not going to lie, some of them can be pushy, make you feel like you’re doing something wrong,” Gau , the No. 7 seed, said after her rst-round victory at Wimbledon.
“One time she came outside my time slot. But the way she was speaking to me on the phone, it literally made me cry
afterwards,” the 22-year-old
American said. “I found out I was in the right, and I didn’t have to do anything.”
Ahead of her rst-round match, Ajla Tomljanovic described her close calls.
“I’m very scared of the system because it feels broken,” she said. “I’ve had a few experiences of my own where it was about technicalities and when I speak to people in charge they’re not helpful — I don’t want to say they don’t care — but they weren’t very helpful at all to explain things or just show some sort of compassion when I was nowhere near missing a test or testing positive.”
The Australian player said she was seeking help about how the app works.
“I was new to the whole system. And I was at two fails for a month and I knew if I get a third one accidentally I would be out for at least two, three years,” she said. “It’s in a way, I won’t say no fault of my own but it’s not to the degree of being banned and smearing your name. In that sense, I think there’s so much to improve on.”
Williams, who makes her Wimbledon return on Tuesday, said the testing system was “a big reason why I didn’t want to come back either, because it’s just so hard.”
The Vondrousova case
The 27-year-old Czech player, who became Wimbledon’s rst unseeded female champion when she beat Ons Jabeur in
the replay in slow motion resulted in the red card.
That sparked another debate of whether the play looked worse and more intentional in slow motion.
Former France striker Thierry Henry, now a studio analyst for the World Cup with Fox Sports, criticized the red card.
“You need to have some common sense,” Henry said. “Where is the player supposed to put his foot there in that situation?”
Critics have been raising this question since the start of tournament as some of the top players have been entangled in questionable plays, most notably Messi.
In Argentina’s rst match, Messi’s studs-up challenge from behind caught Algeria defender Aissa Mandi on the calf and Achilles tendon. It left Mandi rolling on the ground and
clutching his leg.
Messi immediately put his arms up like he didn’t mean to hack Mandi’s leg. Algeria was awarded a free kick, but the tournament’s biggest star wasn’t booked, stayed in the game nished with a hat trick.
Video clips of the Messi foul began ying around social media by the next day, and caught re again after the Balogun red card.
American defender Weston McKennie called the red card against Balogun “disappointing.” Balogun is the top scorer for the U.S. with three goals. “I think there’s been many other plays like that throughout the tournament on other players that a card wasn’t given at all,” McKennie said.
The American’s aren’t the rst to howl over a red card and won’t be the last. The com-
plaints come after send-o s and no-calls alike.
In 1998, England’s David Beckham was dismissed in the second half of a round of 16 match against Argentina for tripping Diego Simeone in retaliation. In 2006, England’s Wayne Rooney was sent o of a quarter nal loss to Portugal after he stomped prone Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho in the groin.
The most famous World Cup red card sent France legend Zinedine Zidane out of the 2006 nal after he headbutted Italy’s Marco Materazzi. Italy would win on penalty kicks.
The most famous non-call came in the 2010 nal when the Netherlands’ Nigel de Jong wasn’t sent o for his studs-up kick into the chest of Spain’s Xabi Alonso in the rst half. Spain would win in extra time.
“I’m very scared of the system because it feels broken.”
Ajla Tomljanovic
the 2023 nal, refused to take a test in early December 2025 after a doping control o cer rang her apartment’s intercom at 8 p.m.
This month, following a hearing by an independent tribunal, Vondrousova received the maximum four-year ban for a rst o ense. The ITIA published a video explainer of the case, saying Vondrousova on the night in question challenged the timing of the test because it was outside her designated time slot.
The agency noted: “If a Doping Control O cer, or DCO, locates and noti es a player outside of that hour, they must complete the test.”
Vondrousova had described the tester as “aggressive” and said the frequent ringing of the intercom “triggered a state of distress,” the ITIA video says.
The tribunal’s June 22 decision con rmed that Vondrousova refused the test and that the evidence “provided no compelling justi cation for doing so.”
The ITIA added that under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, “test refusals can be sanctioned as severely as positive tests.” One rationale is an athlete who is doping could simply refuse a test and seek a lighter punishment.
Last year, the ITIA said it conducted over 8,000 tests
both in and out of competition
“and received a handful of complaints. We take all feedback on board and encourage players to share their views with us.” Other organizations, such as the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, also conduct player testing.
On possible changes to the system, the ITIA noted that tennis follows WADA rules and processes, which “will be refreshed in 2027. As part of this process, WADA consults with athletes from across global sport.”
“We understand the system can seem challenging,” the ITIA said, “but it is there to protect players, not to trip them up. If players are ever unsure about a test, have questions, or would like to provide feedback on their experience, we want to hear about it.”
KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / AP PHOTO
Coco Gau plays a return to Tamara Korpatsch during the women’s singles at Wimbledon.
JULIO CORTEZ / AP PHOTO
Referee Raphael Claus of Brazil shows a red card to United States’ Folarin Balogun, right, during the World Cup round of 32.
Briscoe holds o Bell in NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway
His sixth career win comes in NASCAR’s rst race there since 2019
By Jay Cohen The Associated Press
JOLIET, Ill. — Chase Briscoe was on an o season bonding trip to the United Kingdom with crew chief James Small when the NASCAR driver discovered chocolate buttons, a popular British treat. He bought some online after he returned to the U.S., but he said it wasn’t the same.
Small purchased some on a return trip to the U.K., and he promised to share if Briscoe won on the crew chief’s birthday. That made Sunday night’s victory pretty sweet.
Briscoe held o Christopher Bell in NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway, racing to his rst Cup Series win of the season. And Small delivered the chocolates to Briscoe moments after it was over.
“They were pretty dang good,” Briscoe said.
Briscoe was followed closely by Bell in the nal laps on the 1.5-mile oval about 50 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. But Bell was unable to run down his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate.
The 31-year-old Briscoe, an Indiana native, celebrated his sixth career win with a burnout before standing on his car and waving to the sellout crowd.
“This has been a place that I’ve always loved coming to, back when we used to, and I’ve missed it,” Briscoe said. “It’s always been one of my top- ve tracks.”
It was Bell’s fourth runner-up nish this season. He was wearing a splint on his arm as he continues his recovery after breaking his left wrist in a crash at Michigan on June 7.
“I think he’s handled that as well as you can handle it,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “He’s got
Guardians
a burning desire to stay in there and win. I think he had, you know — he had a real good car tonight, too.”
Denny Hamlin, who started on the pole, was third. William Byron, who won two stages while leading a race-high 94 laps, and Alex Bowman rounded out the top ve.
“I thought I was in control early on, even though I wasn’t leading,” Hamlin said. “I felt in control and probably got a little lazy on some restarts and things like that. Just taking for granted that I’ll just go up there and get it.”
NASCAR ran 19 Cup races in Joliet before pulling out after the 2019 season. It tried to build interest in the event in a crowded sports market, but the race struggled with attendance. After racing on a street course in downtown Chicago each of the previous three years, NASCAR decided to go back to Chicagoland — eager to see how the Next Gen cars would do on the rough and bumpy asphalt at the facility. Rain on Friday and
“This has been a place that I’ve always loved coming to, back when we used to.”
Chase Briscoe
Saturday caused some parking issues, but the racing was compelling.
Led by Briscoe, Bell and Hamlin, Toyota accounted for seven of the top 10 cars for the rst time in a Cup Series race — continuing a strong season for the manufacturer.
“Yeah, Toyotas are fast,” Bell said.
Driving a “Space Jam”themed car in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Looney Tunes movie, Bubba Wallace was sixth in his No. 23 Toyota Camry. Wallace is part of the 23XI Racing team that is coowned by Michael Jordan, one of the stars of the 1996 movie.
Ryan Blaney was seventh in
his seventh consecutive top-10 nish. Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim and Riley Herbst completed the top 10. Tyler Reddick’s championship hopes were damaged by an oil leak with about 32 laps left in Stage 2. There was a long caution while Reddick’s 23XI Racing crew worked on his No. 45 Toyota in the garage, replacing the radiator because of a hole.
Reddick, who won the rst three races of the season, nished 36th. He trails Hamlin by 44 points at the top of Cup standings after he was down by one going into the weekend. Kyle Larson also had a rough day after qualifying second behind Hamlin. He was in third place when he spun out of Turn 4 on Lap 93. He drove his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into the wet in eld grass and had to be pulled out of the mud. Larson nished 34th, extending his winless drought to 43 races. He nished second in each of the previous two Cup races at Chicagoland.
rookie Ingle loses track of outs, tosses ball into stands, giving away a run
Asheville native has an embarrassing moment early in his MLB career
By Tom Withers The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — Rookies are prone to mistakes. Cooper Ingle made a big one he may never forget.
Cleveland’s left elder lost track of the number of outs in the seventh inning and threw the ball into the stands, allowing the Texas Rangers to score the go-ahead run in a 4-2 victory over the Guardians on Tuesday night.
“Obviously, I feel terrible,” Ingle said, his face ushed red on a warm, humid night. “It’s a pretty embarrassing feeling.”
With a runner at second base and one out in the seventh, the 24-year-old Ingle, making just his second major league start as an out elder, caught a routine y ball hit by Rangers left elder Alejandro Osuna o Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee for the second out.
Thinking it was out No. 3, Ingle brie y glanced at the ball in his glove before throwing it over the protective netting to fans as a souvenir.
The umpires immediately ruled the ball was dead and Osuna was awarded home plate.
It wasn’t until then that Ingle realized his mistake and he walked back to his position in shocked disbelief. He was charged with an error.
“Yeah, honestly when I threw the ball out, I heard a bunch of yelling,” Ingle said. “Happens sometimes, but just got to learn from it and not make the same mistake.”
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, who has had to plug rookies into his starting lineup all
Hedges said. “I can’t even re-
“It’s a pretty embarrassing feeling.”
Tanner Ingle
season, o ered his unwavering support to Ingle.
“These things happen,” Vogt said. “Rookie. Nonrookie. It’s happened to Hall of Famers. They’ve done it. We’re going to keep learning. We’re going to keep getting better.”
Vogt was proud of the way Ingle’s teammates quickly rallied around him following the bone-headed play.
“It’s a mistake. Lost track of the outs. Pretty big spot,” he said. “We’ll learn from it and can’t control it once it happens. That’s why I was like, ush it. And I just want to give a credit to the dugout. Every one of his teammates, when he came back in, same messaging.”
One of the rst to talk to Ingle was Guardians catcher Austin Hedges, who told him to keep his chin up.
“I’ve made so many mistakes,”
member half of them. I’ve embarrassed myself a billion times on the eld. I mean, just check my o ensive numbers for my career. It’s not super easy to go through that, but that’s the big leagues.”
After his mistake, Ingle said he immediately apologized to Bibee (2-9), who went toe to toe with Jacob deGrom for seven innings. Bibee’s response to his teammates was to try and make things right.
“I just told him to go tie the game right back up,” Bibee said. “Obviously, we all make mistakes. Everyone in this locker room has made multiple mistakes in the big leagues, whether you’re (rookie) Khalil (Watson) or me or Hedgie. It’s tough.” Ingle was brought up from Triple-A Columbus last week. He made his big league debut on June 26 and got his rst major league hit the next day, a two-run single against Seattle.
After his elding foible, Ingle came up in the bottom of the seventh and grounded out. He got another chance in the ninth to avenge his ga e
WNBA
More than half of WNBA players miss All-Star starter vote
More than half of the WNBA’s 180 players didn’t submit their ballots for All-Star starters ahead of this month’s game in Chicago, a person familiar with the balloting told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the voting. It’s unclear why so many players didn’t cast their votes. Fan vote accounts for 50% of the overall vote while players and a media panel each are 25%. It’s been that way since 2017.
NBA
Former NBA star
Beasley pleads not guilty to gambling charges
New York
Malik Beasley’s lawyer said the indicted former NBA star “wants to move on with his life” after pleading not guilty to charges that he altered his play in certain games to enrich sports bettors and ease his own debts. Beasley, the latest big name caught up in a sweeping federal gambling investigation, attentively followed along but said little at his arraignment on Wednesday in Brooklyn federal court. He answered a judge’s questions with “yes, your honor” but let his lawyer, Jason Goldman, enter his plea on his behalf.
NFL
NFL player Campbell’s brother is charged with murder after mother found dead
Atlanta
Cleveland Guardians left elder Cooper Ingle hangs over the left eld fence after catching a y ball hit by Chicago White Sox’s Drew Romo for an out.
but struck out looking for the game’s nal out.
What’s most important now is that he move forward.
“Obviously learn from it and think about it,” he said. “It’s not something that makes you feel great, but things like that happen for a reason and learning from those things and moving on and getting better from them, it’s pretty much the only thing you can do.”
Vogt said the mistake doesn’t a ect his belief in Ingle.
“We’re going to help him through it. That’s what we’re here for,” he said. “You’re playing in your second game in the out eld in the big leagues and a mistake like that. Let’s learn. So what? It’s over. Flush it. We’re not going to be mad at him.
“We’re not going to hold it against him. He’s going to be right back out there the next time it’s his turn to play outeld. This was a mistake. This isn’t a judgment or anything like that, but we know how good of a player Coop is and we’re going to stick with him and we’re going to keep helping him.”
A brother of NFL player Calais Campbell has been charged with murdering their mother in Atlanta. Police o cers found her body during a welfare check. An arrest warrant says Ciarre Campbell was found with a knife. His family told police he struggled with mental illness. He’s being held in Fulton County Jail and waived his initial court appearance Wednesday. Calais Campbell, a defensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, is entering his 19th NFL season. He’s a six-time Pro Bowl selection with 117 career sacks.
NBA Leonard going back to Toronto after Raptors make deal with Clippers
A person with knowledge of the trade says Kawhi Leonard is headed back to the Toronto Raptors, after they struck a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers to reunite with the player who led their run to the 2019 NBA championship. The Raptors are sending Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two rst-round picks, two second-round picks and a pick swap to the Clippers for Leonard.
OLYMPICS
Denmark urges IOC to recognize Greenland and Faroe Islands as independent Olympic teams
Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark’s parliament asked the IOC to recognize its territories Greenland and the Faroe Islands as independent Olympic teams. The parliament published a letter urging the International Olympic Committee to recognize the semi-autonomous territories and let their athletes compete at the Olympics under their own ags. The revival of a longstanding Olympic proposal previously made 20 years ago comes as the new Danish government pledges support for Greenland, which U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to acquire. The IOC recognizes 206 national Olympic bodies and is unlikely to support Denmark’s request.
SUE OGROCKI / AP PHOTO
NAM Y. HUH / AP PHOTO
Chase Briscoe (19) celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.
this week in history
14th Amendment rati ed, Wyoming joins the Union, rst World Cup kicks o
The Associated Press
JULY 9
1868: The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was rati ed, granting citizenship and “equal protection under the laws” to anyone “born or naturalized in the United States,” including formerly enslaved people.
1850: President Zachary Taylor died of a gastrointestinal illness after consuming a large number of cherries and iced milk on a hot day ve days earlier.
1896: William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous “Cross of Gold” speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
JULY 10
1509: Theologian John Calvin, a key gure of the Protestant Reformation, was born in Noyon, Picardy, France.
1890: Wyoming was admitted as the 44th U.S. state.
1925: Jury selection began in Dayton, Tennessee, in the trial of John T. Scopes, charged with violating the law by teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution.
1940: During World War II, the Battle of Britain began as the German Luftwa e launched attacks on southern England. (The Royal Air Force was ultimately victorious.)
JULY 11
1804: Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton during a pistol duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. (Hamilton died the next day.)
1859: Big Ben, the great bell inside the famous London clock tower, chimed for the rst time.
1960: Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published.
JULY 12
1543: England’s King Henry VIII married his sixth and nal wife, Catherine Parr.
1812: U.S. forces led by Gen. William Hull entered Canada during the War of 1812 against Britain. (Hull retreated shortly afterward to Detroit.)
1862: During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill authorizing the Medal of Honor.
1979: As an angry reaction to the popularity of disco music, the Chicago White Sox held the “Disco Demolition Night” promotion, in which a crate of disco records was blown up on the eld.
JULY 13
1923: A sign consisting of 50-foot-tall letters spelling out “HOLLYWOODLAND” was dedicated in the Hollywood Hills to promote a real estate subdivision.
1930: The rst FIFA World Cup began in Uruguay.
1985: The “Live Aid” bene t rock concerts were held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia, raising millions.
The Battle of Britain began July 10, 1940, when the German Luftwa e launched attacks on southern England during World War II.
JULY 14
1789: In an event symbolizing the start of the French Revolution, citizens of Paris stormed the Bastille prison and released the seven prisoners held there.
1881: Outlaw William H. Bonney Jr., alias “Billy the Kid,” was shot and killed by Sheri Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner in present-day New Mexico.
1912: American folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma.
JULY 15
1799: The Rosetta Stone, a key to deciphering ancient Egyptian scripts, was found at Fort Julien in the Nile Delta during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt.
1870: Georgia became the last Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union.
1997: Fashion designer Gianni Versace, 50, was shot dead outside his Miami Beach home; suspected gunman Andrew Phillip Cunanan, 27, was found dead eight days later, a suicide. (Investigators believed Cunanan killed four other people before Versace in a cross-country rampage that began the previous March).
RUSTY KENNEDY / AP PHOTO
Singer Tina Turner, left, and Mick Jagger perform together during the Live Aid concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia in 1985.
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUMS VIA WIKIPEDIA
Motown Museum expansion aims to honor Detroit’s musical legacy
Motown was founded by Berry Gordy in 1959
By Corey Williams The Associated Press
DETROIT — The Motown
Museum in Detroit has been resonating with a di erent signature sound — the rumble of trucks, the buzz of drills and the pounding of metal — as one of the most signi cant sites in American musical history undergoes a $75 million donor-driven face-lift ahead of its 2027 grand reopening.
The expansion of the Hitsville USA campus — a house where chart-toppers by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross and The Supremes were written, rehearsed and recorded — aims not just to honor Detroit’s musical legacy, but also to increase the city’s footprint as an education and tourism destination.
The museum should enjoy the same level of promotion as other landmarks in the United States, said former Motown music arranger Paul Riser Sr., comparing the seminal label’s
potential to a tourist mecca in New York City.
“The city can really benet by further marketing this whole concept here,” Riser said. “We need to see more pageantry of Motown. Every time I think Motown, I think Times Square.”
Cities across the U.S. have for years promoted musical heritage as a selling point to attract business conventions, exhibitions and tourists. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame attracts 500,000 people each year to Cleveland, while Nashville’s music history and attractions tied to country, gospel and other genres bring in about 17 million people annually.
The Motown Museum says it logs more than 100,000 visitors each year and is expecting at least 325,000 visitors per year after the expansion opens.
“Motown for many, many decades have been just a magical source of pride and inspiration,” said Robin Terry, Motown Museum chair and chief executive. “Visitors come to the little house that’s Hitsville USA — what used to be the
Canada will compete at glitzy Eurovision Song Contest in 2027
Canadian Celine Dion won in 1988 competing for Switzerland
By Jill Lawless
The Associated Press
LONDON — The Eurovision Song Contest is expanding across the Atlantic, with Canada set to compete at next year’s edition of the glitter-drenched pop music competition.
Contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union and Ca-
nadian public broadcaster CBC announced that Canada will send an act to the 2027 contest in Bulgaria in May. Canada is the rst new country to join Eurovision since Australia entered in 2015. The announcement was made on the Canada Day national holiday. It comes shortly after Canada joined the EBU, an association of national public broadcasters that oversees Eurovision.
A campy, colorful contest that has been likened to the World Cup with songs instead of soccer, Eurovision has given the world
the perfect pop of ABBA’s “Waterloo” – the winning song in 1974 –and a host of Euro-pop party anthems.
CBC President Marie-Philippe Bouchard said participation “will allow Canadian talent to be showcased on one of the most storied music stages in the world.”
Founded in 1956, Eurovision brings together musical acts from dozens of mostly European countries to compete for the votes of professional jurors and international viewers.
Eurovision Director Martin
“We are the only place in the world that can claim Motown music as our own.”
Jennifer Ollinger, Visit Detroit senior director of tourism
headquarters of Motown — just to touch the magical space where so many of their musical icons … got their start.”
Motown, uniquely Detroit
Motown was founded in 1959 by Berry Gordy in one of the three homes on West Grand Boulevard just north of downtown Detroit, that currently house the Motown Museum.
Just a year later, The Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Hits like “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “Baby Love,” “My Girl” and “The Tracks of My Tears” soon sent the Motown sound around the globe.
Green said Canada’s accession is “a further sign that, while born in Europe, the Contest continues to welcome the world.”
The CBC said it will announce details of how Canada’s entry will be selected later this year. Some Eurovision countries choose their competitors through televised national selections. In others, competitors are picked by the national broadcaster.
Canadians have entered Eurovision before under di erent ags — most famously Quebecoise chanteuse Celine Dion, who won the 1988 contest competing for Switzerland.
The 70th Eurovision contest in May featured 35 countries and was won by Bulgarian singer Dara, so next year’s competition will take place in the southeast European country.
Gordy moved the label to Los Angeles in 1972 and sold it to MCA Records in 1988. His late sister, Esther Gordy Edwards, founded the museum in 1985.
The 40,000-square-foot expansion is being constructed around the original Hitsville USA house and will feature a theater, a recording studio, retail space and a cafe, as well as immersive exhibits and a searchable back catalog of music and interviews.
“The expansion is so iconic and unique for Detroit,” said Riser.
Marketing music history
The Motown Museum is a must-see for international and domestic visitors, according to Jennifer Ollinger, senior director of tourism for Visit Detroit.
Motown is part of the pitch to businesses considering Detroit for conventions, conferences and other large gatherings, Ollinger said.
“We are the only place in the world that can claim Motown music as our own,” Ollinger said.
Eurovision has been roiled in recent years by protests over the participation of Israel, a competitor since 1973.
Five longtime participants — Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia — boycotted this year after organizers declined to kick Israel out over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza and violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The 2026 Eurovision nal was watched by 130 million viewers around the world, organizers say, down from 160 million in 2025. Despite the blows to Eurovision’s nances and viewership from the boycott, the contest is eyeing expansion, with a spino Eurovision Song Contest Asia due to take place in Bangkok in November.
MATTHIAS SCHRADER / AP PHOTO
3000 drones depict the logo sign in preparation for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in front of castle Schonbrunn in Vienna, Austria, on April 27, 2026.
famous birthdays this week
Arlo Guthrie turns 79, Susan Seaforth Hayes is 83, ‘Jeopardy!’s Johnny Gilbert is 98
The Associated Press THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week: JULY 9
Author Dean Koontz is 81. Actor Chris Cooper is 75. Musician and TV personality John Tesh is 74. Singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 72. Actor Tom Hanks is 70. Musician/producer Jack White is 51. Actor-director Fred Savage is 50.
JULY 10
Singer Mavis Staples is 87. Actor Robert Pine is 85. International Tennis Hall of Famer Virginia Wade is 81. Folk singer Arlo Guthrie is 79. Baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson is 72. Rock singer Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) is 72. Banjo player Bela Fleck is 68.
JULY 11
Actor Susan Seaforth Hayes is 83. Actor Bruce McGill is 76. Actor Stephen Lang is 74. Actor Mindy Sterling is 73. Actor Sela Ward is 70. Singer Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) is 69. Singer Suzanne Vega is 67. Rock guitarist Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) is 67.
JULY 12
Writer-producer Brian Grazer is 75. Actor Cheryl Ladd is 75. Gospel singer Ricky McKinnie (The Blind Boys of Alabama) is 74. Olympic gold medal gure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is 55.
JULY 13
Game show announcer Johnny Gilbert (TV: “Jeopardy!”) is 98. Actor Patrick Stewart is 86. Actor Harrison Ford is 84. Singer-guitarist Roger McGuinn (The Byrds) is 84. Rubik’s Cube inventor Erno Rubik is 82. Actor-comedian Cheech Marin is 80. Actor-director Cameron Crowe is 69.
JULY 14
Former football player and actor Rosey Grier is 94. Actor Vincent Pastore (“The Sopranos”) is 80. Music company executive Tommy Mottola is 78. Movie producer Scott Rudin is 68. Actor Jane Lynch is 66.
JULY 15
Actor Patrick Wayne is 87. R&B singer Millie Jackson is 82. Singer Linda Ronstadt is 80. Arianna Hu ngton, co-founder of The Hu ngton Post, is 76. Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is 75. Rock drummer Marky Ramone is 74. Rock musician Joe Satriani is 70.
DIMA GAVRYSH / AP PHOTO
Richard “Cheech” Marin turns 80 on Monday.
POLYESTER-QUEEN VIA WIKIPEDIA Millie Jackson turns 82 on Wednesday.
MILLIE TURNER / INVISION / AP PHOTO Tom Hanks turns 70 on Thursday.
the stream
Rolling Stones,
‘Little House on the Prairie,’ ‘Backrooms’
J.K. Simmons stars in ‘The Westies’
The Associated Press
THE LATEST Rolling Stones album and the streaming debut of the hit movie “Backrooms” 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: a new version of “Little House on the Prairie,” new albums from Adam Lambert and Finn Wolfhard and “College Football 27” from EA Sports.
MOVIES TO STREAM
The box-o ce sensation
“Backrooms” is making its premium video-on-demand debut on July 7, available to purchase on all the major streaming services. Kane Parsons, 20, directed the feature-length adaptation of his viral web series about the dread of liminal space, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as a furniture store salesman. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that it’s a “ tfully unsettling nightmare that never convincingly builds beyond its creepy, dated-decor premise.”
Maika Monroe plays a woman looking to rebuild her life after prison, heartbreak and tragedy, opposite Tyriq Withers in the Colleen Hoover adaptation
“Reminders of Him,” streaming on Peacock on Friday, July 10. In his review for the AP, Mark Kennedy called it “a well-crafted, well-acted sad-happy Hoover adaptation,” praising Monroe, who, he writes, “stretches out her dramatic muscles to play Kenna and nails the assignment, a woman with a hard shell who is looking for a little grace, a tricky role that’s both irty and maternal.”
And just in time for the Fourth of July comedown, “The Long Walk,” set in a dystopian, postwar America, arrives on HBO Max on July 10. Cooper Ho man and David Jonsson star in this adaptation of a Stephen King story in which 50 boys are selected by lottery for a
harrowing contest in which the walk only ends when one survivor remains. Fittingly, “Hunger Games” veteran Francis Lawrence directed.
MUSIC TO STREAM
Only the Rolling Stones have the ex to get Anya Taylor-Joy and Charles Melton to appear in one of their music videos.
The movie stars play a frustrated couple in the video for the new soulful R&B single “Jealous Lover.” That’s from the upcoming album “Foreign Tongues,” out Friday, July 10, which includes the Cure’s Robert Smith on guitar for the rollicking single “Divine Intervention.” The album also has contributions from Steve Winwood, Paul McCartney and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith. “Foreign Tongues” will also include a special appearance from drummer Charlie Watts, lifted from one of his nal recording sessions before his death in 2021. Finn Wolfhard isn’t resting on his music or TV successes.
The “Stranger Things” star has his sophomore solo album out Friday, July 10, a year after the intriguing multi-hyphenate artist dropped “Happy Birthday.”
And things are looking up — or is that Upside Down? — for Wolfhard: While his debut was a lo- , distortion-heavy sneer of garage-band strut, the singles from the 12-track “Fire From the Hip” so far reveal a more mature songwriter, with a more melodic bent and less dense, punky production. The lead single “I’ll Let You Finish” cheekily nods to the viral VMA moment when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards. Adam Lambert struts away from Queen for his sixth solo studio album, simply titled “Adam.” Lambert says he was inspired by ‘90s alternative rock and electronica, including Nine Inch Nails, Björk, Prince and Muse. Singles from the 12-track album include the vampire-dance of “Eat U Alive” and the infectious glam of “Under the Rhythm,” which samples ATC’s “Around the World (La La La La La).” Both tracks explore losing control with a lover: “I know I look a mess, but
/ AP
/
Lukita Maxwell arrives at the premiere of “Backrooms” on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
“‘Backrooms’ is a tfully unsettling nightmare that never convincingly builds beyond its creepy, dateddecor premise.”
Jake Coyle, AP Film Writer
I’m gon’ sweat it o ,” he sings in the second. The Associated Press rst reviewed The War and Treaty in 2018, writing: “Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter, the pride of Albion, Michigan, are husband and wife and a powerhouse R&B duo who sound as though they were born to sing together.” The assessment holds true nearly a decade later, as they prepare to release
their latest album, “The Story of Michael and Tanya.” Lead single “Don’t Say Goodbye” is a smooth throwback, timeless with its harmonies and soulful production. If that’s not enough to sway you, maybe this is: The album also features Wynonna Judd and Whoopi Goldberg. You read that correctly.
TV TO STREAM
A reboot of “Little House on the Prairie” debuts on Netix Thursday, July 9. Like the original series starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, the show is based on the classic books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Set in the American West in the late 19th century, the tight-knit Ingalls family settles in Kansas, but their new home comes with a variety of challenges. Luke
Bracey plays the father, Charles. Crosby Fitzgerald is Caroline, the family matriarch. Skywalker Hughes plays eldest daughter, Mary, and Alice Halsey is the feisty younger daughter, Laura, also known as Half-Pint. J.K. Simmons stars in the new MGM+ crime drama “The Westies,” about the real Irish gang that ruled the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood in Manhattan in the early 1980s. In the series, the Jacob Javits Convention Center is under construction in their backyard, promising an abundance of (illegal) ways to make money. The Westies’ turf is threatened by a clash of ideas between the young and oldschool members. The eight-episode series debuts on Sunday, July 12.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
The World Cup may still be raging, but EA Sports would like to remind you that the other kind of football is right around the corner. “College Football 27” promises streamlined playcalling, a new “Dynasty Blueprint” mode for aspiring athletic directors and a revamped “Road to Glory” campaign that lets you rake in the sponsorship cash as you ght for the Heisman Trophy. Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy, Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore are the cover models, but the buzziest addition may be Mascot Mashup, which pits team mascots against each other in 11-on11 slugfests. Kicko is Thursday, July 9, on
5,
or
PlayStation
Xbox X/S
PC.
EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO
Ronnie Wood, left, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards attend The Rolling Stones “Foreign Tongues” album launch event on May 5, 2026, in New York.
CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO
Francis Lawrence, from left, Joshua Odjick, Garrett Wareing, and Mark Hamill accept the Robert Altman Award for “The Long Walk” during the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 2026.
RICHARD SHOTWELL
INVISION
PHOTO