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VOLUME 149 ISSUE 24 | THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2026

CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM

THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Hallworthy Longtime Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly caps his football career Saturday when he joins 386 of his fellow players to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of the bigger highlights of his career, pictured, was when he picked off Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on the second play of a 2016 NFC divisional playoff game, running it back for a touchdown. Carolina won that game 31-24 and continued on to play the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. For more, turn to NSJ sports. CHUCK BURTON / AP PHOTO

the

Chatham County Schools facing BRIEF this week difficulties with technology acquisition Divided federal appeals court says Trump administration wrong to terminate climate funds Washington, D.C. A federal appeals court has ruled that the Trump administration improperly ended a multibillion-dollar program for clean energy projects. This decision supports a lower court’s ruling that nonprofits chosen to run the Biden-era effort should have access to the funds. The ruling is temporarily on hold, allowing the Environmental Protection Agency time to appeal to the Supreme Court. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, known as a “green bank,” was designed to finance small energy projects. The Trump administration accused the nonprofits of mismanagement and fraud, freezing the funds. The groups denied wrongdoing and sued, claiming legal violations.

Guard deployment to Washington, D.C., into 2029 will cost roughly $1.4B, estimate shows The extension of the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C., until January 2029 will cost roughly $1.4 billion, according to a Defense Department estimate provided to Congress. The figure offers a glimpse of how much taxpayer money will be spent on a deployment that has been criticized by local officials as an infringement of their city’s autonomy and by Democrats who say it has militarized the streets of nation’s capital.

Chromebook prices have increased by more than $100 in the last year By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Schools Board of Education met Aug. 3 for a myriad of items.

year because of budget concerns.” Samberg pointed to the rising cost of equipment spurred on by rising memory costs and how within the last year, prices for units have increased by more than $100 from when the district last purchased them. “Due to these rapid price fluctuations, we used to get a quote from these companies that would be good for 30 days and

we’d bring it to the board, but now with the vendors we typically use for computer equipment, the best we’ve gotten for validity of quotes is a week and most are doing 24-48 hours tops because the prices are changing so fast,” Samberg said. Because of these challenges, the board authorized a See SCHOOLS, page A7

Silk Hope Ruritan Club announces 2026 scholarship recipients Scholarship funds totaling $12,000 were awarded By Melinda Burris Chatham News & Record SILK HOPE — In mid-July, the Silk Hope Ruritan Club met and presented its annual schol-

arship awards, giving out a total of $12,000. “The criteria for eligibility for scholarships from the organization are that the student must either go through Silk Hope School, attend Silk Hope School, or be a child or a grandchild of a Ruritan member,” said Michael Rogers, current Ruritan Club

president and chairman of the scholarship committee. The 2026 scholarship winners, with the school they are attending, are Carly Cardman, Reyna Nava Catalan, UNC Chapel Hill; Gracie Debnam, NC State; Emily Dekaney, UNC Wilmington; Aidan Leysath, University of Alabama; Abby

Stein, Jackson plan to hold Duke Energy ‘accountable’ in data center pledge “Data centers must pay their own way to protect families from rising electricity costs.” Gov. Josh Stein

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The board was first presented with some of the issues that the technology department has been facing with the rapid fluctuation of tech prices. “Normally, at the end of every school year, we purchase Chromebooks that we deploy over the summer and the next school year,” said Chief Technology Officer Mark Samberg. “We did not do that this past

More than 200 organizations have signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge

By Jessica Taylor For Chatham News & Record RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson urged Duke Energy to create a legally binding contract to abide by the promises it has made after joining the federal administration’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge.

“Duke just promised the federal government that it won’t shift the cost of data centers onto families,” said Jackson in the press release. “We agree, but a promise in Washington doesn’t lower a power bill in North Carolina. We’re calling on Duke to make that same promise to the Utilities Commission, in writing, where it can be enforced.” “I am pleased to see that Duke Energy has signed on to the Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” added Stein. “Now, Duke EnSee PLEDGE, page A7

McPherson, NC State; Landon Moser, Guilford College; Grant W. Smith, NC State; Lilliana Hicks, Campbell University; Mallory Jones, UNC Chapel Hill; Mayson Walters, NC State; and Sanyia White, Sandhills Community College. See WINNERS, page A7

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

THURSDAY

8.6.26 #134

Congressman Edwards quits reelection bid after committee recommends his censure The 11th District Republican’s behavior was deemed “beyond inappropriate”

“Join the conversation” Chatham News & Record www.chathamnewsrecord.com

North State Media LLC 303 West Raleigh Street Siler City, North Carolina 27344 Copyright 2026 Trip Hoffend Publisher Jim Sills VP of Local Newspapers Jordan Golson Local News Editor Shawn Krest Sports Editor Dan Reeves Features Editor Ryan Henkel Reporter PJ Ward-Brown Photographer BUSINESS David Guy Advertising Manager Chatham News & Record (USPS #101160) is published weekly, 52 weeks a year, by North State Media LLC 303 West Raleigh Street Siler City, NC 27344 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Chatham News & Record PO Box 290 Siler City, NC 27344 CONTACT US For a vacation hold or to report a delivery problem: 919-663-3232 To place a classified or display ad: 919-663-3232; Fax: 919-663-4042 To submit a news tip or correction: 919-663-3232; news@chathamnewsrecord.com

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CRIME LOG July 27 • Le’Keevin Nysean Banks, 27, was arrested for assault on a female and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. July 28 • Rocky Wallace Chriscoe, 46, was arrested for second-degree trespass. • Phillip Dixon Williams, 44, was arrested for trafficking in methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. • Franklin Miles Young, 46, was arrested for breaking and entering and misdemeanor larceny. • Darreus Vo Shon McNeill, 29, was arrested for felony assault on an individual with a disability, failure to register as a sex offender, assault with a deadly weapon and other charges. • Kiera Chante’ Nelson, 22, was arrested for forgery of an instrument. July 29 • Demetris Christian Goins, 30, was arrested for breaking and entering, violation of a domestic violence protective order, communicating threats and other charges. July 30 • John Kerry Powell, 75, was arrested for soliciting alms. • Daniel Stephen Kirkman, 37, was arrested for felony conspiracy, aiding and abetting larceny, possession of stolen goods and other charges. • Joseph Wiley Beal, 45, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. • Daniel Marin, 33, was arrested for driving while impaired. July 31 • Shameek Tavon Snuggs, 32, was arrested for driving on a revoked license. • Zoie Dasha Mason, 27, was arrested for misdemeanor aiding and abetting. Aug. 1 • Hannah Michelle Dowdy, 32, was arrested for driving while impaired and misdemeanor child abuse. • Aleaha Renne Marr, 32, was arrested for driving while impaired. • Wade Hampton Farrish, 72, was arrested for violation of a domestic violence protective order and communicating threats. Aug. 2

The Ethics panel found no evidence Edwards explicitly propositioned any person under his employ or engaged in any sexual activity with them. But it also said he failed to adhere to “the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers.” “Both women were uncomfortable with his behavior (which they attempted to communicate) but were put in an untenable position by virtue of his status as their boss and a Member of Congress,” the Ethics Committee said in its 25-page report. “Representative Edwards was at minimum blind to that reality, and at worst, dismissive of the impact his inappropriate conduct had on the careers and well-being of two women on his staff.” One aide worked for the congressman’s office for about 21⁄2 years and the other for about three years. They no longer work there. The Ethics panel said they left due to conduct described in its report, although they provided other explanations to Edwards. In a 15-page response to the report, Edwards’ attorneys argued that the committee’s findings “exonerate” the congressman, pointing to the conclusion that he did not engage in sexual activity or explicitly proposition any staff member. His attorneys said the recommendation of censure was an “extraordinarily harsh and infrequent punishment” that is based on vague standards and adherence to the spirit of House rules, “not based on a direct violation of House rules addressing sexual misconduct.” House members are prohibited from engaging in sexual harassment or making unwanted advances toward their subordinates. The committee’s report de-

tailed numerous gifts that Edwards gave the two aides, calling the gifts “beyond norms of professional behavior.” The women received jewelry totaling more than $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop and cell phone, as well as vacations, tickets to performances, and one-onone dinners. House rules in place to protect staff The Edwards investigation came at a time of heightened scrutiny of lawmakers’ behavior toward female staffers following the resignations of Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales. Both were facing calls for their expulsion before they stepped down earlier this year. In May, House leadership designated Reps. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) and Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) to lead a bipartisan effort to combat sexual misconduct in Congress. Their work is focused on making Capitol Hill a safer job environment for women. The Ethics panel said Edwards cooperated with the investigation and acknowledged to them that at least some of the behavior at issue could be viewed as inappropriate. However, he has not acknowledged or taken responsibility for the harm he caused, the committee said. In his interview with the committee, the panel said Edwards repeatedly asserted that he knows well what constitutes “sexual harassment” and seemed to believe he had immunized himself from such a charge by avoiding inappropriate touching and sexual comments and occasionally telling the staffers that they were free to put up boundaries. “Despite the absence of an explicit proposition, a reasonable person could interpret Representative Edwards’ intimate and effusive attentions, where he prioritized the personal over the professional, as thinly veiled advances,” the committee wrote. It appears Edwards will stay in his seat in Congress through January, though his announcement may not save him from being censured once the House returns from its August break.

Central 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.

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in Chatham County:

Aug. 7 A Different Thread 7-8:30 p.m. The British folk and North Carolina alt-country duo performs at the community’s free outdoor summer concert series. A hat is passed for the musicians. Bynum Front Porch 950 Bynum Rd. Bynum

Aug. 8 Wildlife Tracking Program 1-2 p.m. Chatham Community Library hosts a special wildlife tracking program for the community. Registration details are available through the library. Chatham Community Library 197 N.C. Highway 87 N. Pittsboro

Sanford Farmers Market 8:30 a.m. to noon Experience the ultimate in food, fun and fellowship in the Sandhills region at an ideal setting for local food producers to build connections within the community while giving the public a place to sample and purchase food and crafts made by their neighbors. 115 Chatham St. Sanford

Aug. 9 CCHA Historical Tour: Education in Chatham County 1–2:30 p.m. The Chatham County Historical Association leads a guided look at educational history across the county, combining a virtual presentation with a campus walk. Admission is $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers; capacity is limited to 35. George Moses Horton Middle School 79 Horton Road Pittsboro

Noon-6 p.m. The Plant’s annual festival celebrating the local tomato harvest features live music, food tastings, vendors and activities. Admission is free. The Plant 213 Lorax Lane Pittsboro

Aug. 14

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 five $100 Visa gift cards. Scan the QR code or visit NCBrightIdeas.com for more information or to apply!

128 Wilson Rd SANFORD, NC

happening

Chatham Tomato Festival

Nine Times Around 7-8:30 p.m. The Irish and Celtic band performs at the community’s free outdoor summer concert series. A hat is passed for the musicians.

919-774-4900 800-446-7752

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• Urbano Garcia-Sanchez, 27, was arrested for driving while impaired.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Embattled North Carolina Republican congressman Chuck Edwards withdrew from his reelection campaign Wednesday, two days after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured for unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female aides in his office. The Ethics Committee recommended the censure, an act registering its deep disapproval of a lawmaker’s conduct that does not meet the threshold for expulsion, on Monday. The panel highlighted numerous examples of actions it considered improper, including Edwards providing the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, and sending notes regarding his affection. According to North Carolina state law, a candidate who officially resigns their nomination can be replaced on the ballot by their party. Edwards, 65, denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, but the committee said his behavior would “lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such.” Edwards, who is serving his second term, said that he made the decision to drop his reelection bid after “much prayer and reflection” and that he would complete the current term. “Serving Western North Carolina has been the honor of my life,” he said in a post on X. “Thank you for your trust, prayers, and support. God bless WNC and America.” The Ethics Committee described Edwards’ actions as “beyond inappropriate” but said it found no evidence that he explicitly propositioned any person under his employ or engaged in any sexual activity with them. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) said “Senator Budd does not

Report found Edwards made aides “uncomfortable”

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• Marivel Pineda, 46, was arrested for possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

By Kevin Freking The Associated Press

disclose his private conversations, but he finds the House Ethics report deeply concerning. He believes Rep. Edwards faces a significant uphill battle in his reelection bid, given that he was already trailing in the polls.”

CHATHAM

CEMCPower.com

Bynum Front Porch 950 Bynum Road Bynum

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

Church News GUM SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH 227 Gum Springs Church Road Moncure

Gum Springs Baptist Church invites you to join us as we celebrate our 197th birthday on Aug. 16 with a covered dish meal following the 10 a.m. service. We will host revival Monday, Aug. 17 through Wednesday, Aug. 19.

PHOTOS BY RODRIQUE NGOWI / AP PHOTO

A worker drives a forklift at the Phoenix Tailings refinery July 22 in Exeter, New Hampshire.

US companies stepping up to cut reliance on China for critical minerals used in key weapons The transition will likely take years despite Pentagon funding and tight deadlines By Didi Tang, Josh Funk and Rodrique Ngowi The Associated Press EXETER, N.H. — Tucked inside a New Hampshire office park, a small refinery zaps mining waste with electricity to tease out critical minerals needed for key U.S. weapons systems, including missiles used in the Iran war. It can play a part in helping America break the chokehold China has on processing critical minerals, but it will take up to a year and a half to build a new factory as the Trump administration pushes to expand domestic production. The company, Phoenix Tailings, recently got a $500 million loan from the Pentagon to ramp up its work, after starting out eight years ago as a backyard lab seeking a cleaner metal-refining method. It’s just the latest critical minerals company the government has backed. The task that workers carry out in heat-resistant suits and sealed face masks has become more urgent as the Iran conflict draws down key munitions such as Tomahawk cruise missiles and THAAD interceptors. While the White House is demanding military contractors speed up production, it’s also imposing stricter rules banning them from sourcing critical minerals from China. “It will be a tall order and a challenge to replenish these stocks and scale up in the timeframe needed to meet defense demand and regulations,” said Anthony Balladon, chief commercial officer and a co-founder of Phoenix Tailings. He said the company is working hard to boost capacity. Although the U.S. is quickening its pace to build domestic supplies of critical minerals free of control from its most formidable rival, it will likely take years for companies across the industry to build new mines and boost production of the high-powered magnets essential in many high-tech applications. Extracting some of the hard-to-pronounce elements from existing mine waste can help satisfy the growing demand in the meantime, but it will likely take several companies to do that. Critical minerals industry has big plans, but it will take time to ramp up Phoenix Tailings taps waste from traditional mining as well as recycled magnets and disk drives as raw materials, working to counter China in processing where it has the strongest hold on the supply chain. The company based in the Boston-area city of Woburn, Massachusetts, plans to build a bigger facility to extract and produce critical metals needed in not only defense but also the aerospace and automotive industries. “We call it the freedom facil-

ity because, ultimately, the purpose of this is to ensure that the entire Western Hemisphere, the United States and its allies are free of Chinese influence within the rare-earth space,” Balladon said. On a recent afternoon, two technicians in heat-resistant hazmat suits were operating an apparatus of cylinders, tubes, funnels and control panels set up on a platform with bright yellow railings. A chemical process involving electricity removes oxygen and turns the material into a grayish metal that can be used to make the extremely strong permanent magnets used in fighter jets, missiles, radar systems and drones. The metals that Phoenix Tailings refines and other critical minerals play “an outsized role” in defense systems, Balladon said. A $150 million weapons system won’t work if it’s missing critical minerals that may be worth only $20,000 to $30,000, he said. The defense sector is particularly reliant on the metal samarium and needs 50 to 100 tons each year, but U.S. capacity is very limited, he said. Phoenix Tailings is among the few companies capable of producing the final metal, according to Balladon, but its capacity is only about 440 pounds a year. He said the company will scale up to about 5 tons in the next three months but that it will be next year or 2028 before it reaches its goal of 120ton capacity. Another U.S. magnet maker looks to France for raw materials Arnold Magnetic Technologies for years relied on China for samarium to produce the extremely strong, stable-in-high-temperatures magnet that goes into precision-guided missiles such as Tomahawks. That doesn’t work anymore. For Arnold, the solution to getting the critical minerals it needs has come from a relic of Europe’s past rare-earth industry — abandoned mining dirt in the French city of La Rochelle. Solvay, a Belgium-headquartered chemical company, stopped separating and processing rare earths from the mined dirt in the 2000s. That was when China was building up most of the world’s processing capacity with a determination to dominate the industry. China weaponized that near-monopoly last year by choking off its flow of processed critical materials and forcing the U.S. government to back off during a trade war. Solvay then restarted work and has added other rare earths this year, including samarium. “This ramp-up is driven by several factors: rapidly growing demand for permanent magnets, increased geopolitical focus on supply chain security, and strong customer demand in Europe and the United States for more diversified, resilient and traceable sources of supply,” a Solvay spokesperson said. For Arnold Magnetic Technologies, paying more to get

its supply from Solvay instead of China has not been a deal-breaker, because the samarium-cobalt magnets it makes account for only a small cost in a weapon system, said Arnold CEO Matt Blake. “They are not the absolute cost drivers,” he said. Plus, the company says the surge in demand for magnets has worked in its favor. Some concerns remain. The U.S. is dependent on imports of the critical mineral tungsten, with China controlling roughly 80% of the global mine supply and an even larger share of processing, according to Brodie Sutherland, CEO of Patriot Critical Minerals Corp. Sutherland, whose company seeks to explore and mine tungsten in the U.S., is concerned that America will not be able to get by without China-sourced tungsten after a Pentagon-imposed deadline of Jan. 1, 2027. Efforts to ramp up U.S. production will take years, he said, and in the meantime, the Pentagon and its defense contractors will need to rely on existing inventories, expanded recycling and limited non-China sources. The Iran war and Trump’s China order create pressure and opportunity The need to increase production has become more urgent as renewed fighting with Iran digs into the U.S. military’s already diminished stockpiles of advanced missile interceptors, including Patriots and THAADs, according to a recent analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank. It also has raised concerns that the military would have diminished firepower in any potential future conflict with China. CSIS warned in May that it could take at least three years to replenish stockpiles of Tomahawks, Patriots and THAADs, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors. At the same time, President Donald Trump has announced stricter controls on defense contractors sourcing critical materials from China. “It is the policy of the United States that not only the finished equipment deployed by our military, but also the critical materials and components necessary to manufacture, maintain, sustain, and repair that equipment, are sourced domestically or from allied nations,” the July 20 executive order says. Lockheed Martin, which makes THAADs and many other weapons systems, said, “We continuously assess the global rare earth supply chain to ensure access to critical materials that support our customers’ missions.” Several other major U.S. defense contractors, including Raytheon Technologies and Northrop Grumman, didn’t respond to requests for comment. Balladon, of Phoenix Tailings, was confident in U.S. companies. “Ultimately, with the right support and partners across the industry, we think we can make it happen,” he said.

The Rev. Jason Golden, associational missionary with Sandy Creek Association, will speak Monday, The Rev. Terry Pleasants on Tuesday, and the week of services will conclude Wednesday with a song service lead by Lisa Martin of Lee’s Chapel Christian, Sanford leading suggestions from the audience. Services will begin at 6:30 p.m. each evening.

REAVES CHAPEL AME ZION CHURCH 7888 Goldston-Glendon Road Goldston Reaves Chapel AME Zion Church will be having their annual Homecoming Service on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 11 a.m. 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 speaker for our Homecoming Service will be our very own pastor, the Rev. Joseph L. Marsh.

RIVES CHAPEL BAPTIST CHURCH 4338 Rives Chapel Church Road Siler City Website: riveschapelbaptist.com Homecoming and revival Sunday, Aug. 9 – 11 a.m. worship service Service with speaker Dr. Sandy Marks, who serves as the pastoral strategist with the Baptist State Convention. A covered dish lunch will follow in the fellowship hall. Revival services – Aug. 9-12 at 7 p.m.ik Special Music Nightly!

AMAZING GRACE! Bible study: John 15:127 Church of Living Water; Servant: James Mitchell. God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ so that the world could be forgiven for all our sins. Jesus is the True Vine who suffered so all who are willing could have Eternal Life. Everyone could have true peace on earth and the abundant life. I ask all, why do so many hate the One who gave His life for all? Are we bearing the fruit that shows we have truly repented of our sins? We need to judge ourselves—have we truly been born again? Satan will do everything to try to stop us from coming to Jesus. Satan can’t stop anyone who chooses to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior! I ask the world, why do you hate the only One who can forgive all our sins? To all brothers and sisters, don’t let Satan divide us, in Jesus’ name. A Christian may think they’re right and be so wrong. God loves the humble heart but resists the prideful heart. If the evil in this world hated Jesus, they will hate His children also. To all who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, stand steadfast. All who have heard God’s truth, we are without excuse. I sincerely pray that all see and understand God’s truth! The world is in perilous times like never before.

Share with your community! ••• Send your birth, death, marriage, graduation and other announcements to community@ chathamnewsrecord.com. ••• Weekly deadline is Monday at noon.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

THE CONVERSATION Trip Hoffend, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor VISUAL VOICES

COLUMN | ANDREW TAYLOR-TROUTMAN

In memoriam: Michael Earl Terry

I find inspiration in people like Michael, who live the faith of service, hospitality and love.

MY FRIEND Michael Terry died July 27. I am hardly alone in grieving his loss. Family and friends filled up the entire Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center in Sanford for his funeral. Mourners sat in the aisles! Michael was a father, grandfather and lover of corny dad jokes: “How do you find Will Smith in the snow?” Answer: “Follow the fresh prints!” In his professional life, Michael was an accomplished entrepreneur and chef who dedicated his life to feeding people. He worked in food services with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools and the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and (with his beloved wife, Stephanie) founded a successful catering company. Michael also had a heart to serve. I met him during the COVID-19 pandemic when he spearheaded efforts to prepare and distribute over 70,000 individually packaged meals for children and seniors. He also volunteered at the Triangle Baha’i Institute, where he cooked for thousands of children and adults who attended camps and conferences. Michael was not a Christian. My friend spent most of his life as a member of the Rastafarian

community, and he often quoted their motto, “To feed the hungry is to serve God.” I agree, and I think Jesus would as well. The ancient Galilean rabbi spoke often of bread, fish, lamb and olive oil. Jesus valued food as a means to create community, such as a wedding party in which he turned a hundred-some gallons of water into excellent wine! He also fed thousands of people with two fish and five loaves, and there were 12 baskets of leftovers to feed even more. I am a Christian because of the central place of the table in our life of worship and service. Everyone is invited to experience grace and then to feel empowered to share that gift with the world so that the beloved community comes “on earth, as it is in heaven,” as Jesus taught his followers to pray. Until that day comes, I find inspiration in people like Michael, who live the faith of service, hospitality and love. It’s like a good meal; you know it when you experience it. Michael was also a basketball fan, so I shared one of my dad jokes with him: “Which fast-food chain is more likely to win a basketball tournament?”

COURTESY

Michael Earl Terry Dunkin’ Donuts! Andrew Taylor-Troutman’s newest book is “This Is the Day.” He serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church as well as a writer, pizza maker, coffee drinker and student of joy.

COLUMN | BOB WACHS

Right thing may take time, but it’s worth the effort

Maybe the doughnut light had just come on at Krispy Kreme.

IS IT JUST me or is the milk of human kindness in short supply these days? Or has it always been in short supply and I was, or still am, just too stupid or naïve to notice the volume of the supply is lacking? I hope I’m wrong; I hope there’s more and more of that milk around, more than there used to be. I hope more and more folks take the time, most often just a moment or two, to do the right thing. But the more birthdays I have, the more random acts of unkindness I see. So could it just be that I’m too often in the wrong place then? Granted, this hurry-up, fast-paced, “get yours-while-you-can-and-don’t-worryabout-anybody-else” world can do that to you. But let me go on record as saying I don’t like it, and that in my humble opinion, it is not a good thing for man or beast. For instance, why do some folks either just stare at you or not even bother to do that when you step aside and hold the door for them. What ever happened to “Hello” or “Good morning” or even “Thank you” or just “Thanks”? I know, I know … maybe they’re having a bad day or their grandma just died or something, but does that excuse not acknowledging another human being is in your presence? I put forth that question once in a group discussion, and someone berated me with a question of their own, namely, “Why are you holding the door in the first place? Is it so they’ll thank you?” The answer to that is, “No, that’s not the reason.” The reason I do that is because my mama and daddy reared me and my brothers to do that — and other similar things — for another human, regardless of their age, race, sex, beauty, lack of or anything else. It is, they said, the right thing to do. Now before someone says I must think I’m pretty special or just the greatest thing going or ain’t that just grand about my mama, let me go on to say I’m pretty sure many other folks were similarly reared. I’m just not seeing them that much these days. Case in point: You knew there had to be something that launched this

tirade, didn’t you? Actually, there are two. One has to do with when you’re trying to merge into traffic and there are two lanes and all the traffic is in the one closest to you and folks will die at the wheel before they realize all they have to do is pull over to the other lane and you both can travel on. In a nod to the ancient days when I took driver’s training, our instructor told us it was really important to pay attention to the world around you when driving. He told us we shouldn’t be combing our hair or applying lipstick or sending text messages — oh, wait … there were no cell phones then. He told us to pay attention and to watch what other drivers were doing. Truthfully, I can live with that one because, in spite of my ramblings, there have been times I have not pulled over myself. Not many because I do pay attention to that, but, in the spirit of honesty, I must admit there have been some. I have been so preoccupied with my thoughts or singing along with Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops on “Baby, I Need Your Lovin’” that I wasn’t paying attention to other traffic, which our driver training instructor also said was something we should do. The other case in point of the absence of kindness or common decency or whatever word(s) you like has to do with drivers who love their horns and can’t wait to lean on them for extended periods of time. Not so long ago, I was parked on the main street of my little hometown. I’d conducted some business and made my way back to my ride. I was parked in the end space of a line, next to a traffic light which I couldn’t see because it was hidden from view because of the shape of my vehicle. So I watched the traffic flow, and when the line of cars going the way I wanted to go stopped for a red light I began easing out, watching all around. Apparently, Richard Petty or A.J. Foyt has moved to Pittsboro because in a nanosecond a driver had zoomed up the side street, made a quick turn and wound up on — and almost in — my bumper as I was two-thirds out of the space. I’m pretty sure the back-up lights on my ride work, and if Mr. NASCAR had been

watching he could have seen them go out as I worked the shifter to pull back in since it was obvious he wasn’t going to let me out. I don’t know why he was in a hurry. Maybe the doughnut light had just come on at Krispy Kreme. Maybe his wife was in the car about to give birth to triplets. Maybe his wife had just hollered at him because she was in the car. Maybe he loves his horn. Maybe he’s just not nice … I don’t know. What I do know is the horn on his ride works because he let me hear it loud and long, preferring to let the world, or at least that part around us, know how I had insulted him by daring to get into his space — never mind that he wasn’t there just a moment before — rather than take the same amount of time to let me out that was required to sound off his horn. And in that same spirit of honesty I spoke of earlier, let me tell you two things happened from that brief encounter. No. 1 is that the entire incident instantly registered about an 8.75 on my 10 scale of anger, mainly because it was unnecessary. And secondly, noticing as he went by that his passenger window was down, since my window was also down, I reverted to another random act of kindness mentioned earlier — I thanked him for his kindness. Really, I did. I said, “Thank you.” Now that’s as far as it went. I did not question his ancestry or swear at him or invent any new words, use a sailor’s vocabulary or show him any hand gestures. I just said “thank you” so he could hear it. But I’m thinking the entire time: Why not take just a moment and extend an act of kindness to another human rather than sit down on your vehicle horn for as long as you could hold it? I wonder if he would like it if I laid down on my horn if I’m ever 5 feet from his ear. So, be on the lookout, friends; find a random act of kindness somewhere and do it. Please … Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

COLUMN | JAN HUTTON

COLUMN | DAVID HARSANYI

Fauci’s cowardly Fifth Amendment evasion

Toothbrushes are just that awesome …

If I framed it as an “awesome” toothbrush, does anything change?

TOOTHBRUSHES? Awesome? Are we on the same page? Same page, different awarenesses. Sounds like Greek to me. Let’s start again. The beginning … I’m an old Trekkie who recently watched one of the newest iterations of that particular genre. In this particular iteration, there’s a humanoid holographic character, programmed to be 17 years old, whose only history is in this very moment. She sees all objects around her with absolutely new eyes, no judgments. Ergo, “Toothbrushes are just that awesome!” When was the last time, if ever, you called a toothbrush “awesome?” Now answer honestly … Wait, wait, what’s the point to this “toothbrush” mischigas (word for the day: mischigas. Yiddish for craziness.) But hey, surprise: Our focus is not so much on the toothbrush as it is on the toothbrush’s perceived “awesomeness.” Whoa, whoa! I’m truly lost right now! This all begins to sound like mischigas. I don’t need craziness on a Sunday afternoon. Point made. Moving on. Now let’s just be honest with each other. If I mentioned the word toothbrush to you, what might your reaction be? Boring … Gotta agree with you. However, if I framed it as an “awesome” toothbrush, does anything change? Well, yeah. I’d certainly be giving that toothbrush a second look, maybe even a third.

Am I missing something in terms of it being awesome? Viewing my utilitarian toothbrush through the prism of awesome, I begin to see it’s one of my favorite colors (purple; just adore purple.) Keepin’ it right handy for my seemingly never-ending dental journey. (Please don’t tell my dentist I was sarcastic and said that.) My utilitarian purple toothbrush now has greater dimension. It’s no longer just an object but one with a living history, and appreciation, in my life. (Who knew purple toothbrushes could make me so happy?) Looking through the prism of the word “awesome,” my surroundings can offer me a sense of wonder. Doors opening into memories of an object’s trailing history in my life. Everything around me is alive. Not-simply-just-an-object. Resonating with a history I generally don’t notice … If I’m feeling a bit lonely? How about peering at my autumnal-colored couch, appending the word awesome to it. Many images of its journey through the years come swimming back. I’m no longer alone. The memories are of people who have come and gone, but nonetheless, they gifted me with their presence on that couch and in my life. You want ongoing aliveness in your life? The password is “awesome!” No need to protect that particular password. Feel free to share. Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.

COLUMN | VICTOR JOECKS

The inadequacy of opposing socialism

It’s like someone who takes $20 from your wallet and then claims he’ll make you better off by giving you $10 back.

DON’T ASSUME socialism’s inevitable failures will stop it from spreading. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently announced that his government-run grocery stores will offer products at a 30% discount. The appeal of this plan is obvious. Everyone would like to pay less for milk, eggs and meat. That this plan won’t work is equally obvious to anyone who understands basic economics. Unfortunately, that excludes many New Yorkers and college graduates. Take a look at the details of Mamdani’s plan. He doesn’t want the city to run these stores. He’s seeking proposals from “qualified grocers or firms to serve as operators” of the stores. “The City sets the mission, the standards and the store design; experienced third-party operators run the stores day to day under those requirements,” a release from Mamdani’s office states. Further, “operators will be required to provide family-sustaining wages and benefits and commit to a Labor Peace Agreement so that workers who want to organize can do so without interference.” That Mamdani doesn’t trust NYC’s bureaucracy to run his grocery stores is smart, but it also shows why the government shouldn’t run grocery stores. Mamdani may want to seize the means of production, but he appears to recognize that government doesn’t do a great job of producing. His premise is also absurd. Most grocery stores have profit margins of 1% to 3%. Mamdani wants an operator to run his stores with 30% discounts on major items and to allow a union to inflate worker pay. Maybe Mamdani can hire fairies to stock the shelves with products delivered by unicorns. But Mamdani doesn’t expect these operators to lower prices by 30%. The city’s request for proposals states the city “will provide financial support to the Operator(s) to mitigate operating deficits attributable to discounted Core Basket sales and enable cost-effective program delivery.” This subsidy would be in addition to NYC taxpayers paying $70 million to build five stores and then cover their rent and property taxes.

Mamdani’s grocery store scheme won’t prove the superiority of socialism because he’s not even trying to lower costs. He’s content to disguise them with crony capitalism. It’s like someone who takes $20 from your wallet and then claims he’ll make you better off by giving you $10 back. If the grocery stores are “successful,” they’ll drive nearby privately run stores out of business, which will erode the tax base. That will require more government-subsidized grocery stores, driving more grocery stores out of business and further reducing tax revenues. This spiral will continue until New Yorkers come to their electoral senses or run out of toilet paper — proof a country has fully implemented socialism. These are important arguments to make. But they aren’t enough. Mamdani gives his followers specifics that create a clear narrative. According to him, the problem is high prices — the villains are rich people, and the solution is government-run grocery stores. Now, Mamdani is wrong — very wrong — on the details. But conservatives need to imitate his model. For instance, electricity prices are too high — the villain is the left’s push for expensive and unreliable green energy, and the solution is ending federal subsidies for wind and solar. States also need to repeal their renewable portfolio standards. Car prices are too high — the villain is anti-fossil fuel regulations pushed by Democrats, and the solution is requiring Congress to authorize any restrictions on gas-powered vehicles. Now one challenge for conservatives is that real solutions can take years to work, while socialists promise quick fixes and gimmicks. But by identifying the root cause of a problem, conservatives make a much stronger argument. It isn’t enough to point out the many problems with socialist proposals. Conservatives also need to provide villains and solutions. Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

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THERE’S NOTHING inherently wrong with invoking the Fifth Amendment. The perception that anyone who pleads the Fifth to protect themselves from self-incrimination is only hiding guilt is wrong. Innocent people are often The long-term intimidated or tricked consequences by those in power into implicating themselves. of blanket Others might get nervous pardons are under oath and worry about misspeaking under pressure. exceptionally Former Director of the corrosive. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci, who appeared before the Senate committee investigating the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is not one of those people. There is some legal question as to whether a person who has received a pardon loses his ability to plead the Fifth since the assertion is predicated on shielding them from future crimes, like lying to Congress. Fauci, after all, could admit to personally creating COVID-19 in a lab and then spreading it himself, and there is still nothing the government could do to him. Former President Joe Biden gave him an unprecedented pardon for any federal offenses related to any pandemic-era actions between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025. The long-term consequences of blanket pardons are exceptionally corrosive. It’s difficult to imagine anything that could incentivize criminality and abuse of power with the government more than knowing a president will give you a getout-of-jail-free card at the end of a term. The entire point of the hearings, Fauci contends, is to trap him. Fauci says Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who released a cache of diary entries and emails earlier this week, is obsessed with prosecuting him, evident by his “repeated slanderous comments” and release of unredacted personal documents, which were aimed at “embarrassing and intimidation.” Perhaps. But Fauci, who was employed by the federal government for 54 years, director of the NIAID for 38, has likely delivered thousands of speeches and appeared in front of Congress somewhere around 250 times. If he can’t offer clear and honest testimony under oath, who can? The fact is that being truthful under oath would mean explaining several things: Why, though Fauci knew COVID-19’s fatality rate was likely at 0.2%-0.3% and “acting like a bad influenza,” he told Congress that it was “10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu.” Why, after privately expressing frustration regarding the efficacy of lockdowns in flattening the curve, Fauci not only advocated closing businesses and schools nationally but framed anyone who was skeptical as villains. Why Fauci publicly contended that he had absolutely nothing to do with school closings yet privately took credit for frightening the mayor of New York, the governor of California and others into shutting down their states. Why Fauci privately acknowledged that the wet market in Wuhan “was not the source” of the virus but the “amplifier” and yet continued contending, with great scientific certitude, that the virus jumping from bats to humans was “absolutely totally compatible” with the available evidence, but the theory of the virus being created in the Wuhan Institute of Virology was a “very, very, very, very remote possibility.” Committee Democrats, incidentally, declined to rebut any Republican criticisms aimed at Fauci or speak on any of the problems of the pandemic response. Many of these Democrats had not treated Fauci’s word as indisputable truth and smeared anyone who questioned his authoritarian remedies as if they were members of a death cult. Instead, Democrats used their time to highlight the spread of measles cases under anti-vaccine activist and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It’s an important topic. The problem, though, is that Fauci and other public health officials who lied and manipulated the public under the banner of “science” have a lot to do with the collapse of trust in the institutions that help fight measles outbreaks. Failing to get any accountability or full transparency from those who botched the COVID pandemic response only fuels more suspicion and skepticism about vaccines. And, make no mistake, avoiding accountability and transparency are the real reasons Fauci took the Fifth. David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner. (Copyright 2026 Creators.com)

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

obituaries

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Edna Esther (McAllister) Becker Nov. 19, 1933 – July 23, 2026 Edna Esther (McAllister) Becker, 92, of New York, entered her heavenly home on July 23, 2026, at Elcor Nursing and Rehabilitation, Horseheads, New York. Edna was born November 19, 1933, in Queens, New York to Ferdinand and Esther McAllister. Edna married Guenther K. Becker in December 1953. The couple had four children. Following the death of her husband in 1966, Edna and her children moved to Toms River, New Jersey where she was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Toms River and worked as a home health aide. Edna and her children moved to Siler City, North Carolina in 1983, where she was a devoted member of the Siler City Presbyterian Church. Her deep and abiding faith was a guiding presence throughout her life, providing her with strength, comfort, and grace. She worked at the VA Medical Center in Durham as a unit clerk for many years. Edna was blessed with many dear friends and treasured the time she shared with them. Her warm smile, compassionate heart, and genuine kindness drew people to her, creating

friendships that lasted a lifetime. She especially enjoyed traveling with her friends from the Siler City Senior Center, embracing every opportunity to explore new places and create lasting memories. Whether traveling across the United States or abroad, Edna approached each journey with a sense of adventure, curiosity, and gratitude. The friendships she cultivated and the experiences she shared brought her great joy and enriched her life in countless ways. In her later years, Edna moved to Big Flats, New York, where she was a member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. Edna attended the Daytime Program at Elcor Nursing and Rehabilitation for several years before eventually becoming a resident there. Edna is lovingly remembered by her children: Bernhard Becker and his wife, Karen, of South Carolina; Bruce Becker and his wife, Sue, of Delaware; and Martha and her husband, Kyle, of New Jersey. She also leaves behind eight cherished grandchildren and seven beloved great-grandchildren, each of whom brought her immense joy and pride. Edna was preceded in death by her devoted husband, Guenther Becker; her beloved son, Ralph Becker; her cherished grandson, Jesse Becker; and her siblings, Marilyn Hargrave, Melvin McAllister, and Ward McAllister. Though she will be deeply missed, her love, faith, and the memories she created will live on in the hearts of her family and all who knew her. A funeral service will be held at Smith & Buckner, Siler City, NC. from 8:30am to 10:30am on Friday, July 31. Interment will follow at Chatham Memorial Park, Siler City, NC. Smith & Buckner Funeral Home will be assisting the Becker family. Online condolences can be made at www.smithbucknerfh. com

IN MEMORY

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RICHARD “JEFFREY” BAKER JAN. 11, 1962 – JULY 25, 2026 Richard “Jeffrey” Baker, 64, of Sanford, passed away on Saturday, July 25, 2026 at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill. A Celebration of Life will be held on August 6, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. at Rise Assembly in Sanford with Pastor Ronnie Whitaker and Pastor Tim Gore presiding. Jeffrey was born in Harnett County on January 11, 1962 to Marvin and Brenda Blackmon Baker. He was a member of Rise Assembly and formerly served as a minister at Carthage Church of God. He was employed as a tech engineer at Nettapp in Morrisville. Jeffrey enjoyed riding his Honda Goldwing, working at the food bank and serving those in need. He loved his family and friends. Jeffrey was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Tammy Parker Baker, of the home; sister, Carol Baker, of Godwin; brother, Tony Baker (Myra), of Dunn; sisters and brothers-in-law, Teresa Veit (Tony), of FuquayVarina, Jennifer Ruggles (Tim), of Dunn and Marion Parker, Jr. (Deanna), of Southport and a host of family and friends.

DWIGHT FRANKLIN JONES AUG. 1, 2026 Dwight Franklin Jones, 86, passed away on Saturday, August 1, 2026 at his home surrounded by his family. Dwight was a native of Chatham County. He was a member of Beulah Baptist Church and a believer of the Lord Jesus Christ. He served as a Deacon and Trustee. Dwight owned and operated Dwight Jones Grocery & Gas. After retirement, he worked at Routh’s Grocery in Bennett. He also enjoyed selling produce. He was a kind, merciful man who enjoyed talking and picking with people. Dwight helped start the Bennett Fire Department and was a charter member. He served for 30 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clina and Leona Phillips Jones; a sister, Geneva Saunders and brothers, Wayne Jones, Ray Jones, Howard Jones and Gary Jones. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Ruby Garner Jones; daughters, Abigail Jones Beard, Anita Jones Thomas and Jan Jones White and husband, Brad; grandchildren, Clay White, Nolan White (Abbie), Chase Beard, Brianna Beard, Kayley Thomas, Macy Thomas and Lydia Thomas (Justin).

GERALD “JERRY” WAYNE GUNTER MAY 13, 1944 – JULY 27, 2026 Gerald “Jerry” Wayne Gunter, age 82 of New Hill, NC passed away on Monday (7/27/2026) at Transitions Life Care in Raleigh, NC surrounded by his loving family. Gerald was born in Chatham County on May 13,1944 as the son of Alvarado Banks Gunter and Mary Catherine Cross Gunter. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents and brother: Donald Gunter. Jerry graduated from Moncure High School in 1962, where he was Class President and a standout basketball player. After graduation he entered the Air Force and was stationed in Oklahoma, where he also continued to play basketball with the Air Force league. He was a proud veteran and up until his death, on every Memorial Day, July 4th, and Veterans Day, he placed flags on the gravesites of family members that served. He married Carolyn Morris on June 20, 1965. Upon his discharge from the Air Force in 1967, he and Carolyn relocated back to North Carolina and began working with IBM and remained there until his retirement. Until his recent health decline, he still ate lunch weekly with his buddies from workdays that remained close with him. Jerry and Carolyn built their family’s home on his wife’s family’s farm acreage in New Hill and there they raised their children and remained until their death. Jerry was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He doted on Caroline and Mason, spending many weekends at softball games, dance recitals, and baseball games. Jerry loved a good card game, a great round of golf and a competitive basketball game. Even though his children graduated from NC State, he remained dedicated to his Tarheels, which led to some competitive family gatherings. He is survived by his children. Daughter Michelle Gunter Everhart of Thomasville, NC. Son Stephen M. Gunter (Corey) of New Hill, NC. Two sisters; Nancy Gunter Walden (John) of Sanford, NC and Mary Ann Perkins (Larry) of Moncure, NC. Two Grandchildren; Caroline Grace Everhart and Mason Thomas Gunter.

EDWARD RICHARDSON HARDING NOV. 7, 1940 – JULY 29, 2026

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in Chatham News & Record at obits@chathamnewsrecord.com

Edward Richardson Harding, age 85, of Sanford, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at FirstHealth Hospice House in West End. He was born in Chatham County on November 7, 1940 to the late Dwight Harding and Rosemond O’Neal Harding. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his loving wife Mabel McNeill Harding and his brother David Reed Harding. He served 20 years in the United States Army. His military service included a tour in Vietnam, where he demonstrated courage, dedication, and unwavering commitment to his country. In recognition of his honorable service, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal, among other commendations. Upon retiring from the Army, Mr. Harding remained committed to those who had served. He joined the North Carolina Employment Security Commission as a Veterans Representative, where he found great purpose in helping fellow veterans secure meaningful employment as they transitioned to civilian life. His compassion, guidance, and understanding made a lasting difference in the lives of countless veterans and their families. In his free time, he was an avid hunter, fisher, gun enthusiast, devoted church member, enjoyed being on the water, and loved spending time with his family. Edward is survived by his sons William Edward Harding and Jeffrey Allan Harding, daughter Kelly Ann Hoy, eight grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.

Kay Granger, first Republican woman from Texas to serve in the House, dead at 83 She rose from high school teacher to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee

By Jamie Stengle The Associated Press DALLAS — Kay Granger, the first Republican woman from Texas to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and who served for nearly three decades, died Sunday at the age of 83, her son J.D. Granger said. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a post on X that throughout her career, Granger “broke barriers for women in public service.” He added that she “was a dear friend who will be greatly missed.” Granger, who began her career as a high school teacher

and a businesswoman, accomplished many firsts as a politician. She was the first woman elected mayor of Fort Worth, Texas, and the first Republican woman to chair one of the most powerful committees in Congress, the House Appropriations Committee. First elected to the House in 1996, she did not seek reelection in 2024 and experienced worsening “health challenges” in her final months in Congress, according to a statement her office released in December 2024. Granger, who didn’t cast a vote in Washington after July 2024, didn’t specify or elaborate on those health challenges but said in the statement that frequent travel had become “both difficult and unpredictable” since early September of that year. Granger graduated from Texas Wesleyan University

in 1965 and considered a career in fashion design but followed her mother into teaching. She worked in the Birdville school district for nine years, teaching English literature and journalism, according to a profile compiled for the publication “Women in Congress, 1917-2006.” A divorce would lead to a career change. To earn more money, Granger worked from home selling insurance. Her mother, Alliene Mullendore, who moved in with Granger after a stroke, helped keep an eye on the kids. Granger eventually built a successful insurance business that she managed for more than two decades. “I was a high school teacher with three children, a 2-year-old and 6-month-old twins, and my husband left,” Granger told The Hill in a 2008 profile. “It’s the

reason I talk so much to working mothers ... you just fight your way through the day.” Granger got her political start serving on Fort Worth’s zoning commission and then won election to the city council. She went on to win election as the city’s first female mayor, serving from 1991 to 1995. Granger’s “Code: Blue” programs included citizen patrol initiatives that halved the rampant crime rate and partnerships with the private sector that drew major businesses to the city. Her resuscitation of Fort Worth’s flagging economic fortunes drew national attention. In 1996, she was recruited by both parties to run for the House under their banner, and she won as a Republican. Upon entering Congress, she was named to an adviso-

ry board that consulted thenHouse Speaker Newt Gingrich. She also received seats on three committees: Budget, House Oversight, and Transportation and Infrastructure. She resigned those assignments as part of accepting a seat on the Appropriations Committee. On the committee, she focused on defense spending, including championing the production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in Fort Worth. When Republicans took charge of the House in 2023, Granger became the committee’s chair, where she sought to enact steeper nondefense spending cuts than the top-line numbers House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden agreed to as part of avoiding an economically disastrous government default.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

PLEDGE from page A1 ergy must make that voluntary pledge real. “The North Carolina Utilities Commission and Duke Energy must create a legally binding large load tariff to charge data centers their full freight, and they must establish a program that allows data centers to directly select and pay for their generation,” said Stein. “North Carolinians are struggling to make ends meet, and data centers must pay their own way to protect families from rising electricity costs.” Duke Energy is the largest investor-owned electric utility in North Carolina, serving about 8.7 million electric customers and 1.6 million natural gas customers. Last week, Duke Energy Carolinas, the Utilities Commission’s Public Staff and others reached a settlement to establish large load tariffs and new rules for data centers, according to the press release. Jackson will participate in the process and has urged the Utilities Commission to create a separate rate class for data centers and large energy users. The attorney general has further asked Duke to make realistic projections about data center growth and ensure that Duke will propose rules to have large companies bear the cost of infrastructure upgrades. Duke is additionally being urged to work with the Utilities Commission to establish its own means of generating power, given that its contracts are confidential. Earlier this month, Duke En-

JACQUELYN MARTIN / AP PHOTO

President Donald Trump holds up the Ratepayer Protection Pledge after signing it March 4 at the White House. ergy lowered its proposed rate increase for residential customers, which received pushback from Jackson and consumers. The increase was lowered from 18% to 11.6%. The Ratepayer Protection Pledge was issued March 4 to ensure the growth of data centers does not increase electricity costs for American households and ratepayers. It asks that large

energy users, such as data centers, generate and pay for their own power. Leading U.S. hyperscalers, including Amazon, Google, Meta, OpenAI and xAI, have signed on to the pledge. The pledge drives home five points: that companies will build, bring or buy new power supply and pay the full cost; pay for new power delivery infra-

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structure upgrades; pay whether or not they use the power; invest in local communities where they build data centers; and coordinate with grid operators to contribute to a more reliable grid. Several companies across Michigan, Indiana, Georgia, Mississippi, Iowa, Louisiana and Texas have reached agreements that project billions in customer savings over the years or en-

SCHOOLS from page A1 preapproval agreement to allow for the purchase of up to 1,500 Chromebooks for a price not to exceed $400 per unit once a contract has been worked out. At this time, no model nor vendors have been selected. “We’ll need to continue having laptops for students for the foreseeable future no matter what, but we’re looking at and evaluating everything,” Samberg said. The board also approved the district’s consolidated application for federal grants in an amount totaling about $2.284 million. “The consolidated grants are supplemental grants designed to support designated programs,” said Deputy Chief of Student Support and Innovative Programs Michelle Burton. “ The planning budget is approximately $300,000 less than the previous year, which is due to cuts to funding at the federal level. The board was then presented with a few informational items, including updates to the Student Code of Civility, which will now include both the Suicide and Crisis Hotline and the NC Peer Warmline, as well as brief messages concerning both.

A7 sure that companies cover 100% of costs. “Big tech companies are committing to fully cover the cost of increased electricity production required for AI data centers, and that would be prices for American communities will not go up, but in many cases will actually come down,” said President Donald Trump during a roundtable about the pledge. Alongside corporations, 23 Republican governors announced their support for the pledge and signed it. When asked why Stein did not follow suit, senior press secretary Onotse Omoyeni explained that Stein’s office “did not receive outreach from the administration about signing this pledge.” Omoyeni emphasized that “the pledge aligns closely with the recommendations of the Governor’s Energy Policy Task Force” and that “Governor Stein believes data centers need to pay their way so that North Carolina residents don’t bear the costs of their massive energy consumption.” The Energy Policy Task Force is a bipartisan group established by Stein in August 2025. The task force recommends developing options for large load tariffs, facilities bringing in their own local power resources and load flexibility programs to keep ratepayers from paying infrastructure expansion costs. Omoyeni added that when Stein signed the state budget, it eliminated the sales and use tax exemption for data centers’ electricity use. She also stated that Stein supports phasing out the exemption in place for equipment purchases.

“There are no actual changes to the Code of Civility, but I think this is a really good message that we’re going to be able to put on several of our documents, starting with the Code of Civility,” said Chief of Student Support Services Tracy Fowler. Additionally, as part of the introduction into the new school year, Superintendent Kelly Batten also laid out some of the district’s action items and expectations for 2026-27. It included increasing retesting participation by 3% or more for eligible students, reaching a 95% four-year graduation rate, maintaining or elevating the district’s current letter grades, achieving a 3% proficiency increase per student cohort, and meeting or exceeding school growth. Finally, Assistant Superintendent of Operations Chris Blice announced that he’d be retiring at the end of August. Blice has spent the past 45 years working in the educational field, including the past 18 working for Chatham County Schools. “I consider myself so fortunate to have been here for 18 years,” Blice said. “I’m more blessed than I could ever say.” The Chatham County Schools Board of Education will next meet Sept. 14.

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SILK HOPE RURITAN CLUB

Scholarship winners, from left to right, Sanyia White, Gracie Debnam, Mayson Walters, Grant W. Smith, Mallory Jones, Lilliana Hicks, Emily Dekaney, Carly Cardman, Reyna Nava Catalan, Landon Moser, Aidan Leysath and Abby McPherson (not pictured) pose with club president Michael Rogers. WINNERS from page A1 Money for club-sponsored scholarships comes from a variety of sources, including local bingo held every other Thursday night and proceeds from the Old Fashioned Farmers Days, the oldest running festival in Chatham County. Interest from a scholarship

fund set up by Gary and Kristen Sydnor is also a primary source for scholarship funds. The Rogers family knows firsthand the impact that a Ruritan scholarship can have, since his dad was one of the first recipients dating back to 1960, when he received $50 to attend Elon University in Alamance County.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

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ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS now for onebedroom apartments, adults 55 years or older. Water included, appliances furnished, onsite laundry, elevator, keyless entry. Section 8 accepted. No security deposit. Application fee $25 per adult. Call Braxton Manor, 919-663-1877. Handicap accessible. Equal Housing Opportunity. J14,tfnc

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JUNK CARS PICKED UP Free of charge. Due to many months of low steel prices and unstable steel markets, we cannot pay for cars at this time. Cars, trucks, and machinery will be transported and environmentally correctly recycled at no charge. 919-542-2803. A2,tfnc

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TAKE NOTICE PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE A public hearing will be held by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners on Monday, August 17, 2026, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The public hearing will be held in the courtroom of the Historic Courthouse in Pittsboro, North Carolina at 9 Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro NC 27312. Additional information is available at the Chatham County Planning Department office. Speakers are requested to sign up at the meeting prior to the hearing. You may also sign up on the county website prior to the meeting at www.chathamcountync.gov by selecting the heading County Government, then Commissioner Meetings, then Public Comment. The public hearing may be continued to another date at the discretion of the Board of Commissioners.

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The purpose of the Public Hearing is to receive input, both written and oral, on the issues listed below. Legislative Request: A Legislative public hearing requested by Candace Beal for a General Use Rezoning to rezone parcel 4794 from CB-Community Business to R1-Residential, on 4.089 acres, located at 82 Bonlee Bennett Rd. A legislative public hearing requested for an amendment to revise the Chatham County Design Guidelines as recommended by the Chatham County Appearance Commission, provide a suggested plant list, and an invasive plant list for the development of commercial and industrial properties in the County. A public hearing requested by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners for text amendments to the Chatham County Zoning Ordinance; specifically, Section 1 Title, Section 3 Bona Fide Farm Exempt, Section 7.2 Definitions, Section 10.13 Zoning Table of Permitted Uses, Section 14 Off Street Parking and Loading, and Section 19 Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. These amendments are intended to maintain compliance with recent legislative changes to G.S. 160D and other statutes related to the Zoning Ordinance (update bona fide farm exemptions and remove off street parking requirements), add all townships to the title, incorporate additional uses in the table of permitted uses, modify staff participation in legislative processes, and remove waiting period for application resubmittal. Testimony is required to be given under oath during the evidentiary hearing for the following item: Quasi-Judicial Request: A quasi-judicial public hearing for a Special Use Permit, requested by Anthemnet, Inc., for a new proposed 199 ft wireless telecommunications tower on Pacel 2834, located at 1879 Andrews Store Road. Substantial changes may be made following the public hearing due to verbal or written comments received or based on the Board’s discussions. Notice to people with special needs: If you have audio or visual impairment, unique accessibility requirements or need language assistance, please call the number listed below prior to the hearing and assistance may be provided. If you have any questions or comments concerning these issues, please call the Chatham County Planning Department at 919-542-8204, or write to P.O. Box 54, Pittsboro N.C. 27312.

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The Town of Pittsboro’s Amended Development Fees Ordinance for FY 2026-2027 has been submitted to the Board of Commissioners, and a copy is available for public inspection in the office of the Town Clerk, Town of Pittsboro Town Hall, 287 East Street, Suite 221, Pittsboro, NC. PB-26-225 – Third Time Around, LLC, have petitioned to have approximately 5.98 acres of land, Parcel 0006715 currently zoned Heavy Industrial (M-2) to be rezoned to Highway Commercial (C-2). The Future Land Use Plan designates this parcel Employment Mixed Use, within the Mixed-Use Activity Center. The property is located Here’s the information you requested on Dental insurance north and east of Powell Place subdivision, west of Hwy 15-501. FIRST-CLASS MAIL The hearing will be held in person. The public can watch the hearing live on the Town’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@townofpittsboronc/streams. Members of the public must attend in person if they wish to speak at the hearing.

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Contact the Town Clerk, Carrie Bailey, by 4 pm on August 10, 2026, with written comments or sign up to speak at the hearing. You can contact Carrie Bailey at cbailey@ pittsboronc.gov, (919) 984.282.6647, or PO Box 759, Pittsboro, NC 27312. O

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

TAKE NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

The Siler City Board of Commissioners will hold a Community Forum on Monday, August 17, 2026, at First United Methodist Church, located at 1101 W. Raleigh Street. The forum will begin at 6:00 p.m. This informal event provides an opportunity for residents to share comments and questions on community topics for the Town to address. Because this is a public meeting, a quorum of the Board of Commissioners may be present; however, no official Town business will be conducted. For additional information, please contact Town Clerk Briana Martinez at bmartinez@silercity.gov or 9197268658.

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHATHAM The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Marguerite Moffitt-Rogers, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, in Estate File No. 26E000325-180, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before November 6, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms or corporations indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 6th day of August, 2026. Beverly M. Solomon, Administrator c/o 403 Blandwood Avenue Greensboro, NC 27401 August 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2026.

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY 26E000285-180 ALL persons having claims against STEPHEN RAY THOMAS, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before Oct 16 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 16th day of July, 2026. LAURA THOMAS LUTTERLOH, CoExecutor THOMAS E LAYTON, Co-Executor C/O LAYTON & CARRAWAY, PA 680 Lutterloh Road Pittsboro, NC 27312 J16, 23, 30 and 6

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000174-180 The undersigned Victoria Wyatt Partin, having qualified on the 2nd Day of July 2026 as Administrator of the Estate of Kathleen V.Wyatt, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 16TH Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 16TH Day of July 2026. Victoria Wyatt Partin, Administrator 520 Rocky Hills Rd. Pittsboro, NC 27312 Run dates: Jy16,23,30,A6p

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000431-180 The undersigned, TIMOTHY ALLEN ENGLISH, having qualified on the 20TH Day of JULY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of BETTY ENGLISH, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 30TH Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 30TH Day of July 2026. TIMOTHY ALLEN ENGLISH, EXECUTOR 1703 VINEYARD MIST DRIVE CARY, NC 27519 Run dates: Jy30,A6,13,20c

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as Co-Executors of the Will of Jacqueleene Bowen Dobbins, a/k/a Jacqueleene B. Dobbins, Jacqueleene Dobbins, and Jackie Dobbins, late of Chapel Hill, Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned do hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at One West Fourth Street, Suite 1200, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, on or before the 23rd day of October, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 23rd day of July, 2026. JAMES TALMAGE DOBBINS, III, and STEVEN EARL DOBBINS, COEXECUTORS OF THE WILL OF JACQUELEENE BOWEN DOBBINS Kimberly H. Stogner Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP One West Fourth Street – 12th Floor Winston-Salem, NC 27101 July 23rd, 30th, August 6th and 13th, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Celine Danielle Levine Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Celine Danielle Levine, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned does hereby notify all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at 5842 Fayetteville Road, Suite 113, Durham, NC 27713, on or before the 24th day of October, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms, corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This is the 17th day of July, 2026 Shani Levine Cohen, Executor of the Estate of Celine Danielle Levine Dori J. Dixon Southpoint Estate Planning Attorney for the Estate 5842 Fayetteville Road, Suite 113 Durham, North Carolina, 27713 FOR PUBLICATION: 07/23/2026, 07/30/26, 08/06/26, 08/13/26

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA FILE NO: 26E000346-180 CHATHAM COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK ESTATE OF DONETTA JANE DELISLE EXECUTORS NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Donetta Jane Delisle, Deceased, in the Office of the Clerk of Superior Court of Chatham County, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the said Decedent to present the same to the undersigned on or before October 16, 2026, said date being at least three months from the date of the first publication or posting of this Notice as indicated below, or the same will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment. This Notice is given pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 28A-14-1. This 7th day of July, 2026. Name and Address of Executor Brian Gordon 1460 Brentwood Way Earlysville MD 22936 Name and Address of Attorney: Steven Lundberg 1155 Kildaire Farm Rd, Ste. 204 Cary, NC 27511 Date of Publication: July 16, 23, 30, and August 6, 2026

Estate of Dwane Edward Porter AKA Dwane E. Porter, Chatham County Estate File No. 26E000401-180:

Notice to Creditors Estate of Truby Weldon Horton File No.: 25E000631-180 ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against Truby Weldon Horton, deceased, of Chatham County, NC, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before November 2, 2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 30th day of July, 2026. Bryan Weldon Horton, Executor, in c/o Jenna Parkolap, Attorney, at Carolina Family Estate Planning, 51 Kilmayne Drive, Suite 200, Cary, NC 27511. Publication Dates: July 30, 2026 August 6, 2026 August 13, 2026 August 20, 2026

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of JOHN M. LATIMER, JR., Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the offices of Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, 501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 130, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, on or before the 30th day of October, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 30th day of July, 2026. HARRISON ARMISTEAD LATIMER, EXECUTOR ESTATE OF JOHN M. LATIMER, JR.

NOTICE NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF JAMES GUY COBLE, DECEASED, 26E000391-180 All persons, firms and corporations having claims against JAMES GUY COBLE, Deceased, are notified to exhibit them to MARK COBLE, ANCILLARY EXECUTOR for the decedent’s estate on or before the 21ST day of October, 2026, at the office of LOCKAMY LAW FIRM, P.A., Attorneys, 3130 Hope Valley Road, Durham, North Carolina 27707, Attention: MARK COBLE, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the above-named estate c/o MARK COBLE, ANCILLARY EXECUTOR. MARK COBLE, ANCILLARY EXECUTOR of JAMES GUY COBLE, Deceased JOSHUA S. BARTON, Attorney LOCKAMY LAW FIRM, P.A. 3130 Hope Valley Road Durham, North Carolina 27707

All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Dwane Edward Porter AKA Dwane E. Porter, deceased, of Travis County, TX. with an estate in Chatham County, are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before October 16, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This the 16th of July, 2026. Rebecca Marie King, Ancillary Executor C/O Elizabeth Boyette, Boyette Law, PLLC 4509 Creedmoor Road Suite 201 Raleigh, NC 27612

NOTICE NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ HAVING QUALIFIED as Executor of the Estate of Marcella Lauretta Culberson of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 5th day of November, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 29th day of July, 2026. Albert Tracy Culberson 2849 Silk Hope Liberty Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp

NOTICE NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE TO CREDITORS CHATHAM COUNTY ________________________________ ________________________________ ________ HAVING QUALIFIED as Administrator of the Estate of Marion Turner Hargrove, Jr. of Chatham County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before the 28th day of October, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. This the 23rd day of July, 2026. Pamela Lowe Hargrove 3035 Silk Hope Liberty Road Siler City, North Carolina 27344 MOODY, WILLIAMS, ATWATER & LEE ATTORNEYS AT LAW BOX 629 SILER CITY, NORTH CAROLINA 27344 (919) 663-2850 4tp

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA\ CHATHAM COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF\ CHRISTINE C. HORTON\ Estate File No. 26E000261-180 The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Christine C. Horton, deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before October 30,2026 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the day of July 30, 2026. Douglas E Horton\ [Executor of the Estate of Christine C. Horton]\ 200 Caley Wilson Rd\ Apex, NC 27523\ Cell 919-815-0227

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000410-180 The undersigned, TERRI TALBOTT GUNTER, having qualified on the 7TH Day of JULY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of CAROLYN MCDUFFIE TALBOTT, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 23RD Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 23RD Day of July 2026. TERRI TALBOTT GUNTER, EXECUTOR 179 ASHBURY CHURCH RD. SANFORD, NC 27330 Run dates: Jy23,30,A6,13p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000294-180 The undersigned, SHEREESE R. MYERS, having qualified on the 19TH Day of MAY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of CLARISSA T. NEAL, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 23RD Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 23RD Day of July 2026. SHEREESE R. MYERS, ADMINISTRATOR 2012 RAJ DR. DURHAM, NC 27703 Run dates: Jy23,30,A6,13p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000418-180 The undersigned, EMEILIA WICKER ELLIS, having qualified on the 14TH Day of July 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of DANA L. WICKER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 23RD Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 23RD Day of July 2026. EMEILIA WICKER ELLIS, ADMINISTRATOR 7695 SILER CITY SNOW CAMP RD SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: Jy23,30,A6,13p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000424-180 The undersigned, WALTER CALVIN WRENN, having qualified on the 16TH Day of JULY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of TABITHA H. WRENN, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 23RD Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 23RD Day of July 2026. WALTER CALVIN WRENN, ADMINISTRATOR 1183 EDDIE PERRY ROAD PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: Jy23,30,A6,13p

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000453-180 The undersigned, TODD PADGETT NORRIS, having qualified on the 28TH Day of JULY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of FREDDIE HART, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 6TH Day of NOVEMBER 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 6TH Day of AUGUST 2026. TODD PADGETT NORRIS, EXECUTOR 1205 RIVER FOREST RD. PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: A6,13,20,27p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000414-180 The undersigned MARY COX, having qualified on the 13TH Day of July 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of SUSAN FRANCES REA, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 23RD Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 23RD Day of July 2026. MARY COX, EXECUTOR 84 LITTLE CREEK LANE SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: Jy23,30,A6,13p

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000449-180 The undersigned, RALPH C. MILLS, having qualified on the 27TH Day of JULY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of JOYCE ANN DAVIS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 30TH Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 30TH Day of July 2026. RALPH C. MILLS, EXECUTOR 7021 CARPENTER FIRE STATION ROAD CARY, NC 27519 Run dates: Jy30,A6,13,20p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000390-180 The undersigned Antoinette DiBenedetto having qualified on the 30th Day of June 2026 as Executor of the Estate of Libby Ann Capaldi deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 16th Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 16th Day of July 2026. ANTOINETTE DIBENEDETTO, EXECUTOR 517 OAKWOOD AVE. RALEIGH, NC 27601 Run dates: Jy16,23,30,A6p

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000419-180 The undersigned, TRICIA HATHCOCK, having qualified on the 14TH Day of JULY 2026 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of PATRICK HOWELL GARNER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 6TH Day of NOVEMBER 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 6TH Day of AUGUST 2026. TRICIA HATHCOCK, ADMINISTRATOR 687 SHERIFF WATSON RD. SANFORD, NC 27332 Run dates: A6,13,20,27p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000409-180 The undersigned, JILL POPE CAGLE, having qualified on the 7TH Day of JULY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of DORIS POPE TANT, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 23RD Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 23RD Day of July 2026. JILL POPE CAGLE, EXECUTOR 145 CEDAR RUN PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: Jy23,30,A6,13p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000412-180 The undersigned Audrey Diane May Braswell, having qualified on the 9th Day of July 2026 as Executor of the Estate of John H. May, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 16TH Day OF October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 16TH Day of July 2026. AUDREY DIANE MAY BRASWELL 1837 MONCURE PITTSBORO RD. MONCURE, NC 27559 Run dates: Jy16,23,30,A6p

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000413-180 The undersigned, JESSE SEAGROVES, having qualified on the 20TH Day of JULY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of STELLA B SEAGROVES, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 23RD Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 23RD Day of July 2026. JESSE SEAGROVES, EXECUTOR 3800 MCLAURIN ROAD BEAR CREEK, NC 27207 Run dates: Jy23,30,A6,13p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000421-180 The undersigned, CAROL A. CHESLAK, having qualified on the 14TH Day of JULY 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of EDWARD ALAN BARNES, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 23RD Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 23RD Day of July 2026. CAROL A. CHESLAK, EXECUTOR 2326 VALENCIA TERR CHARLOTTE, NC 28226 Run dates: Jy23,30,A6,13p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000381-180 The undersigned ROSS D. THRAILKILL, having qualified on the 1ST Day of July 2026 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of WILLIAM BENTON THRAILKILL, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 16TH Day of October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 16TH Day of July 2026. ROSS D. THRAILKILL, EXECUTOR 220 THRAILKILL LANE PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: Jy16,23,30,A6p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000411-180 The undersigned Gwendolyn Jones York having qualified on the 8th Day of July 2026 as Executor of the Estate of William Mike York, Jr., deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 16TH Day OF October 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 16TH Day of July 2026. GWENDOLYN JONES YORK, EXECUTOR 41 OAKMONT LANE SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: Jy16,23,30,A6p

NOTICE NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS OF Kathryn Haeng Nan Kim All persons, firms and corporations having claims against Kathryn Haeng Nan Kim, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to exhibit them to Grace Kim as Administrator of the decedent’s estate on or before October 24, 2026, c/o Janet B. Witchger, Attorney at Law, 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203, Chapel Hill, NC 27517, or be barred from their recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment to the abovenamed Executor. This the 23rd day of July 2026. Grace Kim, Administrator c/o Janet B. Witchger, Atty. TrustCounsel 1414 Raleigh Rd., Ste. 203 Chapel Hill, NC 27517

NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Mae Geraldine Stats, Deceased, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate to exhibit them to the undersigned at the offices of Munson Law Firm PLLC, P.O. Box 1811 Pittsboro, NC 27312, on or before the 23rd day of October, 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to the estate will please make immediate payment. This 23rd day of July, 2026. CHRISTOPHER K. SMITH, ADMINISTRATOR ESTATE OF MAE GERALDINE STATS

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#26E000404-180 The undersigned TARA GAINES BURNS AND BEN PHILIP GAINES, JR., having qualified on the 7TH Day of JULY 2026 as Co-Executors of the Estate of BEN PHILIP GAINES, SR., deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them on or before the 16TH Day OF OCTOBER 2026, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This, the 16TH DAY OF JULY 2026. TARA GAINES BURNS, CO-EXECUTOR 4456 THOMPSON MILL RD. GRAHAM, NC 27253 MAIL TO: BEN PHILIP GAINES, JR., CO-EXECUTOR PO BOX 56 GOLDSTON, NC 27252 Run dates: Jy16,23,30,A6p

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

Unexpected encounter makes return to Provence memorable A detour worth taking By Erika Hoffman For Chatham News & Record “IT’S WORTH the trip” is a common French expression and the translation of “ça vaut le détour.” Perhaps it implies that “it’s worth going out of your way for a side trip.” Anybody who travels frequently knows that sometimes an unplanned stop, an unexpected occurrence or an unanticipated encounter with strangers along the trek turns out well. Sometimes not, especially if they’re pickpockets. In May, my husband and I took a river cruise in Provence, France. NC Travel of Siler City arranged it. We flew to Lyon, where we were to board the river vessel appropriately named Amadeus Provence. At our age, we prefer to arrive in the port city a day or two ahead of the boat’s departure. Nowadays, one never knows if planes will fly at their scheduled time; if your luggage will mysteriously desert you; if your flight will be canceled; if newfangled hoops to jump through, such as ETA, will stymie you; if, upon arrival at your destination airport, your transport to your hotel will be waiting to whisk you away; or if no prearranged transport is available, you might

LAURENT CIPRIANI / AP PHOTO

People bathe in the Saone River in Lyon, central France. encounter trouble hailing a legit taxi. So much can go awry! Also, we’re old and don’t even play pickleball. Ergo, how are we in shape to scurry through clogged-with-people terminals, especially when one’s gate shifts to another within 30 minutes of departure? This happened at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Huffing and puffing, we reached our assigned gate. There, a sign greeted us that should have read “Lyon” but now read “Stockholm.” As we rushed to the newly changed departure gate for the short flight to Lyon,

“Would you buy me a cup?” A stranger at the Lyon train station we passed an obstacle course of worried Swedes hightailing it to their newly assigned gate, where we had just been. Anyway, we arrived in Lyon on May 3 for our cruise leaving on May 6. On May 4, we met with our

hotel’s concierge, an impeccably dressed dandy who wore a tie and vest that matched the blue-and-white pattern of the hotel drapes and furnishings. He was extremely helpful in reserving train tickets for us from Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu to Aix-en-Provence. At the train station, where I saw armed guards with machine guns, a fellow rummaging through trash cans caught my attention. Next thing I knew, he had sat down beside me and started a conversation after asking my name. He told us how he was once married to a wealthy socialite from Palm Beach, Florida, who had been an equestrian and was killed in a steeplechase accident. He prattled on in good English while we focused on the blue screens that announce which “voie” — track — will hold your train. You are not permitted to ascend the escalators to the tracks until your number has flashed up on the screen. This fellow, who I first thought was a “down-on-his-luck bum,” mentioned that he knew nine languages, had been educated in New Haven and had lived in numerous U.S. cities like Boca Raton, Florida. All cities he named were wealthy enclaves. He’d been born in Uruguay. This stranger started each sentence by calling me by my first name, which he’d asked for early on. “Erika ...” He wanted our attention. Finally, the screen flashed our track number. Our new acquaintance must have been aware of this because suddenly he asked if we wanted him to get us coffee. We declined. Then he said he’d like a cup. “Would you buy me a cup?” he asked.

FBI investigates as Michigan joins Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on water systems The attacks come amid federal warnings about Iranian hackers targeting water systems By Michael Casey The Associated Press MICHIGAN on Saturday joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on nine of the state’s water systems, but an official said all systems were operating “safely.” Earlier this week, authorities said cyberattacks targeted more than 30 water systems in Minnesota. The source of the attacks is being investigated, but they came amid warnings that Iranian hackers have been focused on such systems. The reports in Michigan surfaced after the state received a federal cyber alert Tuesday about attempts to tamper with operational technology at water systems. Soon after, the state received “a small number of reports from Michigan communities indicating activity consistent with what federal agencies described,” said Dale George, the director of communications

I handed him five euros. He was off to purchase a cup. We left for our train platform. On the platform, we spotted a diagram that told you where to position yourself so that you could enter through the car’s door nearest your exact seat. Two young men sat across from us. One wore a Disney wristlet, the other wore a hoodie. The hooded one told us where to stand to hail a taxi to drive us to Aix-en-Provence. Our taxi driver, Alex, let us off at La Rotonde on the Cours Mirabeau, which is now for pedestrians only. He told us he could meet us back at the same spot at 5 p.m. to return us to the train station. Excellent. We found tiny public buses, A, B and C, that had different itineraries around Aix, a town of narrow streets. We took “B” twice. The first trip, I spotted 15 rue Cardinale, where the Vanderbilt-in-France program held its classes. The second time, the driver stopped for me so I could take a picture of where I studied French decades ago. So before our planned vacation began, our little “detour” to my old college haunting ground helped me remember that semester abroad so long ago. On top of those memories, I learned something new: Someone rummaging through garbage at a train depot might have a good story — or many — to tell. This fellow reminded me of that old Coleridge poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and maybe, too, a more recent version of that premise of a stranger seeking out people on a park bench to whom to tell his tale: “Forrest Gump.” Ça vaut le détour!

at the state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. He later said nine systems were impacted. “All systems continued to operate safely, issues were addressed by local operators, and there are no known impacts that posed a public health concern,” George said in a statement. The FBI, which is investigating, has not publicly identified a culprit, and a spokesperson declined to say last Thursday who the bureau thought might be responsible. The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other agencies warned in an advisory last week that Iranian hackers have been targeting water and wastewater systems and the operational controls of other critical infrastructure sectors. “The FBI is aware of recent public reporting around Water and Wastewater (WWS) sectors,” the agency said in a statement Saturday. “The FBI and our interagency partners are fully engaged to protect critical infrastructure and we remain well-equipped to protect against cyber threats of all varieties.” Digital warfare has become

ingrained in military conflict, and local water plants or healthcare facilities often lack the funds and know-how to install the latest software patches or take other security steps. That has made them a favorite target, both because of the relative ease of penetrating them and because of the panic such disruptions can cause. Iran’s interest in the operations of water systems inside the U.S. dates back years. In 2016, the Justice Department charged a group of Iranian hackers in connection with

a cyberattack targeting a small dam near New York City. Minnesota IT Services said that as of last Thursday, there were no active requests from Minnesota communities for residents to modify usage of their drinking water. The state agency said most of the confirmed attacks involved technology that water systems use to remotely monitor and control equipment. It said that being impacted meant investigators confirmed there was malicious activity involving the system’s technology and didn’t mean ev-

ery impacted community had their water service disrupted. For a few hours Monday, the city of Braham asked residents to minimize water use as it tried to determine why the water plant was offline. The city of about 1,700 people, located about 70 miles north of Minneapolis, said in a news release that the water plant outage was due to a cyberattack, but it didn’t cause any issue with water quality. The city said the attackers shut down the operating controls that shut down the well and water treatment plant. That left the city for a time only able to provide residents with the water held in the water tower. In Plymouth, a city of about 80,000 located outside of Minneapolis, officials said on social media that their water infrastructure communications had been restored by Tuesday afternoon following a cyberattack. During a Cabinet meeting last Friday at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that recent cyberattacks in Minnesota were the fault of the state, including Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Walz responded on social media, saying Trump “knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too.”

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 was $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; WHEREAS, the foreclosure sale was originally scheduled for July 16, 2026 at 11:00 A.M., but has been adjourned until August 14, 2026 pursuant to 12 U.S.C. 3760(c); 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 Friday, August 14, 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 $487,251.04. There will be no proration of taxes, rents or other income or liabilities, except that the purchaser will pay, at or before closing, his prorate share of any real estate taxes that have been paid by the Secretary to the date of the foreclosure sale. When making their bids, all bidders except the Secretary must submit a deposit totaling $48,725.10 in the form of a certified check or cashier’s check made out to the Secretary of HUD. A deposit need not accompany each oral bid. If the successful bid is oral, a deposit of $48,725.10 must be presented before the bidding is closed. The deposit is nonrefundable. The remainder of the purchase price must be delivered within 30 days of the sale or at such other time as the Secretary may determine for good cause shown, time being of the essence. This amount, like the bid deposits, must be delivered in the form of a certified or cashier’s check. If the Secretary is the highest bidder, he need not to pay the bid amount in cash. The successful bidder will pay all the conveying fees, all real estate and other taxes that are due on or after the delivery date of the remainder of the payment and all other costs associated with the transfer of

title. At the conclusion of the sale, the deposits of the unsuccessful bidders will be returned to them. The Secretary may grant an extension of time within which to deliver the remainder of the payment. All extensions will be for 15day increments for a fee of $500.00, paid in advance. The extension fee shall be in the form of a certified or cashier’s check made payable to the Secretary of HUD. If the high bidder closes the sale prior to the expiration of any extension period, the unused portion of the extension fee shall be applied toward the amount due. If the high bidder is unable to close the sale within the required period, or within any extensions of time granted by the Secretary, the high bidder may be required to forfeit the cash deposit or, at the election of the foreclosure commissioner after consultation with the HUD representative, will be liable to HUD for any costs incurred as a result of such failure. The Commissioner may, at the direction of the HUD representative, offer the property to the second highest bidder for an amount equal to the highest price offered by that bidder. There is no right of redemption, or right of possession based upon a right of redemption, in the mortgagor or others subsequent to a foreclosure completed pursuant to the ACT. Therefore, the Foreclosure Commissioner will issue a Deed to the purchaser(s) upon receipt of the entire purchase price in accordance with the terms of the sale as provided herein. HUD does not guarantee that the property will be vacant. The scheduled foreclosure sale shall be canceled or adjourned if it is established, by documented written

application of the mortgagor to the Foreclosure Commissioner not less than 3 days before the date of sale, or otherwise, that the default or defaults upon which the foreclosure is based did not exist at the time of services of this notice of default and foreclosure sale, or all amounts due under the mortgage agreement are tendered to the Foreclosure Commissioner, in the form of a certified or cashier’s check payable to the Secretary of HUD, before public auction of the property is completed. The amount that must be paid if the mortgage is to be reinstated prior to the scheduled sale was $475,098.63 as of June 11, 2026, plus all other amounts that would be due under the mortgage agreement if payments under the mortgage had not been accelerated, advertising costs and postage expenses incurred in giving notice, mileage by the most reasonable road distance for posting notices and for the Foreclosure Commissioner’s attendance at the sale, reasonable and customary costs incurred for title and lien record searches, the necessary out-of-pocket costs incurred by the Foreclosure Commissioner for recording documents, a commission for the Foreclosure Commissioner, and all other costs incurred in connection with the foreclosure prior to reinstatement. Tender of payment by certified or cashier’s check or application for cancellation of the foreclosure sale shall be submitted to the address of the Foreclosure Commissioner provided below. Riley, Pope & Laney, PLLC David A. Simpson NC Managing Partner 101 E. Matthews St, Suite 900 Matthews, NC 28105 T: (980) 201-3888 61088

“All systems continued to operate safely, issues were addressed by local operators, and there are no known impacts that posed a public health concern.” ELLEN SCHMIDT / AP PHOTO

Cyberattacks on water systems are becoming more prevalent.

Dale George, director of communications at Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy

TAKE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND RESCHEDULED 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 beneficiary and Michael Lyon as trustee, and was recorded on June 9, 2015 in Book 01801 at Page 0227 in the Office 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 beneficial 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 office 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

CHATHAM SPORTS

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Jordan-Matthews leading receiver Nolan Mitchell stretches out to catch a pass in a game against Carrboro last season. Mitchell will be catching passes for Chatham Central this year.

Updates needed in transfer rules for high school athletes Pressure to excel has players seeking greener pigskin pastures By Michael Jaenicke Chatham News & Record BEULAVILLE — Even those people living under a seashell at the beach heard the news about DJ Davis transferring from East

Duplin to Harrells Christian Academy. Unlike professional sports, these Panthers did not gain by the transaction by having a dip in their salary cap. HCA did what it could and played within the rules. But the timing of it all — the first official week of practice — is a bit of a mind-bender. Battle Holley had no doubt

been working with Davis throughout the summer. It hurts because after losing Shawn Davis, the team’s leading rusher the past three seasons (3,830, 58 TDs), and Aaron Hall (919 yards, 10 TDs), ED was without a doubt counting on Dewayne “DJ” Davis to be a key contributor this fall. He rushed for 383 yards and seven touchdowns with 92 tack-

Time for fall sports already Aug. 10 is opening day, the earliest in recent memory

See RULES, page B2

NCHSAA selects next commissioner The transition for the governing body will take place across a couple of months

Chatham News & Record staff IT MAY be the shortest summer ever. Fall sports will begin for area high schools next week, marking the earliest opening day in recent memory. Games can begin Aug. 10, a day earlier than last year and representing a creep of more than a week compared to the years immediately following the pandemic. Practices began July 29, also one of the earliest start dates in memory, and Aug. 10 is the green light for cross-country, girls’ tennis, golf and volleyball, as well as boys’ soccer. Football’s Week 1 is Aug. 21, although teams can hold scrimmages starting Friday, which is not the earliest ever. Schools opened their seasons Aug. 18 in 2023. All of the local schools will be taking advantage of the new start dates. Jordan-Matthews opens its volleyball season Aug. 10, hosting Lee County. Chatham Central heads to Northwood. Chatham Charter hosts Providence Grove. Seaforth and Woods Charter are the only area schools to hold off. Seaforth opens its season Aug. 11 at Northwood, while Woods waits until the following day to host Cummings. Boys’ soccer has a slower rush

les and four interceptions on defense. The rising senior was slated to be the starting quarterback in Beulaville before his change of heart. And perhaps it’s a good move for him since he will still be working in the Wing-T offense, though both teams throw the ball equally, as ED’s Branson Norris was 40 of 88 for 628

yards and 12 touchdowns, while HCA grad Reid Strickland had very comparable statistics — 43-86 for 823 yards and 12 touchdowns. Defensively, Davis is a top athlete who could help any program. DJ Davis will join running back Jeremiah Davis (103-1,143 yards, 14 TDs) in the Crusaders backfield. While NCHSAA schools frequently lose players to NCISAA schools, player movement has started to mirror what is going on in the NCAA. Transferring is now easier than it has ever been. It’s almost as if anything flies.

Chatham News & Record staff

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Northwood volleyball huddles up during an August 2025 game. The wait to watch the Chargers, as well as the other local schools, is shorter than ever this summer. to the start line. Seaforth and Northwood both open Aug. 11, Jordan-Matthews on Aug. 13. Chatham Charter and Woods Charter wait even longer to hit the pitch. Most girls’ tennis teams in

the area will be opening their seasons on Aug. 11, and no cross-country or golf squads appear to be taking advantage of the earlier start date. They’ll wait until later in the month to get rolling.

CHAPEL HILL — Brad Alford will be the next commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, replacing retiring Que Tucker on Oct. 1. Alford is director of the Office of Athletics for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, where he oversees statewide governance and administration of interscholastic athletics for North Carolina’s public schools. He also serves as the state superintendent’s designee for interscholastic athletics and represents NCDPI on the NCHSAA board of directors. Beginning as an intern in 2010, Alford spent nearly 15 years in various roles with the NCHSAA. Alford will be part of a transition period beginning Aug. 24, working alongside Tucker. He’ll be the association’s eighth commissioner for an organization that is more than 100 years old. Tucker has been commissioner since 2015. According to the NCHSAA, Alford helped oversee championship operations, sport administration, compliance, governance and major statewide initiatives during his previous time with the association. He was a Southern Durham High School graduate before earning an undergraduate degree from Mount Olive and master’s degree in sport management from East Carolina.

COURTESY NCHSAA

Brad Alford

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Gabby White

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Nigerian national team Gabby White is a 2025 graduate of Seaforth, where she starred on the girls’ basketball team and led the Hawks to the state title game in 2023. White will play with the Nigerian national team on a tour of Asia this month. White, who transferred from UVA to UNC in the offseason, played for Team Nigeria earlier this spring in a series of exhibition games against WNBA teams. She scored 16 points with seven rebounds in a game against the Minnesota Lynx and seven points with four assists and two steals against the Los Angeles Sparks. White trained in Chicago with the team, which is on their way to China where they’ll play a series of games through Aug. 15. Nigeria is preparing for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin in September.

RULES from page B1 Forget about the NCHSAA’s transfer policy of sitting out. Every offseason is now a free-for-all. It’s not about a family moving to another town or city anymore. Yet local school districts are allowed to create their own criteria to override state guidelines. “I have no issue with a kid if it helps him develop,” said Hobbton head coach Adam Scronce, a longtime offensive coordinator at WRH who learned under the late Jack Holley. “What bothers me is we are not teaching kids to be resilient and handle situations. Kids don’t want to work for it anymore. They don’t want to fight through, they want to run to where it’s easier.” Transfers are everywhere. Of the eight football teams in the state finals in 2024, only two did not have a transfer player. In basketball, half the teams that played in the Final Four had a transfer player. Clearly, the entire state should have open enrollment or it should be prohibited everywhere. Some states have open enrollment. Others have a sit-out year. Some allow one transfer with immediate eligibility. It’s also been suggested that transfers sit out a number of days or weeks before getting playing time at their new school. Yet forcing a player to sit out will drive athletes to NCISAA schools. Coaches are in a predicament. Should they apologize for having a winning program? What comes next is players flocking to a super power school. But is that wrong on the part of the athlete or his parents? Coaches also feel robbed of a player they might have developed. Yet there are far too many players who “run,” and their parents can be the cause. Parents want the best for their children and often feel they are better than what the coach says when he watches tapes of a game on Saturdays and Sundays. Players and parents, who act like all-knowing general managers, are more empowered than ever. Think LaVar Ball and double his insanity. Prep players can also switch from NCISAA to NCHSAA when the parent signs a document. For instance, fullback/linebacker Jarrod Miller (694 yards, 11 TDs) left HCA for Wallace-Rose Hill this summer. Transfers can also be thought of in the same manner as classifications. They exist because it’s not fair for North Duplin,

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Matthew Victorino looks for the play call during a Jordan-Matthews game last year. He transferred to Chatham Central over the offseason. a school 10 students shy of being a 1A, to compete with a 3A such as Whiteville. Perhaps in a scrimmage, but not in a game — and that’s not dishing on the Rebels. Clinton’s quarterback in 2025 bolted for Southview after transferring in for one season with the Dark Horses. So, “go where it’s best for you” is the lesson. New NCHSAA Commissioner Brad Alford will have to deal with this issue after taking over for Que Tucker a month ago. Another hot topic is the battle cry for all private and charter schools to have their own state championships, independent of what the bulk of the 400 or so NCHSAA schools do. Coaches screaming the loudest are in 1A and 2A. Former North Duplin football coach Ken Avent had a reasonable solution to classification fairness when he said charter and private schools should take the classification of the largest school in their county. Yet transfers abound and will likely only multiply until new rules are adopted. This alone would stop school administrators from investigating the home of a potential transfer to prove residency. While it’s an interesting and touchy topic, expect to hear more about transfers in the next few years.

“It’s hard to compete with power programs getting transfers because the playing field isn’t level,” Scronce said. In the past, every school has used transfer players. Today, schools are recruiting, and players are on the hunt to move to the best possible school for their athletic skills. It’s time to enforce the rules and make new ones that don’t make schools look like thieves in the night. In fact, many schools have joined the Transfer Bowl, perhaps out of necessity. When a neighboring school or rival does it, the balance of power shifts. And in many cases, the so-called “cheaters or rule-breakers” benefit enough to continue their ways, almost forcing others to follow. Something has to change. New Jersey, for example, has a one-time transfer portal. Alford and other state associations have a lot of work to do. Yet the rules need to be the same for one and all states. While there is more to this story than meets the eye of the public, here’s a quick solution: Make transfers sit out three games and have open enrollment among all schools. Yet even that is so far removed from the way it has always been done.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

Panthers remain mum on Young’s contractual future The team thinks the quarterback’s ceiling is unknown entering Year 4 By Steve Reed The Associated Press CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers remain tight-lipped about the long-term contractual future of quarterback Bryce Young as he prepares to enter his fourth NFL season. Panthers executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis said he felt Young “ascended” to a new level last season while adding that the 25-year-old’s ceiling is still “unknown.” After being benched early in his second season, the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 responded by throwing for 3,011 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last year while going 8-8 as a starter and leading the Panthers to an NFC South championship. Still, Young appears ready to enter the season without a long-term contract in place. He is under contract this season for slightly more than $12 million. The team can pick up the fifth-year option on Young at any time, which would mean paying him a projected $25.9 million in 2027. But three years in, this is normally the time when NFL

“I would say he ascended last year and there is still room for him to ascend.” Brandt Tilis, Panthers EVP of football operations teams consider locking up a quarterback they drafted high — or one they consider a franchise-type player — with a long-term deal. “I would say he ascended last year, and there is still room for him to ascend,” said Tilis, who was the lead negotiator for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020 when they locked up Patrick Mahomes with a 10-year, $477 million deal. “His ceiling is currently unknown, and I think that is exciting for us. He’s working hard to get himself there.” When asked if the Panthers should have a better idea of where Young’s ceiling is by now, Tilis responded, “Not necessarily. The team is growing, too. He’s going to ascend as the team ascends, and vice versa. The team is going to get better. So it’s all good.” Tilis said Young is well-positioned to continue developing this season. “The team is better, the coaches are good — Bryce is

putting in the work, too. So it’s all there,” Tilis said. “We will just see how the year plays out. I think we are all really excited for what Bryce is going to show and how the team is going to do.” When asked if that’s an indication the team may wait until after the season to consider a contract extension for Young, Tilis remained coy, saying those are discussions that will remain inside the organization and be discussed privately among himself, general manager Dan Morgan, head coach Dave Canales and team owner David Tepper. “I want what is best for the organization, so that is not for me (solely) to decide,” Tilis said. “It’s collaborative.” Canales: Young playing faster, making quicker decisions Canales said he’s “really excited” to see what Young will do entering his third year in the current offensive system after watching him at training camp. “The special plays still show up every day, moving up the spot, pushing up in the pocket, layering balls, all the accuracy — but the part that I’ve been really impressed with this camp is just his chemistry with our receivers,” Canales said. Canales added Young is “playing so much faster” and making quicker decisions.

SCOTT KINSER / AP PHOTO

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young walks to the field during training camp. “It just seems like he’s eliminating things before the snap,” Canales said. “On his drop, he’s starting to eliminate and evaluate things and throwing really anticipatory throws. ... So I love

Packers offensive tackle changing name The former Wake Forest standout is switching from Zach Tom to Zach Bako-Bewele The Associated Press

DAVID DERMER / AP PHOTO

Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Zach Tom, now Bako-Bewele, looks to block during a November game last season.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers’ starting right tackle is changing his name from Zach Tom to Zach Bako-Bewele as a way of paying tribute to his Nigerian ancestry. Bako-Bewele told reporters Bako is the last name of his father’s mother and Bewele is the last name of his father’s father. He said the process toward changing his name began around March. “Just doing some research, talking to my dad a little bit, I wanted to have a name that represented where I came from, my ancestry, just get back to my roots,” the 2022 fourth-round pick from Wake Forest said. Bako-Bewele said he had

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where he’s headed. I love that he’s all in. He seems to be really enjoying it, and so we just keep taking it a day at a time and try to challenge ourselves that way.”

been thinking about doing this for a few years, “probably back since college at least.” He started researching it more this offseason. “Especially when I start having kids and stuff, I want to have a name that I can pass down where it represents where they came from, where I came from,” Bako-Bewele said. “I just feel like that name will, people will see that name and have a good understanding of who I am, where I come from.” He’s still going through all the various steps involved in this type of decision. “I’ve got to get like a new Social Security card, new driver’s license, all that stuff,” he said. “So it’s still not technically finalized yet, but we’re right there.” Bako-Bewele has been Green Bay’s starting right tackle since 2023. He has been working his way back this offseason while recovering from surgery to a partially torn patellar tendon that limited him to 12 games last year. He said Sunday that he hopes to start participating in team drills “within a week or so.”

B4 SIDELINE REPORT NBA

Green agrees to 1-year, $27.7M contract to remain with Warriors San Francisco Draymond Green has reportedly agreed to a one-year, $27.7 million deal to return to the Golden State Warriors. Green will sign the deal that essentially matches the deal he opted out of last month before the Warriors made an unsuccessful bid to sign LeBron James. Green is now set to play his 15th season with the Warriors. If he plays in 51 games, he will join Stephen Curry as the only players in franchise history to appear in at least 1,000 contests.

NFL

Vikings suspend new DB coach Alexander for 3 weeks following drunken driving charge The Minnesota Vikings suspended defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander for three weeks without pay following a drunken driving charge in April. Alexander’s suspension will be in effect until Aug. 13, two days before their first preseason game. Alexander, a Carolina Panthers player in 2010, pled guilty July 16 to a gross misdemeanor charge of third-degree driving while impaired. He was arrested at about 4 a.m. after his vehicle was stopped in the middle of an intersection in a Minneapolis suburb. He was allegedly unresponsive and failed field sobriety tests.

LPGA

Kuwaki of Japan wins the Women’s British Open on second playoff hole Lytham St. Annes, England Shiho Kuwaki of Japan saved par to stay alive in a sudden-death playoff and then won with a par on the second extra hole to claim the Women’s British Open over Esther Henseleit of Germany for her first major title. Kuwaki closed with a 1-under 70 and looked like a winner in regulation until Henseleit holed a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Royal Lytham & St. Annes for a 70 to join Kuwaki at 5-under 279.

MLB

A’s place rookie Kuroda-Grauer on injured list following surgery for ruptured testicle The Athletics placed rookie infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer on the 10-day injured list following emergency surgery for a ruptured testicle caused by a foul ball the night before. The A’s said Kuroda-Grauer was resting comfortably a day after fouling a ball into his groin in the fifth inning of their 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Kuroda-Grauer fell to the ground in pain but stayed in the game and managed to hit a single before being replaced at third base.

WNBA

Post showing Bueckers, Reese betting on game “missed the mark” The WNBA says a social media post showing stars Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese betting $400 on the outcome of a game between their teams “missed the mark.” The players reportedly won’t be punished for the bet. The league posted the video from All-Star Weekend, days before Bueckers’ Dallas Wings and Reese’s Atlanta Dream were set to play. The clip featured Bueckers and Reese placing what appeared to be a personal wager on the game. The WNBA deleted the post, but not before it was shared on social media.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

Women’s Professional Baseball League debuts in front of enthusiastic crowd The league is the first pro women’s baseball league in the U.S. in 30 years By Jay Cohen The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Sarah Hodel and Rachel Koehler arrived at Robin Roberts Stadium more than four hours before the first game of the Women’s Professional Baseball League. Once inside, Hodel stopped periodically for pictures as she walked along the concourse. She wanted to savor every moment. “Back in high school I was on my speech team, and my informative speech was on women in baseball,” said Hodel, a 43-year-old athletic trainer from Duluth, Minnesota. “So as soon as I saw this happening a couple years ago it was my goal to come.” That moment finally arrived, when Mo’ne Davis and the Los Angeles Queens rallied for a 10-8 victory over Denae Benites and the New York Heights in a rainy debut for the first women’s professional baseball league in the United States in almost 30 years. “Growing up I played softball,” said Koehler, 33, of St. Paul, Minnesota. “I wanted to play baseball because going professional was always like the dream, but there (were) no opportunities. ... So now that that’s actually an opportunity and something that girls can look up to, I think is amazing.” Maggie Foxx picked up the league’s first hit on a two-run single for Los Angeles in the first inning. Benites connected for the WPBL’s first homer, a two-run drive to center in the bottom of the fourth. The Queens trailed 8-4 before scoring two runs in the sixth and four more in wet and windy conditions for the final frame of the seven-inning contest. “When I walked on the field I started crying because of how much this moment meant and how much it meant to everybody,” Foxx said. “It means everything to us.” A steady rain fell for much of the day, soaking the 101-year-old home of the WPBL’s inaugural season. But much of the crowd of more than 4,000 started lining up hours before the game.

LEXIE KNIGHT / AP PHOTO

New York Heights’ Natsuki Yonetani, right, celebrates while Los Angeles Queens’ Amira Hondras, left, fails to tag her during the third inning of the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League game. The line for the main merchandise booth stretched all the way to the outfield along one side of the ballpark. “Having a daughter, it’s really exciting to give her exposure to female professional athletes,” said Antonietta Mabry, 47, an accountant from Columbus, Ohio. “It’s such a rare thing, so it’s really cool to give her some really positive female role models and examples.” Mabry was accompanied by her husband, Jason, and their daughter, Rosalee. Nine-year-old Mabry got her glove autographed by San Francisco second baseman Amanda Gianelloni. The Firebells and Boston Hunters — the league’s other two teams — play on Sunday. A couple of players from each team helped the grounds crew pull the tarp off the field after the rain subsided. “I’m excited to be here because I play softball and I really like it and it’s really cool that I get to see profession-

“When I walked on the field I started crying because of how much this moment meant.” Maggie Foxx al women play,” Rosalee Mabry said. The WPBL paid tribute to the past, present and future of women’s baseball during a rain-delayed pregame ceremony. The crowd cheered as the lineups for the Queens and Heights were announced. But the biggest ovation of the night was for 99-year-old Maybelle Blair, who threw a ceremonial first pitch to San Francisco’s Kelsie Whitmore, one of the biggest stars of the WPBL. Blair, who serves on a WPBL advisory board, played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which ran from 1943-54 and inspired the

Dodgers land Cy Young ace Skubal in deadline deal Los Angeles sent three prospects to Detroit

“I’m excited to get down there and meet all those guys and chase three championships in a row.”

By Josh Dubow The Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the biggest prize on the trade deadline market, getting two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. Skubal got the news during the game and was emotional after the game as he prepared to leave the team that drafted him in 2018 and developed him into a star to join the two-time defending World Series champions. “I’m excited to be a Dodger,” he said. “I’m excited to get down there and meet all those guys and chase three championships in a row. That’s hard to do, so I’m so excited to be a part of that. It’s a lot of different emotions. Definitely kind of a roller coaster a little bit.” Skubal is the latest star to join the high-priced roster for the Dodgers that already has big-name players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Mookie Betts. The Dodgers are in first place in the NL West and were already the favorites to become the first team to three-peat

Tarik Skubal

PAUL SANCYA / AP PHOTO

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal walks to the dugout after leaving his final start with the team before getting traded. since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000 before adding Skubal. They began the season with a $323.3 million opening-day payroll for their 40-man roster and a $163.7 million tax for a $487.1 million total. They will pay Skubal about $9.5 million for the remainder of the season. The Tigers would receive three minor league prospects in right-handers River Ryan and Brady Smith and outfielder Zyhir Hope.

Skubal is eligible for free agency after the World Series. He has a $32 million salary, a record total in arbitration and is expected to sign a massive contract in the offseason. The 29-year-old lefty said in July it was his preference to finish the season with the Tigers and to compete for a World Series. Skubal took the loss in the decisive Game 5 of the division series against Cleveland in 2024 and then got a no-decision in a 15-inning loss to Seattle in Game 5 of the division series last year. He said it was “very tough” to leave the Tigers having fallen short of the goal of winning a title. “Ever since that ’24 Game 5, the failure that I experienced on the mound, I’ve used that as fuel to try and bring a World Series to the city of Detroit. I truly did,” he said. “That whole offseason I’ve never been more motivated and then go in and we lose Game 5 again. That failure kind of sparks some

1992 movie, “A League of Their Own.” “I think that’s pretty incredible,” Benites said. “Maybelle’s been sticking with us since the beginning of this journey. She’s paved a path for us, really. ... She’s a special person, and I’m so happy that she got to make it out here and do that today.” Lindsey Keirsey, 42, a high school history teacher in Fenton, Missouri, said she is obsessed with the AAGPBL and “A League of Their Own.” She attended the game with her husband, Drew, 43, and their four children, Hadley, 17, Nolan, 15, Elam, 11, and Abbott, 10. “We go to St. Louis Cardinals games all the time,” Hadley Keirsey said. “As much as I love baseball, I think it’s an amazing opportunity to see so many women be able to play and just break ground like that. Even though it’s just a sport, I think that if we can do things like this and let women play in sports like this, women can do so many more things.”

more motivation, just to dig deeper and see how good you can truly be. The goal was always to win a World Series for the city, for the organization that took a chance on me. It’s tough. I love all those guys in there. They’re some of my best friends.” The Tigers got off to a rough start and are currently 21⁄2 games out of the last wild-card spot in the American League. “It’s crazy. Going into the season, this isn’t what I planned on doing,” Skubal said. “But circumstances change, situations change, and I’m very appreciative of everything the Tigers have done for me.” “I’ve watched this guy rise to the top of the sport,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s carried us a lot. I’ll forever be grateful that our paths crossed and the things that he did for this organization and for a couple of playoff teams. His presence, his work ethic, his example, his dominance. There’s so much to go through, it’s hard to capture in one quote or kind of one setting. But I’m very grateful that I was able to manage him for the time that I did.” Skubal is 7-5 this season with a 2.79 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 962⁄3 innings. He is 61-42 with a 3.04 ERA over seven seasons, all in Detroit. In two postseasons, Skubal is 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in six starts. Skubal had a minimally invasive surgery May 6 to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow and returned to pitch on June 13. “The way the surgery went is exactly how it was supposed to go,” he said in July.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

Darnold uninterested in narratives about him, but ready to help Seahawks defend crown The former Panthers’ quarterback is coming off a Super Bowl win By Andrew Destin The Associated Press SEATTLE — Less than six months removed from his first NFL title, Sam Darnold briefly chuckled to himself. Darnold was asked if he feels the narratives about him have gone by the wayside. For years, the discourse on Darnold centered around him being a bust, considering his pedigree as a former No. 3 overall pick, and a transient quarterback who hopped from team to team. Darnold’s first year under center for the Seahawks, after all, marked his fifth team in eight seasons. Despite the scrutiny, Darnold said his confidence in himself has never wavered. “I don’t allow myself to really pay attention to anything like that,” Darnold said five days into training camp. “If I do catch wind of it, I have my process on how to handle that. Like I said, it’s just about handling my process and doing it my way, so that when I get out there, it’s not about what I’ve done or what I’m going to do, it’s about what I’m doing right now. “I think if I just continue to have that mindset as we go on, we’ll be just fine.” What Darnold is more interested in is getting up to speed with the Seahawks’ new offensive scheme. First-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury and Darnold have some familiarity with one another, though. Fleury spent the last four years as the 49ers’ tight ends coach, and Darnold was San Francisco’s backup for the 2023 season. Darnold has enjoyed getting to reconnect with the stoic Fleury, who has been tasked with replacing current Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. “Whether it’s a good play or bad play, his mentality never

LINDSEY WASSON / AP PHOTO

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold signs autographs during training camp. changes out there on the field, which I already knew about, being in San Francisco with him,” Darnold said. “But he was always very even keel. Now getting to spend a lot more time with him as the offensive coordinator, it’s fun to be able to watch him work every single day and see his mentality out there.” Darnold would also like to keep working on his rapport with wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, who signed a $51 million, three-year contract in March. Shaheed, who had 59 catches for 687 yards and two touchdowns last season for Seattle and New Orleans, spent a good chunk of the offseason training with Darnold. The two South-

“It’s not about what I’ve done or what I’m going to do, it’s about what I’m doing right now.” Sam Darnold ern California natives teamed up at Saddleback College in Orange County, which Darnold imagines will only help Shaheed further get up to speed with the Seahawks ahead of his first full season in Seattle. “He’s a friendly receiver to throw to,” Darnold said. “... I’m looking forward to him con-

tinuing to get more reps and build that chemistry so that we can see him more often getting catches and doing his thing at the receiver position.” Fans will have plenty of chances to get sneak peeks of Darnold’s and Shaheed’s progress on the HBO show “Hard Knocks.” As the quarterback of the reigning Super Bowl champions, Darnold understands he very well may be one of the focal points of the show. It’s an impending experience Darnold is prepared for ahead of his ninth NFL season. After a second straight Pro Bowl season, Darnold has proven he belongs among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks after a much-crit-

icized beginning to his professional career. While Darnold isn’t one to reflect on how far he’s come, coach Mike Macdonald is more than willing to shower praise on his even-keeled quarterback as the Seahawks seek to defend their Super Bowl title. “The thing I appreciate about Sam — and you can’t speak for everybody — but just every rep is a rep,” Macdonald said. “If it’s in the quarterback room and they’re going over the script, he treats that rep the same as he does here, if it’s practiced online or we’re in a game. It’s all the same. That’s the mental approach that we want all of our guys to take.”

Mayfield feels ‘disrespected’ by Buccaneers ownership after failing to agree on new contract The former Panthers quarterback will play out the final season of his contract

“Money should never be the motivation in football. It’s how do I help this team win?”

By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield feels “disrespected” by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is focused on playing his best football. The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback didn’t get the contract extension he sought and plans to play out the final season of his three-year, $100 million deal. “I’ve been pretty up front and honest about my feelings about Tampa, it being home for our family, raising kids here,” Mayfield said. “We love it here. I wanted a deal done and set the deadline and told them it was going to be all ball after that, and I did mean that. I don’t know if they thought I was gonna take some of the offers that they gave. “I’m at the point in my career, understanding what I’ve brought to this franchise. One, I’m very thankful for the chance they gave me — do not get me wrong on that. But I also know, I really know what I’ve brought to this franchise, leadership-wise and even play-wise. It’s been some of the best years of my career, and I think it’s only going to trend upwards.” Mayfield, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft by Cleveland, revived his career in Tampa Bay after replacing Tom Brady in 2023. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons while leading the Bucs to consecutive NFC South titles. He was an MVP candidate through the first half

Baker Mayfield

CHRIS O’MEARA / AP PHOTO

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield takes a snap during training camp practice. of last season when the team started 6-2 but struggled with injuries and tailed off. “It’s disappointing in that regard, to feel disrespected a little bit,” he said. “That’s really the disappointing part, to feel undervalued after thinking you’ve earned it. This is not a ‘poor me’ thing. There’s a lot of other people who have it way worse off. But I can sit here and look at other quarterbacks and peers and evaluate myself based on that and put myself in certain categories that I deserved to be compensated for that.

“I think I’m a franchise quarterback. I’ve been told I’m a franchise quarterback. It’s been said publicly from ownership down here, and to not have a deal done is very disappointing.” Mayfield had set a deadline on getting a new contract by the start of training camp. He said he addressed his teammates to let them know he won’t let the issue become a distraction. He also doesn’t need it to motivate him. “Money should never be the motivation in football,” he said. “It’s how do I help this team

win? It’s never going to be the motivation for me. When it comes to having a chip on your shoulder and all that, for me it just puts me in the mindset of betting on myself. That’s something I’m pretty familiar with, and it’s a good place to be. As a highly competitive guy, sometimes you have to put yourself backed into a corner and fight your way out. I have a lot of guys and a lot of staff around me that are with me, so I’m not alone in it. We’re fighting for the same goal, and that’s to be playing in February.”

If Mayfield plays like he did in 2024 — 4,500 yards passing, 41 touchdown passes, 71.4% completion rate, 106.8 passer rating — the Buccaneers likely will have to pay him even more than he commands now. A contract that averages between $50-55 million is considered to be Mayfield’s current range. “Baker hasn’t missed a beat or changed one bit through anything that’s going on,” offensive lineman Ben Bredeson said. “He’s still our quarterback, he’s still the same leader, friend, guy that we all love. When he says it’s all about ball, he means it. He’s probably one of the most consistent and locked-in individuals I’ve ever had the chance to play with. It’s an honor going to work with him every day, and no matter what’s happening outside of the building, he has not changed one bit and is ready to go at all times.” Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea is also unhappy with his contract situation as he enters the final year of his deal. He has missed the first two days of practice with a back injury. “It’s all about winning here now and what we’re going to do and hopefully gets his back fixed and gets his deal done,” Mayfield said. “Vita deserves that. He’s the anchor of our defense. I hope they take care of him.”

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

entertainment this week in history World Wide Web goes live, U.S. drops nukes on Japan, Pollock dies

lowers were later convicted of the crime.

The Associated Press

1792: During the French Revolution, mobs in Paris attacked the Tuileries Palace, where King Louis XVI resided. (The king was later arrested, put on trial for treason and executed.) 1969: Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were murdered in their Los Angeles home by members of Charles Manson’s cult. 1993: Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, serving until her death in September 2020.

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AUG. 6 1806: Emperor Francis II abdicated, marking the end of the Holy Roman Empire after nearly a thousand years. 1945: During World War II, the U.S. B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths. 1991: The World Wide Web made its public debut as a means of accessing webpages over the internet. AUG. 7 1789: The U.S. Department of War was established by Congress. 1942: U.S. and other allied forces landed at Guadalcanal, marking the start of the first major allied offensive in the Pacific during World War II. 1974: French high-wire artist Philippe Petit performed an unapproved tightrope walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York, more than 1,300 feet above the ground; the event was chronicled in the Academy Award-winning documentary “Man on Wire.” AUG. 8 1814: During the War of 1812, peace talks between the United States and Britain began in Ghent, Belgium. 1815: Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena to spend the remainder of his days in exile. 1876: Thomas Edison received a patent for his electric pen — the forerunner

THE WALDEN WOODS PROJECT VIA WIKIPEDIA

Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” an account of his time living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was published Aug. 9, 1854. of the mimeograph machine. 1908: Wilbur Wright made the Wright Brothers’ first public flying demonstration, at Le Mans racecourse in France. AUG. 9 1173: Construction began on the campanile of Pisa Cathedral — better known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 1854: Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” which described Thoreau’s experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts, was first published. 1945: Three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, a U.S. B-29 Superfortress dropped an atomic device over Nagasaki. 1969: Actor Sharon Tate and four other people were found killed at Tate’s Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his fol-

AUG. 11 1929: Babe Ruth became the first baseball player to reach 500 career home runs with a homer at Cleveland’s League Park. 1956: Abstract painter Jackson Pollock died in an automobile accident on Long Island, New York, at age 44. 1973: At a house party in the Bronx, 18-year-old DJ Kool Herc began extending the musical breaks of the records he was playing and speaking over the beat, marking the (unofficial) birth of hip-hop music. AUG. 12 1898: Fighting in the Spanish-American War came to an end. 1909: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indianapolis 500, first opened. 2022: Salman Rushdie, the author whose writing led to death threats from Iran in the 1980s, was attacked and stabbed in the neck and eye by a man who rushed the stage as Rushdie was about to give a lecture in western New York.

HIROSHIMA PEACE MEMORIAL MUSEUM / U.S. ARMY VIA AP

A cloud rises over Hiroshima, Japan, hours after the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on Aug. 6, 1945.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

James, Strout among Booker Prize semifinalists Judges will announce six finalists Sept. 22

Author Douglas Stuart poses for a portrait in 2026 in New York.

By Jill Lawless The Associated Press

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LONDON — Booker Prize winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart are in the running again for the prestigious fiction award, alongside Dublin gangs, dystopian science fiction and the New England characters of Pulitzer Prize laureate Elizabeth Strout. Judges read 163 novels to come up with the 13 semifinalists announced last week for the $66,000 Booker Prize, a list described by historian Mary Beard, head of the judging panel, as literary “dynamite.” The list includes James’ “The Disappearers,” about a group of gay men in a hostile 1980s Jamaica; Stuart’s “John of John,” a story of father-son secrets on a remote Scottish island; and Strout’s heartfelt small-town tale “The Things We Never Say.” James won the Booker in 2015 for “A Brief History of Seven Killings,” and Stuart won

ANDY KROPA / INVISION VIA AP

in 2020 for “Shuggie Bain.” Strout’s “Oh William!” was a finalist in 2022. She won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2009 for “Olive Kitteridge.” They sit alongside lesser-known names on a Booker longlist that includes authors with roots in Britain, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Turkey and the United States. Three of those on the list are

debut authors: Turkish American writer Kenan Orhan for family history story “The Renovation,” British author Rebecca Perry for Medieval-to-modern tale “May We Feed the King” and Ireland’s Djamel White for “All Them Dogs,” a thriller set in the Dublin underworld. White, at 28, is the youngest author in the running. The oldest is 81-year-old M. John Har-

Recording Academy CEO addresses BTS’ decision to skip Grammy submissions The Korean boy band did not want to be categorized by ethnicity

“We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language.” BTS

By Maria Sherman The Associated Press NEW YORK — Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has responded to the news that K-pop powerhouse BTS will not submit their music for consideration at the forthcoming 2027 Grammy Awards. “I am saddened to hear that BTS has chosen not to participate in the Grammy Awards process this year, but as a music creator, I understand and respect their decision,” Mason Jr. wrote on the Grammys’ official Instagram page. Last Wednesday, all seven BTS members — RM, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, Jung Kook and Jin — shared the same note on Instagram, stating that they would not be submitting their comeback album “ARIRANG” or its songs for Grammys. “We hope our music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language,” they wrote, just over a month after the Recording Academy announced

rison, whose postapocalyptic tale “The End of Everything” is a rare science fiction novel to make the Booker list. The other contenders are “The Shadow of the Object” by Chloe Aridjis, “Black Bag” by Luke Kennard, “The Vivisectors” by Missouri Williams, “Switzy” by Emma Cline, “Helen of Nowhere” by Makenna Goodman and Gwendoline Riley’s “The Palm House.” Beard said the five jurors, who include Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker and American novelist Patricia Lockwood, tried to look beyond the idea of a typical Booker winner – “slightly serious, about to be classic.” Instead, they chose novels that are “trying to expand the boundaries of how we can think about ourselves in completely different ways,” “Sometimes they’re using humor, sometimes it’s pathos, sometimes there’s shock value,” Beard said. “They’re risk-takers. They are dynamite. They say, ‘Come on, try seeing it a different way.’” Founded in 1969, the Booker Prize has a reputation for transforming writers’ careers and is open to novels from any country published in the U.K. and Ireland. Last year’s winner was “Flesh” by Hungarian British writer David Szalay. The winner will be revealed Nov. 9 at a ceremony in London.

YUKI IWAMURA / AP PHOTO

BTS performs at halftime of the World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19. five new Grammy categories, which include best Asian pop music performance. According to the rulebook, the category recognizes releases across K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and beyond. But some fans viewed it

solutions

as a racialized barrier for Asian performers. In his statement, Mason Jr. stated that the new category was created in order to celebrate more voices across the Asian music industry — not to

separate those artists from other awards. “I do want to clarify something that seems to be getting lost in the conversation. The Asian Pop category was created to celebrate the depth, diver-

sity and extraordinary growth of pop artistry coming out of Asia,” he wrote. “More categories mean more artists’ work is recognized. It’s never to divide, but to expand who is recognized by our 15,000 Grammy voters.” He added a reminder that submitting in a genre category — such as the new Asian pop award — does not exclude an artist from submitting to the general field categories like album, song and record of the year. “Recognition in a genre category and recognition in the General Field are not mutually exclusive,” Mason Jr. said. “An artist can absolutely pursue both.” BTS has never won a Grammy, though they’ve been nominated for five: three times in the best pop duo/group performance category as well as album of the year (for their contributions to Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres”) and best music video for “Yet to Come.” In fact, no K-pop act had ever won a Grammy before this year, when “Golden” from the Netflix animated film “KPop Demon Hunters” took home the trophy for best song for visual media.

Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

famous birthdays this week Charlize Theron is 51, Keith Carradine turns 77, Sam Elliott celebrates 82, Sir Mix-A-Lot spins to 63 The Associated Press THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week. AUG. 6 Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 88. Actor Dorian Harewood is 76. Actor Leland Orser is 66. Actor Michelle Yeoh is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer David Robinson is 61. Actor Soleil Moon Frye is 50. AUG. 7

CHRIS PIZZELLO/ AP PHOTO

Actor Rosanna Arquette turns 67 on Monday.

Singer Lana Cantrell is 83. Actor John Glover is 82. Actor David Rasche is 82. Former diplomat, talk show host and activist Alan Keyes is 76. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 76. Actor Wayne Knight is 71. Rock singer Bruce Dickinson is 68. Actor David Duchovny is 66. Actor Michael Shannon is 52. Actor Charlize Theron is 51.

HOCUS FOCUS

AUG. 8 Actor Nita Talbot is 96. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 80. Actor Connie Stevens is 88. Actor Larry Wilcox is 79. Actor Keith Carradine is 77. Movie director Martin Brest is 75. Radio-TV personality Robin Quivers is 74. Rock musician The Edge (U2) is 65. AUG. 9 Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy is 98. Tennis Hall of Famer Rod Laver is 88. Actor Sam Elliott is 82. Singer Barbara Mason is 79. Actor Melanie Griffith is 69. Rapper Kurtis Blow is 67. Pro and College Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is 59.

DARKO VOJINOVIC / AP PHOTO

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak turns 76 on Tuesday. AUG. 11 Magazine columnist Marilyn vos Savant is 80. Country music singer John Conlee is 80. Computer scientist and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is 76. Musician Joe Jackson is 72. Actor-host Joe Rogan is 59.

AUG. 10

AUG. 12

Actor James Reynolds is 80. Rock singer-musician Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) is 79. Country musician Gene Johnson (Diamond Rio) is 77. Actor Daniel Hugh Kelly is 74. Folk singer-songwriter Sam Baker is 72. Actor Rosanna Arquette is 67.

Actor George Hamilton is 87. Singer-musician Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) is 77. Singer Kid Creole (Kid Creole and the Coconuts) is 76. Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny is 72. Rapper Sir Mix-A-Lot is 63. Tennis Hall of Famer Pete Sampras is 55.

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Chatham News & Record for Thursday, August 6, 2026

the stream

UNIVERSAL PICTURES / PARAMOUNT PICTURES / NETFLIX VIA AP

“You, Me & Tuscany,” left, the concert film “Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live),” center, and science fiction thriller “The Last House” are all streaming this week.

‘Ted Lasso,’ Billie Eilish, Stray Kids, ‘You, Me & Tuscany,’ ‘The Shards’ Ravyn Lenae drops “Blue Island” The Associated Press THE RETURN of “Ted Lasso” and Billie Eilish’s immersive concert film are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time this week: The rom-com “You, Me & Tuscany,” a new mini-album from Stray Kids and the new series based on Bret Easton Ellis’ “The Shards.” MOVIES TO STREAM A family is trapped inside their home for years in the new science-fiction thriller “The Last House,” streaming Friday on Netflix. Greta Lee and Wagner Moura play parents to two children who find themselves in the mysterious predicament in the Louis Leterrier-directed movie. James Cameron and Eilish share the directing credit on the concert film “Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live),” which hits Paramount+ on Thursday. In her review, AP music writer Maria Sherman wrote, “While no movie can serve as the perfect replica of a transformative live music experience … (this) works an immersive magic. Every seat is the best seat in the house in these shots.” Halle Bailey plays a professional house sitter who impulsively takes up residence in an Italian villa in the romantic comedy “You, Me & Tuscany,” streaming on Peacock starting Friday. Equal parts picturesque and improbable, the movie involves a case of mistaken identity and a lie about an engagement that gets in the way of a potentially real romance with Regé-Jean Page. Jocelyn Noveck, in her review for The Associated Press, wrote that it is “a movie as frothy and insubstantial as the foam on a nice cappuccino.” Colombian filmmaker Simón Mesa Soto won a prize from last year’s Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section for “A Poet,” about a failed writer named Oscar, that will be streaming on Mubi on Friday. AP film writer Jake Coyle, in his review, wrote, “While ‘A Poet’ might remind you of some other films — one would be Cord Jefferson’s ‘A merican Fiction’ — it is, like Oscar, steadfastly its own thing. Filmed on grainy 16mm, it’s even rough and dirty around the edges. … But if Soto’s

ANDY KROPA / INVISION VIA AP

Regé-Jean Page, from left, Halle Bailey, director Kat Coiro and Will Packer attend the premiere of the romantic comedy “You, Me & Tuscany” at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 8 in New York.

ter City. He then resigned to return home to Kansas to spend more time with his son, Henry. Now, the Emmy-winning series resumes, with Lasso returning to the U.K. to coach AFC Richmond’s new women’s team. Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, Juno Temple, Jeremy Swift and Brendan Hunt return with Sudeikis for this continuation of the Lasso universe. Ryan Murphy has teamed up with “American Psycho” and “Less Than Zero” author Ellis to adapt Ellis’ autofiction novel “The Shards” for FX. Set in 1981 in Los Angeles, it stars Igby Rigney as a privileged high school senior named Bret, who finds himself both suspicious of and obsessed with a new student (played by Homer James Jigme Gere). At the same time, a serial killer is targeting teens in the area, and the kids are becoming increasingly paranoid. The show has a roster of rising talent including Kaia Gerber, Hayes Warner and Graham Campbell. It is available now on FX on Hulu. It’s gonna be a minute until Prime Video is ready to release “The Summer I Turned Pretty” movie or Season 2 of “Off Campus,” so it’s churning out the YA shows to keep viewers swooning in the meantime. “Sterling Point” is the latest offering from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (“The OC,” “Gossip Girl”), who are co-showrunners alongside buzzy up-and-coming director and actor Megan Park (“My Old Ass”). It’s about a teen named Annie who inherits her grandfather’s island after his death. The drama is streaming now. VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

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Above, Jason Sudeikis arrives at the season four premiere of “Ted Lasso” on July 27 in Los Angeles. Right, Ravyn Lenae’s third album, “Blue Island,” releases Aug. 7. film is loose and gritty, its satire is remarkably precise. This is a farce of creative life where the only pure artistic intention is a joke.” MUSIC TO STREAM The British girl-group greats FLO have found “Therapy at the Club.” At least, that is the promise — and title — of their sophomore album. Expect 16 tracks of R&B-pop bliss. If there’s any wisdom to be learned on the

ATLANTIC VIA AP

dance floor here, it is because their silky-smooth, three-part vocal harmonies delivered the message. It’s hard to underscore just how massive Ravyn Lenae’s 2024 single “Love Me Not” was in 2025. The swoony song went mega-viral on TikTok and became the centerpiece of a lot of online conversation, much of which positioned Lenae as contemporary R&B’s saving grace. But a one-hit wonder with only a dance trend to her name she is

not. “Blue Island,” her forthcoming third album, pushes boundaries — of genre, of expectation and public perception. SERIES TO STREAM Hard to believe, but it’s been three years since “Ted Lasso” concluded its third season on Apple TV. The lovably folksy soccer coach (played by Jason Sudeikis) led AFC Richmond to become No. 2 in the Premier League, behind Manches-

Dogs have been part of video games since 1984’s “Duck Hunt,” but you don’t often get to control them. Koo, the costar of “Beast of Reincarnation,” wants to change that. The feisty mutt and his human pal Emma are fighting bloodthirsty mutants and killer robots in a postapocalyptic Japan in the year 4026. Emma swings a mean katana, but she can call upon Koo to leap in and take a bite out of an enemy — or just sniff out treasure. Fetch it now on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC. In “Big Walk,” you and up to 11 friends are dropped on a mysterious island where your goal ... well, I’m not sure what your goal is. You can team up to solve puzzles. You can go for walks. You can sit and watch the sunset. Sometimes you’ll lose the ability to chat with your buddies, so you’ll need to figure out other ways to communicate. Australian developer House House is best known for 2019’s preposterous “Untitled Goose Game,” and its new release aims to transfer that cult hit’s sense of whimsical chaos to a co-op package. Begin the hike on PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and PC.