VOLUME 147 ISSUE 44 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2024
CHATHAMNEWSRECORD.COM
PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD
Illuminating the season More than 250 luminaries were purchased and displayed around the Mt. Zion Wesleyan Church in Seagrove ahead of Christmas. The funds raised will allow a family stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Winston-Salem for more than a month.
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Chatham County continuing BRIEF to experience rapid growth this week Govt. puts $100B in disaster relief in year-end budget bill Washington, D.C. Congress is allocating more than $100 billion in emergency aid to address extensive damage caused by hurricanes and other disasters. The money is in a bill passed early Saturday by Congress after last week’s scramble to find consensus on a government spending bill. The money is being provided after back-to‑back hurricanes slammed into the Southeast. But the funding will go to much more than just Helene and Milton recovery. There’s also disaster assistance for farmers, money for damaged roads and highways, and money for block grants administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Boost to Social Security for public sector retirees Washington, D.C. The Senate passed legislation to boost Social Security payments for millions of people. The bill is a longtime priority for former public employees. The bipartisan bill next heads to President Joe Biden. It will eliminate longtime reductions to Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million people who receive pensions because they worked in federal, state and local government, or public service jobs like teachers, firefighters and police officers. Advocates say the Social Security Fairness Act rights a decades-old disparity, though it will also further strain Social Security Trust Funds.
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Chatham County released its annual report By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record PITTSBORO — It was a big year for Chatham County as the county continues to make significant progress in terms of eco-
nomic, educational and population growth. The county released its annual “State of Chatham County Report” which highlights some of that progress. One of the biggest initiatives passed by the county commissioners this year was the new Recode Chatham Unified Development Ordinance. The UDO, which was in de-
velopment for nearly three years in conjunction with the county’s comprehensive plan, Plan Chatham, will provide a streamlined land use and development processes that will “foster balanced community growth, and preserve the county’s cherished rural character for generations to come.” “We are excited for this new
EPA head and NC Native Michael Regan to leave office Dec. 31 He had previously been head of N.C.’s Department of Environmental Quality By Matthew Daly The Associated Press WASHINGTON, D.C. — Michael Regan, who championed
environmental justice as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, will leave the agency Dec. 31, three weeks before the end of President Joe Biden’s term. In a letter Friday to agency employees, Regan said he was proud of the EPA’s work to confront climate change, restrict air
and water pollution and spend tens of billions of dollars under the administration’s landmark climate law to spur clean energy development. Those efforts slashed harmful greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants that endanger communities, “delivering significant economic and pub-
Farmers still reeling months after Hurricane Helene ravaged crops in South Farms were second thoughts amid the widespread devastation By Russ Bynum The Associated Press LYONS, Ga. — Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after Hurricane Helene made its deadly march across the South. An irrigation sprinkler system about 300 feet long lay overturned in a field, its steel pipes bent and welded joints broken. The mangled remains of a grain bin sat crumpled by a road. On a Friday in early De-
cember, Hopkins dragged burly limbs from the path of the tractor-like machine that picks his cotton crop six rows at a time. “I have wrestled with lots of emotions the past two months,” said Hopkins, who also grows corn and peanuts in rural Toombs County, about 75 miles west of Savannah. “Do we just get through this one and quit? Do we build back? It is emotionally draining.” Hopkins is among farmers across the South who are still reeling from Helene’s devastation. The storm made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 as a major Category 4 storm and then See FARMERS, page A10
“It was staggering. This may be just too much for some folks.” Timothy Coolong, Horticulture professor
ordinance as it implements the Plan Chatham vision and aligns with best practices to better support the county’s rapid growth while preserving our cherished rural character,” Commissioner Mike Dasher said at the time of its passing. The county also merged its water and wastewater services with TriRiver Water, which will now cover the entire county including Sanford, Pittsboro and Siler City. “This agreement transfers all responsibility for setting rates and operating the system to TriRiver,” said County Manager Dan LaMontagne back in OctoSee GROWTH, page A7
lic health benefits in areas long overburdened by pollution,″ he said. The agency also created thousands of jobs and lowered costs for families, he said. Regan, the first black man to head the EPA, noted that the agency elevated the role of environmental justice under his watch and “placed it at the center of our decision-making.’’ Regan went on a “Journey to Justice” tour from Mississippi to Texas in 2021. The five-day trip from Jackson, Mississippi, to New Orleans and Houston highlighted low-income, mostly miSee REGAN, page A3