North State Journal Vol. 10, Issue 10

Final goodbye

Hundreds of thousands of mourners attended Saturday’s funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. For more on the Catholic Church’s farewell to its first Latin American leader, turn to page A3.

1 dead, 6 injured in shooting at Elizabeth City State

Elizabeth City

A shooting at Elizabeth City State University left one person dead, six others injured, prompting a campus lockdown early Sunday, the university said. The shooting occurred in the center of campus following Yard Fest, the final event of the historically black university’s weeklong Viking Fest celebration, the school said in a statement. A 24-year-old man who was not a student was pronounced dead. His identity wasn’t immediately released pending notification of his family, the statement says. Four people sustained gunshot wounds, including three students, while two other students were injured during the commotion. None of the injuries were considered life threatening. All the injured were taken to a hospital for treatment, the statement says.

Judge accused of helping man evade authorities suspended Madison, Wis.

Monroe mayor files police report over harassment the BRIEF this week

ICE cooperation bill advances through House

House Bill 318 would firm up how local law enforcement works with federal agencies on immigration

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

Senate budget offers compromise on NCInnovation funds

The university research accelerator nonprofit’s $500 million endowment would be returned, with $100 million over four years given back to the group

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — The North Carolina General Assembly’s Senate budget includes a provision reshaping the $500 million in endowment funds previously given to a nonprofit in 2023 for accelerating university research being brought to the marketplace. In 2023, the legislature gave NCInnovation (NCI) $500 million in endowment funds split into two equal tranches. NCI was authorized to use $140 million of the total funds but

RALEIGH — A bill quickly moving through the North Carolina House would shore up requirements for local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration officials.

House Bill 318, first introduced in March by House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Flat Rock), aims to modify existing laws regarding individuals in custody who are subject to immigration detainers.

The bill has already been approved by one of the House Judiciary committees and was sent to the House Rules Committee, typically the final hurdle before a measure is voted on.

When a prisoner is subject to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer and administrative warrant, the bill requires that the individual be brought before a judicial official who can order continued detention.

The legislation mandates that facility administrators notify ICE “no later than two hours after the time” a prisoner would normally be released,” as well as the exact date and time when the prisoner’s 48-hour holding period will end.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities. The FBI took Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan into custody on Friday morning at the county courthouse. She faces federal charges of concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding. The state Supreme Court issued a two-page order Tuesday noting that Dugan faces two federal charges and saying it is in the public interest to temporarily relieve her of her duties. See ICE, page A2

“Somebody’s got to be held accountable.”

Robert Burns, Monroe mayor

A House bill raising penalties on threats to state officials would apply to Robert Burns

By A.P. Dillon North State Journal

RALEIGH — A North Carolina House bill raising penalties for threats to state officials that now awaits action by the Senate is on the mind of a North Carolina mayor.

House Bill 95 raises the punishment for assaulting state officials from a Class I felony to a Class G felony. The bill has harsher penalties if weapons are used, going from a Class F to a Class D felony, and the penalty rises from Class E to a Class C felony for incidents includ-

ing serious bodily injury.

The bill aims to give the same protection to county and municipality elected officials that apply to the legislature and Council of State members.

That protection is welcome news to Monroe Mayor Robert Burns, who recently filed a police report for cyberstalking involving a local activist named Kara Murphy.

Burns told North State Journal that he’s also been the target of harassment by a group called “Change for Monroe” and that he is concerned for his physical safety.

In a post on Facebook, Burns wrote that Murphy recorded and took pictures of him and his family having

“This new legislation delivers a decisive message: North Carolina will not be a sanctuary for criminal illegal aliens, and protecting our citizens remains our top priority.”

House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Flat Rock)

GREGORIO BORGIA / AP PHOTO

the word | What worry does to us

Note: This is the second week of a three-part series on worrying and the grace of God that will help us overcome it.

Here is what the lady from the “worry home” says: “I am mentally in a state of agitation most of the time, which hinders me from clear thinking, and this makes it almost impossible for me to compose my mind and to take clear action.”

That is exactly what worry does for anyone. It agitates the mind, and as a result clear thinking is impossible; and if one does not think clearly, then one’s judgment of facts cannot be clear and correct. Therefore, one can imagine that all sorts of evils are going to happen to him, and his worry is increased.

Many people lose control of themselves and go to pieces — their nerves break down, their courage leaves them, they are forlorn, discouraged, and often hopeless. What brought them to such a state? Not the things that were actually facing them, but their worry over those things.

The lady quoted knew the remedy: “I know that simple trust is the remedy, but sometimes this, too, is hard to do and it takes me several hours to get quiet.”

Worry is a habit which is hard to break. This lady is gaining, however, for even though it does take some time, she is learning to trust; and when she trusts, she comes to quietness of spirit and her worry ends. She has got farther along than many, and she will eventually gain victory over the habit and learn to trust and be at peace even under threatening circumstances. She still give way to worry and this is the result: “I still spend hours in discouragement and almost despair of ever being an overcomer.” However, she does not remain in that condition: “Then my faith and courage will rise and I trust and obey through to victory.” She further says, “One thought has always helped me in time of trouble: if somebody else has come through this, I can stand it too.”

No Christian has any reason to worry. Get that fact fixed in your mind. Read it over and over. If you are a Christian, it applies to you. You may be a worrier, but you have no justification for your worry. Read God’s promises and see if you can find justification in them for your worrying. Think of how he has helped you in times past, and brought you through even greater difficulties than those which you now face.

Look at what God has done for many others. Does that give you reason to worry? Not one good word can be said for worrying. There is no excuse for it — no reason for it. Worry is a sort of mental disease. All bad habits finally become a sort of disease; for they produce physical results. The most common physical result of worry is broken-down nerves, mental instability, and lack of ability to meet things that are coming.

Peter encouraged believers to “humble yourselves … casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you … the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ,

will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Learn to cast your cares on Christ. He will bear them for you and sustain you. He will give you grace, courage, help, comfort — and whatever is needed to take you through. No, you have nothing to worry about.

Charles Wesley Naylor is considered one of the most prolific and inspiring songwriters of the Church of God. He was bedridden for much of his adult life but wrote eight books, a newspaper column and more than 150 songs. Many of his writings are in the public domain.

We stand corrected

To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@ nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.

In the April 24 story on the North Carolina Senate’s budget proposal, the average teacher salary percentage will be 3.3% over the biennium. The personal

rate decreases previously reported for 2026 are the same as the current rate is 3.99%. The subsequent proposed reductions are 3.49% (2027) and 2.99% (2028).

The original bill’s language required holding prisoners for 48 hours from “receipt of the detainer and administrative warrant.” The bill substitute approved by the House Judiciary Committee changed that line to “the time the prisoner would otherwise be released.”

Law enforcement officers would receive immunity protection from civil or criminal liability for actions taken in compliance with these requirements. The substitute also introduced new pretrial release procedures whereby judicial officials would be required to attempt to verify a defendant’s legal residency or citizenship

status through questioning, document examination or both methods.

If officials cannot determine legal status, they must set standard pretrial release conditions and commit the individual to a detention facility where they will be fingerprinted. An ICE query on the individual must be made and the prisoner is held for two hours and then either be released if no detainer is issued or processed under the detainer procedures if one is received.

Under the committee substitute version, this verification would apply to individuals charged with any felony, certain Class A1 misdemeanors, violations of domestic violence protective orders and impaired

NCDOT TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING REGARDING THE PROPOSAL TO WIDEN AVIATION PARKWAY FROM N.C. 54 TO I-40 IN WAKE COUNTY

STIP Project No. U-5811

MORRISVILLE/CARY - The N.C. Department of Transportation is hosting a public meeting on its proposed plan to widen Aviation Parkway from N.C. 54 (Chapel Hill Road) in Morrisville to I-40 in Cary. The purpose of this project is to reduce congestion on Aviation Parkway, improving east to west mobility through Morrisville to I-40 and I-540/N.C. 540

Project details and maps can be found on the NCDOT project web page publicinput. com/aviation-parkway. Attendees will be available at the meeting allowing for oneon-one discussions with engineers, but there will be no formal presentation.

The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on May 12 at Morrisville Town Hall, 100 Town Hall Drive, in Morrisville

Public comments can also be submitted by phone at 984-205-6615 project code 11379, email aviation-parkway@publicinput.com, or mail at the address shown below by May 30, 2025

By Mail: Joel Perlin, PMP NCDOT Project Manager NCDOT Project Management Unit 1582 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1582

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled people who wish to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Tony Gallagher, Environmental Analysis Unit, at 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1598, 919-707-6069 or magallagher@ ncdot.gov as early as possible so arrangements can be made.

driving offenses. The expanded list would include burglaries, theft, embezzlement, fraud, forgery and drunk driving.

The effective date was also changed from Dec. 1 to Oct. 1.

Hall’s press release introducing the bill said the measure aims to strengthen law enforcement’s partnership with ICE in addressing “illegal aliens charged with serious crimes” in North Carolina.

“Let me be clear: illegal aliens who commit crimes in our state must go,” Hall said in the press release. “This new legislation delivers a decisive message: North Carolina will not be a sanctuary for criminal illegal aliens, and protecting our citizens remains our top priority.”

Hall said the bill “clarifies provisions” of House Bill 10, which was enacted during the 2023-24 legislative session, including closing “loopholes exploited by Democrat-run sanctuary cooperation to provide safe haven to criminal illegals.”

While not naming names in the press release, Hall’s comments are likely directed at certain sheriffs, including Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, who has consistently refused to honor ICE detainers.

In March, ICE made 24 arrests in Charlotte, including at least two MS-13 gang members, and McFadden’s office was singled out by ICE for not honoring detainers.

“Of these criminal aliens, six had active immigration detainers which the Charlotte Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office had not honored. There are 18 additional targeted aliens still at large who also had de -

tainers that were not honored,” per the ICE press release. “ICE has been unable to locate those individuals, and they remain at large and pose a potential danger to the community. These aliens could have been safely and efficiently transferred into ICE custody if their detainers had been honored.”

Spectrum News reported McFadden responded to ICE by saying he had to “follow the law.”

“We do not honor civil detainers because they are not signed by a judge. I must follow the law,” McFadden said. “If a judge orders me to release someone, I cannot legally detain them.”

McFadden has made statements claiming that under House Bill 10, he doesn’t have to contact ICE to notify them about illegal immigrant prisoner releases. Yet, in his remarks to Spectrum News, McFadden complained that ICE didn’t pick up 163 illegal immigrants that his office had detained for 48 hours.

According to the Center for Immigration Statistics (CIS), North Carolina has multiple counties considered to be sanctuary jurisdictions, including Buncombe, Chatham, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Orange, Wake and Watauga counties.

CIS has also reported which sanctuary jurisdictions have the most declined ICE detainers. North Carolina ranks fifth on that list, with 508 spanning the FY 2023 through Feb. 6, 2025. Per that report, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office ranks 18th nationwide in the number of deportable illegal immigrants who have been released back into the county.

“Melencolia I” by Albrecht Dürer (1514) is an engraving in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

CHRIS SEWARD / AP PHOTO

North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Flat Rock), pictured in January, introduced legislation that would further coerce state law enforcement to work with ICE on immigration detainers.

Farewell, Francis

A packed St. Peter’s Square said goodbye to the pope at his funeral Saturday

By Nicole Winfield and Colleen Barry The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — World leaders and rank-and-file Catholic faithful bade farewell to Pope Francis at his funeral Saturday, highlighting his concern for people on the peripheries and reflecting his wish to be remembered as a simple pastor. Though presidents and princes attended the Mass in St. Peter’s Square, prisoners and migrants welcomed Francis’ coffin at his final resting place in a basilica across town.

According to Vatican estimates, some 250,000 people flocked to the funeral Mass at the Vatican, and 150,000 more lined the motorcade route through downtown Rome to witness the first funeral procession for a pope in a century. They clapped and cheered “Papa Francesco” as his simple wooden coffin traveled aboard a modified popemobile to St. Mary Major Basilica, some 3½ miles away.

As bells tolled, the pallbearers brought the coffin past several dozen migrants, prisoners and homeless people holding white roses outside the basilica. Once inside, the pallbearers stopped in front of the icon of the Virgin Mary that Francis loved. Four children deposited the roses at the foot of the altar before cardinals performed the burial rite at his tomb in a nearby niche.

“I’m so sorry that we’ve lost him,” said Mohammed Abdallah, a 35-year-old migrant from Sudan who was one of the people who welcomed Francis to his final resting place. “Francis helped so many people, refugees like us, and many other people in the world.”

Earlier, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re eulogized the church’s first Latin American leader during the Vatican Mass as a pope of the people, a pastor who knew how to communicate to the “least among us” with

an informal, spontaneous style.

“He was a pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone,” the 91-yearold dean of the College of Cardinals said in a highly personal sermon. He drew applause from the crowd when he recounted Francis’ constant concern for migrants, exemplified by celebrating Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border and traveling to a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, when he brought 12 migrants home with him.

“The guiding thread of his mission was also the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open,” Re said, noting that with his travels, the Argentine pontiff reached “the most peripheral of the peripheries of the world.”

Despite Francis’ focus on the powerless, the powerful were out in force at his funeral. U.S. President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined Prince William and continental European royals leading more than 160 official delegations. Argentine President Javier Milei had pride of place given Francis’ nationality, even if the two didn’t particularly get along and the pope alienated many in his homeland by never returning there.

Francis choreographed the funeral himself when he revised and simplified the Vatican’s rites and rituals last year. His aim was to emphasize the pope’s role as a mere pastor and not “a powerful man of this world.”

It was a reflection of Francis’ 12-year project to radically reform the papacy, to stress priests as servants and to construct “a poor church for the poor.” He articulated the mission just days after his 2013 election and it explained the name he chose as pope, honoring St. Francis of Assisi, “who had the heart of the poor of the world,” according to the official decree of the pope’s life that was placed in his coffin.

The white facade of St. Peter’s glowed pink as the sun rose Saturday, and throngs of mourners rushed into the square to get a spot for the Mass. Giant televi-

BUDGET from page A1 instead opted to invest the principal amount, which accumulated more than $20 million in interest, $5.2 million of which was put toward the group’s first round of eight grants.

Under the Senate budget, NCInnovation would be required to transfer $100 million back to the state and $400 million to the UNC Board of Governors for North Carolina Children’s Health. The $100 million would be held in a newly created NCInnovation Reserve.

From 2025 to 2029, NCInnovation would get portions of the funding back, receiving $25 million annually to establish at least four regional innovation hubs, each aimed at commercializing research from North Carolina’s universities and community colleges, particularly in rural areas.

Strict oversight measures in the Senate’s budget include recipient requirements to maintain in-state headquarters, sal-

sion screens were set up along the surrounding streets for those who couldn’t get close. Police helicopters whirled overhead, part of the massive security operation Italian authorities mounted, including more than 2,500 police, 1,500 soldiers and a torpedo ship off the coast, Italian media reported.

Many mourners had planned to be in Rome anyway this weekend for the now-postponed Holy Year canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis. Groups of scouts and youth church groups nearly outnumbered the gag-

gles of nuns and seminarians.

“He was a very charismatic pope, very human, very kind, above all very human,” said Miguel Vaca, a pilgrim from Peru who said he had camped out all night near the piazza. “It’s very emotional to say goodbye to him.”

Francis, who was also the first Jesuit pope, died Easter Monday at age 88 after suffering a stroke while recovering from pneumonia.

Even before he became pope, Francis had a particular affection for St. Mary Major, home to a Byzantine-style icon of the

Madonna, the Salus Populi Romani. He would pray before the icon before and after each of his foreign trips as pope.

The popemobile that brought his coffin there was made for one of those trips, Francis’ 2016 visit to Mexico, and was modified to carry a coffin.

The choice of the basilica was also symbolically significant given its ties to Francis’ Jesuit religious order. St. Ignatius Loyola, who founded the Jesuits, celebrated his first Mass in the basilica on Christmas Day in 1538.

The basilica is the resting place of seven other popes, but this was the first papal burial outside the Vatican since Pope Leo XIII died in 1903 and was entombed in another Roman basilica in 1924.

Following the funeral, preparations can begin in earnest to launch the centuries-old process of electing a new pope, a conclave that will likely begin in the first week of May. In the interim, the Vatican is being run by a handful of cardinals, key among them Re, who is organizing the secret voting in the Sistine Chapel.

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who will participate in the conclave, said the outpouring of support for Francis at his funeral showed the clear need for the next pope to continue his legacy.

ary caps, conflict-of-interest policies and mandatory audits.

During the April 14 press conference unveiling the Senate budget, Sen. Brent Jackson (R-Sampson) explained the alteration to the funding for NCI “instead of letting the rumor mill run wild” about the group’s future.

“Instead of an endowment model, we’re moving it to a cashflow basis, giving it enough funding for the next four years so we can just settle this question for the foreseeable future and allow it to focus on what matters the most — supporting innovative research that will make a real impact,” said Jackson. “Instead of NCInnovation earning roughly $25 million per year from the endowment, NCInnovation will now have $25 million per year in annual appropriations.”

Jackson said another benefit of this new model would be freeing up the state’s cash flow to invest in the new children’s hospital, stating, “This,

in my opinion, is a win-win.”

NCI Board of Directors Chair Kelly King issued a statement to North State Journal on the Senate proposal.

“The Senate’s proposal provides NCInnovation with the same annual funding as what the endowment returned over the past year, and it continues that funding through the next two budget cycles,” said King. “I believe this is entirely consistent with NCInnovation’s budget for applied research grants and commercialization support services, and I am proud to stand with lawmakers in finding flexible ways to address all of the state’s budget priorities, including NCInnovation.

“As I have said all along, I do not hold a position on how policymakers should fund this effort. Instead, NCInnovation will continue our work to advance the amazing applied research happening in all corners of this state, from lithium refining to PFAS filtration to cancer research,” King said. “Thank

you to North Carolina lawmakers for their continued support of this mission.”

The Senate budget’s changes to NCI’s funding structure followed a state audit of the group which found NCI was operating in accordance with state statutes. Additionally, two independent CPA firms verified that NCI’s records followed Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and state law requirements.

NCI President J. Bennet Waters praised and agreed with the audit results, noting the group had been a “target of a significant misinformation campaign by some media outlets,” a likely reference to the Carolina Journal, operated by the John Locke Foundation, which has been critical of NCI’s funding.

The audit of NCI was requested by one of NCI’s board members, Art Pope, who is the founder of the John Locke Foundation. He was appointed to NCI’s board by former House Speaker Tim Moore.

It took more than 1,438

hours at an “approximate cost of $222,968” to complete the audit, according to the state auditor’s report. The Senate budget provisions are not the only action by lawmakers to attempt to take back NCI’s funds.

In February, Harry Warren (R-Rowan) filed House Bill 154, which aimed to claw back the $500 million as well as the remaining $15 million in interest. Warren told North State Journal he feels the group should be privately funded.

Warren’s House colleague, Rep. Ray Pickett (R-Watauga), has defended NCI. In a memo obtained by North State Journal that was sent to multiple House committees, Pickett rebutted remarks made about NCI in a media interview by Andy Jackson of the John Locke Foundation. Members of the UNC Board of Governors Committee on Educational Planning, Policies and Programs also praised NCI’s work and potential at its Feb. 26 meeting.

ANDREEA ALEXANDRU / AP PHOTO

A nun holds a photo of Pope Francis while attending his funeral last weekend.

FRANCISCO SECO / AP PHOTO

The coffin of Pope Francis arrives at St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome on Saturday.

EVAN VUCCI / AP PHOTO

The coffin of Pope Francis is carried into St Peter’s Square as world leaders look on.

Dean of the College of Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re blesses the coffin during the funeral of Pope Francis.

Clergy take their seats for the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Saturday.

ALESSANDRA TARANTINO / AP PHOTO

MARKUS SCHREIBER / AP PHOTO

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

EDITORIAL | FRANK HILL

The ‘Springtime for Hitler’ delusion of the left

NOT ONLY DOES the radical left of the modern Democratic Party want to destroy America and the U.S. Constitution, but they also want to destroy history.

same buffoonish level as Mel Brooks did in his comedic masterpiece, “The Producers.”

All Jewish voters had to do was watch the constant appeasement of enemies of Israel by the Biden and Obama administrations and compare it to the actions of Trump to see who really had their best interests in mind.

They throw around words like “fascism” and “oligarchy” like candy to children during a parade, expecting it will lead them to victory in an electoral sweep of the next election, whenever it may be.

They only make themselves look more clownish with every passing day.

Former SNL writer and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David penned an oped for The New York Times which made light of HBO host Bill Maher going to dinner with President Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago. He portrayed Trump as if he were Hitler, who had invited Maher to dinner to charm him even though he was a bloodthirsty monster.

David’s piece comes across as cringeworthy at best and childish at worst. It is hardly worth the read except as a very sad commentary on the inability of the left to talk about anything true or important anymore.

In their efforts to demonize Trump, radical Democrats wind up trivializing the murderous nature of Hitler and making a mockery of his deadly legacy.

Ask any liberal to prove how many millions of innocent people Trump murdered in his first term or since Jan. 20, 2025, before continuing any discussion with them on the matter. Any mature Democrat making such an outrageous comparison should hang their head in shame.

For generations of Americans who did not learn about the horrors of World War II directly from their parents and grandparents, modern Democrats clumsily bring Hitler down to the

EDITORIAL | STACEY MATTHEWS

Fading theatre producer Max Bialystock concocts a scheme to bilk money out of unsuspecting rich widows to fund a musical he is sure will fail so he won’t have to fulfill his promises of exorbitant profit distributions to them and be able to keep all of their money after one dreadful performance.

Except, of course, the musical becomes a hit. Bialystock and his unsuspecting accountant accomplice, Leo Bloom, wind up going to jail on fraud and embezzlement charges.

The musical was called “Springtime for Hitler.” It was a farcical mixture of horrible music, terrible acting and awful staging. The audiences of the play within the film loved it ― as a comedy and a dark satire, but not as a musical.

“Springtime for Hitler” portrayed Hitler as an effeminate, LSD-hallucinated beatnik that was so far out of the realm of possibility it had no basis for even the tiniest smidgen of belief, even as comedy.

Any attempt to compare Trump and Hitler falls apart right at the beginning for the same reason. It simply is not believable on the face of it.

There has not been a U.S. president more supportive of Jews and Israel in modern history than Trump. People who are supposed to be “just like Hitler!” do not support the right of Jews to live in a safe, independent state. Jew haters do not support Jewish students who want to go to class unimpeded by angry pro-Palestinian mobs chanting, “Death to All Jews!” Antisemites do not support the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Democrat ‘resistance’ effort expands to Wisconsin judiciary

It’s deeply troubling, but not surprising, to see so many Democrats on board. There has not been a U.S. president more supportive of Jews and Israel in modern history than Donald Trump.

DURING DONALD TRUMP’S first term in office, Democrats unofficially adopted “The Resistance” to describe their collective efforts to resist and encourage everyone else to resist President Trump’s political agenda by nearly any means necessary. The “Resistance” has been very active so far in Trump’s second term as well, with members of the Wisconsin judiciary seemingly now joining the fight.

Last Friday, Hannah Dugan, a Milwaukee County Circuit judge, was arrested by the FBI over two alleged U.S Code violations: “Obstructing or impeding proceeding before a department or agency of the United States” and “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest.”

Witnesses said that in mid-April, Dugan helped Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal immigrant, evade an arrest from ICE. The judge allegedly steered the defendant and his attorney out of her courtroom, where Flores-Ruiz was for a pretrial hearing on misdemeanor battery charges, through the jury doorway instead of the main courtroom door, where members of ICE waited outside for his hearing to conclude.

Though Dugan is now out on bond, her arrest for allegedly obstructing an ICE arrest has Resistance Democrats in Congress — who have been fond of saying over the last eight years that “no one is above the law”

— accusing the Trump administration of “authoritarianism” and undermining

“our system of checks and balances.”

In an equally disturbing development, another Wisconsin judge appears to have gone the Resistance route in response to the Dugan incident.

According to the Wisconsin Right Now website, Sawyer County Circuit Judge Monica Isham wrote an email to all Wisconsin state judges on Saturday, standing in solidarity with Dugan and threatening not to hold court until further guidance was given on the matter. She also said she would not comply with ICE arrest orders, calling their detention centers “concentration camps.”

“I have no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by ICE and sent to a concentration camp, especially without due process, as BOTH of the constitutions we swore to support requires,” Isham wrote. “Should I start raising bail money?”

“Concentration camps” is a term that woke, anti-Trump members of Congress used in 2019 to describe detention centers at the southern border.

“The United States is running concentration camps on our southern border, and that is exactly what they are,” Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-N.Y.) proclaimed in June 2019.

“The fact that concentration camps are now an institutionalized practice in the ‘Home of the Free’ is extraordinarily disturbing, and we need to do something about it,” she also said.

Clearly, this wasn’t merely a procedural

The left-wing attempt to equate Trump with Hitler completely undermines the horrific nature of what Hitler did during World War II to Jews in Europe.

The only people in human history who can and should ever be compared to Hitler are the other mad, megalomaniacal mass murderers Josef Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, Idi Amin, Pol Pot and any number of demented and sadistic kings from the Roman Empire and the Babylonian and Assyrian empires before them.

Disagreeing with politicians in a spirit of civil discourse is one thing. Making baseless assertions and comparisons to a monster like Hitler without fact is embarrassing to watch and, quite frankly, should be disturbing to every older Democrat left standing.

Perhaps another clever comic genius of the same caliber as Mel Brooks (still living) will look at the 21st-century Democratic Party and write a sardonic, dark comedy about their complete and utter disconnection with reality, the U.S. Constitution and the essence of what it means to be an American citizen in fact and spirit. Call it “Springtime for Bernie, AOC and Jasmine Crockett.” It is sure to be a hit.

request on Isham’s part. It’s about ideological disagreement with Trump’s illegal immigration policy, and like other Resistance members, she’s willing to be arrested to try and make a point.

“If this costs me my job or gets me arrested then at least I know I did the right thing,” Isham wrote in the conclusion of her letter.

While this is not the first time a judge has tried to do end runs around the rule of law over policy disagreements, and it won’t be the last, it’s deeply troubling, but not surprising, to see so many Democrats on board.

In fact, Democrats seem hellbent on repeating the exact same mistakes on illegal immigration that helped get them trounced in 2024. While I’m not one to stand in the way of the opposition when they’re self-destructing, it just boggles the mind that they continue to believe this is a winning issue despite the horrible optics.

You’re doing a great job, Democrats. Yep. Keep it up.

North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.

A judge above the law?

THE CHATTERING CLASS is abuzz about the FBI’s arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan for helping an illegal alien avoid apprehension.

“Only Fascists arrest judges,” proclaimed a protestor’s sign outside the Milwaukee County courthouse. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), described the arrest as “a whole new descent into government chaos.”

Milwaukee County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson fretted that Dugan being taken into custody “sends a chilling message to community members and leaders looking to do the right thing.”

The facts leading to the arrest are not in dispute. In 2013 during the Obama administration, Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz was removed from the United States by Border Patrol agents. Under the law, Flores-Ruiz could return to the United States only if he sought and received permission from federal authorities. He did not seek permission and instead surreptitiously reentered the United States at an unknown time.

Flores-Ruiz made his way to Milwaukee, where he ran afoul of local law enforcement in March 2024. Court documents show that Flores-Ruiz attacked three individuals during a dispute over loud music. He allegedly struck his roommate 30 times with a closed fist, turned his anger to his roommate’s girlfriend, and finally injured another person who tried to stop the altercation. His victims required trips to the hospital to treat their wounds.

Local police arrested Flores-Ruiz for the attack, but he was released on bond. Federal immigration authorities learned of the arrest and realized Flores-Ruiz had illegally reentered the United States after the 2013 removal.

They obtained an arrest warrant and planned to execute it in the public hallway outside of Dugan’s courtroom after Flores-Ruiz’s scheduled state court appearance.

Some have criticized federal agents’ choice to arrest Flores-

Ruiz at the state courthouse. This is nonsense. A state courthouse is a public place where visitors must pass through security prior to entry. Such procedures ensure that violent criminals are unarmed and can be safely approached by law enforcement. Normal security at entries and exits also deters escape attempts. Courthouse arrests are standard practice across law enforcement agencies.

On the morning of the arrest operation, federal agents arrived at the courthouse and alerted security to their mission. The team took up positions in front of the courtroom and waited for the judicial proceeding to begin.

Once Dugan learned what immigration authorities were planning, she left the bench, confronted them in the public hallway and told the federal agents to leave the courthouse. The agents explained they were authorized to be in the public areas of the building. Dugan then ushered the team’s leadership into an office where they were put on the phone with the local chief judge. The chief judge had no problem with an arrest so long as it was effectuated in a public rather than private area of the courthouse.

Agents assured the chief judge that such was their intentions.

While agents talked with the chief judge, Dugan had FloresRuiz removed from the gallery of the courtroom to the jury box behind the railing or bar. Typically, defendants and other nonlawyers do not sit in the jury box during hearings. This was an effort by Dugan to separate Flores-Ruiz from federal agents. Next, Dugan declined to even hold the hearing and instead directed Flores-Ruiz and his lawyer to slip through a door reserved for court staff or security. This allowed Flores-Ruiz to leave the courtroom without exiting through the main door where federal agents were waiting.

Flores-Ruiz left the courthouse, and the arrest team scrambled to catch up to him. Once outside the

COLUMN | TERRY HUTCHENS

courthouse, Flores-Ruiz broke into a run and was chased by officers. He was apprehended at an intersection. Dugan placed the public and federal agents in danger. Rather than allow the federal agents to arrest him, Dugan provided an avenue of escape which FloresRuiz gladly exploited. In his O.J. Simpson-esque run through the streets, Flores-Ruiz could have injured a pedestrian or caused an automobile accident. He also could have given pursuing agents a boxing lesson like that given to his roommates.

The only “descent into government chaos” was Dugan using her official position to help an accused offender avoid apprehension. One wonders how sane people assert she was doing “the right thing” by abetting FloresRuiz’s efforts to remain illegally in the United States.

“Fascists” do not present sworn arrest affidavits to neutral and detached magistrates as required by the Fourth Amendment. FBI agents presented the facts of Judge Dugan’s abuse of office to a federal judge who determined that probable cause existed to issue Dugan’s arrest warrant.

Due process was followed to the letter.

Despite their robes, judges are supposed to be mere servants of the people. They have no special standing that allows them to obstruct immigration authorities or help the accused beat feet.

Judges are used to being treated with great deference as lawyers and court staff kowtow to them like royal subjects of an Oriental despot. Perhaps Dugan’s arrest will remind her colleagues that immigration statutes are laws and that the robed class has no special dispensation to flaunt them.

William J. Watkins Jr. is a research fellow at the Independent Institute and author of “Crossroads for Liberty: Recovering the AntiFederalist Values of America’s First Constitution.”

Thank you, Sen. Tillis, for standing up for North Carolina’s economic future

AS AN ATTORNEY who has had the privilege of representing economic development organizations and job creators across North Carolina for over two decades, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that private investment has on our communities.

From revitalized downtowns to booming industrial parks, private capital has fueled the growth and prosperity of countless towns and cities throughout our great state.

That is why I am writing today to extend my sincere thanks to Sen. Thom Tillis for his steadfast leadership in preserving the carried interest provision in the federal tax code — a critical element that directly supports North Carolina’s economic competitiveness.

Too often, the conversation about carried interest is distorted by political rhetoric. In reality, carried interest is not some obscure tax loophole benefiting Wall Street executives. It is the mechanism that encourages long-term investment in projects that create real jobs, real opportunities and real economic advancement right here in communities like Fayetteville, Goldsboro and Concord. Private equity firms, venture capitalists and real estate partnerships use carried interest to reward years of patient, risk-taking investment that breathes

BE IN TOUCH

life into our local economies. Without the favorable treatment of carried interest, many of the projects that have transformed our state’s landscape simply would not have been possible.

Economic developers often rely on partnerships with investors willing to accept uncertainty, deploy substantial resources and commit to projects that may take years to realize a return. Carried interest ensures that these investors are compensated fairly for taking on that risk. It incentivizes them to choose North Carolina over competing locations and fuels the development of small businesses, housing projects, infrastructure improvements and industrial expansion.

Tillis understands the real-world implications of tax policy better than most. He recognizes that weakening the incentive for longterm investment would not harm wealthy financiers — it would harm the construction worker waiting for his next job, the entrepreneur looking for startup funding and the rural community hoping to attract its first major employer in decades. North Carolina has enjoyed tremendous economic growth in part because leaders like Tillis have fought to maintain policies that attract investment

and promote prosperity.

At a time when our state is competing not just with other states but with nations across the globe, preserving our ability to draw private capital is critical. Attacking carried interest may make for an easy talking point, but the reality is that undermining this policy would be a direct blow to the economic developers and local leaders who work every day to bring new jobs and industries to North Carolina.

Tillis has once again demonstrated his commitment to protecting the interests of North Carolinians by standing firm against misguided efforts to eliminate carried interest. On behalf of the many economic developers, business leaders and citizens whose futures are brighter because of sound, proinvestment policy, I offer my deepest gratitude. The road to sustained economic success requires vision and leadership. Thanks to Tillis, North Carolina is better positioned to continue leading the nation in growth, innovation and opportunity.

Terry Hutchens is the founding partner of Hutchens Law in Fayetteville and a past member of the N.C. Board of Transportation and the N.C. Economic Development Commission.

Letters addressed to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

Contact a writer or columnist: connect@northstatejournal.com

Ketanji Brown Jackson makes a powerful argument for school choice

DURING ORAL ARGUMENTS in the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson unintentionally made a practical and convincing case for universal school choice.

A few years back, the Montgomery County, Maryland, school board instituted an “LGBTQinclusive” curriculum that included storybooks for kids as young as prekindergarten. The books are ostensibly part of the English curriculum because, apparently, they feature words and sentences. But the rationale for the program, according to the school system itself, is to “disrupt” the “binary” thinking of skeptical kids. Which sounds very much like indoctrination.

For instance, one of the “think aloud moments” for kids reading “Born Ready,” the tale of a confused girl, is “noticing how happy Penelope is when his mom hears him and commits to sharing with their loved ones that he is a boy.” “Pride Puppy!” is about a cute little dog who wanders into the Pride parade and meets friendly drag queens and leatherclad participants. “Love, Violet” and “Prince & Knight” are about same-sex attraction.

Even secular parents should find the idea of strangers teaching their prepubescent children about sexuality and gender dysphoria at such a young age and in such a frivolous manner unacceptable. As most conscientious parents understand, kids do not “know themselves best.” One of the most vital duties of parenting is guiding children through the confusion of adolescence and teaching them morality. It is not consecrating every harebrained notion that pops into their precious, underdeveloped brains.

In any event, a group of religious parents led by a Muslim family in Maryland who believe the messages in the books conflict with their beliefs sued the county — not to stop the classes, but for the right to opt out of them. Yet, Montgomery County refused to allow them to do it, maintaining that the opt-out requests would be so numerous they would disrupt the class.

This might sound crazy, but if enough parents oppose a nonacademic curriculum that it would be endangered, shouldn’t a public school do its best to accommodate taxpayers rather than the opposite? Of course, in the progressive mindset, the individual is subservient to the state, not vice versa.

So Mahmoud v. Taylor is now in front of the court. During oral arguments, which seemed to be going relatively well for parents, Jackson conceded that she was “struggling to see how it burdens a parent’s religious exercise if the school teaches something the parent disagrees with.” After all, they have a “choice,” she noted.

“You don’t have to send your kid to that school. You can put them in another situation.”

Theoretically speaking, this makes complete sense. You can surrender your impressionable young child to hokum about gender transformation that conflicts with your faith, or you can leave the school entirely and, presumably, send your kids to a private institution or homeschool them.

The problem here is that Maryland is one of the worst states for parental choice. Jackson, who spent years on the board of a Christian academy in Maryland, should know this. Other than a tiny voucher program, there is nowhere to go.

Maryland doesn’t have open enrollment policies that, at a bare minimum, allow parents to change schools within the district. Whichever school happens to be closest, no matter how poorly it performs or how ill-fitted it is for your child’s needs, is where they must go. Children might be the valuable thing in your life, but a Maryland parent is afforded more choices on where to buy a television than where they educate their kids.

Maryland barely has any charter schools. Parents who want to homeschool, which is challenging enough, must wrestle with needless regulatory burdens to teach their own children.

Antireform activists argue that school choice would result in an exodus of parents (and funding), undermining public schools’ ability to function. This is called a marketplace. If you can’t attract parents, it’s probably because your service is substandard.

Antireform activists also argue that voucher programs are for rich people when the reality is that they are mostly for the middle and working classes, who are unable to escape these propagandizing institutions. Montgomery County is one of the wealthiest in the country, so perhaps parents there have a better chance of escaping than most.

Irrespective of who school reform would help, it is an exceedingly small favor to ask schools to allow parents to opt out of classes that teach “inclusivity” — a euphemism for a radical cultural agenda. The fact that schools refuse to meet this request only illustrates the radicalism of these institutions.

But fortunately, Jackson has the answer on how to fix it.

David Harsanyi is a senior writer at the Washington Examiner and a nationally syndicated columnist.

Murphy to Manteo Jones & Blount

Cheers to NC Wine Month!

May has been named North Carolina Wine Month, celebrating the state’s vibrant wine culture while spotlighting over 190 wineries, cideries and meaderies across its diverse regions. This annual observance underscores the significant economic and cultural contributions of the wine industry, which generates an estimated $6.10 billion annually and employs nearly 45,000 full-time workers. Throughout the month, wine enthusiasts can explore events such as the Taste of NC aboard the USS Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington, offering tastings from local wineries and scenic views. In the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend in Hendersonville features tastings, orchard hikes and live music, coinciding with apple blossom season. For a comprehensive list of events and participating venues, visit ncwine.org/ncwinemonth.

PIEDMONT

State of Emergency extended for N.C. wildfires

Buncombe County Gov. Josh Stein has extended the State of Emergency for the western North Carolina wildfires. According to a release last weekend, the State of Emergency remains in effect for 34 counties and will last an additional 30 days, extended initially from wildfire emergencies first reported in March. As many counties continue to experience dry conditions and the recurrence of wildfire activity, the State Emergency Response Team has also maintained “regular communication” with the North Carolina Forest Service and county emergency management offices to ensure the needs of first responders, state forest firefighters and state forest rangers are met to protect residents. Additionally, the State Emergency Operations Center’s 24-Hour Watch Center has been helping counties issue evacuation orders through the Wireless Emergency Alert Network and the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to inform residents who may be in the path of a wildfire.

NSJ

according to organizers. WLOS

Taste of NC – Battleship NC

Wilmington: Friday, May 2

Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend

Hendersonville: May 2–4

NC Wine & Jazz Festival High Point: Saturday, May 10

Yadkin Valley Wine Festival

Elkin: Saturday, May 17

Jazz at the Vineyard – Davesté Vineyards

Troutman: Friday, May 23

NC Winegrowers Association International Wine Symposium Winston-Salem: May 21–24

EAST

Annual Sneaker Ball seeks to raise funds with auction Forsyth County The United Way of Forsyth County will host its annual Sneaker Ball on Saturday. Organizers say the Sneaker Ball is an opportunity for guests to wear formal attire but with one important twist: Their shoes need to be sneakers.

The United Way’s goal is to move 3,500 local families out of poverty in the next 10 years by creating pathways to financial stability, improving access to quality education, and offering workforce training and essential support services.

WXII

Fallen officers honored on anniversary of tragedy Mecklenburg County Community members gathered to commemorate one year since a tragic event in Charlotte, where a police officer and three U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force officers — Alden Elliott, Joshua Eyer, Samuel Poloche and Thomas Weeks Jr. — were killed in a shootout while serving a warrant. According to local reports, 1,800 people gathered at Bank of America Stadium for the event sponsored by The Tunnels to Towers Foundation to honor the officers’ lives and sacrifices, with participants climbing the stadium steps in remembrance.

NSJ

4 linemen killed, 4 injured in Eden crash Rockingham County Four workers were killed and four more were injured after a City of Eden dump truck crashed into a power line work zone last week, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Authorities report Michael Ray Vernon, 66, the driver of a City of Eden dump truck, was heading north on Carroll Street when he failed to stop at a stop sign at the Church Street intersection. Troopers say Vernon drove through the intersection and struck six linemen who were working on power lines for Carolina Power and Signalization. As a result of the crash, Vernon has been placed on administrative leave, the city said Friday. After hitting the linemen, the dump truck continued north, collided with a bucket truck, and veered off the road into a ditch. Troopers say impairment is not suspected. The State Highway Patrol is leading the ongoing investigation.

NSJ

Kinston teens partner with downtown group for big cleanup

Lenior County

To prepare for Kinston’s 44th annual BBQ Fest on the Neuse this weekend, volunteers with Kinston Teens and Downtown Kinston Revitalization picked up trash in the downtown area.

Volunteers started work at Pearson Park and then down neighboring streets, picking up trash and glass. According to local outlets, it’s the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the two nonprofits partnered for a spring cleanup event. A city-wide spring cleanup also took place at the Grainger Stadium.

WITN

N.Y. woman sentenced in dollar store robbery

Hyde County A New York City woman was sentenced last week to four years in prison for aiding and abetting an armed robbery at a Family Dollar in Swan Quarter. Victoria Michelle Cyren Clarke, 32, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to interference with commerce by robbery.

According to prosecutors, Clarke drove the getaway car during the June 4, 2023, robbery, in which two armed suspects stole more than $2,000 from the store.

ECU starts work on new indoor athletic complex

Pitt County

facility could be a key addition to the football complex. “I think it really is the last piece of our facility that we really need,” Harrell said.

A high-speed chase exceeding 100 mph followed before authorities stopped the vehicle. Two unrestrained children were also found inside. Investigators later determined Clarke had purchased the firearms used in the robbery and rented the car.

USDOJ

During his tenure, Goodwin attempted to address efficiency issues through Saturday office operations and self-service kiosks in grocery stores. However, 2024 turned out to be a difficult year for Goodwin and the NCDMV due to service delays and contract issues.

In March, lawmakers held hearings focusing on appointment scheduling and customer wait times, and in June, the NCDMV came under fire after

Jones (R-Columbus) characterized the NCDMV as “one of the most dysfunctional agencies in state government,” though Goodwin defended his record and indicated he would remain in his $163,000 annual position until a replacement is found. Despite Goodwin’s claims that the appointment system was improving wait times, legislators like Rep. Eric Ager (D-Buncombe) continued to cite constituent complaints, including issues raised by his brother, who said he spent six hours at an NCDMV office.

FEATURED EVENTS FOR NC WINE MONTH 2025

Liberal Party wins big in Canadian election reversal

The party’s strong rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump’s barbs pushed Mark Carney to victory

By Rob Gillies Associated Press

TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won Canada’s federal election on Monday, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war.

After polls closed, the Liberals were projected to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservative Party, though it wasn’t immediately apparent if they would win an outright majority — at least 172 — or would need to rely on one of the smaller parties to form a government and pass legislation.

The Liberals looked headed for a crushing defeat until the American president started attacking Canada’s economy and threatening its sovereignty, suggesting it should become the 51st state. Trump’s actions infuriated Canadians and stoked a surge in nationalism that helped the Liberals flip

the election narrative and win a fourth straight term in power.

“We were dead and buried in December. Now we are going to form a government,” David Lametti, a former Liberal Justice Minister, told broadcaster CTV.

“We have turned this around thanks to Mark,” he said.

The Conservative Party’s leader, Pierre Poilievre, hoped to make the election a referendum on former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose popularity declined toward the end of his decade in power as food and housing prices rose.

But Trump attacked, Trudeau resigned, and Carney, a twotime central banker, became the Liberal Party’s leader and prime minister.

Even with Canadians grappling with the fallout from a deadly weekend attack at a Vancouver street festival, Trump was trolling them on election day, suggesting on social media that he was on their ballot and repeating that Canada should become the 51st state.

Trump’s truculence has infuriated many Canadians, leading many to cancel U.S. vacations, refuse to buy American goods and possibly even vote

early. A record 7.3 million Canadians cast ballots before election day.

“The Americans want to break us so they can own us,” Carney said in the runup to election day. “Those aren’t just words. That’s what’s at risk.”

As Poilievre and his wife cast their ballots in their Ottawa district on Monday, he implored voters to “Get out to vote — for a change.” After running a Trump-lite campaign for weeks, though, the Conservative leader’s similarities to the bombastic American president might have cost him.

Reid Warren, a Toronto resident, said he voted Liberal because Poilievre “sounds like mini-Trump to me.” He also said Trump’s tariffs are a worry.

“Canadians coming together from, you know, all the shade being thrown from the States is great, but it’s definitely created some turmoil, that’s for sure,” he said.

Historian Robert Bothwell said Poilievre appealed to the “same sense of grievance” as Trump but that it ulti-

Trump expresses doubt Putin willing to end Ukraine war

A day after saying a deal was close, the U.S. is considering further Russian sanctions

By Darlene Superville and Aamer Madhani

The Associated Press

ROME — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he doubts Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to end his war in Ukraine, expressing new skepticism that a peace deal can be reached soon. A day earlier, Trump had said Ukraine and Russia were “very close to a deal.”

“There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said in a social media post as he flew back to the United States after attending Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican, where he met briefly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump also hinted at fur-

lunch with friends, which she posted to social media along with photos of his car and license plate.

“This is another example of North Carolina Republican elected officials being targeted by the radical left recently, including Judge Jefferson Griffin, Congressman Chuck Edwards and Senator Thom Tillis,” wrote Burns. “Vice President JD Vance was with his toddler and was subjected to harassment. Leftists have also taken pictures of my children and posted in X and harassed them.”

The passage of the measure coincided with Tillis releasing audio of phone calls placed to his offices containing heavily profane language and violent threats. On April 10, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that a man who had made some of the threats to Tillis had pleaded guilty to one count of threatening a federal official.

ther sanctions against Russia.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!” Trump wrote.

The new doubts aired by Trump come as the president and top aides intensify their push to come to a deal to end the war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

The comments also sharply contrasted with Trump’s positive assessment that the two sides were “very close to a deal” after his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow last Friday.

The Trump-Zelenskyy conversation on the sidelines of the pope’s funeral was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since they argued during a heated Oval Office meeting at the White House in late February. That confron-

In the post, Burns called for the harassment to stop and thanked his supporters, telling them he “won’t back down” and will be pressing charges. Murphy, a transgender woman, responded to commenters on Burns’ post with several profanity-laced replies, including one accusing Burns of starting a “campaign of harassment.”

“You f-----g started a campaign of harassment against me and the lgbtq+ community! Why act like a little b---h now?”

Murphy wrote in reply to Burns.

“You got recorded in public? So, f-----g what! I’ve been harassed online, in public, at my f-----g home because of the s--t you’ve spread about me online. F--k you dude. You f-----g b---h a— motherf--k.”

In an interview with North State Journal, Burns confirmed he was taking legal action, Murphy had been served notice, and a hearing in his case occurred on April 24.

“Since I got into office, this person posts about me — and I’m not exaggerating — maybe

tation led the White House to briefly pause U.S. military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

Days after ordering the pause, Trump also announced he was “strongly considering” imposing new sanctions and tariffs on Russia to try to prod Putin to negotiate in earnest. Trump has not yet followed through on the threat — something even some of his staunch Republican allies are now pressuring him to do. When Trump announced new global tariffs this month, one major economy he excluded was Russia.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last Friday urged Trump to “put the toughest of sanctions on Putin,” arguing there is “clear evidence that he is playing America as a patsy.”

It was the second time in a matter of days that Trump has rebuked Putin, whom the American president rarely publicly criticizes.

Last Thursday, Trump pub-

about eight times a day,” Burns said. “And so, it’s been going on for a year over a year now.”

Burns described the situation as “escalating,” with Murphy calling him a “neo-Nazi.

“He also spoke of similar harassment of friends, family and local businesses. For those reasons, Burns said he was moving forward with legal remedies because “somebody’s got to be held accountable.”

North State Journal was also informed by Burns that Murphy signed a contract to remove posts dealing with personal information like images of his family, car or license plate. Burns also removed his Facebook post about Murphy’s activities.

The contract overall protects First Amendment criticisms of Burns in his official capacity while balancing a level of private life protection. Burns said he thinks House Bill 95 still needs to be passed to encompass all elected officials because “the municipality doesn’t protect officials” in cases like his.

Liberal Party supporters cheer on results at the party’s election night headquarters in Ottawa on Monday.

mately worked against him with voters.

“The Liberals ought to pay him,” Bothwell said, referring to the U.S. president. “Trump talking is not good for the Conservatives.”

Carney and the Liberals cleared a big hurdle on Monday but have daunting challenges ahead.

If they don’t win a majority in Parliament, the Liberals might need to rely on the third-place party, the Bloc Québécois, to remain in power and pass legislation. The Bloc is a separatist party from the French-speaking province of Quebec that seeks independence from Canada. Trudeau’s Liberals relied on the New Democrats to remain in power for four years, but the progressive party lost seats in this election.

“This is a dramatic comeback, but if the Liberals cannot win a majority of seats, political uncertainty in a new minority Parliament could complicate things for them,” said McGill University political science professor Daniel Béland.

licly urged the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

Zelenskyy called it a “good meeting” on social media after the funeral.

“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” said the Ukrainian leader, who also held talks Saturday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you.”

The White House said the discussion was “very productive.” The meeting lasted about 15 minutes inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, where Francis often preached the need for a peaceful end to the war, just before Trump and Zelenskyy took their seats at the outdoor funeral service.

Trump has pressed both sides, but while Zelenskyy agreed to an American 30-day ceasefire plan, Russia has not signed on.

Monroe is located in Union County, and its town council recently began dismantling its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) committee. Murphy has heavily criticized those activities both online and during town hall meetings.

A March 11 staff memo addressed the county redefining adult entertainment ordinances to “protect minors, and establish a citywide acceptable age for performances and public events.” Adult entertainment included preventing drag shows where minors may be present.

In a March 17 Facebook post, Murphy opposed such a move, referring to the mayor as a “piece of (expletive).” In a separate post the same day, Murphy complained about the DEI committee being dismantled and encouraged people to attend the city council meeting.

Murphy replied to North State Journal’s request for comment in a lengthy Facebook direct message received before being served with Burns’ complaint.

N.Y. lawmakers agree on school cellphone ban

Albany, N.Y.

New York state would ban cellphones in public schools “bell to bell” beginning with the next school year under an agreement announced late Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, a Democrat, did not immediately detail plans for the ban. Her office has previously said that schools would have some flexibility over implementing it, with districts deciding how to store students’ devices during the school day. There would be exemptions for students who need access for medical reasons, to help with learning disabilities or because they don’t speak fluent English, she has said.

Michigan hockey doctor gets 10 years for sexual assault

Pontiac, Mich.

A doctor known as the “hockey doc” for his work with youth teams in the Detroit area was sentenced to at least 10 years in prison Tuesday for sexual assault and other crimes involving adults and teenagers. Victims say Zvi Levran groped them when they sought sports physicals or treatment for injuries and showered with them after workouts. One man said Levran performed oral sex during an appointment for a hip injury. He recently pleaded no contest to 28 crimes in Oakland County, including third-degree criminal sexual conduct. A no-contest plea in Michigan is treated as a conviction at sentencing.

Spain, Portugal crippled by massive power outage

Barcelona, Spain

An unprecedented blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, stranding thousands of train passengers and leaving millions without phone and internet coverage and access to cash from ATMs across the Iberian Peninsula. The sudden crash of the power grid also left authorities searching for its cause. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the nation and said that almost 11 hours after the nation ground to a halt, government experts were still trying to determine what happened. Spain had recovered more than 92% of its power by 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

“Robert Burns started his campaign for office targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Monroe. His disdain for us has been palpable and extreme. He has been at our events recording video and taking pictures,” Murphy wrote. “He also shows up with a mob of people carrying signs calling us groomers and pedophiles. He has abused his office as Mayor to control what events happen in public spaces.”

Murphy accused Burns of “abusing his power” and said, “his recent social media posts naming me as someone that is ‘extreme’ or ‘harassing’ him is absolutely laughable given his own actions” and criticized the actions of “those he associates with.”

“What he was really trying to do with his social media posts was to use the threat of police involvement to intimidate his most vocal critic,” Murphy wrote. That is the type of action you would expect of (an) anti-democratic leader, not the Mayor of a diverse city in America.”

NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS VIA AP

‘Sinners’ bites off a phenomenal 2nd weekend, ‘Revenge of the Sith’ takes 2nd place

“Pink Floyd at Pompeii — MCMLXXII” made $2.6 million

By Lindsey Bahr

The Associated Press

HORROR MOVIES are often one-week wonders at the box office, but Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” is defying the odds and proving to be true event cinema.

In its second weekend in theaters, “Sinners” earned $45 million in ticket sales from theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday. That’s down a miniscule 6% from its Easter holiday launch, the smallest drop in any genre since “Avatar” in 2009. Worldwide, “Sinners” has now made $161.6 million.

For the industry, the showing proves the film’s reach has broadened beyond horror fans to mainstream audiences wanting to see what the hype is about. Last weekend, men made up 56% of the audience. This weekend, the gender divide narrowed to 50/50. Premium large-format showings, like the 70mm IMAX screens, are also a big draw. IMAX screens worldwide accounted for some 21% of the second weekend globally, a nearly 9% increase from last weekend.

The original ensemble movie, starring Michael B. Jordan as twins, rode into theaters on a wave of great reviews. And to be fair, “Sinners” isn’t simply a horror film: It blends elements of drama, action and music into its Southern gothic milieu.

“That’s one of the lowest second weekend holds for an overperforming wide release ever,” said Paul Dergarabedi-

an, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “It’s an absolute phenomenon.” Hollywood expects a significant drop off in a movie’s second week of release. Even a 50% dip is considered a solid number, baked into the movie math. When it’s anything less than that, it’s notable.

“You can buy a great opening weekend with marketing, but if a movie doesn’t have the goods, it’ll drop off,” Dergarabedian said. “There’s no greater barometer of success than a second weekend hold like this.”

The film was produced by

Coogler’s Proximity Media and Warner Bros., which handled the theatrical release. After some disappointments earlier in the year, it’s the second major win for the studio after “A Minecraft Movie” helped energize the box office earlier this month.

“Sinners” easily topped the biggest new competition this week: “The Accountant 2,” a sequel starring Ben Affleck and released by Amazon MGM Studios, which opened in third place with an estimated $24.5 million in its first weekend. Gavin O’Connor directed the film, which played in 3,610 the-

aters in North America. Audiences gave it a promising ACinemaScore.

The film that beat “The Accountant 2” for second place was a 20-year-old Star Wars movie: “Revenge of the Sith.” The anniversary rerelease took in an estimated $25.2 million over the weekend, with many sellouts reported, more than doubling last year’s release of “The Phantom Menace.” Internationally, it earned $17 million from 34 territories, giving it a $42.2 million global weekend. It’s one of the top-grossing rereleases ever.

“A Minecraft Movie” landed

in fourth place with $22.7 million, bringing its domestic total to around $380 million.

The scary video game adaptation “Until Dawn” also opened this weekend to an estimated $8 million, rounding out the top five. Sony Pictures released the film, starring Ella Rubin and Michael Cimino, which has earned $18.1 million globally.

The “Minecraft” and “Sinners” wins have meant a huge boost for the April box office, which is up 102% from April 2024. The annual box office is also up over 10% from last year after running at a double-digit deficit in March. And this is all happening right before the industry’s summer movie season kicks off on May 2 with Disney’s “Thunderbolts.”

“There cannot be a better opening act for the summer movie season than this weekend,” Dergarabedian said.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

1. “Sinners,” $45 million

2. “Revenge of the Sith,” $25.2 million

3. “The Accountant 2,” $24.5 million

4. “A Minecraft Movie,” $22.7 million

5. “Until Dawn,” $8 million

6. “The King of Kings,” $4 million

7. “The Amateur,” $3.8 million

8. “Warfare,”

Student gospel singers take stage at New Orleans festival

Music education in the city known for jazz, blues and gospel has declined

By Sharon Lurye

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Each spring, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is known for hosting some of the world’s most famous jazz, funk and rock acts. Yet it’s also become a showcase for lesser-known talent: local schoolchildren.

Gospel choirs from area high schools took the stage last Friday at the festival’s famed Gospel Tent, continuing a decades-long tradition for Louisiana students.

First up to perform was the Eleanor McMain choir, jolting the audience with a blast of musical joy, from the rollicking calland-response of “Melodies From Heaven” to an a cappella rendition of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Choir member Chloe Bailey, 18, said the performance is about pride.

“Not only do I get to make myself proud, my parents proud, I get to make the whole world proud and have a look of how beautiful it is to see black people and black children thriving and going up higher because we don’t get a lot of opportunities like this,” she said.

In a city with a rich music heritage, the festival is a prized opportunity to celebrate arts that teachers say do not receive the attention they once did in schools.

Music education suffered in New Orleans in the 1990s due to funding cuts, said Matthew Sakakeeny, a professor of music at Tulane University. Up until then, majority black schools typically had at least one fulltime music teacher, even when schools were segregated, but dozens of teachers lost their jobs, and offerings were “drastically cut back,” he said.

Hurricane Katrina was another blow, leading to the city’s traditional public schools being replaced with charter schools. Sakakeeny said there’s enormous pressure to focus on core academics rather than arts, as they’ll get shut down if their

test scores are not good enough.

“It’s just ironic that we’re the birthplace of jazz, yet middle school students, elementary school students might not even go to a music class,” said Emeka Dibia, the choir director McDonogh 35, the first public high school established for black students in New Orleans.

Gospel has been an integral part of Jazz Fest since it began in 1970, headlined by gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Students from McDonogh 35 started performing in the 1970s, and more schools followed, Dibia said. It’s now tradition for Jazz Fest to have a day featuring student gospel choirs. Even the artist featured on this year’s official Jazz Fest poster, Tarriona “Tank” Ball of Tank and the Bangas, performed in the Gospel Tent when she was in ninth grade.

Choirs from another historic black public high school, L.B. Landry, as well as two local Christian schools performed Friday, while McDonogh 35 was also scheduled to perform.

McMain soloist Tyree Arso, 18, said it’s amazing to think about performing at the same festival as artists like Lil Wayne.

“It makes me recognize the people who have come before me, and it reminds me to try to do my best to honor them,” said Arso, who will attend the Boston Conservatory at Berklee next year.

Gospel choir is an extracurricular activity at schools like McMain, where choir director Clyde Lawrence has mentored young singers for decades. He said religious music is allowed in a public school setting because there’s educational value to learning about

“I didn’t know I could do that. I thank God that he gave me the opportunity to sing.” Wesley Whitsett

a variety of musical styles.

“I want to expose them to our heritage, to gospels, to hymns,” he said. Choirs are paid to perform at Jazz Fest, which provides funding for arts education. But the opportunity matters for other reasons to students like Leah Hawkins, a sophomore at McDonogh 35.

Leah says she’s been surrounded by gospel her whole life, but in front of an audience, she’d shake with stage fright.

Her mom told her to join choir anyway: “You’re going to sing.”

Since then, Leah, 16, said her confidence has blossomed.

“You can’t care about what people think. If you have a voice, then use it. It doesn’t matter what it’s for,” said Leah.

Choirmate Wesley Whitsett, 17, said he also needed an adult to push him to get over his nerves. Both students sang with a student choir at the opening of this year’s Super Bowl, performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” with Ledisi.

“I didn’t know I could do that. I thank God that he gave me the opportunity to sing,” said Wesley. Millions of people may have been watching the Super Bowl, but Jazz Fest represents New Orleans’ soul.

“I don’t even know what kind of feeling it is,” said Leah. “It’s a very big feeling, I can say that.”

EVAN AGOSTINI / INVISION / AP PHOTO

Director Ryan Coogler, left, and actor Michael B. Jordan attend the premiere of “Sinners” at AMC Lincoln Square in New York.

GERALD HERBERT / AP PHOTO

The Eleanor McMain Secondary School Singing Mustangs gospel choir performs at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans last Friday.

does hereby notify all person, firms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the undersigned at 7318 Avalon Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28303, on or before July 17, 2025, 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. Dated this 15th day of April, 2025. Denise Bredell-Hill,Executor of the Estate of Ronald Ellis Bredell 7318 Avalon Drive Fayetteville,NC 28303-2419 (910) 538-0077

NOTICE

State of North Carolina County of Cumberland In the General Court of Justice, Superior Court Division Estate File #25E000489-250 Executor’s Notice The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the estate of Carrie Canady, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 10th day of July, 2025. Derek Townsend 5215 Foxfire Rd Fayetteville, NC 28303 Of the Estate of Carrie Canady, Deceased

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In the General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File # 256000391-250 Administrator’s/Executive Notice

The undersigned, having qualified as Jonathan A. Freeman of the Estate of John A. Freeman, deceased, late of Cumberland County, Hereby notifies all persons, Firms, and corporations having claim against said estate to present claim to the undersigned on or before the 24th day of July 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice

firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 10th day of July, 2025, (which is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All debtors of the

The undersigned having qualified as Administrator CTA of the Estate of Hans Strout, deceased late of Cumberland County, North Carolina, does notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them to the undersigned at PO Box 53555, Fayetteville, North

CTA of the Estate of Hans Strout c/o Gilliam Law Firm, PLLC Post Office Box 53555 Fayetteville, NC 28305 (910) 485-8899 5/1/2025, 5/8/2025, 5/15/2025 and

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE 25E000456-250 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: Hugh Edward Smith Executor’s NOTICE

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the estate of Hugh Edward Smith, deceased, late of Cumberland County, this is to notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the 10th day of July, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) 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 10th day of April, 2025. Terri Pettigrew 115 Glenn Oak Dr, Sanford, NC 27332, Executor of the estate of Hugh Edward Smith, deceased February 08, 2025.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION ESTATE FILE NO. 24E000197-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND

Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Rosemary Elizabeth Deon Taylor, late of Cumberland 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 2517 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC 28305, on or before August 1, 2025, 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. Dated this 1st day of May, 2025. Michael L. Taylor, Administrator of the Estate of Rosemary Elizabeth Deon Taylor NICOLE A. CORLEY MURRAY & CORLEY, P.A. N.C. BAR NO. 56459 2517 RAEFORD ROAD FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28305 – 3007 (910) 483 – 4990 COUNSEL FOR ADMINISTRATOR

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In The General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File #25E000540-250 Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor in the Estate of Freddie L Thompson, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 11th day of July, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 7th day of April, 2025.

George D Thompson, Administrator/ Executor 967 Demeter Lane Hope Mills, NC 28348 Of the Estate of Freddie L Thompson, deceased

NOTICE

The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator of the estate of Edda Angelina Wade, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 24Th day of July, 2025, (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 7th day of April, 2025 Angelica Applegate 5004 Redwood Drive Fayetteville, North Carolina 28304 Of the Estate of Edda Angelina Wade, Deceased Estate file # 21E22

Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

County Of Cumberland

In the General Court of Justice

Superior Court Division Estate File # 25E604

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Brenda Joyce WIllis, deceased late of Cumberland County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the (1st day of August 2025, which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedent are requested to make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This 1st day of May 2025 Administrator, Ebony J. Willis Address: 6824 Buttermere Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28314 Of the Estate of Brenda Joyce Willis. Deceased

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In the General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court

Division Estate File #: 25E000004-250

Administrator’s / Executor’s Notice

The undersigned, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of William Jennings Wright, deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the ___1______ day of ______August__________, 20_25______, (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All Debtors of the decedents are requested to make immediate payments to the undersigned. This ___1________ day of ______ May___________________, 20_25_______. ___Ivy M. Wright_____ ___3110 Braddock Drive_________ __Fayetteville, NC 28301_____________ Of the Estate of William Jennings Wright, Deceased.

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA In the General Court of Justice County of Cumberland Superior Court Division Estate File # 25E000236-250 Administrator’s/Executor’s Notice The undersigned, having qualified as Administrator/Executor of the Estate of Marcina L Rosemond , deceased, late of Cumberland County, hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said estate to present their claim to the undersigned on or before the 1st day of August , 20 25 , (which date is three months after the day of the first publication of this notice) or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All debtors of the decedent are required to make immediate payment to the undersigned. This 1st day of May 2025 . Thomas L Rosemond Administrator/Executor 9720 Gooden Drive Address Fayetteville, North Carolina 28314 City, State, Zip Of the estate of Marcina L Rosemond , Deceased

NEW HANOVER

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND DEBTORS

Having qualified as Personal Representative of the Estate of Alice M. Barille, deceased, late of New Hanover County, North Carolina, the undersigned hereby notifies all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to present them, duly verified, to the undersigned, care of their attorney, on or before July 18, 2025 (which date is at least three (3) months from the first publication of this notice), or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to said Estate will please make immediate settlement with the undersigned, care of their attorney. This the 17th day of April, 2025. Vincent Frank Barille, Executor of the Estate of Alice M. Barille c/o Randall S. Hoose, Jr. Hoose Law, PLLC 705 Princess Street Wilmington, NC 28401-4146

Please publish 04/17, 04/24, 05/01, 05/08

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, STEVEN MICHAEL HOSTETLER, having qualified as the Executor of the Estate of JOHN MICHAEL PCOLA, Deceased, hereby notifies all persons, firms or corporations having claims against the Decedent to exhibit same to the said STEVEN MICHAEL HOSTETLER, at the address set out below, on or before July 25, 2025, or this notice may be pleaded in bar of any payment or recovery of same. All persons indebted to said Decedent will please make immediate payment to the undersigned at the address set out below.

This the 16th day of April, 2025. STEVEN MICHAEL HOSTETLER Executor OF THE ESTATE OF JOHN MICHAEL PCOLA c/o ROBERT H. HOCHULI, JR. 219 RACINE DR., SUITE #A6 Wilmington, NC 28405

NOTICE

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF NEW HANOVER NOTICE TO CREDITORS The undersigned, NORMAN B. MITCHELL, having qualified as the Executor of the Estate of MARY REBECCA ROLSTON, Deceased, hereby notifies all persons, firms or corporations having claims against the Decedent to exhibit same to the said NORMAN B. MITCHELL, at the address set out below, on or before July 25, 2025, or this notice may be pleaded in bar of any payment or recovery of same. All persons indebted to said Decedent will please make immediate payment to the undersigned at the address set out below. This the 16th day of April, 2025.

NORMAN B. MITCHELL Executor OF THE ESTATE OF MARY REBECCA ROLSTON c/o ROBERT H. HOCHULI, JR. 219 RACINE DR., SUITE #A6 Wilmington, NC 28405

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA NEW HANOVER COUNTY NOTICE TO CREDITORS THE UNDERSIGNED, Charles Wesson, having qualified on the 18th day of March 2025, as Administrator CTA of the Estate of George A. Wesson (2025-E-001353640), deceased, does hereby notify all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against said Estate that they must present them to the undersigned at DAVID E. ANDERSON, PLLC, 9111 Market Street, Suite A, Wilmington, North Carolina, 28411, on or

the 4th

of August, 2025, or

of

and

firms, and corporations

to the undersigned at the above address. This 1st day of May 2025. Charles Wesson Administrator CTA ESTATE OF GEORGE A. WESSON David Anderson Attorney at Law 9111 Market St, Ste A Wilmington, NC 28411 Publish: May 1, 2025 May 8, 2025 May 15,

RANDOLPH

and

PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): UNKNOWN HEIRS OF CORA M. LAWS, DECEASED THE LAND DESCRIBED HEREIN IS SITUATED IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, COUNTY OF CABARRUS, AND IS DESCRIBED IN DEED BOOK 6734, PAGE 35, AS FOLLOWS: TRACT ONE BEING ONE LOT OR PARCEL OF LAND IN CABARRUS COUNTY, NEAR KANNAPOLIS, N.C., SURVEY MADE BY P.C. BERNHARDT, SURVEYOR, OF SALISBURY, N.C.. OCTOBER 13, 1941 AND DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

BEGINNING AT AN IRON STAKE M.C. BARNHARDT AND M.W. MOORE’S CORNER AT THE ROAD AND RUNS THENCE S. 25° E. 4 CHAINS TO AN IRON STAKE AT THE ROAD; THENCE N. 53° E. 3.37 CHAINS TO A HICKORY, A NEW CORNER ON M.C. BARNHARDT LINE; THENCE N. 70° W. 4.75

CHAINS TO THE BEGINNING, CONTAINING. 33/100 ACRES MORE OR LESS. TRACT TWO

LYING AND BEING IN NO. 5 TOWNSHIP, CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. ON THE EAST SIDE OF PATTERSON ROAD ADJOINING THE PROPERTY OF M.C. BARNHARDT HEIRS AND EUPHIE LEE MOORE, AND MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT AN EXISTING AXLE IN PATTERSON ROAD, CORNER OF EUPHIE LEE MOORE AND RUNS THENCE N. 75-07-

NC football stars get drafted, B3

the Thursday SIDELINE REPORT

NFL Construction will close Panthers camp from fans for 2 years

Charlotte

The Carolina Panthers announced it will be unable to host fans at its new Charlotte-based training camp site until 2027 because of ongoing construction of the team’s new indoor practice facility, which is being completed in phases to maximize the amount of field space. One practice will be open for fans — the annual FanFest held inside Bank of America Stadium.

MLS Revolution end Charlotte’s home win streak with 1-0 victory

Charlotte Carles Gil scored late in the second half as the New England Revolution handed Charlotte FC its first home loss of the season with a 1-0 victory. Charlotte (6-3-1) falls out of a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference after losing for the first time in six home matches. Charlotte had the league’s longest win streak at home with eight dating to last season.

NCAA FOOTBALL

TCU, UNC will open ’26 in Ireland

Fort Worth, Texas

TCU and UNC will play their 2026 opener in Ireland. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic will be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Aug. 29, 2026. It will be the first game abroad for both TCU and UNC. TCU will be the home team. The teams were initially scheduled to open the 2026 season in Fort Worth, Texas.

Panthers add baller in McMillan with first-round pick NFL Draft

Quarterback Bryce Young recommended selecting the Arizona pass catcher

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

MAKING A FIRST-round pick in the NFL Draft requires an army of evaluators and mountains of data. Scouts comb the country watching games. Evaluators pore over hours of film. Then teams use all the information they gain at the Senior Bowl, draft combine, pro days and pre-draft interviews to identify the player the team needs most.

Sometimes, they get unsolicited input from the team’s quarterback. That was the case with Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, who was drafted eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers, thank to input from Bryce Young.

“He sat on the table for me,” McMillan said of Young. “He told me he’s been going into (general manager) Dan Mor-

gan’s office, Coach (Dave) Canales’ office, saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to take this guy.’”

The Hawaiian-born McMIllan played high school football in Southern California, where his alma mater was rivals with Young’s. The quarterback was

a couple years ahead of him, but he made an impact.

“The first thing I remember about him is he whupped us his senior year, on national television,” McMillan said. “They won by like 45 points. His team was the second-best in the

country. I thought they were the best. In my eyes, he was the best player in the country.”

Young and McMillan went their separate ways, but they reconnected briefly in Southern California during the predraft months.

“We happened to be in Cali at the same time,” McMillan said. “My college quarterback trained at the same place as him, and I pulled up to work with my quarterback. Bryce was there, and I said, ‘Let’s get it on.’”

McMillan ran routes and caught passes from Young, not realizing at the time that it would be a preview of next season.

It’s easy to see what Young saw in McMillan that spurred him into throwing his two cents into the pre-draft information. McMillan was the highest-rated recruit in Arizona history and leaves as the school’s all-time leader in receiving yardage.

See PANTHERS , page B4

Hurricanes’ Slavin reaffirms ‘he can do it all’

The Carolina defenseman’s goal in Game 4 was one for the ages

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

NEWARK, N.J. — Jaccob Slavin may not have won gold at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, but he certainly made a claim to being the best defensive player in hockey.

None of that came as a surprise to his Carolina Hurricanes teammates and coaches, all of whom have raved and watched in awe for the past decade as Slavin stymied opponents and led the league’s best penalty kill, doing it all with a civility that has made him a two-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner as the N HL’s most gentlemanly player. Those aren’t the only award votes Slavin has received as the cornerstone of the Hurricanes’ and, now that best-on-best international hockey is back

on the docket, Team USA’s — defense.

What has eluded him — aside from a Stanley Cup — is the Norris Trophy, which is given annually to the league’s best defenseman. Slavin has appeared on Norris ballots in each of the last eight seasons

and surely will again when the final tallies are released at the end of the season. He has, however, never finished better than fifth. The reason? Slavin doesn’t put up the offensive numbers of recent winners like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox

and Erik Karlsson. While Fox has three 70-point seasons, Makar topped 30 goals this year, Karlsson eclipsed 100 points two seasons ago, and Hughes quarterbacks both the Canucks’ and Team USA’s top power play, Slavin has never exceeded 42 points and doesn’t have a double-digit goal season on his resume.

“I don’t think people realize he’s got some great offensive skills too,” Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said after Carolina’s 5-2 win in Game 4 of their first round series against the Devils. “I think he could use it more.”

Slavin’s name comes up often when people discuss Carolina’s suffocating defense and league-best penalty kill — it’s been perfect against New Jersey as the Hurricanes built a 3-1 series lead — but on Sunday, his teammates were talking about his offense.

That’s because Slavin combined his game awareness, smarts, skills and a perfect

SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO

Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin, center, celebrates his goal with Jesperi Kotkaniemi, left, while Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom looks on during Carolina’s 5-2 win Sunday in Game 4 of their first round playoff series.

JEFFREY PHELPS / AP CONTENT SERVICES FOR THE NFL

Tetairoa McMillan tosses a ball on stage at the NFL Draft after being chosen by the Carolina Panthers with the eighth overall pick.

CHRIS CARLSON / AP PHOTO

Carolina Panthers first-round draft pick Tetairoa McMillan hits the team’s Keep Pounding drum while being introduced in Charlotte following the first round of the NFL Draft.

TRENDING

Will Wilson:

The Kings Mountain native and former NC State player made his MLB debut with the Cleveland Guardians last week The 26-year-old was the 14th overall pick in the 2019 draft, and Cleveland is his third organization He had homered in three of his last four minor league games He made his debut against former Wolfpack pitcher Carlos Rodon

Andrew Goodrich:

The administer is leaving his job as vice president and director of athletics at Gardner-Webb to become athletic director at the University of Akron Goodrich, who had previously worked in athletic departments at Syracuse, South Florida, Miami and Notre Dame, had been Gardner-Webb’s AD since 2022 Akron’s position had been vacant since November 2024.

Rodney Childers: The Mooresville native parted ways with Spire Motorsports after only nine races with the team. Childers is one of the winningest active crew chiefs in the Cup Series and won the 2014 championship with Kevin Harvick. Childers moved to Spire’s Justin Haley, who is 23rd in the standings Competition director Ryan Sparks, a Winston-Salem native, will be Haley’s interim crew chief.

Beyond the box score

POTENT QUOTABLES

“I have an opportunity now. We’re about to get on grass really soon.”

Cleveland quarterback Shadeur Sanders after the projected to

“We were just not ver y good.”

Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour after the Hurricanes lost Game 3 to New Jersey.

NASCAR

Superspeedway Penske teammate Joey Logano wa s livid when Cindric didn’t push him, allowing Bubba Wallace to win the second stage. Cindric celebrated the third win of his Cup Series career and snapped a 30-race losing streak He

Kyle Larson’s plans for an Indy-Charlotte double had a rough star t when he crashed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the second day of testing. The 2021 Cup Series champion spun coming out of cleared and released.

Former U.S. national team star Lauren Holiday and husband Jrue Holiday joined the ownership group of the NWSL’s North Carolina Courage. Lauren Holiday won the 2015 Women’s World Cup and Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012 Jrue Holiday is a two-time NBA champion and All-Star.

Number of Division I men’s basketball teams not to lose a scholarship player in the transfer portal this

Boston U and Duke. Walk-on center Stanley Borden is reportedly transferring from the Blue Devils, however.

Nine months after getting drafted fourth overall out of Wake Forest, Nick Kurtz needed just one plate appearance for his singled up the middle to drive in a run against Texas Kurtz also tripped over the mound while trying to catch a popup. He batted seventh and

Atlanta Falcons draft pair of North Carolinians in first round

Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. both heard their names called Thursday night

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

THE ATLANTA FALCONS

took two of the most talented North Carolinians in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, selecting a pair of push rushers in Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.

The Falcons selected Walker with their original 15th overall pick and then ended up trading back into the first round, acquiring the LA Rams 26th overall pick (sending a 2026 first, 2025 second and 2025 seventh the other way), which they used to select Pearce.

“With trades, you have to weigh out what you’re doing and what you’re doing it for, but at some point, you have to look at who’s the player and look at what we’re really getting and if it’s worth it,” said Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot. “When you have the kind of conviction and belief in the player, that’s when you’re willing to do it.”

Walker, a hybrid linebacker/EDGE, played collegiately for the Georgia Bulldogs, but is

introduced.

originally from Salisbury, having played at Salisbury High School.

The talented pass-rusher was a five-star recruit out of high school, having been named the 2021 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.

Heading into the draft, Walker was graded as the second-best linebacker at the NFL Combine, coming off of a strong season for Georgia where he was named a first-team All-American and

the Butkus Award winner.

“I don’t even know, I’m not going to lie to you,” Walker said when asked about his emotions surrounding getting drafted. “I’m in disbelief. It’s been a great day from the time I got that phone call, from the beginning of the draft, it was crazy. Nerve wracking, but a true blessing and great opportunity for me and my family to just be here.”

Pearce, primarily an EDGE, played for the Tennessee Vol-

unteers and is originally from Charlotte, having played football at Julius L. Chambers High School.

At Chambers, Pearce was a member of back-to-back state 4AA championship teams and a top-15 recruit nationally.

With the Volunteers, the 6-foot-5 pass rusher was a backto-back All-SEC first-team selection and was one of the most productive linebackers in college football.

“It was a blessing just to be able to say that I was just in this position to be able to go to the next level and be able to chase my dream,” Pearce said in his introductory press conference.

Both players admitted they grew up as Carolina Panthers fans, but now they’re going to be playing for a divisional rival.

When asked about now having a rivalry with his hometown team, Pearce didn’t mince words.

“They passed up on me, so that’ll be fun.”

While once SEC rivals, the pair will now put their differences aside for a common goal.

“I told him we can just show love off of Carolina and throw the Georgia and Tennessee stuff behind us,” Pearce said on teaming up with Walker.

“I was driving to Charlotte and I looked at my phone and I’m like, ‘What? James Pearce is an Atlanta Falcon?’ That was pretty special,” Walker said. “We have a connection of both being from North Carolina.”

The pair gives the Falcons a potentially dominant one-two punch on defense, an area of the

NC college prospects selected in 2025 NFL Draft

Omarion Hampton was the second running back taken off the board

By Asheebo Rojas North State Journal

SEVEN NORTH CAROLI-

NA college football players, including ones that made stops at local schools before hitting the transfer portal, found their professional homes during the NFL Draft over the weekend.

UNC running back Omarion Hampton was the only local player drafted in the first round, going 22nd overall to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Hampton, considered one of the best prospects in his loaded position, was the second running back taken after the Las Vegas Raiders grabbed Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty with the sixth pick.

The 6-foot, 221-pound back rushed for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior in 2024. Across three seasons at UNC, Hampton became a two-time Doak Walker Award finalist and a two-time first team All-ACC selection. His 3,565 career rushing yards ranks fourth, and his 36 career rushing touchdowns ranks third in UNC history.

Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said it was an “unanimous” decision to take Hampton.

“This is a player that can play on third down really well,” Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Gives Justin somebody to throw to out of the backfield. He’s also a really good pass protector. His game is just really well-rounded.”

The Chargers were a middle-of-the-pack team when it came to running the football

HURRICANES from page B1

shot to deliver arguably the best play anyone will see this season NHL, internationally, anywhere.

After a long shift in the Devils’ zone, Carolina began a line change.

“We had a little bit of O zone time there, and I knew they were tired and they were just trying to get the puck out,” Slavin said.

Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler made a short pass to Stefan Noesen — a Hurricanes forward the previous three seasons — in between the faceoff circles in the New Jersey zone. Noesen collected the puck

in 2024. Los Angeles ranked 17th in rushing yards per game (110.7) and tied with two other teams for the eighth-most rushing touchdowns (17).

A month before drafting Hampton, the Chargers signed former Steelers running back Najee Harris to a one-year deal. Harris, who rushed for over 1,000 yards and a career-low six touchdowns in 2024, will have some competition next season as the two new backs will try to boost the Chargers’ offense.

“That’s something they wanted to add to the offense, being able to run the ball, be physical and everything like that,” Hampton said after being drafted. “They trust me to do it. I feel definitely grateful. I definitely feel like I’m ready to step up to the plate and take on that challenge.”

NC State offensive tackle Anthony Belton was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round (54th overall pick).

Belton, who started his college career at Georgia Military College, became the starting left tackle for the Wolfpack in 2022. Standing at 6 feet, 6 inches and 335 pounds, Belton was the seventh offensive tackle taken off the board.

“I think he’s very versatile,” Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan said. “I think he can play left tackle. I think he can play both guard spots. I think he could play right tackle. So, that’s one of the things that attracted us to him.”

Belton will help reinforce the Packers’ offensive line after they finished fifth in rushing yards per game (146.8) and allowed the second-least sacks (22) in 2024.

and turned up ice, looking for an outlet pass out of the zone. Before Noesen even committed to the pass, Slavin’s stick was waving in the vicinity, looking to disrupt the play.

“I just tried to have a good gap and ended up knocking it out of the air,” Slavin said. That’s standard fare for Slavin, whose stickwork and positioning are nightly masterclasses in defensive hockey. What followed was an entirely new level of wizardry.

“I looked back, and I think everyone on our team was changing too,” Slavin said of all the space on the ice.

The left-handed Slavin located the puck to his right and

East Carolina cornerback

Shavon Revel Jr. went 76th overall to the Dallas Cowboys in the third round.

After missing most of last season with a torn ACL, Revel was the ninth cornerback drafted. In the three games before his injury last fall, Revel recorded eight total tackles, two interceptions and four pass deflections.

“We were pleased to get Shavon,” Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “Had such a great appreciation for how hard he works. His story. We really had a need there, potentially, with our injury situation at our corners. Plus, he brings something to the table if they weren’t injured as far as making our secondary what we want it to be.”

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, who played at Duke for three seasons before leading the Fighting Irish to last season’s playoffs, was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round.

Other former NC players that transferred to other programs

“He’s been our stud for a long time and a huge reason why we are the team we are.”

Jordan Staal on Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Salvin

swiped a backhand at it, knocking it ahead toward the left boards. He windmilled his stick over Noesen, accelerated to the loose puck and took a peek at Siegenthaler, who was closing to snuff out the quick-developing play. Without a route to the net,

“I told him we can just show love off of Carolina.”

James Pearce Jr. on teaming up with former SEC rival Jalon Walker

game Atlanta has struggled in, that can wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

“We definitely had to increase our rush, get out of rush better and both of these players really make it better,” said Falcons coach Raheem Morris. “I just can’t tell you how excited I am to get those guys out on the grass and let them get better out there together. That’s the important part.

“Make no mistake about it. It is very hard to find pass rushers and it’s very hard to get out there on your first day and do it, but I have so much confidence in the people in that building to be able to go out there and help those guys be the best versions of themselves in time.”

Other North Carolinians selected in the draft included Forest City/Clayton’s Omarion Hampton (Los Angeles Chargers, 1st), Winston-Salem’s Shavon Revel Jr. (Dallas, 3rd), Clemmons’ Jared Wilson (New England, 3rd), Mount Holly’s Jamaree Caldwell (Chargers, 3rd) and Cary’s Carson Vinson (Baltimore, 5th), Raleigh’s Aeneas Peebles (Baltimore, 6th) and Mount Ulla’s Zeek Biggers (Miami, 7th).

linebacker, signed with the Dolphins)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, left, and general manager Joe Hortiz, right, introduce their first-round pick, UNC running back Omarion Hampton.

NC State: Jordan Waters (running back, signed with the Rams); Zeke Correll (center, signed with the Vikings); Timothy McKay (offensive line, signed with the Commanders); Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (transferred to Kentucky, running back, Ravens minicamp)

Duke: Jordan Moore (wide receiver, signed with the Bengals); Joshua Pickett (cornerback, signed with the Broncos); Eli Pancol (wide receiver, signed with the Jaguars); RJ Oben (transferred to Notre Dame, defensive line, Chiefs minicamp)

before being drafted include Aeneas Peebles (formerly at Duke, sixth round pick by the Ravens), Bhayshul Tuten (formerly at North Carolina A&T, fourth round pick by the Jaguars) and Demetrius Knight Jr. (formerly at Charlotte, second round pick by the Bengals).

Here’s where the undrafted local players signed or have been invited for rookie minicamps (as of Sunday): UNC: Kevin Hester (defensive line, Falcons minicamp); Power Echols (linebacker, signed with the Bears); Alijah Huzzie (cornerback, signed with the Texans); J.J. Jones (wide receiver, signed with the Jaguars); John Copenhaver (tight end, signed with the Jaguars); Willie Lampkin (offensive line, signed with the Rams); Desmond Evans (defensive line, signed with the Titans). Bryson Nesbit (tight end, signed with the Vikings); Nate MCollum (wide receiver, signed with the Giants); Javaree Ritzie (defensive tackle, signed with the Patriots); Eugene Asante (transferred to Auburn,

Slavin took two quick strides parallel to the boards, coasted to near the bottom of the circle, and …

“I just tried and throw it at the net and got lucky.”

Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom, all 6-foot-6 of him, had, like Siegenthaler, assessed the threat and played the percentages, hugging his right post to take away any window of a shot for Slavin. But he left a Death Star-esque, puck-sized opening over his right shoulder next to his ear, and Slavin somehow found the one weakness like he was … well, bull’s-eyeing womp rats back home to give the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead before

Wake Forest: Evan Slocum (safety, signed with the Colts); Branson Combs (linebacker, signed with the Jaguars); DeVonte Gordon (offensive tackle, Chiefs minicamp, Patriots minicamp); Kevin Pointer (defensive line, Raiders minicamp); Bryce Ganious (defensive line, signed with the Patriots)

App State: Ahmani Marshall (running back, signed with the Browns); Eli Wilson (tight end, signed with the Browns); Michael Hughes (kicker, signed with the Titans); Nate Noel (transferred to Mizzou, running back, signed with the Dolphins)

ECU: Rahjai Harris (running back, Bills minicamp)

North Carolina A&T: Jason Ivey (offensive tackle, signed with the Browns)

NC Central: Joaquin Davis (wide receiver, signed with the Broncos); Torricelli Simpkins III (transferred to South Carolina, offensive line, signed with the Saints)

Campbell: Isaiah Greene (cornerback, Bears minicamp, Eagles minicamp)

Elon: Chandler Brayboy (wide receiver, signed with the Jaguars); Rushawn Baker (running back, signed with the Giants) Gardner-Webb: Jordan Bly (wide receiver, signed with the Giants)

the first period was half over.

“It’s the play to get the goal,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “It’s elite, and it’s how he reads the play.

“He realized we’ve been in there for a while, that they’re changing, and it’s an easy time to take advantage of maybe stepping up on a player. All that stuff. And then to make the play, the rest of it. I can’t really say much more about Jaccob.” It was a reminder that Slavin, the NHL’s best shutdown defender, also has a trick or two up his sleeve in the offensive zone.

“What can you say about that guy?” Staal said. “I mean, he can do it all.”

BRYNN ANDERSON / AP PHOTO

Atlanta Falcons first-round draft picks Jalon Walker, left and James Pearce Jr., right, hold up their jerseys after being

DAMIAN DOVARGANES / AP PHOTO

NCAA transfer portal brings in fresh faces to local basketball teams

The transfer window closed at midnight on April 22

By Jesse Deal North State Journal

AS ROSTERS the upcoming 2025-26 college basketball season are getting molded through the transfer portal, nearly 40 players have officially announced their decision to take their talents to a NCAA Division 1 team in the state of North Carolina.

The portal has brought in a crop of fresh faces to 16 of the 18 statewide D1 schools. With the landscape of college hoops forever changed by the portal, teams have been forced to play along — or get left behind.

Duke (1)

The Blue Devils’ lone transfer addition, so far, is Washington State guard Cedric Coward, who played just six games for the Cougars last season before a season-ending shoulder injury in November thwarted a promising campaign where he posted 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in six appearances.

UNC (5)

The Tar Heels are hoping to get positive reinforcements from their five transfer newcomers: Arizona center Henri Veesaar (9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds), Colorado State guard Kyan Evans (10.6 points, 3.1 assists), West Virginia guard Jonathan Powell (8.3 points, 3.1 rebounds), Virginia Tech guard

Jaydon Young (8.1 points) and Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson (5.4 points, 3.4 rebounds).

NC State (6)

The Wolfpack have the most transfer additions of any D1 team in the state. Florida State forward Jerry Deng (7.0 points), Houston guard Terrance Arceneaux (6.5 points) and Michigan State guard Tre Holloman (9.1 points, 3.7 assists) make up half of the Pack’s six transfers, while Butler forward Colt Langdon will play his first college action after a freshman redshirt year. McNeese guards Alyn Breed (17.5 points, 3.0 rebounds) and Quadir Copeland (9.2 points, 4.5 assists) should provide a solid offensive boost for NC State.

Wake Forest (4)

The Demon Deacons might have struck gold with the additions of Valparaiso forward Cooper Schwieger (15.8 points, 7.8 rebounds) and Washington State guard Nate Calmese (15.2 points, 4.4 assists), while also bringing in Purdue guard Myles Colvin (5.4 points) and Washington guard Mekhi Mason (9.9 points).

Charlotte (1)

The 49ers only portal find is Northern Illinois forward Ethan Butler, who averaged 8.9 points and 4.1 rebounds last season with the Huskies as he shot 53% from the field. The Toronto, Ontario, product hit double figures in scoring nine times during his third season.

ECU (2)

The Pirates have size in 6-foot-11 George Mason forward Giovanni Emejuru (6.2 points, 4.0 rebounds) and 6-foot-10 Providence forward Eli DeLaurier; the latter only averaged 5.7 minutes last season as he posted just 1.2 points per game.

Appalachian State (3)

The Mountaineers are joined by Alabama A&M forward Chad Moodie (10.8 points, 6.0 rebounds), Georgia Southern guard Eren Banks (9.4 points) and South Florida guard Kasen Jennings (7.1 points).

Western Carolina (1)

The Catamounts will get an intrastate addition in ECU

guard Julien Soumaoro (4.0 points), who played one season with the Pirates after three years at Gardner-Webb. The grad transfer sat out for the majority of the 2024-25 season in Greenville due to personal reasons but will get one last shot in Cullowhee.

UNC Greensboro (1)

The Spartans now have St. Frances forward Valentino Pinedo. The native of Murcia, Spain, averaged 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds last season as a junior player with the Red Flash.

Queens (1)

The Royals added Valparaiso forward Carson Schwieger, who didn’t produce much in his freshman season (2.6 points) but will now get a chance to

Panthers address defense with later picks

Carolina finds a pair of pass rushers with first round grades in the second and third rounds

By Shawn Krest North State Journal

THE CAROLINA Panthers had two big areas of need entering the draft — pass rusher and pass catcher. The team devoted its first-round pick to the latter, taking Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth overall pick.

It was the second year in a row that Carolina has taken a receiver in the first round, and it meant that the defense needed attention fast as the draft went on.

The Panthers addressed the pass rush in rounds two and three, taking Texas A&M edge rusher Nic Scourton with the 51st pick and Ole Miss rusher Princely Umanmielen at 77.

That didn’t mean that the team necessarily thought receiver was a bigger priority than the pass rush. Their needs had to match up with the talent available. And there were more edge rushers on the board than receivers.

“In the second round, we weren’t going to get the real quality receiver we were looking for,” GM Dan Morgan explained. “We knew lots of edge rushers were in the draft, and we’d be able to capitalize on it in the second and third rounds.”

The plan seems to have

PANTHERS from page B1

“We really liked him,” Morgan said. “He added a different dimension to our offense. He added another playmaker — really good play speed, how smooth he is, body control, his ability to adjust, catch radius, his ability to catch passes outside of his frame. His hands are elite. He puts the ball in the end zone.”

That’s a different set of skills than the other players in the Panthers receiver room, giving coach Canales, and Young, a nice variety of weapons.

worked out. Scourton and Umanmielen were both considered late first round picks by dozens of mock drafts, including eighth overall for Scourton and 13th for Umanmielen. While Carolina traded up a few spots to get each, the team was rewarded for its patience.

“I’m probably panicking the most,” said coach Dave Canales of the wait to take the defensive players. “I’m watching, saying, ‘Ooh, he’s still there!’ But take a deep breath, let the guys come to us.”

The Panthers got some lucky breaks, but they ended up getting three players that addressed their biggest pre-draft needs.

“We’ve got a basketball team going on,” Canales said of the 6-foot-4 McMillan joining the group of tall pass catchers. “They have different attributes. Xavier (Legette) with the power and speed he brings, (Adam) Thielen’s craftmanship. You saw Jalen Coker come on strong last year. Tet brings in a long target to round out that group. I love the pressure being on us to utilite these guys and the talents and unique skills they have.” That doesn’t mean that one word from Young derailed all the pre-draft work the Panthers had put in. Carolina’s staff had

“It really worked out well for us,” Morgan said. Canales, fresh off the stressful wait, was a bit more effusive.

“Running through hundreds of simulations,” the coach said, “using mock simulators, if you told me we were going to get T-Mac (McMillan), Nic Scourton and Princely — I didn’t get that once in any of my mocks of the first three picks. It’s exciting.”

Scourton had 10 sacks for Purdue in 2023 before transferring to Texas A&M last year. His sack total fell to five. In his press conference after the draft, Scourton said part of the decline was that he had a different role in the Aggies’ defense. However,

already identified McMillan as a target with their first-round pick. As the team debated using their first pick to address receiver or the defensive pass rush, it became tough to go back and forth between positions while breaking down film.

It’s called film review, but McMillan tempted them to binge watch instead.

“The guy’s a baller,” Canales said. “It’s a simple way to look at it — when you watch film, the ballers show up. We kept putting him on (screen), and we’d get really excited — you almost can’t turn the tape off.”

play in a new environment in Charlotte.

UNC Wilmington (5)

The Seahawks had a busy transfer period, adding five new players: Towson guard Christian May (7.6 points, 4.3 rebounds), North Carolina A&T guard Jahnathan Lamothe (13.8 points, 7.3 rebounds), Virginia Tech center Patrick Wessler (3.9 points), Binghamton forward Gavin Walsh (11.3 points, 10.9 rebounds) and Stony Brook guard CJ Luster II (16.8 points).

Elon (1)

The Phoenix have brought in George Mason guard Bryson Cokley, who averaged 1.2 points in just nine appearances with the Patriots last season.

North Carolina A&T (1)

The Aggies will get to see the first college action from Massachusetts forward and Winston-Salem native Lewis Walker.

UNC Asheville (1)

The Bulldogs added Florida Atlantic guard Jakel Powell; the Raleigh native didn’t play last season.

High Point (3)

The Panthers will get a boost from Missouri State guard Vincent Brady II (13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds), along with Liberty forward Owen Aquino (8.6 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Arizona guard Conrad Martinez (1.6 points).

Davidson (2)

The Wildcats used the portal to acquire Wake Forest guard Parker Friedrichsen (3.2 points) and Vanderbilt forward JaQualon Roberts (1.0 points).

“These are all guys that play hard, first and foremost.”

Dave Canales, Panthers coach

in the months between the end of the season and the draft, he decided to take action.

After tipping the scales at 285 last season, he weighed in at 257 on his pro day and seemed much faster at the lower weight.

“I got on a good nutrition plan,” he said. “It was about learning how to eat right, getting the right amount of sleep.”

The improved speed should help make it easier to shed blockers as he chases quarterbacks in the NFL.

“I don’t need to have all that weight to set the edge,” he explained.

In the third round, the Panthers took another pass rusher in Umanmielen, who played parts of four seasons for Florida before tallying 10.5 sacks for Ole Miss last season.

“He’s been working on his craft,” Morgan said. “You can tell from the tape, he got better and better. He’s added to his toolbox. He bends about as good as any rusher I’ve watched this year — the speed he brings off the edge, his bend, a wicked spin move, long arm — he can do a lot of of things”

On day three, the Panthers added three more offensive

Young’s input was the final confirmation that the Panthers were making the right choice.

“Of course, I’m going to take Bryce’s recommendation on a guy he’s been out there throwing with,” Morgan said.

“There’s a me-to-you factor to this sport when it comes to the passing game,” Canales added. “It’s about time on task. It’s about throwing, but it’s also about chemistry. It’s about feeling like you have a connection with somebody. I think back to the crazy throw Bryce had to Tommy Tremble up the sideline (a 38-yarder in last season’s

players and a pair of defensive picks. In the fourth round, 114th overall, Carolina took Georgia running back Trevor Etienne. Eight picks later in that round, the Panthers landed Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom. Morgan pointed out Ransom’s “effort, juice, enthusiasm and toughness,” while Canales said, “You can tell he enjoys the physical aspect of the game.”

Carolina also had a pair of fifth-round picks, taking Florida defensive tackle Cam Jackson at 140 and Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans at 163. Jackson can play any spot on the line, giving the Panthers needed flexibility up front.

“His size and length, foremost,” said Morgan of what he liked about Jackson. “He’s a big, long man that takes up a lot of room, occupies a lot of blocks and is going to keep our linebackers free. But I don’t think people realize how mobile he is. He’s not just a big man taking up space, he can move.”

The team used its final pick on Colorado receiver Jimmy Horn Jr., in the sixth round, with pick 208. With its eight picks split equally on the two sides of the ball, the unifying theme for the Panthers draft class is found in the intangibles.

“These are all guys that play hard, first and foremost,” Canales said. “They have an energy about them. That’s why it was important to meet these guys in person, to get a feel for their passion for the game. We’re making sure the guys we bring in are as serious about attacking the day as the guys we have.”

game against Tampa Bay). It was almost like it was designed, but they just kind of knew. It’s just about spending time together, and his body language said he’s going up, so I’m going to throw it. Any little touch they have, any little connection they can have, it finds a way to make itself visible on the field.” That connection between 2023 and 2025’s first-round picks began on that workout day in SoCal.

“Unfortunately, it was only one day,” McMillan said, “but now, we’ve got a lot of days coming up.”

MICHAEL WOODS / AP PHOTO Mississippi defensive end Princely Umanmielen (1) tries to get past Arkansas offensive lineman E’Marion Harris (76) during a November game.

AJ MAST / AP PHOTO

Houston’s Terrance Arceneaux cuts down the net after the Cougars made the Final Four. Arceneaux will try to return next season with the NC State Wolfpack.

24SP001991-250 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Charynel Camacho and Alexsander Polanco to Ashish G Lakhiani, Trustee(s), which was dated October 12, 2018 and recorded on October 15, 2018 in Book 10390 at Page 0555, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse

GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION

24CV010329-250

NOTICE OF JUDICIAL

FORECLOSURE SALE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, Plaintiff, vs. Vernard Nichols; Any Spouse of Vernard Nichols; United States of America; Fayetteville Public Works Commission; Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, Defendant(s). NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Jeremy B. Wilkins, Commissioner, pursuant to the Order/Judgment entered in the above-captioned case on February 18, 2025 (“Order”), and by virtue of the appointment, power and authority contained in that Order, has been authorized and ordered to sell the property commonly known as 6425 Worthington Dr, Fayetteville, NC 28304 (“Property”). Said Property is secured by the Deed of Trust executed by Vernard Nichols and Dorothy L. Nichols, dated August 13, 1999 and recorded on August 18, 1999 in Book 5148 at Page 702 of the Cumberland County, North Carolina Registry. The Property shall

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION FILE NO. 25CV001460-250 NORTH CAROLINA

door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on May 14, 2025 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit: Being all of Lot 63, in a Subdivision known as Estherbrook, and the same being duly recorded in Plat Book 30, page 25, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 1607 Inverness Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28304. A Certified Check ONLY (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED.

be sold together with improvements located thereon, towards satisfaction of the debt due by Vernard Nichols and Dorothy L. Nichols, and secured by the lien against such property in favor of JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association. The Commissioner will offer for sale to the highest bidder at a public auction at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on May 7, 2025 at 01:30 PM the following described real property (including all improvements thereon) located in Cumberland County, North Carolina and described as follows: Being all of lot six (6) of the “Tysor property of Broadwell land company”, subdivision as shown on plat prepared by Moorman, Little & Kizer, incorporated and duly recorded in book of plats 49, page 68 in the office of the register of deeds for Cumberland county, North Carolina. The above described property will be sold, transferred and conveyed “AS IS, WHERE IS” subject to liens or encumbrances of record which are superior to such Deed of Trust, together with all unpaid taxes and assessments and any recorded releases. Neither the Commissioner nor the holder of the debt secured by such Deed

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record.

To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Charynel Camacho and spouse, Alexsander Polanco. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or

of Trust, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Commissioner or the holder of the debt make any representation of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health, or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such conditions expressly are disclaimed. The Commissioner shall convey title to the property by nonwarranty deed, without any covenants or warranties, express or implied. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 1-339.29 (c) in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the judge or clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. A ny person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY ROCKET MORTGAGE, LLC f/k/a QUICKEN LOANS, LLC f/k/a QUICKEN LOANS INC., Plaintiff, v. BRIAN TAYLOR, and Spouse of, if any; SECRETARY OF HOUSING and URBAN DEVELOPMENT; and SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC., Substitute Trustee, Defendants. NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION TO: S pouse of Brian Taylor, if any Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: The Plaintiff in the above entitled action has filed with the Clerk of Superior Court’s office of Cumberland County, North Carolina, a civil action concerning one parcel of real property located 7720 Charring Cross Lane, Fayetteville, NC 28314. You are required to make defense to such pleading no later than May 27, 2025 (40 days from date of first publication) and upon your failure to do so the party

23SP001066-250 NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Haven A. Smith and Adel Smith to Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, Trustee(s), which was dated April 30, 2008 and recorded on May 1, 2008 in Book 7877 at Page 0071, Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION 25SP000040-250 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY RICKY CRAIG SIMPSON AND ANGELIKA SIMPSON DATED MARCH 31, 2016 RECORDED IN BOOK NO. 09832, AT PAGE 0017 IN THE CUMBERLAND COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the abovereferenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements therein contained and, pursuant to demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Cumberland County

Trust made by Jamie G. Whitaker (Deceased) (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Jamie G. Whitaker) to Jerone C. Herring, Trustee(s), dated April 17, 2000, and recorded in Book No. 5259, at Page 0380 in Cumberland County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Cumberland County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Fayetteville, Cumberland County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 12:00 PM on May 5, 2025 and will sell to

on May 7, 2025 at 01:30 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Cumberland County, North Carolina, to wit: Being all of Lot No. THIRTY EIGHT (38), in a subdivision known as ‘’Hawthorne, Section Four, Part Two” according to a plat of the same duly recorded in Plat Book 116, Page 176, Cumberland County, North Carolina Registry. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 1600 Stanford Ct, Fayetteville, NC 28314. A Certified Check ONLY (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered

courthouse at 1:30 PM on May 14, 2025, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Ricky Craig Simpson; Angelika Simpson, dated March 31, 2016 to secure the original principal amount of $110,322.00, and recorded in Book No. 09832, at Page 0017 of the Cumberland County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 5 56 Farmview Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28311 Tax Parcel ID: 0 530-02-5813 The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are Ricky Craig Simpson

the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Fayetteville in the County of Cumberland, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot No. Nine (9), Block J in a Subdivision known as PONDEROSA, REVISION NO. 2 of SECTION TWO, according to a plat of the same duly recorded in Book of Plats 30 Page 70, Cumberland County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 5332 Mesa Court, Fayetteville, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. 45-21.23. S hould the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. 7A-308(a)(1). T he property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security

renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the

Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current record owners of the property as reflected on the records of the CUMBERLAND COUNTY

for sale, transfer and conveyance

“AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record.

To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Haven A. Smith and wife, Adel Smith. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007,

and Angelika Simpson. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and

agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A d eposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the

seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought This the ____ day of ___________________, 2025. HUTCHENS LAW FIRM LLP By: Bryce Ashby N.C. State Bar No. 61688 Post Office Box 2505

Phone NCSales@brockandscott.com File No.:

Fayetteville, NC 28302 Telephone: (910) 864-6888 Facsimile: (910) 864-6848 Bryce.ashby@hutchenslawfirm.com Attorneys for Plaintiff

Dates of Publication: April 17, 2025, April 24, 2025 and May 1, 2025

may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC 5431

must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. This sale will be held open ten days for upset bids as required by law. After the expiration of the upset period, all remaining amounts are IMMEDIATELY DUE AND OWING. Failure to remit funds in a timely manner will result in a Declaration of Default and any deposit will be frozen pending the outcome of any re-sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Substitute Trustee or the attorney of any of the foregoing. SPECIAL NOTICE FOR LEASEHOLD TENANTS residing at the property: be advised that an Order for Possession of the property may be issued in favor of the purchaser. Also, if your lease began or was renewed on or after October

party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property

by

of

LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Helmsman Homes, LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company) to Sean C. Walker, Trustee(s), dated February 23, 2022, and recorded in Book No. 2901, at Page 546 in Iredell County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Iredell County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 25 SP 57 U nder and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Helmsman Homes, LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Helmsman Homes, LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company) to The Lake Law Office PLLC, Trustee(s), dated February 29, 2024, and recorded in Book No. 3046, at Page 2265 in Iredell County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Iredell County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

25 SP 85

U nder and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Helmsman Homes, LLC (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Helmsman Homes, LLC) to Anthony Scott Faulkner, Trustee(s), dated August 22, 2023, and recorded in Book No. 3011, at Page 1591 in Iredell County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Iredell County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 25 SP 52

U nder and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Helmsman Homes, LLC (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Helmsman Homes, LLC) to Anthony Scott Faulkner, Trustee(s), dated August 22, 2023, and recorded in Book No. 3011, at Page 1559 in Iredell County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Iredell County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 25 SP 56 U nder and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Helmsman Homes, LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Helmsman Homes, LLC, a North Carolina Limited Liability Company) to Todd J. Farlow, Trustee(s), dated February 29, 2024, and recorded in Book No. 3046, at Page 1956 in Iredell County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Iredell County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Statesville, Iredell County, North

25 SP 73

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, IREDELL COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by TAYLOR KELLY MOORE AND BRITTANY LEANN MOORE to William R Echols, Trustee(s), which was dated January 6, 2023 and recorded on January 13, 2023 in Book 2969 at Page 2498, Iredell County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property

undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 11:00 AM on May 8, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Mooresville in the County of Iredell, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: The land is described as follows: BEING all of Lot 2 of the Exempt Plat of Eva Sue J. Haire Property as shown in Map Book 74 at Page 20, the same being a revision of Map Book 73 at Page 103. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1502 Mt Ulla Highway, Mooresville, North Carolina. Also known as 1502 Mt Ulla Highway, Mooresville, NC 28115 Parcel ID: 4679321103.000

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

in Statesville, Iredell County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 11:00 AM on May 8, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Mooresville in the County of Iredell, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 10 Silverwood Court Subdivision, as the same is shown on a map thereof platted, planned, and recorded in Plat Book 79, at Page 29; as recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Iredell County, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 115, Silverwood Court, Mooresville, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45)

foreclosure sales, at 11:00 AM on May 8, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Statesville in the County of Iredell, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 3 of “Minor Subdivision Plat of Cloaninger Estates Parcel 4744933149”; as shown on Map thereof recorded in Map Book 79, Page 101, Iredell County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1729 East Cloaninger Avenue, Statesville, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). T he property to be offered

foreclosure sales, at 11:00 AM on May 8, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Statesville in the County of Iredell, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lot 2 of “Minor Subdivision plat of Cloaninger Estates Parcel 4744933149”; as shown on map thereof recorded in Map Book 79, Page 101, Iredell County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1727 East Cloaninger Avenue, Statesville, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). T he property to be offered

Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 11:00 AM on May 8, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Mooresville in the County of Iredell, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of Lots 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 Silverwood Court Subdivision, as the same is shown on a Map thereof platted, planned, and recorded in Plat Book 79, at Page 29; as recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Iredell County, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 105, 107, 109, 111, and 113 Silverwood Court, Mooresville, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45)

is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on May 8, 2025 at 10:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Iredell County, North Carolina, to wit: BEING ALL OF LOT NO. 147 OF RESUBDIVISION OF COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES, PLAT NO, 1, AS THE SAME IS PLATTED, PLANNED AND RECORDED IN PLAT BOOK 3, PAGE 46, IREDELL COUNTY REGISTRY. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 520 Margaret Dr, Statesville, NC 28677. A Certified Check ONLY (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). T he property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).

T he property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A d eposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred

pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance

“AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A d eposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered

pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance

“AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A d eposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered

per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00)

required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). T he property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A d eposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred

A d eposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to

fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If

in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold.

fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S.

THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/ are Taylor Kelly Moore and wife, Brittany Leann Moore. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon

A ny person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a

A ny person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.

SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE SERVICES, INC. SUBSTITUTE TRUSTEE c/o Hutchens Law Firm P.O. Box 1028 4317 Ramsey Street Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311 Phone No: (910) 864-3068 https://sales.hutchenslawfirm.com Firm Case No: 23670 - 117708

be foreclosed,

Deed of

County,

13th,

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE 16SP001246-660 Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Deandre J. Fletcher and Tonette G. Heckstall (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Deandre J. Fletcher and Tonette G. Heckstall) to Stuart Clarke at Thorpe & Clark, Trustee(s), dated February 11, 2014, and recorded in Book No. 4113, at Page 429 in Onslow County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Onslow County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

23SP000556-660

Under and by virtue of the power of sale contained in a certain Deed of Trust made by Richard C. Wible and Sabine SK Wible (PRESENT RECORD OWNER(S): Richard C. Wible and Sabine SK Wible) to John B. Third, Trustee(s), dated June 29, 2016, and recorded in Book No. 4475, at Page 400 in Onslow County Registry, North Carolina, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Onslow County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Jacksonville, Onslow County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 10:00 AM on May 14, 2025 and will sell to the

at

of

and will

at 1:00

to

Deeds Orange County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute

IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE OF NORTH CAROLINA SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION RANDOLPH COUNTY 24SP001352-750 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST EXECUTED BY PEGGYE HAMMOND DATED DECEMBER 7, 2004 AND RECORDED IN BOOK 1899 AT PAGE 2184 IN THE RANDOLPH COUNTY PUBLIC REGISTRY, NORTH CAROLINA NOTICE OF SALE Under and by virtue of the power and authority contained in the abovereferenced deed of trust and because of default in payment of the secured debt and failure to perform the agreements contained therein and, pursuant to

undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for

on

bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: Being all of Lot 45, Section 1, Winds Ridge, as shown on Map Book 44 at Pages 40 and 41 of the New Hanover County Registry, reference to which is hereby made for a more particular description. Together with improvements located hereon; said property being

Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Anchor Trustee Services, LLC having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of New Hanover County, North Carolina, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness

in the amount of One Dollar ($1.00) per each Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or fractional part thereof, and the Clerk of Courts fee, pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §7A-308, in the amount of Forty-five Cents (0.45)

door in Jacksonville, Onslow County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 10:00 AM on May 14, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Jacksonville in the County of Onslow, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot Number 9, as shown and described on a plat entitled, “Revised Final Plat, TRINITY CROSSING, SECTION III, a Planned Residential Development, “ dated 08/13/12, prepared by Parker & Associates, Inc. and recorded in Map Book 66, Pages 150-150A, Cabinet N, in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Onslow County, North Carolina. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 121 Heaven’s Gate Drive, Jacksonville, North Carolina. Subject to the Declaration of Conditions, Reservations and Restrictions recorded in Book 4010, Page 306, in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Onslow County, North Carolina.

Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Richlands in the County of Onslow, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Lot 18, of Buckhaven, Section II (Rev.) described on the map recorded in Map Book 69 at Page 225-225B, Cabinet N, Onslow County Registry, reference to said map being made for a more particular description. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 209 Trophy Ridge Drive, Richlands, North Carolina.

Subject to Restrictive and Protective Covenants recorded in Book 3655, Page 237 Onslow County Registry, and amended in Book 3748, Page 254 and Book 4111, Page 55. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00)

Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Hillsborough, Orange County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 1:30 PM on May 12, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Chapel Hill in the County of Orange, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: BEING all of that certain parcel of land and all improvements now or hereafter located thereon; lying and being on the southwest side of State Road No. 1945, which said stake is located South 38 deg. 00’ East 60 feet from the northeast corner of the property of Charlie Mason; running thence from said beginning point along the southwestern side of said road South 38 deg. East 140 feet to an iron stake; running thence South 52 deg. 00’ West 290 feet to an iron stake; running thence North 38 deg. West approximately 170 feet to an iron stake; which said stake is located 50 feet from Mason’s south boundary line; running thence North 59 deg. 13’ East 291.68 feet to an iron stake in the southwest side of said State Road, the point and place of BEGINNING, and being a portion of the property conveyed to Emery B. Denny, Jr., Trustee by deed recorded in Deed Book 218, at Page 442 and Deed Book 217, at Page 821,

demand of the holder of the secured debt, the undersigned will expose for sale at public auction at the usual place of sale at the Randolph County courthouse at 11:00AM on May 7, 2025, the following described real estate and any improvements situated thereon, in Randolph County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described in that certain Deed of Trust executed Peggye Hammond, dated December 7, 2004 to secure the original principal amount of $62,959.00, and recorded in Book 1899 at Page 2184 of the Randolph County Public Registry. The terms of the said Deed of Trust may be modified by other instruments appearing in the public record. Additional identifying information regarding the collateral property is below and is believed to be accurate, but no representation or warranty is intended. Address of property: 951 Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Asheboro, NC 27203 Tax Parcel ID: 7 761-33-2742

of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is Peter C. Boulter . PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §45-21.29

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property

required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).

The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws.

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered

Orange County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 2622 Neville Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23.

Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1). The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance

“AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are

Present Record Owners: The Estate of Peggy Ruth Hammond The record owner(s) of the property, according to the records of the Register of Deeds, is/are The Estate of Peggy Ruth Hammond. The property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS, WHERE IS. Neither the Trustee nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property offered for sale. Any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition expressly are disclaimed. This sale is subject to all prior liens and encumbrances and unpaid taxes and assessments including any transfer tax associated with the foreclosure.

in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in its sole discretion, if it believes the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy.

Additional Notice for Residential Property with Less than 15 rental units, including Single-Family Residential Real Property An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 4521.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after

expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A deposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement

(fax) dneill@mtglaw.com 24-002044-01

A deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required from the highest bidder and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. Cash will not be accepted. This sale will

October 1, 2007, may after receiving the notice of foreclosure sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days but not more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in this notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination. Upon termination of a rental

NEW HANOVER

to Bradley D. Dinkel of Wake County, Trustee(s), dated February 4, 2022, and recorded in Book No. 2791, at Page 2165 in Randolph County Registry, North Carolina. The Deed of Trust was modified by the following: A Loan Modification recorded on February 16, 2024, in Book No. 2897, at Page 1523, default having been made in the payment of the promissory note secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Substitute Trustee Services, Inc. having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds Randolph County, North Carolina and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the

ROBESON

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE NORTH CAROLINA, ROBESON COUNTY 25 SP 000023-770

Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Richard Flegal, Mortgagor(s), in the original amount of $103,770.00, to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (“MERS”) as beneficiary, as nominee for Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC , Mortgagee, dated July 25th, 2019 and recorded on July 31st, 2019 in Book D 2188, Page 759, as instrument number 2019006486, and subsequently modified by Loan Modification recorded on March 25th, 2022 in Book D 2338 at Page 203 and/ or Instrument Number 2022002912, Robeson County Registry. Default having been made in the payment of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Anchor Trustee Services, LLC having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust by an instrument duly recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds of Robeson County, North Carolina, and the holder of the note evidencing said indebtedness having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door or other usual place of sale in Robeson County,

24SP000132-770

NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, ROBESON COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by James Daniel Locklear and Chelsey Renee Revels to Michael Baynes, Trustee(s), which was dated February 9, 2022 and recorded on February 10, 2022 in Book 2330 at Page 621, Robeson County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on May 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described

23SP000276-770

AMENDED NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE

NORTH CAROLINA, ROBESON COUNTY Under and by virtue of a Power of Sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust executed by Bernabe Delacruz and Rosita Delacruz to William R. Echols, Trustee(s), which was dated November 30, 2007 and recorded on November 30, 2007 in Book D 1641 at Page 750 and rerecorded/modified/corrected on October 26, 2020 in Book D 2253, Page 433; rerecorded/modified/corrected on February 11, 2021 in Book D 2269, Page 70 and rerecorded/modified/corrected on September 6, 2023 in Book D 2421, Page 670, Robeson County Registry, North Carolina. Default having been made of the note thereby secured by the said Deed of Trust and the undersigned, Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC, having been substituted as Trustee in said Deed of Trust, and the holder of the note evidencing said default having directed that the Deed of Trust be foreclosed, the undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door of the county courthouse where the property is located, or the usual and customary location at the county courthouse for conducting the sale on May 12, 2025 at 01:00 PM, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property situated in Robeson County, North Carolina, to wit: Lot Four All that certain tract or parcel of land lying about 6 miles northwest of the center of Lumberton, NC, about 800 feet

undersigned Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at the courthouse door in Asheboro, Randolph County, North Carolina, or the customary location designated for foreclosure sales, at 10:00 AM on May 14, 2025 and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following real estate situated in Asheboro in the County of Randolph, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows: Being all of Tract 2, Exempt Division Survey for Larry W. McKenzie, recorded in Plat Book 169, Page 68, Randolph County Registry. Together with improvements located thereon; said property being located at 1822 Newell Street, Asheboro, North Carolina. Trustee may, in the Trustee’s sole discretion, delay the sale for up to one hour as provided in N.C.G.S. §45-21.23. Should the property be purchased by a third party, that party must pay the excise tax, as well as the court costs of Forty-Five Cents ($0.45) per One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) required by N.C.G.S. §7A-308(a)(1).

T he property to be offered pursuant to this notice of sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS, WHERE IS.” Neither the Trustee

North Carolina, at 10:00 AM on May 8th, 2025, and will sell to the highest bidder for cash the following described property, to wit: In Smiths Township, Robeson County, North Carolina, about two miles Southeast from the Village of Wakulla, and on the Southwest side of and adjacent to Secondary Road No. 1342, and more particularly bounded and described according to a survey thereof made by J.P. McMillan, Jr., Registered Surveyor, dated 29 December 1971, as follows, to-wit: BEGINNING at a stake in the Southwestern right of way line of Secondary Road No. 1342, said beginning point being South 46 degrees 45 minutes East 900 feet from the Northwest corner of that certain 54 acre tract of which this is part, said 54 acre corner being in the center of Secondary Road No, 1303, the beginning corner of this parcel being 30 feet West from the center of NC Highway No. 1342, and runs thence South 43 degrees 15 minutes West 231 feet to a stake; thence South 37 degrees East 512 feet to a stake in the center of Bear Swamp Canal, said canal being the Eastern boundary of the original tract of which this is a part; thence as the center of the bear Swamp Canal North 23 degrees 30 minutes East 198 feet to a stake in the Western right of way line of Secondary Road No. 1342, and 30 West 231 feet to a stake; thence still as the Western right of way line of said road North 23 degrees West 228 feet to the point of beginning, containing TWO (2) ACRES, more or less, and being a portion of the Second Tract described

property situated in Robeson County, North Carolina, to wit: In Clyborn Pines Subdivision and on the South side of Bollinger Avenue and on the West side of Boone Road and being all of Lots No. NINETEEN (19) and TWENTY (20) in Section “B” of that certain map of Clyborn Pines made by Harold L. Willis, Registered Surveyor, dated the 29th day of June 1962, as will appear of record in Book of Maps No. 14, at page 74, Office of the Register of Deeds of Robeson County to which reference is hereby made for a more particular description of said lots by metes and bounds. Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 564 Bollinger Avenue, Lumberton, NC 28360. A Certified Check ONLY (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY

nor the holder of the note secured by the deed of trust/security agreement, or both, being foreclosed, nor the officers, directors, attorneys, employees, agents or authorized representative of either the Trustee or the holder of the note make any representation or warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at or relating to the property being offered for sale, and any and all responsibilities or liabilities arising out of or in any way relating to any such condition are expressly disclaimed. Also, this property is being sold subject to all taxes, special assessments, and prior liens or prior encumbrances of record and any recorded releases. Said property is also being sold subject to applicable Federal and State laws. A d eposit of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, is required and must be tendered in the form of certified funds at the time of the sale. If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited

in and conveyed by deed from Willie Frank McRae to Sarah N. McRae Buie, dated 15 June 1971, and recorded in Book of Deeds 18-B, Page 317, Robeson County Registry. See also the last Will and Testament of Margaret McRimmon McRae, as recorded in File No. 69 E 167, in the office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of Robeson County. LESS AND EXCEPT the one (1) acre devised and conveyed to John W. Oxendine and described in Deed Book 1128, Page 867, Robeson County Registry. Together with improvements located hereon; said property being located at 1329 McArthur Rd, Maxton, NC 28364 Tax ID: 231601004 Third party purchasers must pay the recording costs of the trustee’s deed, any land transfer taxes, the excise tax, pursuant North Carolina General Statutes §105-228.30, in the amount of One Dollar ($1.00) per each Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) or fractional part thereof, and the Clerk of Courts fee, pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §7A-308, in the amount of Forty-five Cents (0.45) per each One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) or fractional part thereof with a maximum amount of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). A deposit of five percent (5%) of the bid or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale and must be tendered in the form of certified funds. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts will be immediately due and owing.

THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING

COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the s ale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/ are James Daniel Locklear and Chelsey Renee Revels. An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in

recorded in Deed Book 1585, page 723. Bearings referenced to Deed Book 1585, page 723. Exempt from Robeson County Subdivision Ordinance under Article V. Section 501, Item h. Lot Five All that certain tract or parcel of land lying about 6 miles northwest of the center of Lumberton, NC about 1000 feet south of SR 1525, Parnell Road, adjacent to and on the west side of a 45 foot private road, about 1000 feet southwest of SR 1521, Oak Grove Church Road and adjoining the lands of Julius H. Parnell (502/230) on the west and Iglesia Pentecostal Manantial De Vida, Inc. (1585/723) on the north and south and being more particularly described as follows: BEGINNING at a iron rod set in the west right of way line of a 45 foot private easement, the pc of a curve, said iron rod being located South 05 degrees 03 minutes 51 seconds West 980.25 feet from a iron rod found in the center of SR 1525, Parnell Road, this iron rod being located North 84 degrees 00 minutes 00 seconds West 211.05

to,

ingress, egress and utilities from SR 1525, Parnell Road. And being a part of that 30.23 acre tract conveyed by Township Developers, LLC and Red Apple Properties, LLC to Iglesia Pentecostal Manantial De Vida, Inc. by deed dated 7 February, 2007 and

Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance AS IS WHERE IS. There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, special assessments, land transfer taxes, if any, and encumbrances of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/are Richard Flegal. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to North Carolina General Statutes §45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the Clerk of Superior Court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination (North Carolina General Statutes §45-21.16A(b) (2)). Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated

which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement by providing written notice of termination to the landlord, to be effective on a date stated in the notice that is at least 10 days, but no more than 90 days, after the sale date contained in the notice of sale, provided that the mortgagor has not cured the default at the time the tenant provides the notice of termination [NCGS § 45-21.16A(b)(2)]. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination. Pursuant to NCGS §45-21.25A, this sale may be subject to remote bids placed by bidders not physically present at the place of sale, which may be accepted by the person conducting the sale, or their agent”.

If the trustee is unable to convey title to this property for any reason, the sole remedy of the purchaser is the return of the deposit. Reasons of such inability to convey include, but are not limited to, the filing of a bankruptcy petition prior to the confirmation of the sale and reinstatement of the loan without the knowledge of the trustee. If the validity of the sale is challenged by any party, the trustee, in their sole discretion, if they believe the challenge to have merit, may request the court to declare the sale to be void and return the deposit. The purchaser will have no further remedy. Trustee Services of Carolina, LLC Substitute Trustee Brock & Scott, PLLC Attorneys for Trustee

An Order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to G.S. 45-21.29 in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold. Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007,

by Township Developers, LLC and Red Apple Properties, LLC to Iglesia Pentecostal Manantial De Vida, Inc. by deed dated 7 February, 2007 and recorded in Deed Book 4585, page 723. Bearing reference to Deed Book 1585, page 723. Exempt from Robeson County Subdivision Ordinance under Article V, Section 501, Item H. This description is to include 2007 Cavalier Manufactured Home, 80 x 32 with Serial No. BG07NC144689AB Save and except any releases, deeds of release or prior conveyances of record. Said property is commonly known as 220 Windy Drive and 2.51-acre parcel adjacent to 220 Windy Drive, Lumberton, NC 28360. A certified check only (no personal checks) of five percent (5%) of the purchase price, or Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), whichever is greater, will be required at the time of the sale. Following the expiration of the statutory upset bid period, all the remaining amounts are immediately due and owing. THIRD PARTY PURCHASERS MUST PAY THE EXCISE TAX AND THE RECORDING COSTS FOR THEIR DEED. Said property to be offered pursuant to this Notice of Sale is being offered for sale, transfer and conveyance “AS IS WHERE IS.” There are no representations of warranty relating to the title or any physical, environmental, health or safety conditions existing in, on, at, or relating to the property being offered for sale. Substitute Trustee does not have possession of the property and cannot grant access, prior to or after the sale, for purposes of inspection and/or appraisal. This sale is made subject to all prior liens, unpaid taxes, any unpaid land transfer taxes, special assessments, easements, rights of way, deeds of release, and any other encumbrances or exceptions of record. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the undersigned, the current owner(s) of the property is/ are Rosita Delacruz.

RANDOLPH

the BRIEF this week

Barber arrested at U.S. Capitol during budget protest

Washington, D.C.

The Rev. William Barber, a North Carolina minister and activist, was arrested alongside other faith leaders at a demonstration Monday in the Capitol Rotunda

The prominent minister and former NAACP NC president was protesting against the proposed Republican-led federal budget, which would extend and expand broad tax cuts alongside cuts to social and environmental programs. “If you can’t challenge your adversary with the hope that they change and to know that even if they don’t, at least they will have no excuse that they did not get told what is right. That is a powerful witness,” Barber said in remarks outside the Capitol shortly before his arrest. Barber organized and led Moral Mondays marches in Raleigh a decade ago that spread elsewhere in the state. Protestors engaged in civil disobediance at the rallies, and several — including Barber — were arrested and charged with misdemeanors.

Trump offers U.S. automakers some relief on tariffs

Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to relax some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. Tuesday’s action is a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers. Independent analyses have indicated that the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make U.S. production less competitive worldwide.

$2.00

TriRiver invests $30M in water treatment for long-term reliability

Local leaders address community concerns as public water companies merge across counties

By Ena Sellers Chatham News & Record

CHAPEL HILL — In the wake of TriRiver Water’s recent utility merger announcement, the Haw River Assem-

Chatham

bly held a public forum last week at Woods Charter School in Chapel Hill to address public concerns, some stemming from letters consumers received from TriRiver Water.

Emily Sutton, Haw River Assembly executive director and riverkeeper, introduced the speakers and provided an overview of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These compounds are highly persistent both in the en-

vironment and human body and are associated with various types of cancer. Sutton explained that PFAS are extremely difficult to remove from drinking water, highlighting the importance of preventing contamination.

Corey Salisbury, water filtration administrator for the Town of Pittsboro, provided updates on recent improvements to the town’s water quality. He emphasized the

Commissioners

pass resolution honoring free speech

The board affirmed its commitment to defending the First Amendment

By Ryan Henkel Chatham News & Record

effectiveness of the granular activated carbon filtration system implemented last year.

“We have seen a 90-95% reduction in PFAS numbers,” said Salisbury, explaining that the improvements have brought contaminant levels down to nearly undetectable levels. He also noted that 1,4-dioxane has not been detected in Pittsboro water for over a year.

See WATER, page A3

freedoms of their residents, including the right to speak freely in public forums and governmental proceedings.

PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Board of Commissioners reaffirmed its commitment to the preservation of free speech at its most recent meeting.

At its April 21 meeting, the board passed a resolution honoring the right of free speech.

“The Chatham County Board of Commissioners affirms that public dialogue, including differing viewpoints, plays a vital role in promoting accountability and strengthening civic life,” said Commissioner Amanda Robertson, who read the resolution into the record. “The exercise of free speech is not only a constitutional right, but also a foundational value of American government and society and local governments have a responsibility to protect the rights and

Decision looming on PFAS drinking water limits

“What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out.”

Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator

The Trump EPA will soon weigh in on “forever chemicals”

By Michael Phillis The Associated Press

IN PAIN SO bad he couldn’t stand, Chris Meek was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening ruptured gallbladder. When he emerged from surgery, he learned he had kidney cancer that thankfully hadn’t yet spread. Meek, a social studies teacher in Wilmington, North Carolina, was 47 at the time. But he remained confused for years about why, as someone seemingly not at risk, he had gotten cancer until Emily Donovan, a parent of students at his school,

gave a guest talk about high levels of harmful forever chemicals known as PFAS in North Carolina’s environment. When Donovan mentioned kidney cancer, the possible cause of Meek’s diagnosis finally clicked.

Until then, Meek said, he “had no idea what PFAS was.”

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.

In a decision with consequences for tens of millions of Americans, the Trump administration is expected to soon say

See PFAS,

“The Chatham County Board of Commissioners does hereby honor and celebrate the right to free speech and commits to defending this right as essential to our Constitution, our democratic system, and our community life.”

The resolution appears to be in response to the “Hands Off” rally that was held in Pittsboro earlier this month, which reportedly drew over

See SPEECH, page A7

THE CHATHAM COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

ENA SELLERS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Some 50 people attended a TriRiver Water public meeting last week at Woods Charter School in Chapel Hill to address community concerns about water quality in Chatham County.

We stand corrected To report an error or a suspected error, please email: corrections@nsjonline.com with “Correction request” in the subject line.

CRIME LOG

April 21

• Willie Douglas Johnson, 63, of Siler City, was arrested for possession of illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia .

• Nichole Brooklin Quee, 19, of Siler City, was arrested for simple assault.

April 22

• Willie Douglas Johnson, 63, of Siler City, was arrested for trafficking and intent to distribute illegal drugs and using a place for drug activities.

• Palmira Stephens, 37, of Siler City, was arrested for carrying a concealed firearm, obstructing law enforcement and petty theft.

April 24

• Vicente Rangel-Conteras, 50, of Siler City, was arrested for trafficking and intent to distribute illegal drugs.

• Gregorio Ramirez Aparicio, 45, of Chapel Hill, was arrested for identity theft, possessing fake identification documents and obstructing law enforcement.

• Rachel Nichole Grace, 33, of Staley, was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.

April 25

• Donna Maria Ross, 60, of Pittsboro, was arrested for exploiting a vulnerable adult.

• Wayne Alan Ross, 61, of Pittsboro, was arrested for exploiting a vulnerable adult.

• Tina Lynn Smith, 36, of Pittsboro, was arrested for stealing a motor vehicle.

DOJ backs Summit Church in monthslong rezoning dispute

Federal officials support a claim that commissioners violated land use protections

By Dan Reeves Chatham News & Record

THE U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement in federal court supporting a lawsuit brought by The Summit Church against the Chatham County Board of Commissioners. The case dates back to December 2024, when the Board unanimously denied the church’s request to rezone three pieces of land to build a permanent location for its Chapel Hill campus. The Durham-based multi-congregational organization, which has been worshipping at Chapel Hill High School, claims that the denial was discriminatory and treated them unfairly in comparison to non-religious assemblies.

Summit argued that the county’s decision imposed an unfounded considerable encumbrance on their religious exercise, which is protected by federal law under the Religious Land Use and Institutional Persons Act (RLUIPA) of 2000.

• 471 Deer Run (Pittsboro), 4.92 acres, 3 bed/ 2 bath, $389,000

• 204 Sugarland Drive (Apex), 0.18 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $400,000

• 298 E. Salisbury Street (Pittsboro), 0.40 acres, 3bed/2 bath, $600,000

• 9550 Silk Hope Liberty Road (Siler City), 73.740 acres, 3 bed/3bath, $1,450,000

• 557 Olives Chapel Road (Apex), 12.802 acres, 3 bed/3 bath, $2,500,000 LAND

• 37 E Cotton Road (Pittsboro), 0.996 acres, $100,000

RESIDENTIAL

• 389 Dewitt Smith Road (Pittsboro), 9.109 acres, 3 bed/2 bath, $500,000

“The

Civil Rights Division is committed to defending religious liberties as our founders intended and as federal law requires.”

Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general

On March 27, attorneys for Chatham County filed a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction in the case because rezoning decisions are legislative acts under state law and are matters of separation of powers. Attorneys for the county also refuted claims that the county violated any of The Summit Church’s civil or religious rights in rejecting the church’s rezoning application.

Attorneys for The Summit Church opposed the county’s motion to dismiss, arguing that the county’s decision to deny the church’s rezoning request was discriminatory and violated federal law.

The Justice Department’s

• 170 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000

• 188 Cherokee Drive (Chapel Hill), 1.150 acres, $100,000

• 327 Poplar Trail (Siler City), 5.022 acres, $150,000

• 9311 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 4.602 acres, $225,000

• Tract 1 Robedo Road (Mount Gilead), 15.123 acres, $227,000

• 9231 NC Highway 87 (Pittsboro), 5.630 acres, $250,000

• Tract 3 Robedo Road (Mount Gilead), 17.029 acres, $256,000

• 1115 Manco Dairy Road (Pittsboro), 14 acres, 3 bed/1 bath, $500,000

Civil Rights Division has filed a statement in support of The Summit Church’s claims that the county violated provisions of RLUIPA in its decision. RLUIPA is a federal law that protects the rights of religious groups to exercise their faith free from undue government interference.

“RLUIPA protects the rights of religious groups to exercise their faith free from the precise type of undue government interference exhibited here,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to defending religious liberties as our founders intended and as federal law requires.”

The Summit Church said it was “thankful” for the Department of Justice’s statement of interest in the case and believes that the county’s decision to deny its rezoning request was unjust and in violation of federal law.

The church is appealing to the courts because it believes it has a responsibility to defend its constitutional rights and the rights of all churches, regardless of beliefs, size or methodology.

• Tract 2 Robedo Road (Mount Gilead), 17.425 acres, $262,000

• 323 Wagon Trace (Pittsboro), 10.255 acres, $295,000

• 639 Hills of the Haw Road (Pittsboro), 5.2470 acres, $450,000

• 0 Chatham Church Road (Moncure), 15.94 acres, $750,000

• 1604 Bonlee School Road, Bear Creek, 110.496 acres, $750,000

• 00 US Highway 64 W (Siler City), 7.87 acres, $800,000

• 0 JB Morgan Road (Apex), 21 acres, $825,000

• 1834 Dewitt Smith Road (Pittsboro), 30.49 acres, 3 bed/2.5 bath, $850,000 LAND

• 1701 Mitchells Chapel Road (Pittsboro), 10 acres, $200,000

• 0 Pasture Branch Road (Rose Hill), 29 acres, $1,250,000

• 8636/8710 Johnson Mill Road (Bahama),182.888 acres, $2,800,000

• 0 US 64 W (Siler City), 9.670 acres, $4,500,000

• 0 Olives Chapel Road (Apex), 75.4330 acres, $15,300,000 COMMERCIAL IMPROVED

• 13604 US Hwy 64 W (Siler City), 4.36 acres, $650,000

• 140 & 148 East Street (Pittsboro), 1.49 acres, $1,350,000

• 00 Hamlets Chapel Road (Pittsboro), 118.742 acres, $4,250,000 COMMERCIAL UNIMPROVED

• 10681 US Hwy 64 E (Apex), 3.97 acres, $1,000,000

• 1700 Hillsboro Street (Pittsboro), 29.79 acres, $4,500,000

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

May

1

Opinionation Trivia at House of Pops

6-8 p.m.

Join House of Hops every Thursday, 6-8 p.m. for Opinionation Trivia. This Family Feudstyle trivia game is so much fun! Play at 6 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. for two chances to win $15 or $25 House of Hops gift cards. More events at House of Hops; part of Chatham County’s Craft Beverages and Country Inns Trail.

112 Russet Run Suite 110 Pittsboro

May 1-4

Spring Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival 2025

Spring Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival 2025 is set to bring an uplifting blend of music, arts and community spirit to Pittsboro. This beloved festival, known for its vibrant atmosphere and diverse performances, creates an unforgettable experience for attendees of all ages. Visit shakorihillsgrassroots. org for daily times, map and tickets.

3408 Castle Rock Farm Road Pittsboro

May 3

Chatham Mills Farmers Market

8 a.m.-12 p.m.

Growers only farmers market. Join us each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.

480 Hillsborough St. Pittsboro

May 5

NC Revelers Orchestra at Forest Hall

6-9 p.m.

Join us Monday, May 5 at 6 p.m. for an evening with the NC Revelers Orchestra — featuring jazz, swing and big band favorites that’ll have you tapping your feet and dancing the night away! Tickets, which are $50 each and include the show and a dinner buffet, can be purchased at app. foresthallatchathammills. com/nc-reveler-orchestra.

480 Hillsboro St. Suite 530 Pittsboro

May 7

Jazz Night at The Sycamore at Chatham Mills

6-9 p.m.

Every Wednesday night from 6-9 p.m., The Sycamore at Chatham Mills hosts live Jazz Nights. The series features a rotating list of local musicians. The Sycamore also offers their Lounge Menu in the dining room on Wednesday nights. Reservations are highly recommended.

480 Hillsboro St. Suite 500 Pittsboro

E-A-G-L-E-S!

An injured bald eagle, rescued in early April at Seaforth Beach on Jordan Lake, rests before receiving care. Chatham County Sheriff’s Animal Resource Officer Joshua Thompson secured the bird after wildlife photographer Imraan Hemed spotted and reported it. The eagle, which suffered injuries likely from a territorial dispute with another eagle during nesting season, received treatment at Holly’s Nest and is expected to be released back into the wild soon.

Church News

THE ROBERTS CHAPEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! The Roberts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church family, Goldston cordially invites you to our annual Woman’s Day program on Sunday, May 18 at 2:30 pm. Our speaker for the occasion will be Dr. Monica Headen, associate minister from Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, in Moncure. Mount Olive’s choir and congregation will be joining her. We look forward to seeing each of you. Please come worship with us and bring a friend.

SANDY BRANCH BAPTIST CHURCH

Children ages pre-school through fifth grade are invited to a community youth program “Kids for the Kingdom” sponsored by Goldston Methodist Church, Meroney Methodist Church and Sandy Branch Baptist Church on May 4 beginning at 3 p.m. This month’s program will be held at Sandy Branch Church, and we are at located at 715 Sandy Branch Church Road in Bear Creek. There will be a Bible story, games, crafts, music, and snacks. We are hoping for a FUN event and would love to have you join us.

Salisbury and Sutton noted that upstream municipalities like Greensboro and Burlington are now required to regularly test and report their wastewater discharge data due to recent litigation, allowing local authorities to take swift action if a potential threat is detected.

Victor Czar, Sanford assistant town manager and former water utilities director, outlined the merger of Pittsboro into the TriRiver Water system, explaining that the consolidation took about a year. He noted similar mergers are underway with Chatham County Water Utility, set for completion on July 1, and with Siler City, which faces delays due to unresolved financial audits.

“Their timetable might be slightly different. They have some financial things they need to get squared away. Their audits were a little bit behind,” said Czar. “We’ve never had that problem, so we’re not accepting that problem. Once they get current, then we’re good to merge with them.”

Despite these changes, Czar reassured that water service for existing users would remain the same, with local plants expected to meet all water quality standards.

The Sanford water plant,

which draws from the Cape Fear River where NC 42 crosses, will expand from 12 to 30 million gallons per day.

“We are adding granulated activated carbon to our treatment process for the entire 30 million gallon a day plant,” said Czar, explaining that this will also target organics that contribute to haloacetic acids, as well as improving taste and odor.

Czar mentioned they opted not to implement costly advanced oxidation and UV treatment for 1,4-dioxane due to the $50 million cost and $1.5 million annual operating

expenses, especially since the compound is rarely detected.

“Anything that we don’t have to treat for, we don’t have to pass laws on. If you keep an eye on it, and it becomes an issue, we made allowances for it,” he explained. “If we need to do it, we can do it. Right this minute, that’s a cost that’s deferred.”

Looking to the future, Czar discussed Sanford’s investment in a major regional water intake and treatment facility at Jordan Lake, being developed with Durham.

“We are investing $30 million for 1 million gallons a day in that plant,” explained Czar.

“That plant will be set up to treat for PFAS and for 1,4-dioxane. They’re going to do a high level of treatment.”

The first phase of the western intake project is expected to become operational in 2031. Existing plants, including the Chatham County facility using the Cary intake, will continue to operate. Czar emphasized creating redundancy between the Pittsboro, Chatham and western intake plants is crucial for long-term water reliability.

Czar cautioned that while planning is underway, full implementation will span years. He mentioned the poten-

tial long-term plan to eventually phase out the Pittsboro water plant to keep rates more affordable.

“We’re going to have enough supply from different places to replace it, and it’ll be a more efficient way to do it with as good or better quality water,” said Czar.

While publicly owned infrastructure is being consolidated under the TriRiver umbrella, Czar clarified that privately owned infrastructure in northeastern Chatham County remains separate as for-profit entities.

“It becomes very complicated, and there’s nothing in our plan right this minute to deal with that,” said Czar.

One major concern raised was how these investments will affect water rates. Czar explained that while rates will increase over time due to capital investments, the merger agreements aim for rate parity. However, achieving this will take time due to the scale of the projects—Pittsboro alone will need over $500 million in improvements.

He also addressed concerns tied to industrial developments including VinFast and Wolfspeed.

“We are in a position now with the mergers that we will be responsible for pretreatment that covers Wolfspeed and VinFast,” he explained, adding that there has been limited engagement with VinFast so far, and Wolfspeed has claimed that its processes do not involve PFAS. Sutton emphasized that true protection comes from preventing contamination at its source, rather than relying solely on downstream monitoring or treatment.

“These cities do not create the 1,4-Dioxane, but they do get paid to receive wastewater from industries who release 1,4-Dioxane into the municipal sewer system. Once it’s released into the sewer system, it goes straight to that wastewater utility,” said Hannah Nelson, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Because 1,4-Dioxane, like PFAS, can’t be removed with conventional wastewater or drinking water treatment technology, everything that flows into the wastewater treatment plant flows right out and into the water supply downstream.”

WATER from page A1

ENA SELLERS / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Emily Sutton, Haw River Assembly executive director, talks about PFAS during a public meeting held last week to address community concerns.

PHOTOS COURTESY CHATHAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

Love the Haw River

Maybe our reasons for loving the Haw are as varied as the ways we show it.

The Haw River Festival is Saturday, May 3, from 4-8 p.m. Though it is located in Saxapahaw, which is outside of our county, Chatham residents are in the Haw River watershed, which covers eight counties. The watershed includes not only the river but also every creek, stream and puddle. We have a vested interest.

Emily Sutton is the Haw Riverkeeper, and she’s wonderful at her job of education and advocacy. Not to mention, she cleans out the river’s “trash traps” with the best of them! Yet I’m reminded of the concept of a priesthood of all believers, meaning that, while clergy have specific roles, every person has a ministry and a calling. Without threatening Emily’s job, everyone who finds beauty and meaning at the Haw is a riverkeeper.

If you venture to the festival this Saturday, you’ll find folks of a kaleidoscope of colors, persuasions and backgrounds. You’ll find children and children at heart, people who are never more carefree than when they talk about why they love the Haw River. Some attribute their love to leisure activities, like fishing or paddling. Others prefer to swim, sunbathe or skip stones. Still others love to hike along the flowing water or hop across the rocks.

I think there’s something intangible, too — something that evokes beauty or delight from everyday life, gracing the ordinary into the extraordinary. I cannot define such magic, but I can point to it, like the heron gliding over the water or the song of the Carolina wren from the banks. The singing sound of rushing water takes me back to my childhood and (to quote James Earl Jones in the movie “Field of Dreams”) memories so thick you have to brush them from your face.

Maybe our reasons for loving the Haw are as varied as the ways we show it. Love in action might look like participating in a river cleanup, attending a town council meeting or writing letters to our elected officials to combat pollution.

On Saturday, May 3, love for the Haw will look like a festival of fun complete with bands, booths, and vendors. Love will link up with fellow advocates. Love will look in the face of a stranger and find a friend. Love will inspire us to keep the Haw clean and safe for future generations.

Love, like the river itself, will run deep.

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.

Serious reminders can come in humorous places

Where did that freedom and civility go? I don’t know, but I think I know when. I think it was when we decided any kind of behavior is okay and don’t try to correct someone because it might offend them.

THROUGHOUT THE SHORT years of my little life, I’ve been hooked on reading.

There are lots of reasons.

Innate personality, for one. We can’t change how we’re created and birthed.

And the fact I’m not especially athletic and wasn’t going to have my 15 minutes of fame throwing a fast ball or returning punts for touchdowns is another. I did get athlete’s foot one time but I don’t think that counts.

Then there’s the way it was at my house while growing up — Mama and Daddy had books and newspapers and magazines everywhere. As a little guy, I had a subscription to “Boy’s Life” and “My Weekly Reader.” There was always a set of encyclopedias around – this being the day before the Internet, of course. And it was just understood that our folks expected their three boys to read, pay attention, and pursue some sort of education beyond high school, not that such a thing makes you any “better” than anyone else, but that it may make you a “better” you.

Simply put, I fell in love with ink and paper very early. That’s why I’m pretty sure I’ll never make it with an electronic book and why much of my working career was spent in print journalism.

I say all that to say there are many, many things to be read. And from many of them, there are both tidbits and large amounts of information to be gathered. Whether those bits are worthy of retention and we use them may be another thing, but at least they’re there. It was with that understanding that some time ago I came across a reminder of today’s society in, of all places, the Sunday paper comics. Let me go ahead and admit that there

are a few I once read: Pearls Before Swine, Funky Winkerbean, Hi & Lois, and Blondie. Let me also confess that few of them today are “funny.” Many have a political agenda, and that’s not a new phenomenon. But I miss the days my dad often spoke of when he lamented that the “funny papers” (his word for the comics) contained, for instance, Mutt and Jeff and, to his mind, now weren’t “funny” anymore. Today, I have my own lamentations for comics no longer with us, most notably “Tumbleweeds” and “Calvin and Hobbes.”

But life goes on, and today I find I’m not against learning something from the comics or being reminded of something already known. This particular reminder came in a Sunday color strip of Hi & Lois.

The father, Hi, was on his way to the airport for a flight and was remembering the flights of his younger days. I could identify with that, although most of mine came as a twenty-something when I was doing communications work for a regional corporation.

In the strip, Hi was remembering comfortable seats with plenty of leg room, really good meals as part of the ticket price, and a host of other perks, now living with the dinosaurs. I’m pretty sure it won’t bother me if I don’t take any more flights, but the last one I remember provided me a seat with all the charm of the back row of a sardine can. The Coke was an extra charge. The attendants were not happy; can’t say I blame them, given their working conditions.

On top of that, the surly inspector at the gate kept my unopened bottle of shampoo as a terrorist threat. And, interestingly enough, on the return flight, a similar bottle came through

unscathed. Go figure; where’s the consistency with air travel safety?

I remember vividly the first flight I made, other than a puddle jumper from Asheville to Raleigh-Durham. It was a Sunday morning in early Spring. I was off to Chicago for a conference. My better half took me to the airport. Walked with me to the gate, she and the first of our two little ones.

I got into my seat; the attendant showed up with a cup of coffee; the conversation was pleasant. As soon as we climbed to 30,000 feet and the seat belt light went off, the captain spoke about the standard things and then issued an invitation that will never ever absolutely ever never again be offered, given society’s rush today into something else.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “it is a positively gorgeous morning with clear skies. If any of you would like to come forward to the cockpit for a look at what we see, please speak to one of the attendants to arrange that.”

I did ... and I did.

It was some sight.

So, where did that freedom and civility go? I don’t know, but I think I know when. I think it was when we decided any kind of behavior is okay and don’t try to correct someone because it might offend them.

All I do know is the comic strip had it right. Be on the lookout for both commonsense and civility as you fly through life. It could make for a much more comfortable and pleasant trip for you and maybe countless others.

Bob Wachs is a native of Chatham County and emeritus editor at Chatham News & Record. He serves as pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church.

COLUMN | BOB WACHS

In the end, it was

the animal crackers …

“It’s the toilet. It’s leaking sewage into your crawl space.” My internal reaction to this statement likely exceeded a 6+ on a California earthquake scale.

MY EXPIRATION DATE as a homeowner had come nigh. I wanted out! Upgrades to improve salability were a must. At my realtor’s suggestion, I asked his recommended interior house painter for suggestions of skilled and affordable folks to install full-house laminate flooring. Hey, easy-peasy … until after the flooring was installed. A disturbing odor, and I’m being exceedingly kind, began emanating from the master bathroom — a really, really unfortunate odor. Past experience led me to believe some poor critter had somehow made entrance into my crawlspace and expired. Oh, goody, even more bucks out the window as I now needed to contact a wildlife removal technician.

Vernon, the wildlife removal expert, arrived and entered the crawlspace. What can I say? I adore animals. I awaited the news of what kind of critter had met its demise with a strong sense of sadness. Vernon, a taciturn kind of guy, silently came back in the house, entered the impacted bathroom, flushed the toilet, and headed back to the crawlspace. Getting very, very nervous.

Vernon returned.

“It’s the toilet. It’s leaking sewage into your crawl space.” My internal reaction to this statement likely exceeded a 6+ on a California earthquake scale. However, only one minuscule expletive escaped my lips as I maintained a measure of self-restraint. Sewage aside (is that possible?), I graciously thanked and paid Vernon. (My mother taught me well.)

It’s not that I wanted a beloved animal to meet its end in my crawl space. But the unabashed and embarrassing truth? All things considered (primarily, my wallet), my preference would have been for a furry critter to take its leave of this mortal coil in my dry, warm, and upgraded crawlspace. I would have saved a hell of a lot of money. Thus speaks my fallible and honest human heart … Plumbers called. Outcome? The two toilets had been incorrectly reinstalled after the new laminate flooring was laid. Both were leaking sewage … blah, blah, blah. The brand new laminate flooring in both bathrooms

COLUMN | SUSAN ESTRICH

The cabinet of clowns

Pete

THERE IS THE SECRETARY of defense sharing battle plans with his third wife, a former Fox News producer, on Signal. His top aides have all quit or been fired. The department is leaking like a sieve about its leader.

Disarray, they say.

He was stunningly unqualified for the job in the first instance (joke of the week: the cardinals should choose the next pope from “Fox and Friends”), and Republican senators knew it, but they didn’t dare stand up. And this is what you get.

The military deserves better. What more will it take?

And then there’s the face of Homeland Security, the woman who couldn’t, with a security detail in the restaurant, protect her own handbag. With $3,000 in cash? The internet was alive with rumors about what that was for.

But then, this is the woman who dressed in designer fashion complete with a $50,000 Rolex watch for a photo op with prisoners who were brought to El Salvador in clear defiance of a court order and without due process of law.

And shot her own puppy.

Speaking of photogenic (dare I ask, is that why they were chosen, this particular trio), the attorney general is turning Justice Department lawyers into pretzels as they try to respond to federal judges who have taken them to task for their double-talk. That is why the Supreme Court had to act at 1 a.m. last Saturday. They were stopping a flight that the lawyer in court refused to acknowledge was happening and actively suggested otherwise.

Later, there were pictures of the buses taking immigrants to the airport turning around.

She openly defies the values of the rule of law. Ordered to notify federal agencies that they were not to enforce the president’s jihad against Jenner & Block, one of the law firms that is successfully suing Trump, she added an addendum, attacking an “an unelected” judge who “invaded the policy-making and free speech prerogatives of the executive branch.”

She used similar language in the notice that the judge required her to give in the case

BE IN TOUCH

needed replacing, as did portions of the subflooring.

Do plumbers undertake double duty as therapists? (There’s probably a distinct need for that skill set.) Emblematic of skilled therapists, Nick and Lee, the plumbers, listened as I spent several minutes deep in invective city. They kindly counseled that more of the same was likely warranted. Absolution, by plumbers. So needed.

Considering my pronounced victimhood tendencies, I’ll spare you all the details of the restoration company inspection, the insurance agent chat about my very large deductible, and my exceedingly temperrestrained discussion with the middleman who engaged the ‘expert’ floor installers. (Can this sentence get any longer?) At his cost, the floor installer would return and rectify (please god) the mistakes. And, yes, I turned down the installer’s offer, post-repair, to once again re-install both toilets. (Are you kidding?!)

My spirits and wallet felt deeply depleted on the heels of this mess. Waiting for the next proverbial shoe to drop. That and the nonstop puns from friends about “how much crap I was having to deal with.”

My lovely next-door neighbors opened their doors to me for several nights, considering my seriously afflicted bathrooms. Granted, we keep very different hours in our lives. They’re late-night TV-watching folks, and I’m Ms. “need to be in bed by 9 PM.” But, hell, it wasn’t Motel 6, and food was included. My wallet was safe from further exploitation. Our late-night, super-charged, animal cracker binge, while watching the Dallas Cowboys, was unexpected. But personal healing often arrives in unanticipated forms, doesn’t it? Binging on animal crackers, cheering on the Dallas Cowboys (and I don’t even like football), way, way beyond my bedtime, was the balm my parched soul didn’t know it needed. The little girl who lives within me was, once again, a happy camper. Welcome back!

Jan Hutton, a resident of Chatham County and retired hospice social worker, lives life with heart and humor.

COLUMN NEWT GINGRICH

California just isn’t working

FOUR MONTHS

AGO, the Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 homes in Los Angeles. Three months later, only four permits had been issued to rebuild the community. Clearly, California just isn’t working.

The radical environmentalism, wokeism, and unionized bureaucratic micromanagement that Sacramento has imposed on the whole state is distorting reality and grinding things to a halt.

Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of highspeed rail.

I talked with Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin about the fire and recovery. He was surprised at the tiny number of permit approvals. Under his aggressive, dynamic leadership, the EPA already cleared the burned-out neighborhoods for federal permits. Of course, as he noted, the federal permits require city and county permission. This permitting logjam is happening even with a supposed one-stop local permit office and other efforts to cut through the red tape. But this is only the latest part of the story. Years before the fire, two new reservoirs were approved to ensure there would be enough water for firefighting. They were never built. Some fire hydrants simply did not work. Further, emergency vehicles were trapped in government parking lots because they needed oil changes. They could not be used to fight the fires because the bureaucracy’s firm rules about routine maintenance overruled common sense and public safety.

And fire is a real danger in the whole state. I spoke with Laguna Beach Mayor Alex Rounaghi and Fire Chief Niko King on my Newt’s World podcast. They shared their strategy for fire prevention. Laguna Beach brought in 400 goats to eat underbrush. It was a low-cost solution to clear out the vegetation that leads to hot uncontrollable fires.

The California government is trying to eliminate their goat fire prevention because the goats might eat endangered plants. (You have to wonder: What do state bureaucrats think fire does to endangered plants?) The powers in Sacramento want Laguna Beach to switch to human vegetation removal, which is four times more expensive. Meanwhile, a couple hundred goats might have saved the Palisades.

of Perkins Coie, the first firm to challenge Trump. “The Executive Branch’s position is that Executive Order 14230 is permissible, and that the Court’s order was erroneous. The government reserves the right to take all necessary and legal actions in response to the ‘dishonest and dangerous’ conduct of Perkins Coie LLP, as set forth in Executive Order 14230.” The judge in that case compared Bondi’s addendum to “a temper tantrum” by administration officials, “worthy of a 3-year-old,” not the Justice Department. Bondi, appearing on Fox News, has accused these “liberal judges” of “trying to protect terrorists over American citizens.” These so-called liberal judges include multiple appointees of Republican presidents, beginning with President Ronald Reagan.

Pete Hegseth will be the first to go. He claims the president is standing behind him. The president says he is standing behind him. Why?

As for Homeland Security, the president is losing support even on immigration, which has always been his strong suit. Arresting judges for allowing parties appearing in court to avoid a confrontation with ICE is the latest example of the sort of overreaching that is turning the roundup Trump promised into the cluster calamity it was destined to be.

The country doesn’t agree with the attorney general. She is sacrificing her department’s integrity and reputation on the altar of Trump. She has shown not one ounce of independence from a president who has done more to violate the Constitution in his first hundred days than any of his predecessors did in their terms (Richard Nixon included).

Trump just talked about Joe Biden weaponizing the Justice Department. Of course, he didn’t; if he had, Trump would have been convicted of federal crimes and would not be president. But Trump has done it, entirely, in just 100 days.

The fish rots from the head. The Cabinet of telegenic clowns is a painful reflection of the man at the center of it.

Susan Estrich is a lawyer, professor, author and political commentator.

But the tragedy of the Palisades fire is just one example of how California is falling apart. The combination of weird values, ossified bureaucracy, and state legislators devoted to principles and ideas that simply don’t work are slowly destroying the state.

On a totally different front, California had more than $20 billion stolen from its COVID-19 related unemployment compensation funds. Much of the theft came from California state prisoners using the state prison’s computer system. They used identity theft and partners outside the prison to defraud taxpayers. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert joined me on Newt’s World to discuss the fraud. The story is unbelievable. When we spoke in February 2021, the estimate was only $11.5 billion had been stolen. It has since doubled and no one really knows the upper limit. This astonishing incompetence drives up taxes on businesses to replenish the unemployment funds that have been drained by crooks. It’s a vicious cycle.

One final example of California not working is the proposed high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was originally proposed in 2008 for $33 billion. It was supposed to be completed by 2020. Now, a small portion has been built between small towns. The projected cost has ballooned to $128 billion — and at the current rate it will not be completed in this century. It will never reach San Francisco or Los Angeles but instead stop at small towns about 25 miles outside the cities.

While California has been squandering money on costly failures, the Japanese have had more than 60 years-experience with high-speed trains. Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of high-speed rail.

California simply doesn’t work anymore. Since California is our largest state, this collapse of competence and common sense is a national problem. The state represents 14 percent of the national economy. We need a serious commitment to get back to a commonsense, problem-solving California that works again. It should be a national priority.

Newt Gingrich was Republican speaker of the U.S. House.

Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@nsjonline.com or mailed to 1201 Edwards Mill Rd., Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27607. Letters must be signed; include the writer’s phone number, city and state; and be no longer than 300 words. Letters may be edited for style, length or clarity when necessary. Ideas for op-eds should be sent to opinion@nsjonline.com.

Hegseth will be the first to go.

obituaries

Gilbert Wayne Ellis

Sept. 13, 1968 –Apr. 22, 2025

Gilbert Wayne Ellis age 56 of Staley, NC passed away on Tuesday April 22, 2025 in Pittsboro, NC. Memorial Services, 12:00 pm, Saturday, May 3, 2025, at Joy Baptist Church. Officiating, Pastor Rodney Staley. Wayne was born September 13, 1968 in Chatham County, NC and was preceded in death by his father, Gilbert Johnson Ellis, Son, Justin Wayne Ellis, Daughter, Betty Sue Ellis, his paternal grandparents, John Ellis and Edna Johnson,

David Lee Hayes

June 11, 1957 –April 27, 2025

David Lee Hayes, 67, of Ramseur, passed away Sunday, April 27, 2025 at High Point Medical Center.

David was a lifelong resident of Randolph County, born June 11, 1957. He was a hard worker and was the manager of Pilgrim’s Pride for nearly 40 years. David

IN MEMORY

Maternal grandparents, Luchien Marvin Maness and Mary Lillian Dunn, sisters, Sherry Ellis Myers, Donna Ellis Ferguson, brother-in-law, George Kenneth Myers, and Stepfather Billy Junior Frye. Surviving relatives include his Mother Betty Ellis Frye of Pittsboro, Girlfriend Mandy Boone of Staley NC, Brother Steven Ellis and his girlfriend Brandi Buffkin, of Ramseur, NC, stepdaughter Shannon Haymore and numerous Nieces and nephews. Wayne was employed as a Roofer for years until his health declined. Wayne, loved hunting and fishing, taking his Boat out on the lakes, riding his motorcycle, and going to White Lake. He spent numerous weekends there and loved playing cards with family and friends. Condolences may be made online at www. loflinfuneralservice.com.

Arrangements by Loflin Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ramseur. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made to the family.

loved helping everyone that he could and was an amazing man, as well as a loving father and grandfather. Mr. Hayes was preceded in death by this parents, James Clifford Hayes and Dena Belle Brown Hayes, as well as his brothers, Cecil, Larry, Fletcher, and Robert Hayes.

Survivors: daughter, Jessica Hayes Garner and husband John of Liberty, son, William Hayes and wife Nicole of Fayetteville, sisters, Esther Jacobs of Dunn and Beverly Owens of Ramseur, five grandchildren, one greatgrandchild.

Visitation, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Thursday, Loflin Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ramseur.

Condolences may be made online at www. loflinfuneralservice.com.

Arrangements by Loflin Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ramseur.

JUDY ANN HICKMAN

NOV. 4, 2025 – APRIL 21, 2025

Judy Ann Hickman, 76, of High Falls, passed away on Monday, April 21, 2025 at Pinehurst Health and Rehab. The funeral will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025, at High Falls U.M.C. with Pastor Craig Asbill and Pastor Beth Johnson presiding. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service in the sanctuary.

Judy was born in Moore County, on November 4, 1948 to Calhoun and Mildred Upchurch Hickman. She worked as a payroll clerk for Perdue. She also owned and operated High Falls Country Store and Grill. She enjoyed gardening, reading, listening to music, going to the beach and dancing, especially shagging. She loved spending time with her family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Delana Hickman and her step-father, Franklin James Friesen, who raised her.

She is survived by her daughters, Shondra Davie Beck (Nathan), of High Falls and Julie Davie Flinchum (Tim), of Seagrove; grandchildren, Katelyn Maness (Corey), Shania Beck Myrick (Nathan), Mark Thomas Garner II and Braxton Beck (Lauren); great-grandchildren, Alaina Maness, Carter Maness and Lawson Myrick and a host of family and friends.

Stan Love, brother of Beach Boys’ Mike Love and father of Heat’s Kevin Love, dies at 76

The Associated Press

MIAMI — Former NBA player Stan Love, the brother of Beach Boys singer Mike Love and the father of Miami Heat player Kevin Love, has died. He was 76.

Kevin Love announced his father’s death in an Instagram post Sunday night. No cause was given, but he referenced longstanding health issues in the post.

“Dad, you fought for a long time,” Kevin posted. “The hardest stretch being these past 6 months. The most painful to witness being these last few weeks. And even at the end as you continued to deteriorate — I still saw you as a Giant. My Protector. My first Hero.”

He went on to write, “Dad, I’m so proud to be your son. My only hope is that you’re proud of me. It was all I ever wanted. Thank you for everything.”

Stan Love was a 6-foot-9 forward who starred at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California, and at Oregon before he was selected ninth overall by Baltimore in the 1971 NBA draft.

“Dad, I’m so proud to be your son. My only hope is that you’re proud of me. It was all I ever wanted. Thank you for everything.”

Kevin Love

He averaged 6.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 226 games in four seasons with the Bullets and the Los Angeles Lakers. He also played 12 games for San Antonio in the American Basketball Association.

Mike Love posted, “My big younger brother, you called me the superstar, but to me you are the superstar!! You always had my back! I am blessed to be your brother. I will cherish our lives spent together, whether spoofing on each other or reliving memories. I know you’re on the big court now, pounding down 3’s; don’t foul out, bro.”

Stan Love introduced Kevin to basketball after the fam-

ily moved from California to Oregon in the 1980s. He often attended UCLA games along with Mike Love when Kevin starred for the Bruins as a freshman in 2007-08.

“He’d always tell me stories about Wes Unseld, Connie Hawkins, Jerry West,” the younger Love told The Associated Press in 2008. “I wanted to be the greatest basketball player of all time, like every little kid wanted to be.”

The elder Love focused his hard-nosed development efforts on Kevin, his middle child and second son. Some days, Kevin would be outside in the rain at their Lake Oswego, Oregon, home shooting jumper after jumper.

“My hands would be all dirty, I’d come in and make the floor all muddy,” Love told AP. “Once he saw I was a self-starter, then he kind of backed off.”

Besides Kevin, the elder Love is survived by wife Karen, son Collin and daughter Emily.

Kevin Love has been away from Heat because of personal reasons and will not play in Game 4 against Cleveland on Monday night.

RUSTY KENNEDY / AP PHOTO

Stan Love (34) of the Los Angeles Lakers gets Steve Mix’s arm out of the way as he gets off a jump shot against the 76ers in 1975 in Philadelphia.

Teachers, get your applications in for a Bright Ideas education grant!

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 2025-2026 school year.

The final deadline for all grant applications is Sept. 15, but don’t wait to apply. Applications submitted prior to the early-bird deadline on Aug. 15 will be entered to win one of five $100 Visa gift cards. Scan the QR code or visit NCBrightIdeas.com for more information or to apply!

Monday, May 5 Pittsboro Center for Active Living

8:30 a.m. - Total Body Conditioning Exercise

10 a.m. - Geri-Fit

11 a.m. - Pine Cone Flower Wreath Making with Wynne Noon - Reading Out Loud with Gaines

1 p.m. - Mahjong; Table Tennis

3 p.m. - Caregiver Support Group

3:30 p.m. - Virtual Meditation (via Zoom) Siler City Center for Active Living

9 a.m. - Strong & Fit

10 a.m. - Cornhole

10:30 a.m. - Science with Alan

2 p.m. - Strength & Tone

3 p.m. - Soap Making with Alan Tuesday, May 6 Pittsboro Center for Active Living

8:30 a.m. - QiGong

9 a.m. - 3G’s Men’s Group

10 a.m. - Woodcarvers; Cardio Drumming

11 a.m. - May Birthday Bingo with Mr. Ed

12:30 p.m. - Crafting with Lacee

1 p.m. - Rummikub

2 p.m. - Zumba Gold

3 p.m. - Healthy Lifestyles with Alan Siler City Center for Active Living

8 a.m. - Quilting and Sewing Time

9 a.m. - Cardio Drumming

10 a.m. - Chair Exercises

1 p.m. - Rook, Phase 10 & Rummikub Wednesday, May 7 Pittsboro Center for Active Living

8:30 a.m. - Cardio & Lower Body Exercise

10 a.m. - Chair Yoga with Liz; Music Jam

10:30 a.m. - Coffee & Games with Chatham County Sheriff’s Office

11 a.m. - The Chosen with discussion

1 p.m. - Leaving Your Legacy with Jessica Bryan

2 p.m. - Chess Siler City Center for Active Living

9 a.m. - Strong & Fit

10 a.m. - Bible Study

10:30 a.m. - May Birthday Party & Bingo

1 p.m. - Crafts Thursday, May 8 Pittsboro Center for Active Living

8:30 a.m. - QiGong

10 a.m.

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1,000 attendees to protest Trump administration policies.

“We’re only doing our small bit,” said board chair Karen Howard. “We know we’re all doing it together and the fact that so many people came out and protested peacefully, but powerfully, to me is all the indication we need to know that what we’re doing is right.”

The board held a public hearing for a rezoning request for approximately 19 acres of property located at 680 Pea Ridge Rd. from Residential (R-1) to General Use Regional Business (GU-RB).

“Over the last four years or so, this area has increasingly become more non-residential, especially with the megasite and some of the other industrial properties,” said Angela Plummer.

The property is also a watershed protected area as well as a river quarter special area, so only 36% of the area can be built upon.

However, there is currently no site plan for the property.

“The property owner at this point doesn’t have any immediate plans to do anything with it, but as things take shape in the area, they want to be ready to accept a user at some point,” said former county commissioner Mike Dasher, now a principal with OMB Group and

representing the applicant. The matter was referred back to the planning board for final approval.

The board also held a public hearing on amending the effective date of the adopted Unified Development Ordinance from July 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025.

“The legislature has been busy in a number of ways and basically, when we adopted the UDO in November, the effective date was set to be July 1, 2025,” said assistant planning director Chance Mullis. “We haven’t been able to do that implementation due to SB382 which prevents us from doing that because they removed the down-zoning authorities of local governments. Therefore, we don’t want that UDO to become effective by default without us doing the implementation because that would not be the best scenario.”

“The UDO was a lot of work and I still do have a lot of hope for it, but it has been devastating seeing what’s happening in the legislature and the amount of extra work it has generated from a project that we were almost ready to see come to completion,” said Vice Chair Katie Kenlan. The matter was referred back to the planning board for final approval.

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners will next meet May 5. SPEECH from page

deadline is Monday at Noon.

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AUCTIONS

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FOR SALE

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SERVICES

RAINBOW WATER FILTERED VACUUMS, Alice Cox, Cox’s Distributing - Rainbow - Cell: 919-548-4314, Sales, Services, Supplies. Serving public for 35 years. Rada Cutlery is also available. A26,tfnc

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If veterinary care is unavailable or unaffordable, use Happy Jack products to treat itch allergies, yeast infections, & cat flea infestation. Southern States Coop. 742- 2128

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEAPart B, Public Law 108.446) Project is presently being amended. The Project describes the special education programs that Chatham Charter School proposes for Federal funding for the 2025-2026 School Year. Interested persons are encouraged to review amendments to the Project and make comments concerning the implementation of special education under this Federal Program. All comments will be considered prior to submission of the amended Project to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, North Carolina. The IDEA-Part B Project is open to the public for review and comments during the days of May 16 through May 21, 2025, in the office of Julie Franklin, located at 2200 Hamp Stone Rd, Siler City, NC 27344. The school phone number is (919) 742-4550.

Notice to Creditors

Having qualified as EXECUTOR of the estate of the late Horst Albert Dewitz, formerly of 72 Chatham Business Drive, Pittsboro NC 27312, Chatham County, North Carolina, Annette Bucci, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the attorney of the undersigned at OMEGA ELDER LAW, PO Box 820, Fuquay Varina, NC 27526 and the EXECUTOR at 241 High Ridge Lane, Pittsboro, NC 27312 on or before the 1st day of August, 2025 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 is the 2nd day of April, 2025. Omega Elder Law, for Annette Bucci, EXECUTOR of the Estate of Horst Albert Dewitz, aka Horst A. Dewitz Janna M. Wallace, Attorney at Law Omega Elder Law PO Box 820 Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO. 23CvD000193-180 COUNTY OF CHATHAM Plaintiff, NOTICE OF SERVICE OF vs. PROCESS BY PUBLICATION The HEIRS, ASSIGNS, and DEVISEES of DONALD DEE LOWE, et al Defendants.

TO: The HEIRS, ASSIGNS, and DEVISEES of DONALD DEE LOWE and spouse, if any, which may include KASSIDY DAWN LOWE and spouse, if any, and any other person or entity claiming thereunder A pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action and notice of service of process by publication began on April 24th, 2025.

The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Foreclosure on tax parcel(s) more completely described in the Complaint, to collect delinquent ad valorem taxes (assessments). Plaintiff seeks to extinguish any and all claim or interest that you may have in said property.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than forty (40) days after the date of the first publication of notice stated above, exclusive of such date, being forty (40) days after April 24th, 2025, or by June 3, 2025, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service of process by publication will apply to the Court for relief sought.

This the 14th day of April, 2025.

ZACCHAEUS LEGAL SERVICES

Mark D. Bardill/Mark B. Bardill

Attorney for Plaintiff NC Bar #12852/56782 310 W. Jones St. P. O. Box 25 Trenton, North Carolina 28585 Telephone: (252) 448-4541

Publication dates: April 24, 2025 May 1, 2025 May 8, 2025

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

25E000118-180 NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

The undersigned, Susan Elizabeth Moushon, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Carl Eugene Moushon, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of July 31, 2025, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 2nd day of May, 2025. Susan Elizabeth Moushon Executor Marie H. Hopper Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post Office Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

All persons having claims against Laurice Ferris, of Chatham County, North Carolina, are notified to present them to Gwendolyn H Waddell-Schultz, Personal Representative of the Estate of Laurice Ferris, at NextGen Estate Solutions, 500 Westover Dr. #35317, Sanford, NC 27330 or before July 17, 2025. Failure to present a claim in timely fashion will result in this Notice being pleaded in bar of recovery against the estate, the Personal Representative, and the devisees of Laurice Ferris. Those indebted to Laurice Ferris are asked to make prompt payment to the Estate. Gwendolyn Waddel-Schults, Personal Representative Patricia Lewis, Co-Personal Representative C/O Brittany N. Porter, Attorney NextGen Estate Solutions 500 Westover Dr. #35317 Sanford, NC 27330

NOTICE IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE

SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK FILE # 24 SP 1058-180

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY notice of PUBLIC sale In Re: Estate of Douglas H. Foxx W. WOODS DOSTER, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF DOUGLAS H. FOXX, Petitioner, vs. THOMAS C. FOXX, Respondent.

Pursuant to the Order for Possession, Custody, Control, and Sale of Real Property filed on June 4, 2024, in the above captioned proceeding, NOTICE is hereby given that the subject property described below will be put up for public sale on May 14, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.; the sale will be held at the Chatham County Courthouse in the designated area for sale.

The subject property is commonly referred to as 1036 Brower Road, Siler City, North Carolina 27344, Parcel #0061125, and more particularly described as follows: BEING ALL of Lot 6A, containing 0.905 acres, more or less, as shown on a map entitled, “Property of Ruth Fox,” prepared by Smith & Smith Surveyors, dated September 22, 1983, recorded at Map Book 36, Page 75, Chatham County Registry. Chatham County Parcel 00661125 Address: 1036 Brower Road

A cash deposit from the highest bidder equal to ten percent (10%) of the amount of the bid is required at the time of public sale. Said bid shall be reported to the Court and will remain open for the requisite upset bid period as required by law. The Court reserves the right to approve and reject all bids. THE PROPERTY IS SOLD AS-IS, WHERE-IS, WITH ALL FAULTS. This the _____ day of ________________, 2025.

J. Grant Brown, Attorney for Administrator Law Offices of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

The undersigned Commissioner certifies that he has this day served upon the below listed persons, a copy of the Notice of Sale for 1036 Brower Road, Siler City, NC 27344 by depositing a copy in a postpaid wrapper in the United States Postal Office, properly addressed to each part as follows: Thomas C. Foxx 7029 Cedar Park Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19138 This the _____ day of ________________, 2025.

J. Grant Brown, Attorney for Commissioner Law Offices of Doster & Brown, P.A. 206 Hawkins Avenue Sanford, NC 27330

NOTICE

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA-Part B, Public Law 108.446) Project is presently being amended. The Project describes the special education programs that Willow Oak Montessori School proposes for Federal funding for the 2025-2026 School Year. Interested persons are encouraged to review amendments to the Project and make comments concerning the implementation of special education under this Federal Program. All comments will be considered prior to submission of the amended Project to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, North Carolina. The IDEA-Part B Project is open to the public for review and comments during the days of May 19 through May 23, 2025. To review the Project and supply comments please email Amy Turner at aturner@willowoakmontessori.org or call (919)-240-7787 located at 1476 Andrews Store Rd, Pittsboro, NC 27312.

Public Notice

The proposed annual budget of Vaya Health LME/

MCO for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025 will be presented to the Board of Directors in a public meeting of the Finance Committee at 3:00 p.m., and the full Board at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, 2025. The budget will be available for public review beginning May 22, 2025 at http://vayahealth.com/. The Board will hold a public hearing on the budget at 4:30 p.m. on June 26, 2025. Any persons wanting to offer public comment about the proposed budget may do so during the Public Comment portion of the June 26 meeting. Board meeting agendas with connection information are posted at https://www. vayahealth.com/get-to-know-us/board-of-directors/.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of RACHEL

JESSUP JOHNSON, late of Chatham County, North Carolina, the undersigned James Keith Johnson hereby notifies all persons, firms, and corporations having claims against the estate of said decedent to present them to him at 308 Elbert Johnson Road, Siler City, NC 27344 on or before the 17th day of July, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All of those indebted to the said estate are hereby re- quested to make prompt payment to the undersigned. This the 17th day of April, 2025. James Keith Johnson Executor of the Estate of RACHEL JESSUP JOHNSON 308 Elbert Johnson Road Siler City, NC 27344 Please publish the above Notice April 17 and 24, and May 1 and 8, 2025.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000203-180 The undersigned, LUKE SMITH AND LISA SMITH having qualified on the 14TH Day of APRIL, 2025 as CO-EXECUTORS of the Estate of RANDY LEE SMITH, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 24TH Day of JULY 2025, 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 24TH DAY OF APRIL, 2025. LUKE SMITH, CO-EXECUTOR 1853 POPE HILL CT KERNERSVILLE, NC 27284 LISA SMITH, CO-EXECUTOR 11274 US HWY 220 STONEVILLE, NC 27048 Run dates: A24,M1,8,15p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000205-180

The undersigned, WILLIAM ARTHUR BURGESS

having qualified on the 15TH Day of APRIL, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of VIRGINA L. BURGESS, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 24TH Day of JULY 2025, 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 24TH DAY OF APRIL, 2025.

WILLIAM ARTHUR BURGESS, EXECUTOR 7949 NC HWY 902 PITTSBORO, NC 27312 Run dates: A24,M1,8,15p

NOTICE

NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION

CHATHAM COUNTY FILE NO. 10CvD000059-180 COUNTY OF CHATHAM Plaintiff, NOTICE OF SERVICE OF vs. PROCESS BY PUBLICATION The HEIRS, ASSIGNS and DEVISEES of PEGGY

LOU «ARMA» JOHNSON MCSWAIN, et al Defendants. TO: The HEIRS, ASSIGNS and DEVISEES of PEGGY

LOU “ARMA” JOHNSON MCSWAIN and spouse, if any, which may include The HEIRS, ASSIGNS and DEVISEES of JAMES ARTHUR MCSWAIN and spouse if any, and JANUS P. MCSWAIN, or any other person or entity claiming thereunder A pleading seeking relief against you has been filed in the above-entitled action and notice of service of process by publication began on April 24, 2025.

The nature of the relief being sought is as follows:

Foreclosure on tax parcel(s) more completely described in the Complaint, to collect delinquent ad valorem taxes (assessments). Plaintiff seeks to extinguish any and all claim or interest that you may have in said property.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than forty (40) days after the date of the first publication of notice stated above, exclusive of such date, being forty (40) days after April 24, 2025, or by June 3, 2025, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service of process by publication will apply to the Court for relief sought.

This the 14th day of April, 2025.

ZACCHAEUS LEGAL SERVICES

Mark D. Bardill/Mark B. Bardill

Attorney for Plaintiff NC Bar #12852/56782

310 W. Jones St. P. O. Box 25

Trenton, North Carolina 28585

Telephone: (252) 448-4541

Publication dates:

April 24, 2025

May 1, 2025 May 8, 2025

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

TOWN OF PITTSBORO

The Town of Pittsboro’s budget for FY 2025-2026 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. The Board of Commissioners will hold a Public Hearing on the budget at 6:00pm, May 12, 2025, at the Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center, located at US Highway 64 West Business, Pittsboro, NC.

Chatham News & Record:

ADVERTISE TWICE – ON 5/1 and 5/8/2025

PLEASE SEND (1) THE ORIGINAL PUBLICATION AFFIDAVIT TO THE TOWN CLERK AT PO BOX 759, PITTSBORO, NC 27312 AND (2) THE DIGITAL CERTIFICATION OF ADVERTISEMENT TO THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AT HMEACHAM@ PITTSBORONC.GOV.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

25E000148-180

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

The undersigned, Stephen P. Schnetzler, having qualified as Executor of the Estate of William P. Schnetzler, deceased, late of Chatham County, this is to notify all persons having claims against said estate to present them to the undersigned on or before the day of July 31, 2025, or this notice will be plead in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said estate will please make immediate payment to the undersigned. This the 2nd day of May, 2025.

Stephen P. Schnetzler Executor Marie H. Hopper Attorney for the Estate Hopper Cummings, PLLC Post Office Box 1455 Pittsboro, NC 27312

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000186-180

The undersigned, KEITH FREDERICK ALEXANDER, having qualified on the 4TH Day of APRIL, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of KATHLEEN ANN ALEXANDER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 17TH Day of JULY 2025, 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 17TH DAY OF APRIL, 2025.

KEITH FREDERICK ALEXANDER, EXECUTOR 111 LANTERN RIDGE LANE CARY, NC 27519 Run dates: A17,24,M1,8p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000195-180 The undersigned, ETHAN DUNLAP SMITH having qualified on the 14TH Day of APRIL, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of HELEN JANE DUNLAP, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 24TH Day of JULY 2025, 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 24TH DAY OF APRIL, 2025.

ETHAN DUNLAP SMITH, EXECUTOR 156 WINDSOR CIRCLE CHAPEL HILL, NC 27516 Run dates: A24,M1,8,15p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA

CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000002-180

The undersigned, NICHOLAS B. STARR, having qualified on the 3RD Day of JANUARY, 2025 as ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of FREDDY LLOYD STARR, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 10TH Day of JULY 2025, 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 10TH DAY OF APRIL, 2025.

NICHOLAS B. STARR, ADMINISTRATOR 2122 ED CLAPP RD. SILER CITY, NC 27344 Run dates: A10,17,24,M1p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

ALL PERSONS, firms and corporations having claims against James P. Ward, deceased, of Chatham County, N.C., are notified to exhibit the same to the undersigned on or before August 3, 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. Debtors of the decedent are asked to make immediate payment. This 1st day of May, 2025. Peter J. Ward, Executor 225 Britten Pass Alpharetta, GA 30009

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Martha Ashley Orr qualified before the Chatham County Clerk of Court on April 9th, 2025 as The Executor of The Estate of Tamla Crisp Orr, 568 Lydia Perry Road, Sanford, NC 27330. This is to notify all persons, firms and corporations, as required by NCGS 28A-14-1, having claims against the estate of said decedent to exhibit them to the attorney designated below on or before the 22nd Day of July, 2025 or this notice will be pled in bar of their recovery. All persons, firms and corporations indebted to the said estate will please make immediate payments to the undersigned. Payments and claims should be presented to M. Andrew Lucas, P.O. Box 1045, Sanford, NC 27331-1045 Please Publish:

NOTICE

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of DIANNE GAINES DAVIS,

day of July, 2025 or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All of those indebted to the said estate are hereby requested to make prompt payment to the undersigned. This the 10th day of April, 2025. Matthew G. Davis Executor of the Estate of DIANNE GAINES DAVIS P. O. Box 233 Goldston, NC 27252 Please publish the above Notice April 10, 17, and 24, and May 1, 2025.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY FILE#25E000169-180 The undersigned, RICK BARKER, having qualified on the 27TH Day of MARCH 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of FRANCES V. BARKER, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to the undersigned on or before the 10TH Day of JULY 2025, 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 is the 10TH DAY OF APRIL, 2025. RICK BARKER, EXECUTOR 24103 MERCERS CROSSING CT. ALDIE, VA 20105 Run dates: A10,17,24,M1p

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NORTH CAROLINA CHATHAM COUNTY

FILE#25E000218-180

The undersigned, ROBERT YOX, having qualified on the 21ST Day of APRIL, 2025 as EXECUTOR of the Estate of ANN L. YOX, deceased, of Chatham County, North Carolina, does hereby notify all persons, firms and corporations having claims against said Estate to exhibit them to him on or before the 24TH

PFAS from page A1

whether it intends to stand by those strict standards and defend the limits against a water utility industry challenge in federal court.

PFAS in drinking water created a crisis for many communities

In North Carolina, runoff from a Chemours plant contaminated the Cape Fear River, creating a crisis for cities like Wilmington that use it for drinking water. Amid public outcry, Wilmington effectively eliminated it from tap water.

Other U.S. communities — often near military bases or industrial sites — did the same when test results were frightening and public pressure, local leadership or state law forced PFAS-laden wells offline or prompted installation of expensive filtering systems, according to Mark White, drinking water global practice leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith.

The EPA said the PFAS found in North Carolina, often called GenX chemicals, can be toxic to the kidney. While other types of PFAS may raise kidney cancer risk, little research has focused on the link between kidney cancer and GenX, according to Sue Fenton, director of the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University. Chemours said evidence doesn’t support arguments that GenX at low levels is a health threat. The company has sharply reduced PFAS discharges.

So far, sampling has found nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the recently set EPA limits, but most aren’t above by much. Forcing this group to reduce PFAS more than doubles the rule’s health benefits but roughly triples its costs, the EPA has said.

The Biden administration’s rule set standards for two common types of PFAS at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. Standards for several other PFAS chemicals were set, too, and utilities must meet those levels by 2029.

PFAS have had wide uses over the decades

Manufactured by companies like Chemours and 3M, PFAS were incredibly useful

in many applications — among them, helping clothes to withstand rain and ensuring that firefighting foam snuffed out flames. But the chemicals also accumulate in the body. As science advanced in recent years, evidence of harm at far lower levels became clearer.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has championed fossil fuels and the rollback of major clean air and water rules. His history with PFAS is more nuanced; during his time as a New York congressman, he supported legislation to regulate forever chemicals in drinking water.

“It’s an issue that touches people in a very tangible way across the political spectrum, including in Lee Zel-

din’s former district,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

Zeldin has offered clues about what the EPA could do. The agency estimated the rule would cost about $1.5 billion annually and Zeldin said recently that communities struggling to afford a fix for PFAS that are just above the standard might be handled differently than wealthy places with lots of it.

“What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out,” he said.

On Monday, the EPA said it will establish an agency lead for PFAS, develop wastewater lim-

its for PFAS manufacturers and investigate sources that pose an immediate danger to drinking water, among other actions.

EPA decision looms on whether to let the rule stay as it is

Soon, the EPA must tell a federal appeals court in Washington whether the rule should stand or be rewritten, although weakening it could be complicated because the Safe Drinking Water Act prevents new rules from being looser than previous ones. The agency could, however, encourage exemptions and deadline extensions, according to Erik Olson, an attorney with the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council supporting the current standards in the court case.

Consider Avondale, Arizona, outside of Phoenix, which produces PFAS results modestly above the limits. Officials have done detailed testing and are planning to enhance water treatment. All told, lowering PFAS may cost Avondale more than $120 million, according to Kirk Beaty, the city’s public utility director.

That’s money a city like Avondale “just doesn’t have sitting in a back room somewhere,” Beaty said, adding he’ll defer to federal experts to dictate what’s acceptable.

“We’re hoping we’re a little further ahead of everybody else. If the regulation changes, well

you know, we may let off the gas a little bit, we may not,” he said, adding that it is hard to justify spending extra money to do more than what’s required when the cost falls on residents.

If the government decides higher amounts of PFAS are acceptable, that could confuse people, especially in areas where the public is already concerned.

“If we enter into a gray area over what’s healthy and what’s not healthy, then utilities are at risk of being caught up in a debate for which they have no real responsibility nor expertise to decide on,” said Karine Rougé, CEO for municipal water at Veolia North America, a water operations company.

Industry group says the rule goes too far and is too costly

The American Water Works Association, an industry group, filed the court challenge to the new rule. It agrees that certain PFAS should be regulated but argues the EPA’s standards go too far, underestimate costs and are “neither feasible nor cost-effective.” There are serious consequences for residents’ water bills, it says.

The burden of complying will fall heavily on small utilities that can least afford it. Many water providers already struggle to maintain their existing infrastructure, some experts say. On top of everything else, they face new requirements to replace lead pipes. The AWWA wants the EPA to extend the PFAS and lead deadlines by two years. There is money available to help. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $9 billion for chemicals like PFAS and utilities have won multibillion-dollar settlements against PFAS polluters that help as well.

Meek, who successfully recovered after surgery from cancer and is now 59, is planning to sue over his illness. He once didn’t second-guess using tap water. Now he reaches for bottled water.

Donovan, who introduced Meek to PFAS and helped start Clean Cape Fear, says if the government’s standards are weakened, it’ll relieve pressure on utilities to effectively treat the water.

Previously, “our local utilities could tell us publicly that the water met or exceeded all state and federal guidelines because there weren’t any,” she said.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Water is processed through carbon filters inside large reservoirs designed to remove forever chemicals, known as PFAS.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Chris Meek, who survived cancer he suspects was caused PFAS in drinking water, stands in front of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington on Monday.

CHATHAM SPORTS

Seaforth boys’ lacrosse win big over crosstown rivals

“We always feel like the second half is ours.”

Joe Hubbard

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

PITTSBORO — The Seaforth boys’ lacrosse team had four players score multiple goals and never trailed in a 13-3 win over Northwood on April 24.

Junior attack Ivan Grimes recorded a team-high five points as he scored two goals and dished out a team-high three assists. Senior attack Cameron Exley, sophomore attack Oscar Ditter and senior midfielder Edwin Ledbetter also contributed two goals each.

“We were just finding the open guy on the crease, moving the ball fast, keeping the defense guessing, and we just had to take quality shots,” Grimes said.

Senior midfielder Layne Armstrong did much of the dirty work, scooping up a teamhigh eight groundballs and winning 11 out of 18 faceoffs.

Up 6-2 at halftime, Seaforth pulled away from the Chargers in the second half thanks to some strategy adjustments.

“I think the biggest adjustment was the halftime flow,” Seaforth coach Joe Hubbard said. “What we do at halftime, we tweaked that a little bit in

this game, and I think that really helped with keeping guys moving at halftime. Keep the blood flowing. Keep their sticks working.”

Said Hubbard, “Other than that, we switched a little bit of our strategy. A little more pressure on our rides, tweaked the clear a little bit, made sure we were finding the open guys. But ultimately, it just came down to the heart. We always feel like the second half is ours.”

After goals from Grimes and Exley gave Seaforth a 2-0 lead just two minutes into the game, Northwood hung around thanks to a stellar goalkeeping performance from junior James Flanagan. Seaforth threw 35 shots on goal to Northwood’s 18, but Flanagan, who recorded 17 saves, was a huge reason why the Hawks didn’t pull away in the first two quarters.

Junior Jackson Glinski notched Northwood’s first goal of the game, making it a 2-1 deficit with seven minutes left in the first quarter. But, that was the closest the Chargers would be for the rest of the night.

Ditter scored the last two goals of the quarter to give the Hawks a 4-1 lead. From there, it seemed as if the Hawks had a crucial response to each Northwood score.

After junior Grayson Cox brought the Chargers within two with a score in the second quarter, Exley responded with a goal less than a minute later.

Then, Northwood junior Braeden Spacek brought his team back within three with a goal early in third quarter, but just over a minute later, Ledbetter nullified the Chargers’ progress with a score of his own — the first of seven straight goals to end the night.

“It started since freshman year, just having the biggest rivalry with this school and the chippiness and stuff,” Exley said. “It just sparks a little bit under us, I think, when they score then we want to step back up and win.”

Seaforth also got scores from freshman Tyler Watkins, senior Connor Yalch, junior Jack Petrusa, senior Jackson Powell and junior Raiden Flowers.

The Hawks, sitting at 12-3 and 11-1 in Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference play (second place) as of Sunday, are still in the race with first-place Orange for a share of the

See LACROSSE, page B3

CHATHAM COUNTY BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Seaforth softball will make its first playoff appearance

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

DIAMOND FIELDS around the county are ready for the postseason.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association baseball and softball playoffs will begin with the first round on May 6. This week, conference tournament champions will be crowned ahead of the final seedings of each bracket.

In both the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A and Central Tar Heel 1A conferences, there will be two automatic state playoff berths reserved for the regular season conference champion and the conference tournament champion or the regular season conference runner up. The remaining nonautomatic qualifying teams will be determined by the ratings percentage index, or RPI, standings.

RPI considers the winning percentage of a team, its opponents and its opponent’s oppo -

nents when determining how a team will be seeded.

The NCHSAA will seed 32 eastern and 32 western teams in each state bracket. Based on conference and RPI standings as of Sunday, here’s a playoff outlook for the county teams projected to make the state tournament.

BASEBALL

Seaforth (2A East, automatic bid)

Conference/conference record/finish: Mid-Carolina 1A/2A, 11-1, first place RPI: 0.565895

Projected seed: 8

After earning a 7-seed and making the third round in its first playoff appearance in 2024, Seaforth should get the opportunity to host the first two rounds again. The Hawks, now

page B2

Woods Charter girls’ soccer falls to undefeated Franklin Academy

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

CHAPEL HILL — Franklin Academy senior Olivia Olarte scored four goals to lead the undefeated Patriots over Woods Charter 7-1 in a nonconference girls’ soccer matchup on April 23.

After giving Franklin Academy a 1-0 lead at halftime with her first goal, Olarte spearheaded a nearly 20-minute long scoring outburst in the second half, notching three of the Patriots’ next four scores for a 5-0 lead.

“We weren’t seeing the ball,” Woods Charter coach Graeme Stewart said. “We weren’t anticipating. We weren’t pressing like we had been. We were giving them way too much space, and if you give talented players like

“Now we know what it looks like. We know what good looks like.”

Graeme Stewart

them space, they’re going to hurt you.”

Senior Lydia Rogers split Olarte’s run of scores with a goal of her own, and junior Kayla Rice gave the Patriots a 6-0 advantage with less than 20 minutes to play. As the Patriots’ offense slowed down in the game’s final minutes, junior Audrey Probasco put the finishing touches on the win by knocking in her teammate’s free kick. For Woods Charter, the first half told a much different story. After giving up an early goal,

See SOCCER, page B3

The Wolves had no answer for Olivia Olarte

The Hawks sweep Northwood for the second straight season

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Chatham Charter infielder Westin Phillips flies over a South Stokes runner during a game earlier this season. Phillips and the Knights are now preparing for the postseason.

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Seaforth’s Ivan Grimes (right) makes a move against Northwood on his way to a five-point night.

UNC’s Powell declares for NBA Draft

The former Northwood star announced his decision last week

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

FORMER NORTHWOOD

basketball star Drake Powell declared for the 2025 NBA Draft, per an announcement on social media.

Powell, a 6-foot-6 guard and forward, made 27 starts in his freshman year at UNC. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting the 3 at a solid 36.4% clip.

“I was born and bred a Tar Heel, and to have the opportunity to put on that uniform, run through that tunnel and compete for the university that I love is a feeling that is unmatched and I’ll never take that for granted,” Powell said in a statement. “However, competing at the highest level has always been the ultimate goal.”

Powell showcased his elite defensive abilities throughout the season, finishing third on the team and the highest amongst guards in blocks (25) and fourth on the team in steals (26).

Although he didn’t have

SIDELINE REPORT

NASCAR

Legge claims she’s receiving death threats after Xfinity crash at Rockingham

Rockingham

NASCAR driver Katherine Legge said she has been receiving “hate mail” and “death threats” after a crash last weekend at Rockingham. Legge was off the pace when she was hit by William Sawalich and collected Kasey Kahne. Legge said “the inappropriate social media comments I’ve received aren’t just disturbing, they are unacceptable.” The 44-year-old Legge has started four Indianapolis 500s and been a regular in several series around the world. But she is a relative novice when it comes to stock cars. She crashed in her Cup Series debut at Phoenix earlier this season.

MLB Arizona’s Suárez becomes 19th player in MLB history with 4 home runs in game

Phoenix Arizona Diamondbacks

third baseman Eugenio Suárez homered in his first four at-bats against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, becoming the 19th player in MLB history to hit four homers in a game and first since 2017. The 33-year-old third baseman hit a solo shot in the second, a two-run homer in the fourth, and two more solo drives in the sixth and ninth. Suárez has 10 homers this season.

NWSL

NWSL submits request for lower-tier women’s league to develop players

The National Women’s Soccer League has asked U.S. Soccer to sanction a lower division women’s professional soccer league that could launch as early as next year. The six-team league would sit on the second tier of the U.S. soccer pyramid, below the NWSL and the USL Women’s Super League, and would serve to develop young players.

“Competing at the highest level has always been the ultimate goal.”

Drake Powell

a spectacular offensive year, Powell flashed his abilities as a slasher, using his athleticism to get to the rim and finish strong in transition. He poured in a few double-digit scoring performances, including a season-high 18 points (7 for 9 from the field, 4 for 6 from 3) in a loss to Michigan State.

The draft will take place on June 25-26 in Brooklyn, New York. The deadline to withdraw and maintain college eligibility is June 15.

Should he follow through and make a roster for the 2025-26 season, Powell will be the first player who graduated from a Chatham County high school to play in the NBA.

Prior to his lone season at UNC, Powell built himself into a five-star prospect at Northwood. He averaged 17.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a senior and earned the title of a McDonald’s All-American.

NCAA SPORTS

Judge delays $2.8B NCAA settlement to address roster limit concerns

San Francisco

The judge overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences has delayed final approval of the plan until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken signaled she is ready to approve the rest of the settlement but wants both sides to come up with a way to not harm current athletes who will lose their spots on teams. The settlement calls for scholarship limits to be replaced by roster limits.

Some attorneys argued that Wilken’s order could throw college sports into chaos.

NCAA SPORTS

Former Baylor official placed nearly 3,000 impermissible fantasy bets, 113 involving the school Waco, Texas

A former Baylor athletic official has received a show- c ause penalty from the NCAA after he placed nearly 3,000 impermissible daily fantasy bets on professional and college games over a five-year period. Those included 113 involving Baylor teams and student-athletes.

Sam Hancock, Baylor’s former director of resource development, allegedly placed 2,950 impermissible bets totaling $45,979 on three different sports betting platforms from July 2019 through September 2024. He acknowledged that he engaged in sports betting before his employment at Baylor and continued to do so after being hired, despite knowing it violated NCAA rules.

back-to-back conference champions, could make an even deeper run this year with more experience and their impressive balance of hitting and pitching.

Northwood (2A East)

Conference/conference record/finish: Mid-Carolina 1A/2A, 7-5, third place

RPI: 0.496087

Projected seed: 28

Last year, Northwood earned a 25 seed and fell just short of upsetting No. 8 Bunn in extra innings. The Chargers brought much of that experience back this season and could be a tough out once again, especially with sophomore Finn Sullivan on the mound. However, the Chargers haven’t been as consistent as they’d hope for with their level of play, and they’ll need their best stuff to make it out of the first few rounds.

Chatham Charter (1A East, automatic bid)

Conference/conference record/finish: Central Tar Heel 1A, 8-0, first place

RPI: 0.531407

Projected seed: 6

Chatham Charter is coming off another dominant conference season and could earn a 6 seed for the second year in a row. The Knights, who have yet to make it past the third round, will likely get to host the first two rounds and look to surpass last year’s upset loss to No. 22 Southside. As a team that didn’t score much in its nonconference matchups this season, Chatham Charter will have to find a way to generate runs to get over its playoff hump.

Chatham Central (1A East)

Conference/conference record/finish: Mid-Carolina

1A/2A, 5-7, tied fourth place

(tied first in 1A split)

RPI: 0.425080

Projected seed: 31

Chatham Central will likely be one of the lowest seeds in the 1A bracket should it earn a berth. The Bears have had an up and down season as they’ve shown they can compete with good teams, but they’ve also taken some big losses (nine losses by at least five runs). Chatham Central will also have to generate runs to have a chance at an upset. The Bears are 7-1 when they score at least five runs.

SOFTBALL

Seaforth (2A East, automatic bid)

Conference/conference record/finish: Mid-Carolina

1A/2A, 11-3, second place

(first in 2A split)

RPI: 0.530038

Projected seed: 8

feated when they reach double digit runs, and they will need more big offensive performances to win in the playoffs.

Chatham Central (1A East, automatic bid)

Conference/conference record/finish: Mid-Carolina 1A/2A, 14-0, first place

Seaforth will make its first playoff appearance in program history after turning a 6-14 campaign from last year into a program-record 11 wins in 2025. The Hawks will likely get to host their first playoff game, and they should feel confident considering the season they had. Seaforth competed with and beat good teams in Jordan-Matthews and North Moore, riding the marriage of an explosive offense and stellar pitching from Emma Grace Hill. Should those two things continue to work together, Seaforth could win some games in the state tournament.

Jordan-Matthews (2A East)

Conference/conference record/finish: Mid-Carolina

1A/2A, 9-5, third place

RPI: 0.509389

Projected seed: 20

Jordan-Matthews will be a tough out, even if they must go on the road as the 20 seed. Although the Jets are younger than last year, they still have a lot of playoff experience. Looking at its results from this season, Jordan-Matthews is hard to beat when its players are on at the plate. The Jets are unde-

RPI: 0.585835

Projected seed: 6

After being the team to beat in conference play, Chatham Central is now one of the teams to beat in the 1A East bracket. The Bears didn’t only dominate in the conference — they went 3-2 in nonconference games with their only two losses all season coming from Uwharrie Charter. Chatham Central will likely get to host its first two rounds as it tries to best last year’s second-round loss.

Chatham Charter (1A East)

Conference/conference record/finish: Central Tar Heel 1A, 6-3, second place RPI: 0.488382

Projected seed: 21

Chatham Charter didn’t finish on top of the Central Tar Heel 1A conference for the first time since 2022, likely earning themselves a much lower seed than last season. The Knights will likely have to travel for their first-round matchup. They’ll have to play their best offensive games to win in the playoffs as the Knights are 1-6 when scoring 5 or less runs.

JEFF DEAN / AP PHOTO

Drake Powell has his eyes on the NBA.

PJ WARD-BROWN / CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Chatham Central’s Maddie Kaczmarczyk gets ready to throw a pitch in a game against Seaforth last week.

Local high school teams across the two sports are projected to make the playoffs

Gatcomb to become new Woods Charter athletic director

The new athletic director will begin on July 1

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

WOODS CHARTER School will have a new athletic director after the end of this school year. Jordan Gatcomb, the athletic director at Voyager Academy in Durham, will take over for Dena Floyd in June, the school told the Chatham News & Record. She will officially begin on July 1.

Gatcomb has served as Voyager Academy’s athletic director since 2021. Prior to Voyager Academy, she led the creation of the women’s varsity rugby team and club cheerleading at Guilford College. She’s also worked in athletics at The North Carolina School of Science and Math (athletic coordinator and physical activity office manager), Wellesley College and Wheelock College (athletics department intern). Before working in athletics, Gatcomb played softball at the University of Southern Maine, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and

the Wolves held Franklin Academy scoreless for about 20 minutes while also creating scoring opportunities for themselves.

“In the first half, we were doing all of those things that we’d worked on, and we were creating chances,” Stewart said. “We had three or four in the first half.” Said Stewart, “For our young team, I thought the first half we showed a lot of composure, maturity and solidity.”

Stewart’s message at the half was to get the next goal and even the score, but he said his team didn’t come out with the same focus.

“We were still on the bench, and boom, goal,” Stewart said. “So then, the game changes.”

Woods Charter eventually regained its footing late in the second half despite being down my multiple scores. With about 10 minutes left to play, freshman Eve Terrell knocked in the Wolves’ only score of the night, avoiding being shut out for the fourth time this season.

“What I’m really proud of is after that rocky period, we got our composure back,” Stewart

media studies. She earned a Master of Education degree in the administration of higher education from Suffolk University.

After 11 years, Floyd’s last day at Woods Charter will be June 11. She will start as the sports information director at Ravenscroft School on July 1. Floyd started as Woods Charter’s athletic director in 2014. She has overseen many

Woods Charter freshman Eve Terrell scored the team’s only goal in a loss to Franklin Academy.

said. “Towards the end, we were getting corners, and we had good position, and we got the goal out of it. They’re not giving up many goals to anybody to be honest.”

Despite this being the Wolves’ largest loss of the season, maintaining composure and simply competing in the game was an important feat for them.

Following last season’s loss

11

Years of Dena Floyd as Woods Charter’s athletic director

athletic successes in her tenure, including multiple state championship appearances in girls’ soccer, the first playoff appearance for boys’ basketball and the creation of the school’s swim team spearheaded by state champion Daisy Collins. In 2018, Floyd earned the North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association Athletic Director/Administrator of the Year Award.

Gatcomb will lead Woods Charter into a new athletic conference this fall. With the North Carolina High School Athletic Association going to eight classifications next season, Woods Charter will join familiar opponents in Ascend Leadership, Chatham Charter, Clover Garden School, River Mill Academy, Southern Wake Academy and Central Carolina Academy in the new Central Tar Heel 1A conference.

in the 1A state championship game, Woods Charter lost 11 players. This year, the 18-player squad is made up of 12 freshmen and zero seniors.

Playing against Franklin Academy, the No. 1 team in the 2A East RPI standings (15-0 as of Sunday), provided the pups a taste of championship-level soccer which also serves as preparation for the upcoming playoffs.

Woods Charter has still been a force this season, remaining undefeated in Central Tar Heel 1A conference play as of Sunday (only three goals allowed to conference opponents) and climbing to fourth in the 1A East RPI standings.

The Wolves, even if inexperienced, still have a good enough team to make a deep playoff run.

“Whatever we do in the East, we’re not going to see a team like that,” Stewart said. “Now we know what it looks like. We know what good looks like. And that — because we competed so well, and like I said, I’m really proud of the way we competed for most of the game — it breeds belief. So, I’m not focusing on the score.”

Emily Scheidt

Chatham Charter, girls’ soccer

Chatham Charter’s Emily Scheidt earns athlete of the week honors for last week.

Scheidt had two big games for the Knights last week. She scored a team and season-high six goals and notched three assists in the Knights’ 11-5 win over Central Carolina Academy on April 21. She also scored the only goal needed to beat Triangle Math and Science 1-0 on April 23.

The freshman has made an immediate impact in her first varsity season, leading the team in goals (19). She’s recorded five games as of Sunday with multiple scores.

LACROSSE from page B1

conference title. After playing Western Alamance Tuesday, Orange will have two conference games remaining: Northwood (fifth place) and Cedar Ridge (sixth place). Following games against Williams and nonconference opponent Union Pines earlier this week, Seaforth will have three conference games left: Williams (fourth place), Eastern Alamance (seventh place) and Western Alamance (eighth place).

Should both teams finish with the same record, Seaforth will grab a share of the conference title for the first time in program histo-

ry after finishing second in 2024. Following the win over Northwood, Exley mentioned some things that have made the difference in the two seasons.

“I think we have more team chemistry this year with having a few good freshmen come in and just being able to get all together” Exley said. “More honestly, more depth in the midfield to help us. Last year we didn’t have that much depth, but this year we have more, so we can rotate through more and not be as gassed sometimes. We have a lot more action in the midfield, putting up a lot more points than we did last season. I think that’s one of the main things.”

JORDAN GATCOMB / LINKEDIN

Jordan Gatcomb will take over as the new athletic director at Woods Charter.

GENE GALIN FOR CHATHAM NEWS & RECORD

Cindric delivers Penske first win of Cup Series season

The victory at Talladega snapped a 30-race losing streak for him

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Austin Cindric gave Team Penske its first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season by holding off a huge pack of challengers over the closing lap in a rare drama-free day at Talladega Superspeedway.

Well, there was a tiny bit of drama: Penske teammate Joey

Logano was livid following the end of Sunday’s second stage when Cindric didn’t push him, allowing Toyota driver Bubba Wallace to win the stage.

“Way to go Austin,” seethed Logano, who used multiple expletives in his anger over his Penske radio. “You just gave it to him. Gave a Toyota a stage win. Nice job. Way to go ... put that in the book.”

It didn’t matter to Cindric as he celebrated the third win of his Cup Series career and snapped a 30-race losing streak. The victory makes him the first Penske driver locked into the playoffs.

“Rock on, guys,” Cindric said over his radio. “Rock and roll. Let’s go!”

Cindric was followed by Ryan Preece as Ford drivers went 1-2. Kyle Larson and William Byron finished third and fourth for Hendrick Motorsports, but the two Chevrolet drivers pushed Cindric and Preece from the second row rather than pull out of line on the final lap and make a third lane in an attempt to win.

It was Larson’s best career finish at Talladega, where drafting and pack racing is required and neither suits his style. He said he wanted to make a move to try to take the win from Cindric, but there was never any room.

“I wanted to take it, but I felt like the gap was too big,” Larson said. “I was just stuck inside and just doing everything I could to advance our lane and maybe open it up to where I then could get to the outside. But we were all just pushing so equally that

“About time one of us wins these things.”

Teammate Joey Logano

it kept the lanes jammed up.” Logano was fifth and followed by Noah Gragson for two more Ford cars, while Hendrick driver Chase Elliott was seventh — two spots ahead of teammate Alex Bowman, with Carson Hocevar of Spire Motorsports sandwiched in between at eighth. Wallace at 10th was the highest-finishing Toyota driver. Cindric led five times but for only seven of the 188 laps in an unusually calm race for chaotic Talladega. The track last fall recorded the largest crash in the Cup Series history when 28 cars were collected in a demolition derby with four laps remaining.

On Sunday, there were only four cautions — two for stage

breaks — totaling 22 laps. It was the fourth consecutive Talladega race with only four cautions, the two for stage breaks and the two for natural cautions.

But Sunday featured season highs in lead changes (67) among different drivers (23).

Only five cars failed to finish from the 40-car field, and a whopping 30 drivers finished on the lead lap.

Cindric marked the 10th consecutive different winner at Talladega, extending the track record of no repeat winners. And, by the time it was over, Logano seemed to have calmed down.

“About time one of us wins these things,” Logano said of the Penske trio. “When you think about the amount of laps led by Team Penske and Ford in general, just haven’t been able to close. To see a couple of Fords on the front row duking it out, I wish one of them was me, in a selfish way. But it’s good to see those guys running up there and being able to click one off.”

ly called, and then the officials opted for a five-minute major on Meier, which allowed for a video review. After the review, the referees determined there was no penalty on the play.

The Carolina goalie was injured in the second period after a collision with Timo Meier

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

NEWARK, N.J. — The Hurricanes have faced some adversity despite being in control of their first round series against the New Jersey Devils since their few minutes of the opening game.

But not even a Game 3 double-overtime loss felt like as dire a situation as goaltender Frederik Andersen being flat on his back in the net in Sunday’s Game 4 after a second period collision with Devils forward Timo Meier.

“It was a tough moment for us,” said stablemate Pyotr Kochetkov, who came on in relief when Andersen went to the locker room, knocked out of the game with the Hurricanes leading by two goals just before the midway point of regulation. It got tougher when Meier’s spinning shot from the side boards skittered past Kochetkov, cutting Carolina’s lead to one just over three minutes after Andersen was helped off the ice.

“When he scored, it’s my goal,” Kochetkov said, taking

the blame for allowing New Jersey to get within a goal. “I try to just focus for the next shot. … I needed to feel the puck, and after I had a couple shots, the game (came to) me.”

He also had the help of Andrei Svechnikov.

Svechnikov finished with the second postseason hat trick in franchise history and Kochetkov shut the door the rest of the way, stopping the other 14 shots he faced, as the Hurricanes won 5-2 at Prudential Center to take a 3-1 series lead and push the Devils to the brink of elimination.

“It was kind of a hard season for me, but right now, in playoff time, it’s kind of my time,” said Svechnikov, who also scored the other hat trick, in the COVID season qualifying round against the Rangers, in 2020. “I love this time of the year. I love playing a physical game and just trying to do everything that’s going to help my team win the games.”

The real challenge, however, was still ahead for the visiting Hurricanes.

Nico Hischier got New Jersey on the scoreboard just over two minutes later, then Meier, engaged with Svechnikov, crashed into Andersen shortly thereafter, knocking the Carolina goalie from the game.

No penalty was initial-

“There’s clearly contact, and you’re not really supposed to go in there,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the contact by Meier, who has been stymied by Andersen throughout the series. “And maybe even if we had a little bump, it’s still — he’s a big guy, he could stop. But it wasn’t egregious, I get it.”

To their credit, the Hurricanes resisted seeking retribution on Meier and instead tried to reestablish their game.

“We know in a game you’re leading … that we don’t need any fights or anything, any more penalties,” Svechnikov said.

“And we just tried to stay focused and try to play our game.” Svechnikov then finished off his hat trick, scoring into an empty net to seal Game 4 and send the Hurricanes back to Raleigh with a chance to close out the series on Tuesday.

“Your best players have to be your best players. … He was around it,” Brind’Amour said of Svechnikov.

Carolina may need to do it without Andersen, whose history of injuries has always served as a looming dark cloud over his successes.

“He wasn’t good enough to continue,” Brind’Amour said. “So that’s not a good sign. But I don’t have any other information, so we’ll know more, I guess, tomorrow when he gets evaluated.”

SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO

Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov celebrates his third goal in Carolina’s 5-2 Game 4 win Sunday in Newark, New Jersey.

BUTCH DILL / AP PHOTO

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric (2) beats driver Ryan Preece (60) to the finish line during Sunday’s race at Talladega.

Seaforth baseball claims back-to-back conference titles

By Asheebo Rojas Chatham News & Record

Baseball

Seaforth claimed their second straight Mid-Carolina 1A/2A regular season conference title with a 3-1 win over Southeast Alamance on April 24.

With both teams scoreless through the first three innings, Seaforth took the lead in the top of the fourth when sophomore Duncan Parker singled to right field and knocked in sophomores Jack Simpson and Easton Sykes, who were on third and second base respectively.

Senior Daniel White gave the Hawks an extra cushion in the top of the sixth when he batted sophomore Anthony Landano home for a 3-0 lead.

Junior pitcher Jaedyn Rader, who earned the win on the mound, gave up zero earned runs in six innings.

Chatham Charter clinched its third straight Central Tar Heel 1A conference title with back-to-back wins over Clover Garden School last week. After an 8-1 win on April 22, junior Tyner Williams led the way with a 2-for-3, two RBI batting performance, and senior Zach Cartrette threw eight strikeouts in a 7-1 win on April 24.

Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (final) (overall, conference): 1. Seaforth (15-7, 11-1); 2. Southeast Alamance (16-6, 10-2); 3. Northwood (11-8, 7-5); T4. Chatham Central (6-14, 5-7); T4. North Moore (8-9, 5-7); 6. Bartlett Yancey (5-13, 3-8); 7. Jordan-Matthews (0-18, 0-12)

Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (final): 1. Chatham Charter (12-7, 8-0); T2. River Mill (9-6, 5-3); T2. Clover Garden School (8-11, 5-3); T4. Triangle Math & Science (3-9, 1-7); T4. Southern Wake Academy (1-8, 1-7)

Softball

Seaforth locked up a second-place finish in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference with a 9-4 win over Jordan-Matthews on April 22. Cami Brinkley led the Hawks’ offense with a 4 for 4, one RBI performance.

With a 9-0 win over North Moore on April 24, Chatham Central finished the regular season with an undefeated conference record for the first time since 2019. The Bears ended the

@JAEDYNRADER2317 / INSTAGRAM

Seaforth’s Jaedyn Rader, shown here in an earlier game, had six shutout innings to earn a win last week.

regular season on a seven-game win streak.

Chatham Charter ended its regular season with an 11-0 win over Northwood on April 25. Allie McLeod won the game on the mound with eight strikeouts (53 strikes out of 70 pitches) in six innings. The Knights finished second in the Central Tar Heel 1A conference.

Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (final): 1. Chatham Central (14-0); 2. Seaforth (11-3); T3. Jordan-Matthews; T3. North Moore (146, 9-5); 5. Southeast Alamance (9-10, 7-7); 6. Northwood (4-10, 4-15); T7. Bartlett Yancey (1-13, 1-13); T7. Graham (3-15, 1-13) Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (final): 1. Clover Garden School (10-6, 7-2); 2. Chatham Charter (10-7, 6-3); 3. River Mill (9-6, 5-4); 4. Ascend Leadership (0-10, 0-9) Girls’ soccer

Seaforth extended its win streak to nine last week with three straight shutout wins over Cummings (10-0), Northwood (3-0) and Southern Lee (5-0). Freshman Amara Darden stepped up in a huge way, combining for four goals against Cummings and Northwood.

Chatham Charter snapped its three-game losing streak with two wins over Central Carolina Academy (11-5) and Triangle Math and Science (1-0). Freshman Emily Scheidt scored a team-high six goals and junior Kaylee Root scored five goals in the win over Central Carolina Academy.

Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Seaforth (12-2-1, 9-0); 2. Southeast Alamance (8-5-2, 7-2); 3. Northwood (97, 8-3); 4. North Moore (102, 5-2); 5. Bartlett Yancey (5-9, 4-5); 6. Jordan-Matthews (512, 3-8); 7. Graham (2-9, 1-8); 8. Cummings (0-11, 0-9)

Central Tar Heel 1A conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Woods Charter (8-4-1, 7-0); 2. Southern Wake Academy (73, 7-1); 3. River Mill (7-6-1, 5-3); 4. Clover Garden School (6-8, 4-3); 5. Chatham Charter (59, 3-5); T6. Triangle Math and Science (0-13, 0-7); T6. Ascend Leadership (1-8, 0-7)

Boys’ lacrosse

Seaforth attacks Cameron Exley and Ivan Grimes combined for 11 goals in Seaforth’s 18-10 win over Southern Alamance on April 22. Northwood had four play-

ers (Grayson Cox, Robert Tripp, Eli Minges and Jackson Glinski) score three goals in its 15-1 rout over Western Alamance on April 21.

Central/Mid-Carolina conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Orange (15-3, 121); 2. Seaforth (12-3, 11-1); T3. Southern Alamance (14-4, 8-4); T3. Williams (10-7, 8-4); T5. Northwood (7-9, 7-7); T5. Cedar Ridge (7-7, 6-6); 7. Eastern Alamance (5-11, 3-10); 8. Western Alamance (1-13, 1-11); 9. Southeast Alamance (3-15, 1-13)

Girls’ lacrosse

DC/Northern Lakes Athletic/Central/Mid-Carolina conference standings (as of Sunday): 1. Chapel Hill (171, 10-0); 2. East Chapel Hill (142, 7-1); 3. Seaforth (6-6, 5-4); 4. Jordan (3-6, 2-3); 5. Carrboro (5-8, 3-5); 6. Northwood (2-7, 0-5); 7. Riverside-Durham (016, 0-9)

Boys’ tennis

Chatham Charter’s Thomas Bjork won the Central Tar Heel 1A conference singles tournament, becoming the first boys’ tennis player in school history to win a conference title.

Seaforth’s Joaquin Hernan-

dez Gonzalez won the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference singles tournament, and the Seaforth duo of Matthew Bowser and Henry McFall took first in the doubles tournament.

All first-place finishers will advance to their respective regionals from May 2-3. Here are the other regional qualifiers:

1A East (Herman Park): Zane Morgan (Chatham Charter, singles); Adam Reece and Miguel Kirkman (Chatham Charter, doubles); Andrew Bednar and Jase Nicks (Chatham Charter, doubles)

2A Mideast (Flaherty Park): Lukas Olson (Seaforth, singles); I’Jon Sinclair (Northwood, singles); Francisco Ibarra (Jordan-Matthews, singles); Gavin Maley and Brennan Luster (Seaforth, doubles); Ronan Bradshaw and Isaac Giligan (Northwood, doubles); Marchus Enochs and Michael Beck (Northwood, doubles)

Track and field

Seaforth senior Jack Anstrom ran a personal-best of 4 minutes, 6.96 seconds to win the 1,600-meter run at the Cary AC Elite Sprint and Distance meet Friday.

Chatham Central freshman Tyler Congrove set a new personal record of 10.94 seconds to win the 100-meter dash at the North Moore meet on April 23. Team scores from the North Moore meet: Girls: Jordan-Matthews (81.5); 2. Seaforth (65.5); T3. North Moore (37); T3. Chatham Central (37)

Boys: Jordan-Matthews (102); 2. Seaforth (65): 3. Chatham Central (27); 4. North Moore (20)

Jordan-Matthews High School will host co-ed volleyball sessions for youth aged 9-18 (third-12th grade) starting May 1. There will be eight sessions directed by Jordan-Matthews volleyball coach Johnny Alston consisting of fundamental skill development, drills and friendly competition. Sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from May 1-22 (except May 14 and 19, and dates are subject to change). Grades 3-6 will have sessions from 5-6 p.m. while grades 7-12 will play from 6:15-7:15 p.m. The cost will be $55 per participant. Participants can register by contacting Alston at jlalston@ms.com.

Spielberg, De Niro praise Coppola for earning AFI Life Achievement Award

The auteur directed many iconic films including “The Godfather”

By Krysta Fauria

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Steven

Spielberg proclaimed, “The Godfather” the “greatest American film ever made,” Robert De Niro teasingly bemoaned being cast in the sequel and not the original, and Harrison Ford fought back tears reflecting on his role in the 1974 film, “The Conversation.”

At the center of it all was Francis Ford Coppola, who on Saturday received the AFI Life Achievement Award at a ceremony at Dolby Theatre that brought together legendary stars from a seemingly bygone era of cinema,

A founding AFI trustee, Coppola’s recognition from the organization was a kind of full circle moment for the “Apocalypse Now” director.

“When I was a kid, there was the Oscars and that was it. Now they’re going to have an award show for the best award show,” the 86-year-old said on the red carpet ahead of the show. “But this is a little different because it’s a personal recognition of the people that you’ve known all your life and your colleagues over many years, so it’s like a homecoming in a way.”

“You, sir, are peerless. You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film.”

Steven Spielberg

“You, sir, are peerless. You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film,” Spielberg said.

Coppola sat between Spielberg and George Lucas, as actors and fellow filmmakers like Spike Lee, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Morgan Freeman took turns gushing over the Oscar winner.

“Dreamer of dreams on a dime, teller of tales that cost and lost millions. But tonight, (expletive) the bankers and the bank,” Freeman said to laughs and cheers.

Lucas, Coppola’s longtime friend and colleague, presented him with the award. The pair have known each other for decades and cofounded their own production company, American Zoetrope, in 1969.

“You rounded up a bunch of young film students, gathered us together. We moved to San Francisco, hoping to beat the system. And we did. Like the filmmakers from the dawn of the art form, we had no rules. We wrote them, and you were holding the pen,” Lucas said.

Coppola was mostly stoic

throughout the ceremony as Hollywood sang his praises — until he accepted the award at the end of the night.

“Now I understand here, this place that created me, my home, isn’t really a place at all, but you — friends, colleagues, teachers, playmates, family, neighbors, all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back,” he said. “I am and will always be nothing more than one of you.”

Coppola was the 50th recipient of the award first handed out to John Ford in 1973.

Coppola last year released his long-in development “Megalopolis,” a Roman epic set in a modern New York. The film drew mixed reviews from critics and flopped with audiences.

“For a year in our culture when the importance of the arts is minimized, and our industry is seemingly out in the open that the only metric to judge a film’s success is by how much money it makes, I hang on to individuals like Francis for inspiration, who live through their convictions,” said Adam Driver, who starred in the film.

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, right, accepts the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award from presenters George Lucas, left, and Steven Spielberg on Saturday.

this week in history

Napoleon dies in exile, Eiffel Towers opens, Shepard goes into space, Mandela wins presidency,

MAY 1

1931: The Empire State Building was dedicated in New York City; it would be the world’s tallest building for four decades.

1960: The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane over Sverdlovsk and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

1963: Jim Whittaker became the first American to summit Mount Everest.

1971: The national passenger rail service Amtrak went into operation.

2011: President Barack Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden.

MAY 2

1927: The U.S. Supreme Court, in Buck v. Bell, upheld 8-1 a Virginia law allowing the forced sterilization of people in order to promote the “health of the patient and the welfare of society.”

1972: A fire at the Sunshine silver mine in Kellogg, Idaho, claimed the lives of 91 miners who succumbed to

carbon monoxide poisoning.

1994: Nelson Mandela claimed victory in the wake of South Africa’s first democratic elections

MAY 3

1802: Washington, D.C., was incorporated as a city.

1937: Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, “Gone with the Wind.”

1979: The Conservative Party ousted the incumbent Labour government in British parliamentary elections.

MAY 4

1904: The United States took over construction of the Panama Canal from France.

1942: The Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircraft, began in the Pacific during World War II.

2006: A federal judge sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui to life in prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks, telling the convicted terrorist, “You will die with a whimper.”

MAY 5

1821: Napoleon Bonaparte, 51, died in exile on the island of St. Helena.

MAZHAR ALI KHAN / AP PHOTO

Former President Barack Obama announces that Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan on May 1, 2011, ending a nearly decade-long search.

MAY 6

1882: President Chester Alan Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S. for 10 years. (The act would remain in effect until 1943.)

1889: The Eiffel Tower opened to the public as part of the Paris World’s Fair.

1937: The hydrogen-filled German airship Hindenburg caught fire and crashed while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey; 35 of the 97 people on board and one crew member on the ground were killed.

MAY 7

1915: A German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner RMS Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, out of the nearly 2,000 on board.

1961: Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became America’s first space traveler.

1994: Singapore caned American teenager Michael Fay for vandalism, a day after the sentence was reduced from six lashes to four.

1973: Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby, the first of his Triple Crown victories, in a time of 1:59.4, a record that still stands.

1945: Nazi Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, ending its role in World War II.

1954: The 55-day Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended with Vietnamese insurgents overrunning French forces; it would be the last major battle of the First Indochina War.

Willie Nelson ageless on ‘Oh What A Beautiful World’

The legend’s 154th album is devoted to songwriter

Rodney Crowell

By Steven Wine

The Associated Press

IT’S FUN TO HEAR Willie Nelson sing such words as “ninja,” “fishmonger” and “absinthe,” which are among the many pleasures found in the songbook of influential country songwriter Rodney Crowell.

“Oh What A Beautiful World” is Nelson’s latest album devoted to the songs of a specific songwriter, and in Crowell, he’s interpreting a kindred spirit. While Crowell has a slightly different lyric vocabulary, both are Texans with a deep love of Hank Williams.

The pairing — great songs and a great singer — works beautifully.

He has long sounded ageless, but more than ever, Nelson sings like a sage. His reedy tenor can be a little whispery, but he displays surprising vocal range. His relaxed, conversational delivery is filled with warmth and wisdom. He’ll start a phrase late, end it early and make it seem perfect. When he reminisces about childhood on “Banks of the Old Bandera” — originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker — Nelson sounds just like he did in 1976, the year the song was written. Other material ranges from

“Shame on the Moon,” a 1982 pop hit for Bob Seger, to Crowell’s overlooked gem “She’s Back in Town.”

Also included are tunes that have been recorded by Tim McGraw (“Open Season On My Heart”) and Keith Urban (“Making Memories of Us”) and a folksy ballad co-written with Guy Clark (“Stuff That Works”).

Longtime Nelson collaborator Buddy Cannon produced the record, and the backing musicians provide graceful, tasteful support. Nelson’s beloved guitar Trigger plays a significant role, including on a careening, don’t-try-this-at-home solo on the title cut, a duet with Crowell.

Also among the highlights is “The Fly Boy & The Kid,” a prayerlike shuffle with playful lyrics that Nelson leans into. He’s equally frisky doing roadhouse blues on “She’s Back in Town,” while elsewhere the mood tends toward contemplative. “The days go by like flying bricks,” Nelson sings on the handsome ballad “Open Season On My Heart.”

More than any other song in the set, “Still Learning How to Fly” seems as if it was written for Nelson. Nearing the end of the album — Nelson’s 154th, according to Texas Monthly’s herculean ranking of his prolific discography — he sings:

“I’ve got a past that I won’t soon forget / And you ain’t seen nothing yet.” He sounds as if he means it.

solutions

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“Oh What A Beautiful World” is Willie Nelson’s 154th album.

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famous birthdays this week

Judy Collins is 86, Frankie Valli turns 91, Donatella Versace hits 70, MTV’s Kurt Loder celebrates 80 THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

MAY 1

Singer Judy Collins is 86. Filmmaker John Woo is 79. Musician Ray Parker Jr. is 71. Singer-actor Tim McGraw is 58. Filmmaker Wes Anderson is 56.

MAY 2

Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is 89. Fashion designer Donatella Versace is 70. Actor-wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is 53. Former soccer player David Beckham is 50.

MAY 3

Singer Frankie Valli is 91. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) is 82. Singer Christopher Cross is 74. Actor Amy Ryan is 57. Country musician Eric Church is 48. Golfer Brooks Koepka is 35.

MAY 4

Singer Peggy Santiglia of The Angels is 81. Actor Richard Jenkins (“The Shape of Water”) is 78. Singer Oleta Adams is 72. Country singer Randy Travis is 66.

MAY 5

Actor Michael Murphy is 87. Comedian-actor Michael Palin (Monty Python) is 82. Actor John Rhys-Davies (“Lord of the Rings,”) is 81. Former MTV News correspondent Kurt Loder is 80.

MAY 6

Singer Bob Seger is 80. Host Tom Bergeron (“Dancing with the Stars,” new “Hollywood Squares”) is 70. Actor George Clooney is 64.

MAY 7

Singer Thelma Houston is 79. Drummer Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead is 79. Director Amy Heckerling (“Clueless,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”) is 72.

ELAINE THOMPSON / AP PHOTO

Singer Judy Collins, pictured in 2017, celebrates her 86th birthday on Thursday.

VIANNEY LE CAER / INVISION /

PHOTO Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson turns 53 on Friday.

GAGE SKIDMORE VIA WIKIPEDIA Singer Thelma Houston celebrates her 79th birthday on Wednesday.

ANDY KROPA / INVISION / AP PHOTO Actor George Clooney will be 64 on Tuesday.

Tina Fey, Steve Carell in ‘Four Seasons’, ‘Yes, Chef!’ with Martha Stewart, José Andrés

Country duo Maddie & Tae drop “Love and Light”

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick going to Italy for a wedding and some mafia intrigue in the movie “Another Simple Favor” and Tina Fey and Steve Carell reuniting for the Netflix series “The Four Seasons” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: Season 2 of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” lumbers into view, RaMell Ross’ shattering movie “Nickel Boys” and country music duo Maddie & Tae return with another album full of good-time anthems.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Murder, betrayal and martinis are on the menu for “Another Simple Favor,” which brings Lively and Kendrick’s characters to Italy for a wedding, and some mafia intrigue. Paul Feig returned to the director’s chair for the film, which got largely favorable reviews out of the South by Southwest Film Festival. “Another Simple Favor” premieres on Prime Video on Thursday.

Also coming to Prime Video is one of the best movies of 2024, Ross’ shattering “Nickel Boys,” which is now streaming.

The adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel employs a first-person point of view to tell the story of two boys at a brutal reform school in the Jim Crow South. In my review, I wrote that it was “formally and emotionally eye-opening,” a memory piece and “a reconciling of unspeakable traumas and human resilience.” It was Oscar nominated for best picture and best adapted screenplay.

There’s another gem streaming on MUBI on Friday, but this is likely one most haven’t heard of. The independent film “La Cocina” flew under the radar with a modest release, but it’s worth a watch for anyone who loves innovative cinema. Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, “La Cocina” is an artistic behind-the-scenes look at a kitchen staff during the lunch rush at a busy Times Square restaurant. The tension is ramped up due to missing money and interpersonal drama between an undocumented chef (Raúl Briones) and the waitress he loves (Rooney Mara).

MUSIC TO STREAM

In a recent viral interview, the innovative Swedish rapper

and

Yung Lean declared “the party is over.” In the music video for “Forever Yung,” the lead single from his forthcoming record, he takes that spirit quite literally and holds a funeral for himself. It’s a sinisterly cheerful affair, bolstered by the song’s lo-fi production and reverbed vocals. His latest album, “Jonatan” — taken from his real name Jonatan Leandoer Håstad — arrives Friday via World Affairs. Country music duo Maddie & Tae return with another album full of good-time anthems titled “Love & Light,” their latest for Mercury Nashville/ UMG. “Drunk Girls in Bathrooms” might be the most romantic song written about a glorious five-minute friendship;

“Kissing Cowboys” sounds like a raucous good time in a crowded dive bar. It is the soundtrack to a summertime road trip with girlfriends.

Isaiah Falls, a fresh voice in R&B, will release the A-side to his debut album, “LVRS PARADISE” on Friday. The rising talent brings Southern Florida bounce to his smooth vocal performances.

TELEVISION TO STREAM

Fey and Carell — who teamed up in 2010 for “Date Night” — are reuniting again for the upcoming Netflix series “The Four Seasons.” Based on the 1981 movie of the same name, “The Four Seasons” is a come-

dy-drama about three couples who take four yearly vacations together, one for each season. Fey and Carell are joined by Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani and Kerri Kenney-Silver. Fey co-created “The Four Seasons” with her “30 Rock” collaborators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield. It starts Thursday.

Season 2 of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” lumbers into view Sunday on AMC. One of six “Walking Dead” spin-offs produced so far, “Dead City” reunites the show’s unlikely duo — Negan, played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, and Maggie, played by Lauren Cohan. They are trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long since isolated from the mainland. New faces joining the cast include Kim Coates (“Sons of Anarchy”) as the menacing Bruegel, Keir Gilchrist (“Atypical”) as Benjamin Pierce, and Dascha Polanco (“Orange Is the New Black”) as Major Lucia Narvaez.

Apple TV+ hits the kitchen with “Carême,” a French historical drama that’s being called “The Bear” crossed with “The Bourne Identity.” It tells the story of Marie-Antonin Carême, often called the father of French cuisine, as he climbs to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. It’s not just a food show — our hero must also navigate the volatile world of shifting political alliances, royal secrets and revolution-fueled suspicions.

“The party is over.” Yung Lean

NBC is also heading to the kitchen with “Yes, Chef!,” a new cooking competition that pairs Martha Stewart and José Andrés. The show pits 12 professional chefs, and Stewart and Andrés will judge their cooking skills and ability to work together as they complete in a series of high-stakes culinary challenges. The top chef will take home a $250,000 grand prize. “Yes, Chef!” is streaming on Peacock.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Skin Deep isn’t the sort of title you’d expect from California’s Blendo Games, a one -man studio that has blessed us with gonzo cult hits like Quadrilateral Cowboy and Thirty Flights of Loving. But designer Brendon Chung’s signature weirdness is all over the story, in which insurance agent Nina Pasadena has to rescue a bunch of frozen cats from space pirates. The bad guys are well-a rmed, but Nina isn’t, so she’ll have to use whatever’s at hand — broken glass, banana peels, boxes of ragweed — to take them down before she can hurl them out the airlock. It’s like “Die Hard” on a space station with a healthy dose of

and it’s available on

This image shows Steve Carell, Kerri Kenney, Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani and Will Forte in a scene from the Netflix series “The Four Seasons.”

Duplin Journal

the BRIEF this

week

Smoke expected to linger after blaze

Mount Olive Authorities warned residents to expect smoke in the area for several days due to a fire that broke out Monday night at Potter’s Wheel Ministries in Mount Olive, affecting the pallet shop. The blaze, which involved a large quantity of wooden materials, prompted an extensive response with personnel from 19 fire departments and support agencies. Firefighters brought the fire under control by early Tuesday morning, but smoke may linger because of the combustibles involved.

NC Pork Council recognizes female farmer

Duplin County Tammy Peterson of Hubbs Farm recently received the NC Pork Council Award for Excellence in Innovation for her significant contributions to agritourism. At Hubbs Farm, Peterson created a unique destination that allows kids and families to experience agriculture firsthand. According to the NC Pork Council announcement Peterson’s interactive activities and immersive farm tours, promote a greater understanding and appreciation of food production, emphasizing the vital role of farming. Peterson was one of six outstanding industry leaders recognized by the NC Pork Council at their annual conference in Raleigh.

I-40 crash prompts large-scale response

Sampson County A major accident on I-40 East near mile marker 355 prompted a large -scale emergency response Tuesday morning from fire departments and EMS units from Duplin, Sampson and Wayne counties. According to authorities, a tractor-trailer carrying fuel crashed into a passenger vehicle, overturned and caught fire after being hit by a pickup truck. The accident halted traffic for hours and involved at least five other vehicles. One person sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to the hospital. More than 18 agencies responded to the incident.

Thousands gather for annual NC Pickle Festival

Haley Yu emerged as the ultimate pickle-eating champion, devouring a jaw-dropping 12 pickles at the 2025 NC Pickle Festival last Saturday. The streets of downtown Mount Olive came alive with cheerful energy as thousands gathered for the yearly celebration. Turn to A6 for more photos.

Family of 2023 hit-and-run victim offer $10K reward for answers

“She would pray for whoever did this to her — that’s the kind of person she was”

Misty Brammer

Granddaughters Michelle Bunn and Misty Brammer traveled from Colorado to speak with the community

By K.D. Beard Duplin Journal

MOUNT OLIVE — Mary Ella Bunn loved to talk and tell stories nearly as much as she loved tending her garden. Self-educated and fiercely independent, the 96-year-old Mount Olive native affectionately known to neighbors as “Ma Bunn” grew crops year-round, often sharing them with the community she cherished. Her winter garden was flourishing when her son reported her missing in February of 2023. Officials discovered her body a few hours later in a ditch by her driveway on Summerlin Crossroads Road.

The fatal hit-and-run that robbed Bunn’s family of their beloved matriarch over two years ago remains unsolved, leaving her grieving granddaughters seeking answers and much-needed closure. Michelle Bunn and Misty Brammer are offering $10,000 for any information leading to the conviction of the party or parties responsi-

ble for their grandmother’s tragic death.

Although investigators have been able to determine that Bunn was hit by a large black or dark-colored GMC truck or SUV that suffered substantial damage to its right side in the collision, the vehicle’s specific model remains a mystery.

“Any help the community could offer in terms of finding the vehicle, whether it’s been repaired or sold, that would help tremendously,” Michelle Bunn told Duplin Journal. “Someone or everyone needs to come out and do the right thing.”

According to First Sergeant Jason Casteen with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the case is one of six unsolved pedestrian hit-and-run deaths being actively investigated in Duplin County, with some dating back to 2008. He indicated that while authorities have received leads in these cases — and specifically, in Bunn’s — they have been unable to substantiate or corroborate the information provided.

“I’m sure there’s somebody out there that knows what happened. Whether they want to

See REWARD, page A2

Bob Johnson inducted into NC Poultry Science Hall of Fame

“Today, we gather to celebrate the incredible contributions of two outstanding individuals”

Cowan Johnson

$2.00

J. Walter “Gator” Pelletier III joins Johnson in accepting the honor

Duplin Journal staff

ROSE HILL — Last week, House of Raeford Farms announced the induction of CEO Robert C. “Bob” Johnson into The North Carolina Poultry Science Hall of Fame. The North Carolina Poultry Federation (NCPF) recognized Johnson for his significant contributions to the state’s poultry industry on April 25, highlighting the multigenerational leadership of the Johnson family within the industry.

“As I look at this list of Hall of Fame inductees, I see so many that I have admired over the years. Especially my grandfather Nash and my fa-

Magnolia man acquitted in murder trial

The jury deliberated less than an hour before clearing the man of charges in the fatal shooting of Tammy James, citing self-defense claims

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

Victor Thomas Parker Jr., a resident of Magnolia, was found not guilty by a jury in Duplin County Superior Court following a brief deliberation of less than an hour. This verdict came after an intense four-day murder trial that concluded on April 17. According to a media release from the office of attorney Kennedy L. Thompson, the events leading to the trial stemmed from a tragic incident that occurred on July 14, 2021. During this incident, Parker shot and killed 53-year-old Tammy James on his front porch, claiming that he acted in self-defense. Evidence presented by the defense attorneys during the trial indicated that James had previously made threats against Parker, contributing to his fear for his safety. Furthermore, the defense argued that Parker was justified in his actions because he believed he was protecting his home from unlawful entry after having previously asked James to leave the property, driven by concerns about her suspected drug use.

ther,” said Johnson. “I learned so much from them, including to always do the right thing.

ENA SELLERS / DUPLIN JOURNAL

COURTESY HOUSE OF RAEFORD FARMS

Robert C. “Bob” Johnson was inducted into The North Carolina Poultry Science Hall of Fame on April 25. Johnson is the CEO and owner of House of Raeford Farms.

Duplin

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REWARD from page A1

come forward and identify somebody as a potential suspect, that’s a decision they’re going to have to make within themselves,” said Casteen. The First Sergeant encouraged those with knowledge of the incident to contact authorities and explained that the identity of anyone providing information would remain anonymous.

HOF from page A1

Something I try to live by each day.” Under Johnson’s leadership, House of Raeford Farms has become one of the top 10 chicken producers in the U.S. and a major revenue generator in North Carolina. In 2009, he founded House of Raeford’s FLOCK, a nonprofit organization dedicated to youth development, hunger relief, mental health support and addiction recovery. This initiative reflects a commitment to the well-being of the communities where House of Raeford operates, continuing a legacy of leadership based on the values passed down from previous generations.

By serving on key industry boards like the NCPF, the National Chicken Council, and the International Poultry and Egg

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

CALENDAR

SPONSORED BY

May 2-3

• Join the Carolina Strawberry Festival on May 2 and 3 in Historic Downtown Wallace. Friday evening will include carnival rides and live music with Carl Newton’s Review and the Band of Oz taking the main stage. Early risers can kick off Saturday with the Strawberry Festival 5K Run and the Strawberry Jam Fun Run at 8 a.m., both starting and finishing at the Campbell Center. The annual Strawberry Pageant will be at 10:30 a.m. on the main stage. The two-day festival will feature Ed’s Dinosaurs, a variety of local craft and food vendors, a beer and wine garden and live music with Chocolate Chip & Company, followed by The Embers. For more details, visit carolinastrawberryfestival.com.

May 3

• The AgCarolina Farm Credit Truck and Tractor Pull will take place on May 3 and will feature seven action-packed competitions, showcasing national champions competing against each other. The event will be held at RDD Auction, located at 1260 Raynor Mill Road in Mount Olive. Gates will open at 4 p.m., and the show will begin at 6 p.m. Admission prices are $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-12, and free for kids 5 years old and under.

May 9

• Get ready for a night of country music as Tracy Lawrence, Dillon Carmichael, and Wesko take the stage at the Duplin Events Center on Friday, May 9. Doors open at 6 p.m.

May 13

• Duplin County Trillium is hosting a free public Reentry Simulation on May 13 at 9 a.m. at the Britt Agricultural Service Center, 165 Agriculture Dr., Kenansville. Participants will gain

“People need to know that if they’ve seen something — say something.”

Without the answers they desperately need, grief has become a complicated process for the family.

“There’s nothing that we can do to bring my grandmother back. God knows, I wish that we could do that,” lamented Brammer, adding that the sudden loss and lack of resolution has pre-

Association, he has played a significant role in helping shape the poultry industry.

Joining Johnson in the North Carolina Poultry Science Hall of Fame was inductee J. Walter “Gator” Pelletier III, who has held influential roles at Goldsboro Milling Company and Butterball, where he currently serves on the Board of Directors.

“Their dedication, leadership, and tireless efforts have shaped not only the success of their respective companies but have also influenced the growth and development of the entire industry here in North Carolina,” stated Johnson’s son, Cowan, about the two inductees.

Cowan continues the family tradition as president of both the NCPF and House of Raeford’s processing and sales divisions, marking four generations of Johnson’s leading House of Raeford since 1955.

insight into the barriers individuals face when returning to society after incarceration, such as challenges in finding a job, securing stable housing, attending treatment regularly, and adhering to release conditions. Join Trillium for this informative and eyeopening experience that shows participants the challenges this population faces—and how they can help ease the path for those who walk it. Light refreshments will be provided.

May 17

• Join the Pink Hill Fireman’s Day hosted by the Pink Hill Volunteer Fire and Rescue on Saturday, May 17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be at 300 S Front St., Pink Hill and will feature a barbecue plate sale, various vendors, a car show and a raffle. Prizes in the raffle include a golf cart, a TurtleBox speaker, and $100 in cash. Tickets are $10 each, and the drawing will be held at 2 p.m.

May 21

• Duplin County Senior & Veterans Services will host an open house on Wednesday, May 21, from 2 to 4 p.m. at 156 Duplin Commons Drive, Kenansville. For more information, call 910-296-2140.

May 31

• Join the Duplin Events Center on May 31 at noon for an EMS Community Day featuring fun and education for the entire family. Sponsored by Duplin County EMS, the event will feature first-aid instruction, touch-a-truck exhibits, vendors, hands on activities, education, and entertainment for the whole family.

Happening Monthly

• The Board of County Commissioners meets the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m., at 224 Seminary St., Kenansville. For information, call 910-296-2100.

• The Beulaville town board meets the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at 508 East Main St., Beulaville. For more information, call 910-2984647.

• The Town of Calypso meets at the council chambers the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m., at 103 W.

vented her family from finding peace. “If you can imagine, it’s not just us as a family, it’s our community.”

The sisters say they’ve received information indicating that at least a handful of people know what happened — and that some are making concentrated efforts to prevent the truth from coming to light.

“How do you say it? ‘You need to come forward; this is the

Trade Street. For information, call 919-658-9221.

• The Faison town board meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m., at 110 NE Center St., Faison. For more information, call 910-267-2721.

• The Economic Development Board meets the first Friday of the month at 7 a.m. at the Duplin County Airport Conference Room.

• The Duplin County NAACP holds its monthly meetings on the first Sunday of each month at 4 p.m. at First Missionary Baptist Church, 336 West Hill St., Warsaw.

• The Greenevers town board meets the second Monday of each month at 7 p.m., at 314 E. Charity Rd. For information, call 910-289-3078.

• The Teachey town board meets the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m., at 116 East 2nd St. For information, call 910-285-7564.

• The Warsaw town board meets the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m., at 121 S. Front St. For information, call 910-293-7814.

• The Magnolia town board meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m., at 108 Taylor St., Magnolia. For information, call 910-289-3205.

• The Rose Hill town board meets the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m., at 103 Southeast Railroad St. For more information, call 910-289-3159.

• The Duplin County Health Department is offering Diabetes Self Management Classes from 1-5 p.m., the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month at 340 Seminary St. Kenansville. For information, call 910-372-9178.

• The Wallace town council meets the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at 316 East Murray St., Wallace. For more information, call 910 285 4136.

• Duplin County Beekeepers meets the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Duplin Extension Center.

• Friends of Horticulture meet the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., at the Duplin Extension Center.

• The Duplin County Airport Commission Board meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Duplin County Airport.

right thing to do, the human thing to do.’ This started as an accident, but now it’s purposeful — they’re putting themselves before the life of my grandma and the peace and closure of our family,” explained Bunn. “And that, to me… it just can’t be like that. It can’t be like that for our family or in other unsolved hitand-runs.”

Brammer expressed that in order for the family to find

peace and heal from the tragedy, the truth must come out.

“On a very basic, human level, they’ll need that too,” she said, referring to the party or parties responsible. “She would pray for whoever did this to her — that’s the type of person she was.”

Anyone able to provide information on the case is asked to contact the State Highway Patrol Office in Kenansville at 910-296-1311.

Robert C. “Bob” Johnson and J. Walter “Gator” Pelletier III were inducted into the North

Poultry Federation Poultry Science Hall of Fame on April 25. For the past 50

the NCPF has recognized industry pioneers and leaders who have made significant contributions to the state’s poultry industry with this prestigious honor.

CAROLINA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

California just isn’t working

Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of highspeed rail.

FOUR MONTHS AGO, the Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 homes in Los Angeles. Three months later, only four permits had been issued to rebuild the community.

Clearly, California just isn’t working.

The radical environmentalism, wokeism, and unionized bureaucratic micromanagement that Sacramento has imposed on the whole state is distorting reality and grinding things to a halt.

I talked with Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin about the fire and recovery. He was surprised at the tiny number of permit approvals. Under his aggressive, dynamic leadership, the EPA already cleared the burned-out neighborhoods for federal permits. Of course, as he noted, the federal permits require city and county permission.

This permitting logjam is happening even with a supposed one-stop local permit office and other efforts to cut through the red tape.

But this is only the latest part of the story. Years before the fire, two new reservoirs were approved to ensure there would be enough water for firefighting. They were never built. Some fire hydrants simply did not work. Further, emergency vehicles were trapped in government parking lots because they needed oil changes. They could not be used to fight the fires because the bureaucracy’s firm rules about routine maintenance overruled common sense and public safety.

And fire is a real danger in the whole

state. I spoke with Laguna Beach Mayor Alex Rounaghi and Fire Chief Niko King on my Newt’s World podcast. They shared their strategy for fire prevention. Laguna Beach brought in 400 goats to eat underbrush. It was a low-cost solution to clear out the vegetation that leads to hot uncontrollable fires.

The California government is trying to eliminate their goat fire prevention because the goats might eat endangered plants. (You have to wonder: What do state bureaucrats think fire does to endangered plants?) The powers in Sacramento want Laguna Beach to switch to human vegetation removal, which is four times more expensive. Meanwhile, a couple hundred goats might have saved the Palisades.

But the tragedy of the Palisades fire is just one example of how California is falling apart. The combination of weird values, ossified bureaucracy, and state legislators devoted to principles and ideas that simply don’t work are slowly destroying the state.

On a totally different front, California had more than $20 billion stolen from its COVID-19 related unemployment compensation funds. Much of the theft came from California state prisoners using the state prison’s computer system. They used identity theft and partners outside the prison to defraud taxpayers. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert joined me on Newt’s World to discuss the fraud. The story is unbelievable. When we spoke in February 2021, the estimate was

Musk half right about fertility crisis

China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

THE WORLD’S RICHEST MAN isn’t just juggling multiple companies. He’s juggling multiple baby mamas.

The Wall Street Journal recently had a long piece on Elon Musk’s complicated personal life. He has at least 14 children with four different women. The “harem drama” — in the words of Musk’s exgirlfriend Ashley St. Clair — is a mess. There are fights about custody and questions about paternity. There are details about Musk using a message on X to unsuccessfully recruit a woman to have his child. Reportedly, Musk has a compound where he wants his children and their mothers to live. There are enough emotions and chaos here to make a soap opera blush.

But the reason Musk has fathered so many children isn’t mere sexual hedonism. Musk has four children with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Neuralink. Zilis previously said Musk offered to donate sperm that she could use to have children. Musk also donated sperm to a “high-profile woman” at the request of Japanese officials, the Journal reported.

“I think for most countries, they should view the birthrate as the single biggest problem they need to solve,” Musk said last year at an investment conference. “If you don’t make new humans, there’s no humanity, and all the policies in the world don’t matter.”

The interviewer then jokingly referenced Musk’s many offspring.

“You’ve got to walk the talk,” Musk replied. “So, I do have a lot of kids, and I encourage others to have lots of kids.”

Musk is right about the need for more babies. Last year, the CDC announced that America’s fertility rate had dropped to “another historic low.” For a generation to replace itself, there needs to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women, as measured over their lifetimes. In 2023, the total fertility rate was under 1,620 births per 1,000 women. For now, immigration drives U.S. population growth.

It’s worse in many places around the world. In South Korea, women have less than 0.7 children on average. Its population is projected to drop from more than 51 million now to under 22 million by 2100. China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

This drop in population will usher in a host of problems, including an epidemic of loneliness and reduced economic growth.

But Musk’s approach to fixing this problem is wrong, immoral and ultimately counterproductive.

Children aren’t robots to build in a factory. They are human beings whose future depends greatly on the people around them. Statistically, the best thing

only $11.5 billion had been stolen. It has since doubled and no one really knows the upper limit. This astonishing incompetence drives up taxes on businesses to replenish the unemployment funds that have been drained by crooks. It’s a vicious cycle.

One final example of California not working is the proposed high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was originally proposed in 2008 for $33 billion. It was supposed to be completed by 2020. Now, a small portion has been built between small towns. The projected cost has ballooned to $128 billion — and at the current rate it will not be completed in this century. It will never reach San Francisco or Los Angeles but instead stop at small towns about 25 miles outside the cities.

While California has been squandering money on costly failures, the Japanese have had more than 60 years-experience with high-speed trains. Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of high-speed rail.

California simply doesn’t work anymore.

Since California is our largest state, this collapse of competence and common sense is a national problem. The state represents 14 percent of the national economy.

We need a serious commitment to get back to a commonsense, problem-solving California that works again. It should be a national priority.

Newt Gingrich was Republican speaker of the U.S. House.

for children is to be raised by their married biological parents. That’s why intentionally creating fatherless babies is a grave mistake. Moms and dads approach parenting differently. That doesn’t make one sex better at parenting than the other. It allows them to complement each other.

Moms and dads play with and talk to their kids in different but important ways. A child needs both the comfort of a mother’s love and the confidence that comes from a father pushing him or her to take safe risks.

Marriage brings stability that children need. Growing up with a single parent significantly increases a child’s likelihood of growing up in poverty and going to jail. It decreases their chances of graduating from college.

Married women are more likely to have children too. In 2022, the fertility rate among married women was 84.2 births per 1,000 women. Among unmarried women, it was 37.2 per thousand. Obviously, there will be outliers when you’re talking about hundreds of millions of people, but the trends are obvious.

If Musk wants to boost birth rates and improve outcomes for children, he should promote marriage, not sperm donations.

Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

COLUMN | VICTOR JOECKS

COLUMN | NEWT GINGRICH

ECU Health Duplin Hospital celebrates five-star patient experience rating

Milestone recognition reflects the team’s dedication to personalized care and community connection

By Ena Sellers Duplin Journal

KENANSVILLE — ECU

Health Duplin Hospital in Kenansville recently received a prestigious five-star Patient Experience rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a milestone the hospital staff and leadership celebrated on Monday, April 28.

Jeff Dial, president of ECU Health Duplin Hospital, told Duplin Journal that he was elated about this milestone. He was excited for his team, as patients took the time to recognize the hard work put in by team members, physicians, providers, nurses, and others. Dial emphasized that this recognition reflects the team’s dedication to providing compassionate, individualized care.

“I think it says a lot about the level of care that our patients recognize that they receive

in our community,” said Dial.

This achievement marks the hospital’s first time receiving the prestigious patient experience recognition. Dial noted, “To my understanding, we are the only community hospital our size, east of I-95 in North Carolina, that has received that achievement.”

The five-star rating signifies the lasting impact of the staff’s dedication to the community, and it was the result of strategic efforts. For the hospital it symbolizes a milestone and a standard to uphold. Dial shared that their senior leaders established multiple fivestar committees about a year or two ago.

“One of those that comes to mind is the first impressions committee,” said Dial, explaining that the committee examined specific elements of the patient experience, assessing initial impressions of the hos-

“It says a lot about the level of care that our patients recognize that they receive in our community.”

Jeff Dial, president of ECU Health Duplin Hospital

pital in areas ranging from the physical environment to food, parking, and even landscaping. Dial emphasized that the goal was not just to achieve the fivestar rating but to sustain it over time.

Dial attributes the recognition to a culture rooted in personalized care and community connection. He shared a story about Dr. John Kornegay, the medical director of the hospitalist program and Duplin County EMS medical director, highlighting the compassionate care patients experience.

According to Dial, a couple of years ago, while off duty from the hospital, Dr. Kornegay overheard a call about a pregnant woman being picked up by EMS. He located the ambulance and was able to

help t he woman who went into labor.

“I think there were twins,” said Dial. “But the fact that he was willing, while he was off shift, to locate that call for care and then stay on, I think, is a testament to the loyalty, to the care, to the personal touch.”

Dial noted that compassionate acts and personal dedication are common among all team members, from nurses to support staff.

“We don’t look at our patients as statistics or bodies in beds,” said Dial. “They are our next-door neighbors. They are family members that are in beds that are treated here … and that’s part of the culture. I routinely hear those stories, not just about our physicians, about all of our team members.”

Duplin County VAD votes to keep current chair, vice-chair

The meeting involved the review of various forms in addition to the extension of the current chair and vice-chair into 2026

By K.D. Beard Duplin Journal

KENANSVILLE — Representatives from Duplin County’s Voluntary Agricultural Districts (VAD) moved to extend the term of their current chair and vice-chair at their quarterly board meeting in Kenansville last Tuesday, foregoing an election to retain the leadership Amanda Hatcher and Cynthia Blackmore in their respective roles as chair and vice-chair until June of 2026. The meeting also included the review of updated Notice of Withdrawal/Revocation forms, and an update on the county’s revised VAD application.

Hatcher provided answers Tuesday night to various questions posed by board members at January’s meeting regarding the recording process, the addition of land to an existing VAD, ownership transfer and more. She explained that she consulted with attorney Andrew Branan, who is affiliated with North Carolina State University and possesses significant legal expertise in VAD and farm law and received valuable insights in response.

“I ran all these questions by him, and he really gave me a lot of information,” she explained.

Hatcher provided those in attendance with a printed Question and Answers sheet for their review.

“I know ya’ll asked about how Sampson County handles enrollment when the land that’s in a VAD no longer qualifies to be enrolled in VAD, so I called Eileen about that,” added Hatcher, explaining that Ei-

leen Coite was in charge of Voluntary Agricultural Districts in Sampson County. “She said it really depends on how they happen to find out. Right now, if a landowner comes to them and says, ‘Hey, I need to pull it out of the VAD’, that’s how they handle it. She said they would be looking at changing that in the future.”

The board was supplied with copies of the updated VAD application and conservation agreement, featuring changes based on member feedback from January’s meeting.

“Organization’s very good, more concise, less busy. I like it,” said J.W. Kilpatrick with

the Duplin County Agribusiness Council upon his review. With no changes suggested by the board, the updated documents will go to the county attorney for approval.

A form providing notice of withdrawal or revocation of property from VAD may also see an update in the future, with board members expressing concerns about wording in certain areas of the document and whether multiple owners can be listed on the withdrawal sheet. After discussion, the board decided the forms required further review of Duplin County Register of Deeds Anita Savage.

Hatcher and Blackmore have served as the chair and vicechair of the Duplin County VAD Board since the positions were created in July of last year. Though Hatcher attempted to open the floor for nominations for chair, the board voted unanimously to instead extend the terms of their current chair and vice-chair by another year through June 2026.

In other business, members can now purchase an optional sign for $39 that designates their property as belonging to the VAD, with a brief summary of what that entails. The board meets next on July 22 at 7 p.m.

Beulaville Area Chamber recognizes TCEMC as Business of the Month

Beulaville Tri-County Electric Membership Corporation (TCEMC) has been selected by the Beulaville Area Chamber of Commerce as Business of the Month, according to a post to the organization’s Facebook page. The company supplies approximately 24,000 customers across Duplin, Lenoir, Johnston, Jones, Sampson and Wayne counties with electricity. “This achievement highlights the hard work of our dedicated employees, our committed to the communities we serve, and our ongoing mission to provide safe, reliable and affordable electric service to our memebers,” read the post. “We are proud to power our communities and even prouder to be a part of them.”

New hours of operation effective May 3 for Duplin County Animal Services

Kenansville Duplin County Animal Services will be operating under new hours as of May 3. Though the shelter will be closed Sunday and Monday, it will remain open from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Animal interactions will end 30 minutes prior to close. Adoptions at the shelter are walk-in only, with no appointment required. Contact the shelter for more information at 910296-2159 or dcanimals@ duplincountync.com

N.C. Department of Commerce releases March employment figures

Raleigh The North Carolina Department of Commerce has released employment figures for March, indicating a gradual increase in unemployment rates compared to 2024’s state and county figures. Non-seasonally adjusted data shows Duplin County’s unemployment rate has increased by 0.1 to 3.3% over the last year, mirroring the 0.1 % increase on the state level to 3.7%. Seasonally-adjusted data shows the number of employed North Carolinians has decreased by 574 over the last month to 5,098,097 while increasing by 1,627 over the year. While the number of unemployed persons declined by 350 over the month to 195,233, the total number of unemployed persons in the state increased by 8,235 over the year.

K.D. BEARD / DUPLIN JOURNAL

The Duplin County Voluntary Agricultural Districts Board discusses proposed changes to their application form at April’s meeting. Pictured from left to right: Jeb Smith, Wanda Hargrove, Amanda Hatcher, Cole Smith, Cynthia Blackmore, James Sauls III and J.W. Kilpatrick.

Duplin Journal for Thursday, May 1, 2025

NC Pickle Festival returns

Large crowds flocked to Mount Olive last weekend for the 2025 NC Pickle Festival. The event was filled with fun, featuring live music and captivating performances that entertained everyone. Participants reveled in the thrilling pickle-eating contest, joined Ollie Q. Cumber during the costume contest, and enjoyed tons of activities and hundreds of vendors pickled throughout the streets, showcasing all things pickles.

Top, thousands gathered in downtown Mount Olive for the NC Pickle Festival.

This two-day event featured live music and entertainment with various performances throughout the day. Bottom, celebrity chef Vivian Howard was among the pickle-eating contestants at the festival on Saturday.

PHOTOS BY ENA SELLERS / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Sheila Beck (left) and celebrity chef Vivian Howard (right), a native of Duplin County, share a laugh while preparing for the pickle-eating contest last Saturday in Mount Olive.

Cheerful crowds flocked to the streets of downtown Mount Olive to enjoy the festivities at the NC Pickle Festival last Saturday.

Mount Olive Mayor Jerome Newton (right) poses for a photo next to Haley Yu who was crowned as the pickle- eating champion last weekend at the NC Pickle Festival. Participants in the contest had five minutes to eat as many pickles as possible.

DUPLIN SPORTS

Armwood takes Rebels under his wings after massive player losses

MR. BASKETBALL

2025: Donavan Armwood, ND

2024: Dujuan Armwood, ND

COACH

OF THE

YEAR Byrd wins in consecutive seasons for second time

Jeff Byrd repaired the Rebels after an 0-7 start to win his second straight Coach of the Year award, which he also won in consecutive seasons while coaching at James Kenan

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

CALYPSO — Eight years ago, Jeff Byrd led James Kean to the third round of the 1A playoffs and was named the Coach of the Year in Duplin County for the second consecutive season. He left the Tigers the following season and was a North Duplin assistant coach for the next four years. Four years into his latest gig, Byrd has a coaches’ double-double after being named the top coach in Duplin for the second consecutive season. Byrd, who played on a 1A title team at North Duplin in 1988 and coached at Hobbton for many years, may have had to work the hardest for this coaching repeat, though he prepped for the experience by coaching a team to 13 consecutive wins last season. That produced the school’s first Carolina

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

CALYPSO — For as long as he can remember, Donavan Armwood has lived in the shadow of the fame created by his older brother.

And if he ease-dropped the North Duplin senior would hear, “Donavan’s pretty good, but Dujuan is better.”

Little brother made a revenge statement by doing at least what his older sibling did in turning the Rebels around after a 0-7 start.

His consistent on-court play and leadership were second to none in

Duplin County, and if Mr. Basketball wasn’t the best player he was absolutely the best leader.

Bye-bye sibling shadow

So, this is what Armwood had to follow.

Brother Dujuan, a 2024 Rebel graduate, led the football team to a 9-3 mark by running for 1,785 yards and 27 TDs as the Journal’s Offensive Player of the Year and then averaged 16 points in basketball season to win

2023: Jalen James, WRH

2022: Jalen James, WRH

2021: Kavel Donaldson, JK

2020: None

2019: Darryl McCaster Jr. JK and Chase Ingram, ED

2018: Darryl McCaster Jr., JK

2017: Darryl McCaster, Jr, JK

2016: Johnnie Glaspie, WRH

2015: John Brooks, JK

Devon Sloan’s emphasis on being an all-around player pushed him to the first-team list with WRH teammate Matthew Wells

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

WALLACE — Some players seem to be gifted basketball players and can rely on their shooting, speed or ability to run, jump and dribble. The rest of the court is filled with nesting wanna-bees, most of which are unwilling to do the little things in the game. Not Devon Sloan or Ryan Jenkins.

Neither possess superior hoop skills, but both have high basketball IQs. Sloan, a Wallace-Rose Hill junior, worked hard enough to catch the attention of his coach and is a first-team member of the Duplin Journal’s All-Duplin boys’ basketball team. Jenkins, an East Duplin senior, narrowly missed the cut, after progressing by leaps and

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Donavan Armwood averaged a Duplin County-high 17.4 points, with 4.9 rebounds and

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Jeff Byrd played on North Duplin’s 1A title team in 1998 and has coached many years at Hobbton and for two at James Kenan.

Donavan Armwood follows his brother Dujuan as the top player in Duplin County after leading a depleted ND team into the playoffs following a winless December

Matthew Wells Calvin Harper

Tyquise Wilson

Devon Sloan

Rebels, Wildcats seek softball crowns during rivalry week

North Duplin and Richlands look to take care of business, while the Tigers and Bulldogs have rivalry games in three sports

By Michael Jaenicke Duplin Journal

WALLACE — When the Easter break ended it summoned season-ending rivalry games and conferences matchup that affect the postseason in baseball, softball and girls’ soccer.

Here’s a peek at the agenda for the final two weeks of the regular season.

The playoffs begin May 6 for baseball and softball and May 12 for soccer.

SOFTBALL

Rebels seek revenge, CC’s top seed on softball diamond

Revenge and the chance at the top seed in the 1A playoffs are top motives for the North Duplin softball team, which will play Rosewood on Thursday at Hobbton High for the CC Tournament title.

That’s assuming the Rebels (10-3, 7-1) roll the host school on Tuesday, which they have twice this season by a combined total of 32-2.

ND lost 6-3 to Rosewood two weeks ago to set up the showdown after beating the Eagles 6-4 on March 27 in Calypso.

North Duplin has four players with off-the-charts hitting numbers.

The two biggest bashers are Addy Higginbotham (.632, seven doubles, six triples, home run, 11 RBIs, three walks, eight times hit by a pitch and 24 total hits) and Lilly Fulghum (.679, six doubles, two triples, six homers, 13 RBIs, nine walks and 19 total hits).

Both have scored 24 runs.

The next wave features Ady Spence (.415, four doubles, HR, nine RBIs) and Marissa Bernal (.424, nine walks, eight times HBP).

But a hurler can’t let up with Abby Brown (.357) and Gabby Zamudio (.357), who have combined for 21 hits for a Rebel team that is hitting .409.

A win against Rosewood guarantees at least two home games in the state playoffs. The victory should be enough to move ahead of the Eagles on the state’s RPI system of seeding teams.

Rosewood began the week at No. 8 in the 1A East, while ND was 10th.

ND lost to 4A Topsail 5-2 during the break.

Higginbotham tripled and scored. Fulghum had a double and Zamudio, M’chelle Jaco and Kaydanyce Locklear each ripped a hit.

It was the Rebels’ second loss in three games.

The tournament was played at Hobbton High School, which has arguably the worst diamond in the conference.

Wildcat seeks outright Coastal title

By the time this is in print, Richlands will either be the champion or co-champion of the Coastal 3A Conference.

The Wildcat (16-4, 8-0) beat West Carteret (16-3, 7-1) in a 4-2 thriller that ended in 10 innings, on April 3 in Richlands. The Pats host the Tuesday game.

Richlands’ regular season finale is two days later in Swansboro.

The showdown is on because the Wildcats survived Dixon 2-1 in 10 innings last Thursday.

Jalilah Wilson homered and singled and drove in a run and LeNayah Jackson double in a Camaron Cubas.

Richlands had other scoring opportunities but left 12 runners stranded on the bases. Dixon abandoned seven against Makenzie Goin, who scattered three hits, whiffed 15 and didn’t allow a walk.

Addison Woods knocked in Kailei Dawsey in the seventh to force extra innings.

Panthers gain momentum for final stretch

East Duplin swept its way past Dixon and Rosewood during the holiday at its oneday, four-team tournament.

The Panthers (11-7, 8-3) will finish behind North Lenoir (122, 8-1) and South Lenoir (10-6, 8-1) in the ECC and play Southwest Onslow (7-13, 3-8) and East Bladen (7-17) this week.

During the two wins, RBIs were passed around like dugout gum.

Morgan Brown, Kinsey Cave, Sophia Jones and Karsyn Parker each drove in a run in both games.

Jones, a freshman, gave up eight hits but beat White Oak 11-2, as ED scored four runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Brown laced a pair of hits and Jones drove in two run.

Bulldogs-Tigers renew rivalry

Wallace-Rose Hill and James Kenan clash on Thursday in a game that means little to anyone outside the Duplin sports neighborhood.

The Bulldogs (7-10, 4-6) and Tigers (5-9, 4-6) play for pride and possibly a spot in the 2A playoffs as both are near the 32team RPI cutoff for schools in the East.

The ’Dawgs best weapons are Jansley Page(.442, three doubles, two triples, 11 RBIs, 18 runs), Sophia Sloan (.349, four doubles, HR, 12 RBIs) and Payton Tyndall (.349, double, two triples, 12 RBIs, 84 strikeouts in 82 innings in the circle) and Chloe Straughn (.367, three doubles).

The Tigers counter with Jourdan Joe (.526), Kenadi Gideons (.426) and Shylah Sloan (. 455).

WRH has won three of its last four. JK has lost five of its last six.

The Bulldogs have beaten the Tigers seven times in a row and lead the series 21-4.

BASEBALL

Kern notches 100th, seeks to shut down SWO

Panthers have outside chance at second place in the ECC, but needed to beat SWO last Tuesday and also have South Lenoir beat rival North Lenoir to finish ahead of the Hawks, who they swept during the regular season.

No bones about it, East Duplin wants to payback the Stallions after a 3-2, 12-inning loss in Jacksonville on March 28.

And ace Kyle Kern will be on the hill.

Kern got his 100th strikeout in a 5-2 win over Rosewood during the Kinston Easter Classic at Grainger Stadium.

The senior has 110 whiffs after counting out 13 Eagles. He’s 5-1 with a 1.61 ERA. It was the seventh time he struck out 10 or more in a game. Cain Graham and Austin Rouse drove in runs, and Calvin Harper had a pair of singles.

Gavin Holmes pitched a hitless seventh in relief.

East Duplin beat Southern Wayne and fell to C.B. Aycock in its other two tourney affairs. The Panthers (11-7, 8-3) have won five of six entering this week’s action.

Tigers-Bulldogs 2:

It’s always big

Expect a battle anytime Wallace-Rose Hill and James Kenan meet.

This Thursday in Warsaw, the Tigers will be looking to shock the Bulldogs, who have a 21-7 series lead since 2009, who have won the past three games after JK had a rare sweep of four games in 2022 and 2023.

WRH (6-13, 3-7) stopped JK (4-9, 2-8) on March 13 when Kaiden Lui fired a one-hit, 11-strikout 7-0 shutout.

The Tigers have gone 2-6 since then, even with the bats of Eli Avent (15 hits and a .500 mark), Cal Avent (.393) and Paxton Smith (.379).

WRH (5-15, 3-7) is 4-8 during the same stretch behind the heat and hitting of Lui (423, six doubles, three triples, HR, 15 RBIs) and swings of freshman second baseman Reese Buckner (.333) and Caden Gavin (.317), who each drove in nine runs.

Yet the biggest surprise is se-

nior Khalil Mathis’ rise to .372. Tonight (Thursday) no statistics will matter as JK alum and coach Lee Sutton and WRH grad and coach Logan Kissner play for all what feels like all the marbles.

Rebels look toward rematch with Eagles

North Duplin (9-9) lost to 2A schools South Lenoir, North Lenoir and Midway at the Kinston Easter Classic and were to play Hobbton for the third time in the Carolina 1A Conference Tournament, which started on Monday.

A win will likely pit the Rebels against regular season champ Rosewood. The two schools split two close games earlier in the campaign. ND won 3-2 on April 15 in Goldsboro. Rosewood (15-3) won 2-1 on March 27 in Calypso.

The finals are today (Thursday) at Hobbton High School.

SOCCER

Panthers seek share of title vs. Stallions

It might take a monumental effort, but East Duplin can beat Southwest Onslow on Monday and earn a share of the ECC title.

The Panthers (10-7-2, 7-1) have won five straight by outscoring the opposition 20 - 0 ED has eight shutouts this spring. SWO (12-3-3, 9-0), though, have surrenders a mere 16 goals and have scored 43, including 18 by Oriyana Galloway and 16 from Payton Berg.

ED lost the first encounter 4-0 and will have more healthy players than when the two schools collided on March 28 in Jacksonville.

Anamarie Rodrigues nearly single-handedly beat the Stallions twice last season. She had 12 goals. Running partner Katelyn Jones has nine and Miranda Roblero seven.

Buckle up, Bulldogs invading Tigers pitch

Wallace-Rose Hill (7-7, 3-5) will go for a sweep of its biggest rival today (Thursday) when it travels to Warsaw to knock heads with James Kenan (7-5, 4-4).

The first match was a physical encounter with the Tigers pulling out a 1-0 verdict via a goal by leading scorer Katherine Enamorado, who has 27 goals this spring.

The Bulldogs have won three of their last four matches but are 11-4-3 against their rival since 2012.

Rebels get third shot at Leopards

No. 3 North Duplin (8-5, 7-3) lost two matches to Hobbton by 4-1 and 5-1 counts this season, but were to face the No. 2 Wildcats (9-7-1, 7-2) in the first round of the Carolina Conference 1A Tournament in Hobbton.

Even a loss wouldn’t prevent the Rebels from making the state tournament field, a rare feat for girls’ soccer in Calypso. No. 1 Neuse Charter (11-4-1, 8-2) meets No. 4 Union (5-8, 5-5) in the other semifinal match. The winners play today (Thursday).

Share with your community! Send us your births, deaths, marriages, graduations and other announcements: community@duplinjournal.com Weekly deadline is Monday at Noon

PHOTOS BY EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

East Duplin’s Calvin Harper ran to the left field line in an attempt to catch a ball hit during a game at the Kinston Easter Classic at Grainger Field.

Left, ED’s Kinsey Cave, left, and Morgan Brown are in the stretch run of the season, with the playoffs starting on May 6. Right, ED’s Kayleigh Chase, left, and WRH’s Bri Maradiaga spar for possession of the ball.

Conference championship in 22 years. This winter he had to totally rebuild the Rebels and fended off a 0-7 start.

ND was a different team two days after New Years following a 90-69 loss to Princeton, its fourth setback to a 2A school and losses to Lejeune (17-7) and Wayne Country Day (28-8).

The Rebels won three of their next four games, which included a 61-60 triumph over the Bulldogs in Princeton.

The ball was only starting to roll in favor of the Rebels.

A loss to CC champ Lakewood (22-2) didn’t deter the progress. ND won eight of its next nine games before falling a third time to the Leopards and 6-foot-8 freshman phenom Xavier Hall, who averaged 16.4 points, 13.5 boards and 6.5 blocks.

ND would not win a league title, but its lone loop losses were to Lakewood.

Now for the real backstory to the Rebels’ season, which starts at the end of the 2024 season.

The Rebel had gone 17-10 and advanced to the third round of the playoffs, and though graduation took Mr. Basketball Dujuan Armwood, Dylan Tyndall and Brady Byrd, a solid foundation was slated to return.

But juniors Micah Lesesane (11 points, 6.2 rebounds) and Tev Collins (5.6 points) transferred, and Division 1 football signee Trashawn Ruffin (6.3 points, 5.3 rebounds) decided to skid basket-

Mr. Basketball honors in Duplin County.

While it would be going too far to say Donavan topped his brother’s accolades, he certainly kept of the family tradition.

No Duplin County player was as consistent as Armwood, who averaged a county-high 17.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists.

He was the Rebels’ second-leading tackle as a defensive back last fall for a North Duplin team that went 10-1 and captured a Carolina 1A Conference title.

Yet the school year hasn’t been easy for Armwood, whose mother died just before the playoffs last fall.

He missed the regular season finale win against Hobbton that was too close for comfort (34-31) as the Wildcats’ picked apart the Rebel secondary in the second half, and then a 35-8 thrashing of East Bladen in the first round of the postseason.

He returned and North Duplin suffered a third-round loss to bitter and longtime rival Lakewood. Armwood did it all on the basketball court for head coach Jeff Byrd, from leaping for the opening tip, to playing all five positions on the court.

The Rebels fed off his play.

Yet first it must be understood that the players around Armwood were not as experienced as those around his brother. What could have been vanished last year when Dujuan, Brady Byrd (4.3 points per game) and Dylan Tyndall (5.6) picked up diplomas and juniors Micah Lesesane (11 points, 6.3 boards) transferred and Division 1 football recruit Trashawn Ruffin (6.3, 5.3) decided not to play basketball.

Lesesane, Collins and Donavan played on played on one of Byrd’s two platoon squads that helped North Duplin win 13 straight to end the season.

ball to concentrate on football.

Byrd pieced his early lineups together a lineup early in the season that was far from his plans when the 2024 campaign ended.

He used Mr. Basketball Donavan Armwood (17.4 points) as the Rebels’ anchor, with forwards Branson Martin (9.1) and Luke Kelly (6.5), Lucas Dail (4.4) and Holden Williams (5.8) as key contributors, though he was not able to platoon troops onto the floor as he did the previous season.

Guard Duquan Stevens (6.5) got involved and Byrd brought up junior two junior varsity players — Noah Bennett (5.0 in nine games) and Noah Price (1.2) — and the freshmen made positive strides, while mostly avoiding young-player mistakes.

The end result of a lot of “little efforts” forged North Duplin into a team that did more together. No one doubted that Armwood was the brightest star most nights, even as his teammates were both supporting him and finding ways to make an impact.

Top-coach talk: Lanier turns around Panthers’ fortunes

Byrd beat out East Duplin coach Blake Lanier for the award. The Panthers recovered from a 2-22 campaign in ’24 with an 11-11 overall mark. Even though East Duplin beat North Duplin 65-51, the Panthers went 3-9 in ECC play.

The same goes for JK (8-1`2, 4-9), who beat ND 81-67.

Kudos to Lanier, though, who an ED alum.

JK coach Taylor Jones (ND)

COACH OF THE YEAR

2025: Jeff Byrd, ND

2024: Jeff Byrd, ND

2023: Ervin Murray, WRH

2022: Ervin Murray, WRH, Taylor Jones, JK

2021: Ervin Murray, WRH

2020: Blake Lanier, ED

2019: Reggie Melvin, JK

2018: Reggie Melvin, JK

2017: Jeff Byrd, JK

2016: Jeff Byrd, JK

2015: Robert Ross, ED

and WRH coach Ervin Murray likewise both have Duplin diplomas and player profiles at their respective schools.

So does Southwest Onslow head coach Breon Hall, a former Panther who led the Stallions to their second straight ECC crown. SWO went 23-6 this winter and 24-2 the previous season.

Hall had somewhat average overall talent this past season, yet still pushed SWO past 2A powerhouse Kinston by using a team concept.

Meanwhile, Byrd won Duplin’s COY crown for a record fourth time. Murray seemed to have his fourth honor locked up before WRH (11-8, 7-6) lost five of six games the first two weeks of February. JK’s Reggie Melvin is the only other multiple winner.

The rebuilding-with-a-coreof- experience plan went down the drain.

ND’s only other scoring returnee was Branson Martin (9.1 points). He and Luke Kelly (6.5) were solid, allowing other players to gain confidence. Freshmen Noah Price and Noah Bennett came along late in the season, and juniors Holden Williams (5.8) and Duquan Stevens (6.5) found ways to contribute around the play of Armwood.

He set the tables and saved the season for the Rebels, who lost three times to Lakewood (22-2), which had a talented club, which included 6-foot-8 frosh Xavier Hall (16. 4 points, 13.2 rebounds, 6.5 blocks), who was a third-team all-state player as per MaxPreps.

Armwood’s biggest deficiency might be he does not move well to his left. Yet on most plays his speed and quickness were overcoming factors in his drive to the iron or his elevation on shots and rebounds.

North Duplin finished 11-12 overall and 9-3 against schools its size.

It’s hard to easy to imagine where the Rebels might have been with Lesesane, Collins and Ruffin and hard to imagine where the season would have gone without the fearless play of Armwood.

North Duplin ran to the beat made by his long-reaching arms, fast-breaking legs and inside moves.

Notes from the trophy case

A James Kenan player has won the award six times, including Darryl McCaster, who won it outright twice and shared it with East Duplin’s Chase Ingram in 2019. Ingram, an ECU grad, is an assistant coach for the Panthers.

WRH’s Jalen James has captured the honor twice.

Byrd won his second Coach of the Year title in a row. He claimed that honor in 2016 and 2017 as the coach of James Kenan.

No Mr. Basketball was awarded in 2021 because an argument could have been made for a handful of players with similar stats and strengths.

Visit richsheatandairnc.com or scan the

ATHLETE OF

Sawyer Marshburn

East Duplin, baseball

Sawyer Marshburn is a two-tool catcher.

The East Duplin junior has yet to make an error this season and has stroked seven hits and driven in five runs in his last five games to raise his batting average to .304.

He’s delivered 17 hits, eight walks and stuck out just five times in 66 plate appearances while driving in 11 runs.

The Panthers have won five of six and entered the week 12-7 overall and 8-3 in ECC play.

Marshburn made his way to the field as a freshman and last season hit .258.

He’s also handled ED’s hurlers — Kyle Kern, Cain Graham, JP Murphy and reliever Gavin Holmes — differently to fit their style of pitching.

EDWARDO PUAC / DUPLIN JOURNAL

Donavan Armwood averaged a Duplin County-high 17.4 points, with 4.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Bill Carone

bounds and 3-pointers the second-half the season.

“He’s always where he’s supposed to be and doing what he’s supposed to be doing,” said Bulldog coach Irvin Murray. “He gets the round for the basket someone else makes. He makes the pass to set up the play. He just does things a coach likes to see.”

Sloan, who averaged 5.7 points, was joined on the first team by teammate Matthew Wells, James Kenan’s Tyquise Wilson, East Duplin’s Calvin Harper, who was second in scoring among all players to Mr. Basketball Donavan Armwood, whose brother Dujuan wore the crown a year ago.

Bulldog Jamarae Lamb paced the second unit, which includes Jenkins, Branson Martin, T.J Oats and Marlo Harris.

The third team consists of Luke Kelly, Zack Ball, Dujuan Stevens, Darius Howard and Aaron Hall.

Three ’Dawgs -- Sloan, Wells and Lamb -- were the only juniors among the top-10.

Players were selected after conversations with area coaches.

FIRST TEAM

Donavan Armwood, ND, Sr. G/F

(See Mr. Basketball story)

Matthew Wells, WRH, Jr., SF

“Anytime I remember Wallace making a run No. 15 made a shot or two.”

That’s what James Kenan coach Taylor Jones said about Wells, whose Bulldogs beat the Tigers three times.

The most-heavily mark player by the opposition was Wells, who averaged 11.6 points as the best catch-and-shoot craftsman in the county.

Wells worked well in the halfcourt set and in transition and can pass and dribble and defend. While fundamentally sound, shooting the ball is his forte.

He was WRH’s starting quarterback in the fall and is an athlete who battles each play until the final whistle.

Wells moved up from his spot on the third team in 2024.

Calvin Harper, ED, Sr. SG

Calvin Harper canned 50 3-pointers en route to averaging 16.8 points as a first-team repeat performer.

The senior scored 754 points in two years, while averaging 75 percent from the free-throw line and zipping in 116 bombs.

Harper did a lot of damage to a lot of teams as a 5-foot-6, 145-pound gunner.

He scored 18 or more points 11 times.

The Panther carved out North Lenoir for a season-high 29 on Jan. 9 and knocked down 21 vs.

Wallace-Rose Hill in the Panthers’ best win of the campaign.

Devon Sloan, WRH, Jr. F

It was never about points when evaluating the play of Sloan, who averaged 5.7 points.

It was about how he executed each play. And that summation came from head coach Irvin Murray.

Sloan teamed up with Wells and Lamb to guide WRH to an area-best mark of 11-8, which included a 4-1 mark against ED and JK, ECC 2A rivals until the fall when WRH and JK move to an all-3A league, while ED stays in the ECC, which is a 4A loop this fall after the NCHSAA’s four-year realignment program of classes and conferences based on a schools population.

Look for Sloan to be a mover and shaker on two fields of play during his senior year.

Tyquise Wilson, JK, Sr., PG

Tyquise Wilson season started slowly because he was a key player on the football team that advanced to the fourth round of the 2A playoffs, playing as a DB, WR and kick-return specialist.

He also missed a game because he was playing in an all-

SIDELINE REPORT

star football game featuring players across the nation.

In the second half of the season, Wilson showed his talent by averaging 13 points, four assists, 4.2 rebounds, and three steals as a lightning quick point guard. Wilson is playing Division 2 football this fall at Johnson C. Smith University. He was an all-Duplin first team wide receiver.

Wells was a second-team selection in 2024.

SECOND TEAM

Jamarae Lamb, WRH, Jr., G

Any time Jamarae Lamb has success, WRH follows. The junior averaged 8.4 points following a gridiron season in which he led the Bulldogs in rushing. He will play football in college and if the past is any indication, this was his final prep hoop campaign. That was the routine for RBs Kanye Roberts (Appalachian State), Irving Brown (Ohio University) and Javonte Williams (UNC).

Ryan Jenkins, ED, Sr., PG

No player had more “want-to” than Jenkins, whose love for the game can be seen in his game.

The point guard averaged

7.1 points and 3.3 assists, while having sharp ball skills. He is the most improved player in Duplin and became that by constantly showing improvement game to game.

He’ll never win a shooting contest, but Jenkins was steady and a team player.

Branson Martin, ND, Sr., F

Martin averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds as the second scoring source for North Duplin. He made 43 tackles as a LB in the fall for the school’s 10-1 football team.

T.J Oats, JK Sr., G/F

Oats lite up like a Christmas tree in the first half of the season, only to cool like the weather. In fact, he might was on pace to capture Mr. Basketball.

But his shooting and play in the second half of the season didn’t keep pace with his pre-Christmas fireworks.

Oats averaged 9.3 points and 3.1 boards, after being a firstteam selection as a junior.

Marlo Harris, WRH, Sr. G

Harris averaged 6.1 points playing in coach Murray’s rotational lineups, showing prow-

Coach of the Year

Jeff Byrd, North Duplin

Mr. Basketball

Donavan Armwood, ND, Sr.

First Team

Calvin Harper, ED, Sr. Matthew Wells, WRH, Jr. Tyquise Wilson, JK, Sr. Devon Sloan, WRH, Jr.

Second Team

Jamarae Lamb, WRH, Jr. Ryan Jenkins, ED, Sr. Branson Martin, ND, Sr. Darius Howard, JK Sr. T.J Oats, JK, Sr.

Marlo Harris, WRH, Sr.

Third Team

Zack Ball, ED, Jr. Luke Kelly, ND, Sr. Zamarion Smith, JK, Jr. Darrius McCrimmons, WRH, Jr. Duquan Stevens, ND, Jr.

ess in ball handling, rebounding and passing. He was a steady experienced player on a young up-and-down team.

THIRD TEAM

Zack Ball, ED, Jr.

Averaged 6.5 points and 4.1 boards as a key player in ED’s nine-game improvement from the previous season.

Luke Kelly, ND, Sr.

Kelly didn’t make ill-advised plays or play beyond his skills. He averaged 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds, which followed a football season in which he was the QB for a 10-1 team that won a conference flag.

Zamarion Smith, JK, Jr.

Hustled and then hustled more to make up for a teammate. This was the creed of Smith, who averaged 10.1 points and never stopped moving on the floor.

Darrius McCrimmon, WRH, Jr.

McCrimmon introduced himself to the sport by averaging 6.3 points. Look for big things in two sports from the junior, who is also played well as a cornerback for the school’s grid team.

Duquan Stevens, ND, Jr. Stevens tapped into his potential this winter by averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 boards. It would be no stretch to see him double those figures next season.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NORTH CAROLINA DUPLIN COUNTY FILE#25E001058-300 The undersigned, WILMA L. COLE, having qualified on the 14TH DAY of

NASCAR Legge claims she’s receiving death threats after Xfinity crash at Rockingham

Rockingham

NASCAR driver Katherine Legge said she has been receiving “hate mail” and “death threats” after a crash last weekend at Rockingham. Legge was off the pace when she was hit by William Sawalich and collected Kasey Kahne. Legge said “the inappropriate social media comments I’ve received aren’t just disturbing, they are unacceptable.” The 44-year-old Legge has started four Indianapolis 500s and been a regular in several series around the world. But she is a relative novice when it comes to stock cars. She crashed in her Cup Series debut at Phoenix earlier this season.

NCAA SPORTS Judge delays $2.8B NCAA settlement to address roster limit concerns

San Francisco

The judge overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences has delayed final approval of the plan until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken signaled she is ready to approve the rest of the settlement but wants both sides to come up with a way to not harm current athletes who will lose their spots on teams. The settlement calls for scholarship limits to be replaced by roster limits. Some attorneys argued that Wilken’s order could throw college sports into chaos.

Ryan Jenkins

Sharon Tucker Davis

Feb. 5, 1960 – April 14, 2025

Sharon Tucker Davis, 65, passed away on April 14. She is survived by her son, Scott Tucker (Shulamite) of New Mexico; and her brother, Gregory Tucker (Shon) of Wilmington. All arrangements are private.

Vernon Glenn McCrimmon

April 12, 1962 – April 20, 2025

Vernon Glenn McCrimmon, 63, of Beulaville passed away April 20 at his residence. Funeral service was held Monday, April 28 at Hallsville Missionary Baptist Church in Beulaville. Interment followed the service at Hallsville Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery.

Nelson Sasser Baker

Aug. 6, 1957 – April 28, 2025

Nelson Sasser Baker, 67, of Kenansville passed away Friday, April 25 in Georgia. Nelson was born August 6, 1957 in Duplin County to the late Earl Nelson Baker and Carolyn Sasser Baker.

Nelson was a very loving husband, daddy to his children and poppie to his grandchildren. Nelson was a trusted member of the Kenansville Fire Department. He served as a Town Commissioner for many years and served on the board of the State Employees Credit Union Board for 11 years. Nelson was an avid supporter of James Kenan Sports. Nelson touched most of the lives of the people in our area in one way or another.

A funeral service was held May 1 at Duplin Commons in Kenansville, with visitation prior to service. Burial followed in the Devotional Gardens.

Nelson leaves to cherish his memory his son, Brian Baker of Wilmington; daughter, Dana Baker and husband Brian Jones of South Carolina; brother Stanley Baker and wife Maria of Magnolia; grandchildren, Ella Grace, Easton, Lucas and Elsa Rose.

In addition to his parents, Nelson was preceded in death by wife, Pamela Sue Baker; and son, Kevin Allen Chambers.

Garland Hines Jr.

Feb. 20, 1968 – April 24, 2025

Garland Hines, Jr. age 57, of Rose Hill left this earthly life much too soon on Thursday, April 24.

He was born on February 20, 1968, in Pender County to Brenda Batts Hines of Wallace and the late Garland Hines Sr. Jr., as he was affectionately called, was the owner and operator of Johnny’s Body Shop in Wallace. During the many years working at Johnny’s Body Shop, Jr. acquired many customers that became his friends. He was a very dedicated hard worker who made a wonderful life for he and his wife. Jr. is survived, in addition to his mother, by his loving wife of 16 years, Beverly Lanier Hines of the home; his children, Christopher Shane Hines and wife Charlie Beth, Justin Hines, Hannah Hines Lanier and husband Ladarrius, and Kylee Raynor; grandchildren Delaney Raynor, Addison Hines, Charlotte Hines, Camden Hines, Walker Hines, Jayden Hines, Jaxon Lanier, Jordyn Lanier, Jakob Lanier, Jeslie Lanier and Jenley Lanier; sisters Donna Benton and husband Tony, Susan Savage and husband Jamie, Marcie Hines and Sheila Hines; his best friend and canine companion, Winnie; numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends that loved Jr. dearly.

Jr. was a devoted husband and caring daddy, granddaddy, son, brother, and uncle. He was a simple man who enjoyed the simplest things in life, but his greatest joy was family. Jr. adored his wife; she was his rock, and he was hers. He was a good daddy who provided for them and loved them. Jr. was a great fan of Donald Trump, he was not ashamed to let you know it. He enjoyed deer hunting, sitting by a fire listening to music, relaxing in “his building,” spending time with his wife at their 2nd home at the beach, dipping and drinking a beer and spending time with the family. Jr. considered his friends and coworkers a part of his family. Jr. was a very talented body man. He worked hard to please his customers and always did his best for his customers. With a big heart, Jr. would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it. He was a caring, and compassionate man to everyone, including strangers. Most of all, he loved his grandchildren. They were the apple of his eyes, and he enjoyed every minute he spent with them. Jr’s family, friends and community have a huge void in their hearts today. He will surely be missed and never forgotten. Funeral service was held on Monday, April 28 at Crossroads Church in Harrells, with Pastor Joseph Tew officiating. The family received friends one hour prior to the funeral service on Monday at the church. Graveside service followed at Harrell’s Cemetery.

Christopher Shawn Rouse

July 11, 1977 – April 22, 2025

Christopher Shawn Rouse, age 47, of Wallace passed from this earthly life to his eternal rest on Tuesday, April 22.

He was born in New Hanover County on July 11, 1977; the son of Janice Rouse Stump and the late Larry Stump of Goldsboro. Preceding Chris in death are his brother, Benjamin D. Stump, and grandmother, Ferdelia Rouse.

Left to cherish his memory are his children, Taylor Murray and husband Aaron of Willard, Caden Rouse, Carter Rouse and Christa Rouse, all of Willard; aunt, Debbie Pierce and husband Jeff of Wallace; numerous extended family and friends who loved him dearly.

Chris battled multiple medical problems for the past few years. Before he became disabled, he delivered LP gas locally for many years. He also drove an oil truck collecting used motor oil from many businesses around the area and did courier work parttime. Chris was a hard worker and dedicated to his jobs. He enjoyed driving around on Saturday mornings checking out yard sales; he loved finding a good deal. He enjoyed his Sundrop, a hot cup of coffee, fishing and spending time with his family. Chris loved his family more than anything. He will surely be missed, but never forgotten.

Funeral service was held on Tuesday, April 29 at QuinnMcGowen Funeral Home, Wallace Chapel.

The family received friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial followed the service at James Cemetery in Cypress Creek.

Grace Swartzendruber Reeve

May 19, 1959 – April 23, 2025

Grave S. Reeve, 65, passed away on Wednesday, April 23 in ECU Duplin Heath, Kenansville. She is preceded in death by a daughter, Angela Burnett. Surviving are her son, Rodney Burnett, Ohio; daughter, Miranda Hunt (Bert), Ohio; and sisters, Ruth Peterson, Ohio and Joyce Myers, Ohio. All services are private.

Christopher Allen “Chris” Heath

Oct. 25, 1959 – April 21, 2025

Christopher Allen Heath, 65, passed away on Monday, April 21. He was a devoted father, proud grandfather, and beloved son. His greatest accomplishment was his children and grandchildren - who brought endless joy to his life. His legacy is one of dedication and deep love for his family.

Chris is survived by his children: Sara Heath Stroud and husband Ben of Warsaw; Jordan Heath and wife Brittany of Kenansville; Anna Heath Herring and husband Morgan of Mount Olive; and his “second son,” Ray Hardy. He also leaves behind his grandchildren: Paxton and Pierson Stroud; Millie Ruth, Max, and Thea Heath; and Owen Herring.

He is also survived by his mother, Ethel Dail Heath; his brother, Donnie Heath; and his sisters, Melissa Newcomb and Kim Sugg.

Chris was preceded in death by his father, James Donald Heath, and his brother, Gregory Heath.

A Celebration of Life to honor Chris was held on Friday, April 25 at Kenansville Baptist Church. The family will received friends one hour prior to service.

Allen Futreal

Dec. 15, 1933 – April 21, 2025

Allen Futreal, age 91, died Monday, April 21 at Dayspring of Wallace. He is survived by his wife, Mary Ellen Futreal of Chinquapin. Funeral service was held Thursday, April 24 at Muddy Creek Primitive Baptist Church, with visitation an hour prior to service. Internment followed at Brown Cemetery in Fountaintown.

Carolyn Partridge Reedy

Oct. 22, 1946 – April 22, 2025

Carolyn Partridge Reedy, 79, passed away on Tuesday, April 22 in ECU Health Duplin Hospital, Kenansville. She is survived by her sons, Alex Givens (Cynthia) of Arizona, Gary Simpson of Chinquapin, John Paul Simpson (Tracy) of Grandy, and Delbert Simpson (Emily) of Utah; 12 grandchildren; and 11 greatgrandchildren. All services are private.

H. Ray Bishop

Jan. 20, 1940 – April 28, 2025

H. Ray Bishop, 85, passed away at his home Monday morning, April 28. Ray had been a life-long resident of the Scott’s Store community near Mount Olive. In his early years, he was a painter, but changed career paths and joined Scott and Jones, Inc. where he excelled as a welder, metal fabricator, and millwright. In his retirement years, he enjoyed making custom stainless steel grills.

He is survived by his two children and their spouses, Lori Ann Bishop Whitted and Ormond Whitted, Jr.., and Tony Ray Bishop and Robin Britt Bishop, all of the Mount Olive area; his dear lady companion, Jo Deal, also of Mount Ollive; a sister, Mary Rose Brock of Georgia; three grandsons, Graham Whitted and wife, Amber Lawrence Whitted, Cody Ray Whitted, and Anthony Ray Bishop; five great-grandsons, Avery, Taylor, Rowen, Luke , and Devon Whitted; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Ann Brogden Bishop; his parents, Herman and Julia Rhodes Bishop; and eight of his siblings, Chancey “Bud” Bishop, Doris B. Carrell, Athalene B. Jones, Hubert Bishop, Hillburn Bishop, Haylon Bishop, Ruth B. Houston, and Marie B. Andrews.

Friends and family gathered on Wednesday, April 30 at Maplewood Cemetery in Mount Olive to remember Ray’s life. Officiating was the Rev. Mark S. Hobbs; Phillip Waters shared special thoughts.

Carolina Strawberry Festival Garden Gala 2025

PHOTOS BY K.D. BEARD / DUPLIN JOURNAL

The picturesque Gardens of Southeastern North Carolina delighted guests at the Carolina Strawberry Festival’s Garden Gala on April 26.

Left, Wallace Town Administrator Rob Taylor chats with former mayor Charley Farrior at the 2025 Garden Gala last weekend. Right, Rob Taylor, Jackie Nicholson, Jason Davis, Tasha Herring, Andy Raynor, Jennifer Raynor, Jason Wells and Brent Dean, from left to right, pose for a photo in front of the Carolina Strawberry Festival backdrop.

Left, Garden Gala guests look at options for refreshments, including an open bar and catering provided by the Mad Boar. Top right, The Blackwater Band performs a cover of Van Morrison’s Brown-Eyed Girl at the 2025 Garden Gala last weekend. Bottom right, Attendees could seek solace from the heat in the air-conditioned tent where refreshments were served at the 2025 Garden Gala.

THE STANLY COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Barber arrested at U.S. Capitol during budget protest

Washington, D.C.

The Rev. William Barber, a North Carolina minister and activist, was arrested alongside other faith leaders at a demonstration Monday in the Capitol Rotunda The prominent minister and former NAACP NC president was protesting against the proposed Republican-led federal budget, which would extend and expand broad tax cuts alongside cuts to social and environmental programs.

“If you can’t challenge your adversary with the hope that they change and to know that even if they don’t, at least they will have no excuse that they did not get told what is right.” Barber said in remarks outside the Capitol shortly before his arrest. Barber organized and led Moral Monday marches in Raleigh a decade ago that spread elsewhere in the state.

Protestors engaged in civil disobediance at the rallies, and several — including Barber — were arrested and charged with misdemeanors.

Trump offers U.S. automakers some relief on tariffs

Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to relax some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. Tuesday’s action is a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers.

Independent analyses have indicated that the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make U.S. production less competitive worldwide.

Decision looming on PFAS drinking water limits

The Trump EPA will soon weigh in on “forever chemicals”

By Michael Phillis The Associated Press

IN PAIN SO bad he couldn’t stand, Chris Meek was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening ruptured gallbladder. When he emerged from surgery, he learned he had kidney cancer that thankfully hadn’t yet spread. Meek, a social studies teacher in Wilmington, North Carolina, was 47 at the time. But he remained confused for years about why, as someone seemingly not at risk, he had gotten cancer until Emily Donovan, a parent of students at his school, gave a guest talk about high levels of harmful forev-

Tanks hold water at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant as the Northeast Cape Fear River flows past in Wilmington.

er chemicals known as PFAS in North Carolina’s environment. When Donovan mentioned kidney cancer, the possible cause of Meek’s diagnosis finally clicked.

Until then, Meek said, he “had no idea what PFAS was.”

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoro -

Stanly sheriff’s office assists with DEA investigation

A Sinaloa Cartel member was arrested on April 22

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal ALBEMARLE — The

Drug

Enforcement Administration announced last week that the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office was one of over two dozen collaborators who assisted in the investigation of a large-scale drug operation. On April 22, high-ranking Sinaloa Cartel member Emmanuel Martimiano Leon-Soto was arrested in Nogales, Arizona, and charged for his involvement in a drug trafficking and money laundering scheme following a year-anda-half-long major federal operation.

Leon-Soto is the last person arrested of 38 individuals charged in November 2024 by a federal grand jury seated in the Middle District of North Carolina with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine hydrochloride.

He now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for the drug conspiracy, along with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the money laundering conspiracy.

“Over the past several years, the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office has been actively collabo -

alkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.

In a decision with consequences for tens of millions of Americans, the Trump administration is expected to soon say whether it intends to stand by those strict standards and defend the limits against a water utility industry challenge in federal court.

PFAS in drinking water created a crisis for many communities

In North Carolina, runoff from a Chemours plant contaminated the Cape Fear River, creating a crisis for cities like Wilmington that use it for drinking water. Amid public outcry, Wilmington effectively eliminated it from tap water. Other U.S. communities — often near military bases or industrial sites — did the same when test results were frightening and public pressure,

See PFAS, page A4

rating with our federal and local partners on a large-scale drug operation,” the SCSO stated in a media release. “This operation targets the trafficking of illegal controlled substances into Stanly and surrounding counties.”

Throughout the investigation, law enforcement collaborators collectively seized over 70 pounds of fentanyl, 182 pounds of meth, and 30 pounds of cocaine.

“The Stanly County Sheriff’s Office has played a key role in this operation by assisting in arrests, executing search warrants, and conducting interviews with multiple individuals involved in the drug trafficking network,” the SCSO’s statement continued. “These types of large-scale investigations are crucial in curbing and ultimately halting the flow of illegal drugs into our county. Sheriff Crisco and his team are dedicated to preventing the distribution of illegal drugs within our communities.”

The DEA has reported that

COURTESY DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION

Bags of fentanyl pills were among the numerous narcotics seized in the DEA’s operation.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Pelicans sit on a dock in the Cape Fear River.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

THURSDAY MAY 1

“Join the conversation”

North State Journal

(USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365)

Neal Robbins, Publisher

Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers

Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor

Jordan Golson, Local News Editor

Shawn Krest, Sports Editor

Dan Reeves, Features Editor

Jesse Deal, Reporter

P.J. Ward-Brown, Photographer

BUSINESS

David Guy, Advertising Manager

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DEA from page A1

Leon-Soto was designated as a Regional Priority Target by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program due to his high-ranking membership status in the Sinaloa Cartel, which has been designated by the DEA as a foreign terrorist organization.

Loch Badin Celtic Festival returns for fifth year

The annual event is scheduled for May 10

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

BADIN — Honoring a traditional celebration that dates back to 11th century Scotland, the fifth-annual Loch Badin Celtic Festival is returning to Stanly County next month.

This year’s festivities are set for May 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Falls Road in Badin. For nearly every year since 2018, Better Badin, Inc. has organized a free Celtic festival that has welcomed locals and drawn in visitors wanting to experience a selection of cultural activities, entertainment and vendors.

The event will include live music from Waynesville-based Celtic band Eireann’s Call and

North Carolina State University Pipes and Drums band, along with raffles, prizes, various vendors and food trucks.

“We’re getting close to the time for the Loch Badin Celtic Festival to once again fill our community with the haunting sounds of the bagpipes — not to mention lots of kilts, Celtic music and dancing, clan tents, vendors, Highland cows and food/drink trucks,” Better Badin said in a promotional advertisement for the event.

“Join us for a fun day immersing yourself in the Highland culture.”

Festivities also include performances from the Annadale Center for Scottish Dance and Royal Academy of Irish Dance. Historically, modern Highland dancing was created from the Gaelic folk dance repertoire and emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries.

“Join us for a fun day immersing yourself in the Highland culture.”

Better Badin, Inc.

During the middle of the day, the festival will host a performance from the NCSU Scottish bagpipe group — North Carolina’s oldest continuously-running pipes and drum band — which will lead into a Military Appreciation Council Parade with the help of the Scottish American Military Society.

Event attendees can also see the Highland cows brought by the Asheboro-based Cellar Creek Farm or do a shuttle tour of the Narrows Dam, which was built by Alcoa in 1917 as

the world’s highest overflow type dam and the largest of any type dam in the state.

“Tours of the Narrows Dam will once again be offered on the day of the Loch Badin Celtic Festival,” Better Badin announced. “They are being sponsored by the Badin Historic Museum this year. Shuttles leave from the museum area starting at 8:30 a.m.” Shuttle buses will leave at regular intervals from the Better Badin information tent on Falls Road and operate until 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 years of age and under.

Better Badin will be collecting festival proceeds to benefit Western North Carolina hurricane relief efforts; the nonprofit organization has operated since 1978 and has facilitated Badin’s community events and activities.

Dollar store robber sentenced to 22 years

Byron Clay Scott pleaded guilty to robbing 10 stores across four counties

North State Journal staff

A FORSYTH COUNTY man has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a string of armed robberies targeting dollar stores across four counties.

Byron Clay Scott, 33, was sentenced on April 18 to 240 months in prison for five counts of interference with commerce by robbery. He received an additional 24 months to run consecutively for committing the crimes while on supervised release for a previous armed robbery conviction. According to court documents, Scott and at least one accomplice robbed 10 Dollar General and Family Dollar stores in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Burlington and Reidsville between November 2023 and January 2024. During the robberies, Scott brandished a 9mm handgun

while forcing employees to open safes and cash registers.

Store surveillance footage showed Scott and his accomplices wearing Halloween-style masks, gloves and dark clothing. In one robbery at a Family Dollar in Burlington on Dec. 29, 2023, two masked men followed the store manager through the front door and then Scott’s accomplice asked her

where the money was located.

The men forced her and another store employee to the floor and instructed the manager to open the safe and cash registers, with Scott putting the money in Family Dollar plastic bags.

Scott pointed to the employee’s purse, and the unnamed accomplice stated he was not going to take any of their personal belong-

ings because he was only interested in “the white people s--t because they have insurance.”

Scott was arrested Jan. 15 when Winston-Salem police responded to a robbery in progress at the Dollar General on South Main Street. Officers apprehended Scott as he fled from the store’s back door.

Investigators found evidence linking Scott to the crime spree in his rental vehicle, including his birth certificate, Social Security card, and masks and latex gloves consistent with those worn during the robberies. Data from the rental car’s GPS tracking device and Scott’s phone search history also connected him to each robbery location.

Besides prison time, U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder ordered Scott to pay $21,005.38 in restitution and to forfeit the handgun used in the robberies.

According to court records, Scott committed these crimes while on supervised release after serving a 130-month sentence for a 2013 armed robbery conviction.

Sinaloa Cartel is one of the world’s largest producers involved in the smuggling, importation, and distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine into the United States. for communicating threats.

• Nathanael Lanny Marlow, 28, was arrested for felony larceny of a motor vehicle, injury to real property, breaking and entering a motor vehicle and first-degree trespassing.

• Camryn Wallace Yarbrough, 20, was arrested for assault on a female, communicating threats and injury to real

• Joshua Oxendine, 35, was arrested for felony possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Keshun Lemar Davis, 35, was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, communicating threats and assault on a female.

• Jared Astin Talbert, 20, was arrested for violation of a domestic violence protective order, breaking or entering, injury to real property and injury to personal property.

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP PHOTO

Byron Clat Scott robbed almost a dozen Family Dollar and Dollar General stores across N.C.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

California just isn’t working

Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of highspeed rail.

FOUR MONTHS AGO, the Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 homes in Los Angeles. Three months later, only four permits had been issued to rebuild the community. Clearly, California just isn’t working.

The radical environmentalism, wokeism, and unionized bureaucratic micromanagement that Sacramento has imposed on the whole state is distorting reality and grinding things to a halt.

I talked with Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin about the fire and recovery. He was surprised at the tiny number of permit approvals. Under his aggressive, dynamic leadership, the EPA already cleared the burned-out neighborhoods for federal permits. Of course, as he noted, the federal permits require city and county permission.

This permitting logjam is happening even with a supposed one-stop local permit office and other efforts to cut through the red tape.

But this is only the latest part of the story. Years before the fire, two new reservoirs were approved to ensure there would be enough water for firefighting. They were never built. Some fire hydrants simply did not work. Further, emergency vehicles were trapped in government parking lots because they needed oil changes. They could not be used to fight the fires because the bureaucracy’s firm rules about routine maintenance overruled common sense and public safety.

And fire is a real danger in the whole

state. I spoke with Laguna Beach Mayor Alex Rounaghi and Fire Chief Niko King on my Newt’s World podcast. They shared their strategy for fire prevention. Laguna Beach brought in 400 goats to eat underbrush. It was a low-cost solution to clear out the vegetation that leads to hot uncontrollable fires.

The California government is trying to eliminate their goat fire prevention because the goats might eat endangered plants. (You have to wonder: What do state bureaucrats think fire does to endangered plants?) The powers in Sacramento want Laguna Beach to switch to human vegetation removal, which is four times more expensive. Meanwhile, a couple hundred goats might have saved the Palisades.

But the tragedy of the Palisades fire is just one example of how California is falling apart. The combination of weird values, ossified bureaucracy, and state legislators devoted to principles and ideas that simply don’t work are slowly destroying the state.

On a totally different front, California had more than $20 billion stolen from its COVID-19 related unemployment compensation funds. Much of the theft came from California state prisoners using the state prison’s computer system. They used identity theft and partners outside the prison to defraud taxpayers. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert joined me on Newt’s World to discuss the fraud. The story is unbelievable. When we spoke in February 2021, the estimate was

Musk half right about fertility crisis

China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

THE WORLD’S RICHEST MAN isn’t just juggling multiple companies. He’s juggling multiple baby mamas.

The Wall Street Journal recently had a long piece on Elon Musk’s complicated personal life. He has at least 14 children with four different women. The “harem drama” — in the words of Musk’s exgirlfriend Ashley St. Clair — is a mess. There are fights about custody and questions about paternity. There are details about Musk using a message on X to unsuccessfully recruit a woman to have his child. Reportedly, Musk has a compound where he wants his children and their mothers to live. There are enough emotions and chaos here to make a soap opera blush.

But the reason Musk has fathered so many children isn’t mere sexual hedonism. Musk has four children with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Neuralink. Zilis previously said Musk offered to donate sperm that she could use to have children. Musk also donated sperm to a “high-profile woman” at the request of Japanese officials, the Journal reported.

“I think for most countries, they should view the birthrate as the single biggest problem they need to solve,” Musk said last year at an investment conference. “If you don’t make new humans, there’s no humanity, and all the policies in the world don’t matter.”

The interviewer then jokingly referenced Musk’s many offspring.

“You’ve got to walk the talk,” Musk replied. “So, I do have a lot of kids, and I encourage others to have lots of kids.”

Musk is right about the need for more babies. Last year, the CDC announced that America’s fertility rate had dropped to “another historic low.” For a generation to replace itself, there needs to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women, as measured over their lifetimes. In 2023, the total fertility rate was under 1,620 births per 1,000 women. For now, immigration drives U.S. population growth.

It’s worse in many places around the world. In South Korea, women have less than 0.7 children on average. Its population is projected to drop from more than 51 million now to under 22 million by 2100. China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

This drop in population will usher in a host of problems, including an epidemic of loneliness and reduced economic growth.

But Musk’s approach to fixing this problem is wrong, immoral and ultimately counterproductive.

Children aren’t robots to build in a factory. They are human beings whose future depends greatly on the people around them. Statistically, the best thing

only $11.5 billion had been stolen. It has since doubled and no one really knows the upper limit. This astonishing incompetence drives up taxes on businesses to replenish the unemployment funds that have been drained by crooks. It’s a vicious cycle.

One final example of California not working is the proposed high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was originally proposed in 2008 for $33 billion. It was supposed to be completed by 2020. Now, a small portion has been built between small towns. The projected cost has ballooned to $128 billion — and at the current rate it will not be completed in this century. It will never reach San Francisco or Los Angeles but instead stop at small towns about 25 miles outside the cities.

While California has been squandering money on costly failures, the Japanese have had more than 60 years-experience with high-speed trains. Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of high-speed rail.

California simply doesn’t work anymore. Since California is our largest state, this collapse of competence and common sense is a national problem. The state represents 14 percent of the national economy.

We need a serious commitment to get back to a commonsense, problem-solving California that works again. It should be a national priority.

Newt Gingrich was Republican speaker of the U.S. House.

for children is to be raised by their married biological parents. That’s why intentionally creating fatherless babies is a grave mistake. Moms and dads approach parenting differently. That doesn’t make one sex better at parenting than the other. It allows them to complement each other.

Moms and dads play with and talk to their kids in different but important ways. A child needs both the comfort of a mother’s love and the confidence that comes from a father pushing him or her to take safe risks.

Marriage brings stability that children need. Growing up with a single parent significantly increases a child’s likelihood of growing up in poverty and going to jail. It decreases their chances of graduating from college.

Married women are more likely to have children too. In 2022, the fertility rate among married women was 84.2 births per 1,000 women. Among unmarried women, it was 37.2 per thousand.

Obviously, there will be outliers when you’re talking about hundreds of millions of people, but the trends are obvious.

If Musk wants to boost birth rates and improve outcomes for children, he should promote marriage, not sperm donations.

Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

COLUMN | VICTOR JOECKS

COLUMN | NEWT GINGRICH

local leadership or state law forced PFAS-laden wells offline or prompted installation of expensive filtering systems, according to Mark White, drinking water global practice leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith.

The EPA said the PFAS found in North Carolina, often called GenX chemicals, can be toxic to the kidney. While other types of PFAS may raise kidney cancer risk, little research has focused on the link between kidney cancer and GenX, according to Sue Fenton, director of the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University. Chemours said evidence doesn’t support arguments that GenX at low levels is a health threat. The company has sharply reduced PFAS discharges.

So far, sampling has found nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the recently set EPA limits, but most aren’t above by much. Forcing this group to reduce PFAS more than doubles the rule’s health benefits but roughly triples its costs, the EPA has said.

The Biden administration’s rule set standards for two common types of PFAS at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. Standards for several other PFAS chemicals were set, too, and utilities must meet those levels by 2029.

PFAS have had wide uses over the decades

Manufactured by companies like Chemours and 3M, PFAS were incredibly useful in many applications -– among them, helping clothes to withstand rain and ensuring that firefighting foam snuffed out flames. But the chemicals also accumulate in the body. As science advanced in recent years, evidence of harm at far lower levels became clearer.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has championed fossil fuels and the rollback of major clean air and water rules. His history with PFAS is more nuanced; during his time as a New York congressman, he supported legislation to regulate forever chemicals in drinking water.

“It’s an issue that touches people in a very tangible way across the political spectrum, including in Lee Zeldin’s former district,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

Zeldin has offered clues about what the EPA could do. The agency estimated the rule would cost about $1.5 billion annually and Zeldin said recently that communities struggling to afford a fix for PFAS that are just above the standard might be handled differently than wealthy places with lots of it.

“What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out,” he said.

On Monday, the EPA said it will establish an agency lead for PFAS, develop wastewater lim-

its for PFAS manufacturers and investigate sources that pose an immediate danger to drinking water, among other actions.

EPA decision looms on whether to let the rule stay as it is

Soon, the EPA must tell a federal appeals court in Washington whether the rule should stand or be rewritten, although weakening it could be complicated because the Safe Drinking Water Act prevents new rules from being looser than previous ones. The agency could, however, encourage exemptions and deadline extensions, according to Erik Olson, an attorney with the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council supporting the current standards in the court case.

Consider Avondale, Arizona, outside of Phoenix, which produces PFAS results modestly above the limits. Officials have done detailed testing and are planning to enhance water treatment. All told, lowering PFAS may cost Avondale more

“What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out.”

Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator

than $120 million, according to Kirk Beaty, the city’s public utility director.

That’s money a city like Avondale “just doesn’t have sitting in a back room somewhere,” Beaty said, adding he’ll defer to federal experts to dictate what’s acceptable.

“We’re hoping we’re a little further ahead of everybody else. If the regulation changes, well you know, we may let off the gas a little bit, we may not,” he said, adding that it is hard to justify spending extra money to do more than what’s required when the cost falls on residents.

If the government decides higher amounts of PFAS are acceptable, that could confuse people, especially in ar-

eas where the public is already concerned.

“If we enter into a gray area over what’s healthy and what’s not healthy, then utilities are at risk of being caught up in a debate for which they have no real responsibility nor expertise to decide on,” said Karine Rougé, CEO for municipal water at Veolia North America, a water operations company.

Industry group says the rule goes too far and is too costly

The American Water Works Association, an industry group, filed the court challenge to the new rule. It agrees that certain PFAS should be regulated but argues the EPA’s standards go too far, underestimate costs and are “neither feasible nor cost-effective.” There are serious consequences for residents’ water bills, it says.

The burden of complying will fall heavily on small utilities that can least afford it. Many water providers already struggle to maintain their existing

infrastructure, some experts say. On top of everything else, they face new requirements to replace lead pipes. The AWWA wants the EPA to extend the PFAS and lead deadlines by two years. There is money available to help. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $9 billion for chemicals like PFAS and utilities have won multibillion-dollar settlements against PFAS polluters that help as well.

Meek, who successfully recovered after surgery from cancer and is now 59, is planning to sue over his illness. He once didn’t second-guess using tap water. Now he reaches for bottled water.

Donovan, who introduced Meek to PFAS and helped start Clean Cape Fear, says if the government’s standards are weakened, it’ll relieve pressure on utilities to effectively treat the water.

Previously, “our local utilities could tell us publicly that the water met or exceeded all state and federal guidelines because there weren’t any,” she said.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Left, Chris Meek, who survived cancer he suspects was caused PFAS in drinking water, stands in front of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington on Monday. Right, pumps at work insideinside the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant, which processes water for much of New Hanover County.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Water is processed through carbon filters inside large reservoirs designed to remove forever chemicals, known as PFAS.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Equipment inside the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant, which processes water for much of New Hanover County.

STANLY SPORTS

Pfeiffer softball completes perfect conference record

The Falcons were 16-2 in USA South play last season

By Jesse Deal Stanly County Journal

MISENHEIMER — The Pfeiffer Falcons softball team is heading into this week’s USA South Athletic Conference Tournament with a spotless league record.

Pfeiffer (30-7, 18-0 USA South) wrapped up its conference campaign over the weekend as the Falcons capped off their 18-game USA South schedule with their 18th consecutive victory and fifth consecutive regular season crown, defeating Greensboro (28-12, 13-5) in a Sunday double-header with scores of 7-2 and 9-4.

While the squad had lost four straight games back in the middle of March, it responded by sweeping its USA South opponents over the next month and a half — all leading up to the conference tournament hosted

at Misenheimer’s Jack Ingram Field, where Pfeiffer will aim for its third consecutive tournament title.

The top-seeded Falcons — ranked 20th in the country in the 2025 National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Top 25 Coaches Poll for NCAA Division III schools — are now set to host eighth-seeded William Peace (19-19, 6-12 USA South) on Thursday at 11 a.m in a first-round game with a championship game scheduled for Saturday.

Led by 10th-year coach Monte Sherrill, Pfeiffer has a 74-10 mark in USA South play since 2021, while Sherill has now extended his streak of a conference championship to 35 seasons when accounting for his regular-season or tournament titles at Central Cabarrus and Alexander Central high schools.

His team is currently ranked 20th in the country in the 2025 National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Top 25 Coaches Poll for NCAA Division III schools.

Last season’s Falcons squad posted a program-best 45-4

(16-2 USA South) record in terms of overall wins, but the 2025 Falcons have surpassed that group as far as conference victories.

Pfeiffer’s pitching duties this year have been largely shared between senior Emma Bullin (24-4) and freshman Peyton Lane (5-2), who have ERAs of 2.22 and 2.69, respectively, in a season where they have both been awarded USA South Athletes of the Week honors multiple times.

Bullin received the award once again on Monday as she started in six games last week and earned a 6-0 record over USA South foes. The senior from Ararat tossed 33.0 innings, allowing a total of 11 runs (ten earned) on 28 hits with nine walks and 19 strikeouts.

At the plate, sophomore outfielder Landry Stewart leads the Falcons in batting average (.495) with a team-high 52 hits, while Bullin (.394) has nearly batted .400 herself as a dual threat.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Moving Day!

Athlete of the Week is moving

Each week, Stanly County Journal has honored a local athlete’s performance over the last seven days. From high schoolers and youth sports to major leaguers, we’ve highlighted the best of Stanly County in our Athlete of the Week feature. That’s not changing. However, starting this week, you’ll see that feature in our weekend edition of the Stanly News Journal, instead of its usual spot on Tuesdays. Be sure to check back this weekend to see who won Athlete of the Week this week.

Svechnikov’s hat trick helps Hurricanes overcome injury to Andersen in Game 4 win

The Carolina goalie was injured in the second period after a collision with Timo Meier

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

NEWARK, N.J. — The Hurricanes have faced some adversity despite being in control of their first round series against the New Jersey Devils since their few minutes of the opening game.

But not even a Game 3 double-overtime loss felt like as dire a situation as goaltender Frederik Andersen being flat on his back in the net in Sunday’s Game 4 after a second period collision with Devils forward Timo Meier.

“It was a tough moment for us,” said stablemate Pyotr Ko -

chetkov, who came on in relief when Andersen went to the locker room, knocked out of the game with the Hurricanes leading by two goals just before the midway point of regulation.

It got tougher when Meier’s spinning shot from the side boards skittered past Kochetkov, cutting Carolina’s lead to one just over three minutes after Andersen was helped off the ice.

“When he scored, it’s my goal,” Kochetkov said, taking the blame for allowing New Jersey to get within a goal. “I try to just focus for the next shot. … I needed to feel the puck, and after I had a couple shots, the game (came to) me.”

He also had the help of Andrei Svechnikov.

Svechnikov finished with the second postseason hat trick in franchise history and Kochetkov shut the door the rest of the

way, stopping the other 14 shots he faced, as the Hurricanes won 5-2 at Prudential Center to take a 3-1 series lead and push the Devils to the brink of elimination.

“It was kind of a hard season for me, but right now, in playoff time, it’s kind of my time,” said Svechnikov, who also scored the other hat trick, in the COVID season qualifying round against the Rangers, in 2020. “I love this time of the year. I love playing a physical game and just trying to do everything that’s going to help my team win the games.”

The real challenge, however, was still ahead for the visiting Hurricanes.

Nico Hischier got New Jersey on the scoreboard just over two minutes later, then Meier, engaged with Svechnikov, crashed into Andersen shortly thereaf-

ter, knocking the Carolina goalie from the game. No penalty was initially called, and then the officials opted for a five-minute major on Meier, which allowed for a video review. After the review, the referees determined there was no penalty on the play.

“There’s clearly contact, and you’re not really supposed to go in there,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the contact by Meier, who has been stymied by Andersen throughout the series. “And maybe even if we had a little bump, it’s still — he’s a big guy, he could stop. But it wasn’t egregious, I get it.”

To their credit, the Hurricanes resisted seeking retribution on Meier and instead tried to reestablish their game.

“We know in a game you’re leading … that we don’t need any fights or anything, any

more penalties,” Svechnikov said. “And we just tried to stay focused and try to play our game.”

Svechnikov then finished off his hat trick, scoring into an empty net to seal Game 4 and send the Hurricanes back to Raleigh with a chance to close out the series on Tuesday.

“Your best players have to be your best players. … He was around it,” Brind’Amour said of Svechnikov.

Carolina may need to do it without Andersen, whose history of injuries has always served as a looming dark cloud over his successes.

“He wasn’t good enough to continue,” Brind’Amour said. “So that’s not a good sign. But I don’t have any other information, so we’ll know more, I guess, tomorrow when he gets evaluated.”

SETH WENIG /

Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov celebrates his

SIDELINE REPORT

NASCAR Legge claims she’s receiving death threats after Xfinity crash at Rockingham

Rockingham

NASCAR driver Katherine Legge said she has been receiving “hate mail” and “death threats” after a crash last weekend at Rockingham. Legge was off the pace when she was hit by William Sawalich and collected Kasey Kahne. Legge said “the inappropriate social media comments I’ve received aren’t just disturbing, they are unacceptable.” The 44-year-old Legge has started four Indianapolis 500s and been a regular in several series around the world. But she is a relative novice when it comes to stock cars. She crashed in her Cup Series debut at Phoenix earlier this season.

MLB Arizona’s Suárez becomes 19th player in MLB history with 4 home runs in game

Phoenix Arizona Diamondbacks

third baseman Eugenio Suárez homered in his first four at-bats against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, becoming the 19th player in MLB history to hit four homers in a game and first since 2017. The 33-year-old third baseman hit a solo shot in the second, a two-run homer in the fourth, and two more solo drives in the sixth and ninth. Suárez has 10 homers this season.

NCAA SPORTS

Judge delays $2.8B NCAA settlement to address roster limit concerns

San Francisco

The judge overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences has delayed final approval of the plan until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken signaled she is ready to approve the rest of the settlement but wants both sides to come up with a way to not harm current athletes who will lose their spots on teams. The settlement calls for scholarship limits to be replaced by roster limits. Some attorneys argued that Wilken’s order could throw college sports into chaos.

Former Baylor official placed nearly 3,000 impermissible fantasy bets, 113 involving the school

Waco, Texas

A former Baylor athletic official has received a show- c ause penalty from the NCAA after he placed nearly 3,000 impermissible daily fantasy bets on professional and college games over a five-year period. Those included 113 involving Baylor teams and student-athletes.

Sam Hancock, Baylor’s former director of resource development, allegedly placed 2,950 impermissible bets totaling $45,979 on three different sports betting platforms from July 2019 through September 2024. He acknowledged that he engaged in sports betting before his employment at Baylor and continued to do so after being hired, despite knowing it violated NCAA rules.

Manfred eager to see how many fans turn out for MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol

Vanderbilt winner of two college titles. Manfred sees lots of alignment between NASCAR and MLB fans.

By Teresa M. Walker The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ma-

jor League Baseball has played at the “Field of Dreams” movie site. Now baseball is eager to see just how big a crowd will show up for a game at a NASCAR bullring of a track. And Bristol Motor Speedway can hold a lot of people. It’s part of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s push to take MLB to locations where baseball isn’t played every day live. MLB played a game at the movie site in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022. Alabama, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, too.

Now it’s Tennessee’s turn.

Manfred noted Tuesday after speaking at the CAA World Congress of Sports Presented by Sports Business Journal that the Tennessee Volunteers are the defending college baseball national champions, with

“Big crowd, big crowd,” Manfred said of what is expected at Bristol on Aug. 2. “We think that it’s an opportunity to have a really large audience for a major league game, and we think the setting in really a legendary speedway is going to be awesome for a baseball game.”

Nobody is ready to put a number on how many will turn out for the MLB Speedway Classic when the Cincinnati Reds host the Atlanta Braves. Bristol set a record for a college football game in 2016 and has a capacity of 146,000 for racing.

This game will be played on a field laid over part of the speedway infield and the highbanked track.

Derek Schiller, president and chief executive officer of the Braves, said MLB approached the team a few years ago about this possibility. Schiller said the Braves were adamant about wanting to be a part of this game.

Pope Francis loved soccer, San Lorenzo, sport’s power to unite

The late pontiff was a lifelong fan and weighed in on the best player ever debate

By Debora Rey The Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Pope Francis’ passion for soccer was evident throughout his pontificate.

A lifelong supporter of Argentine club San Lorenzo, he agreed with those who describe soccer as the most beautiful game in the world. But Francis, who died last week at 88, also turned to the sport for anecdotes about camaraderie, fellowship and teamwork in an increasingly individualistic society.

“Soccer is a team sport. You can’t have fun alone,” the pope told a crowd of Italian youth, soccer players and coaches at the Vatican in 2019.

“And if it’s lived like that, it can do good for your mind and your heart in a society that is exasperated by subjectivism.”

Like most Argentine children, young Jorge Mario Bergoglio grew up with soccer. He played for hours with friends in his native Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

According to his own assessment, he was not that good.

In his recently published au-

“Soccer

is a team sport. You can’t have fun alone. And if it’s lived like that, it can do good for your mind and your heart.”

Pope Francis

tobiography

“Hope,” Francis said his skills were so poor that he was nicknamed “hard foot.”

Like many in his family, he became a supporter of San Lorenzo, a club founded by priest Lorenzo Massa in 1908. Its fans are nicknamed “the crows” due to the black cassock of its founder.

As a boy, he became fascinated by the colorful style of play of the team that won the local title in 1946. Until his death, he remembered the entire lineup.

Club executives decided to name their planned future stadium after Pope Francis, who until the end paid his dues to the club as member No. 88,235.

In a 2023 interview, Francis weighed in on the debate about who is the greatest soccer player of all time.

Asked to choose between his compatriots Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, World Cup w inners from different generations, Francis’ answer was unexpected.

“We think the setting in really a legendary speedway is going to be awesome for a baseball game.”

Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner

“We know that there’s a uniqueness to it that is unmatched,” Schiller said. “Playing a baseball game at a motor speedway and being part of that was really important also because this is part of where our fan base comes from. So we we think many, maybe most of those fans are going to be Atlanta Braves fans.”

Officials announced last Tuesday that country superstar Tim McGraw will perform a concert an hour before first pitch. McGraw has ties to baseball, having earned a college scholarship playing the sport. His late father, Tug McGraw, won two World Series ti-

tles pitching for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.

That’s just part of the day of events planned leading up to the game. Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, would only tease that more announcements are coming. All are designed to give fans reasons to get to the track and into their seats as early as possible. Hosting an event like this is nothing new for Bristol. The track hosted the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech in the Battle of Bristol in 2016 before a record 156,990 fans. So track officials have experience adapting the half-mile concrete track into something new. Caldwell said preparations started before the track’s spring race April 13, won by Kyle Larson. Bristol then will have six weeks until hosting a night NASCAR Cup Series race in the playoffs on Sept. 13. “It’s becoming very real,” Caldwell said. “We’re approaching 100 days out from the game, and we’re thrilled with the progress.”

“I will add a third,” he said. “Pelé.”

He met the Brazilian great, a devout Catholic and three-time World Cup winner, before he was elected pope. Francis later met Messi and Maradona at the Vatican as pontiff.

“Maradona, as a player, was great. But as a man, he failed,” Francis said about the 1986 World Cup winner, who struggled with cocaine use and health issues and died in 2020 at 60. Maradona was celebrated by people who in the end didn’t help him, the pope added.

He described Messi, who lifted the World Cup trophy in 2022, as “very correct” and a gentleman.

“But for me, among those three, the great gentleman is Pelé,” the pope said.

Despite being a big soccer fan, Francis didn’t watch any games on television. He said he avoided watching TV altogether because of a promise he had made to

the Virgin of Carmen in 1990. The radio became his means to stay informed and listen to soccer matches until he moved to Rome.

Once in the Vatican, members of the Swiss Guard, who took care of his security, informed him about San Lorenzo and Argentina match results.

That’s how he found out that Argentina had won their third World Cup title.

While he was enthusiastic about the game, he spoke out against the fanaticism and violence that sometimes overshadow it. He called on top-level players to show humility and always remember their origins.

“Don’t forget where you came from. Those pitches in the outskirts, that place for prayer, that small club,” he said in 2019.

“I hope you can always feel the gratitude for your story, which is made of sacrifice, victories and battles,” Francis added. “Being great in life. That is the victory for all of us.”

ALESSANDRA TARANTINO / AP PHOTO

Pope Francis holds a San Lorenzo soccer jersey after celebrating his first Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in 2013.

The Braves and Reds will play on the track’s infield on Aug. 2

GEORGE WALKER IV / AP PHOTO

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference on the Speedway Classic.

Barbara Jean (Taylor) Drye

Hollie Keath Vanhoy

Dwight Farmer

Jimmie Roger Owen

January 24, 1939 ~ January 15, 2023

July 3, 1947 – April 20, 2025

April 17, 1936 ~ January 14, 2023

Jan. 3, 1941 – April 25, 2025

Barbara Jean Taylor Drye, 86, of Oakboro, passed away Saturday, January 14, 2023 at her home.

Hollie Keath Vanhoy, 84, of Badin passed away on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Atrium Health Stanly. A graveside service, officiated by Pastor Brandon King, will be at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at Stanly Gardens of Memory. No formal visitation is scheduled.

Barbara was born April 17, 1936 in North Carolina to the late Robert Lee Taylor and the late Eva Belle Watts Taylor. She was also preceded in death by husband of 61 years, Keith Furr Drye, and brothers, Robert Lee Taylor, Jr. and George Kenneth Taylor.

Hollie was born in Stanly County on January 3, 1941, to the late Ralph and Louise Vanhoy. He is lovingly survived by his children, Mark Vanhoy of Badin, Amanda Harris of Belmont, and Temple Vanhoy of Belmont. Those also left to cherish his memory are grandchildren Jimmy Harris, Seth Tyler Vanhoy, Harley Vanhoy and John Vanhoy, great-grandchildren, Josh, Jacob and Nirvana, sister, Susie Dunn, and brother Jonah Vanhoy.

Survivors include children, Debbie (Mike) Williams of Albemarle, Teresa (Tom) Curry of Oakboro, Douglas (Tammy) Drye of Oakboro; grandchildren, Melissa (Don) Parrish of Albemarle, Samantha (Destiny) Smith of Oakboro, Bradley Smith of Oakboro, Jonathan Stover of Peachland, and Jessie Stover of Lylesville; sisterin-law, Beatrice Goodman; many nieces and nephews; and her beloved cats, Bo and Garfield.

Hollie was preceded in death by his wife, Johnnie Vanhoy, in 1999. Hollie was a faithful Christian, who attended First Baptist Church New London. Hollie was a great storyteller and a jokester. He was always wise beyond his years. He loved his family and loved all God’s children. Hollie never knew a stranger and could strike up a conversation with anyone. He loved fishing. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Barbara was a member of Oakboro Baptist Church for over 60 years. She worked over 30 years at Stanly Knitting Mills. After just two years of retirement, she began managing the Oakboro Senior Center and did that for 18 years until this past week. Barbara was known for her good cooking and always taking care of others. She also loved going on day long shopping trips - she could out walk and out shop people half her age. She kept her mind and body active through gardening, word searches, and various other hobbies.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff at Tillery Compassionate Care and the staff at Atrium Health Stanly for the care they provided during Hollie’s declining health. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Tillery Compassionate Care (960 N 1st Street, Albemarle, NC 28001). Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is serving the Vanhoy family.

Kenneth Mitchel Liles

Oct. 11, 1950 – April 20, 2025

Kenneth Mitchel Liles, 74, of Locust, passed away on April 20, 2025, at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte. A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Freedom Baptist Church, with Pastor Wally Gilmer

Dwight Britten Farmer Sr., 83, of Norwood died Sunday morning, January 15, 2023 at Forrest Oakes.

Dwight was born January 24, 1939 in Stanly County to the late Walter Virgil and Martha Adkins Farmer. He was a 1957 graduate of Norwood High School and was a United States Army Veteran.

Jimmie Roger Owen, 77, of Oakboro, passed away on Sunday, April 20, 2025, at home. The family will receive friends on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

A memorial service officiated by Pastor Shad Hicks will follow at 3 p.m. at the church.

He was a member of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church where he had served as church treasurer and choir member. He began his career with the Stanly County Sheriff’s Department moving to the Norwood Police Department and retiring as Chief of Police with the Town of Norwood after many years of service.

Dwight was an avid gardener, bird watcher and Carolina fan.

He is survived by his wife Hilda Whitley Farmer; one son D. Britten Farmer Jr. (Mary) of McLeansville, NC; one daughter Sharon Farmer Lowe (David) of Norwood; one sister Geraldine Dennis of Troy; two grandchildren, Dwight Britten “Dee” Farmer III and Whitley Rose Hui Lowe.

Jimmie was born in Stanly County on July 3, 1947, to the late John and Marie Owen. He is lovingly survived by his wife of 59 years, Joan Owen. Those also left to cherish his memory are sons Brant Owen (Leighanne) of Albemarle, Peter Owen (Becca) of Oakboro, daughterin-law Tonya Owen of Oakboro, grandchildren, Taylor Ray (Luke), Meredith McTague (Donovan), Kendall Owen (McKayla), Katelyn Hathcock (Sawyer), Sarah Owen, Josh Owen, Riley Owen, and Elie Owen, great-grandchildren, Rayella, MJ, Cora, and Kenslee and a brother, Galen Owen.

He was preceded in death by his son Alex, brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, sisters, Nancy, Cornelia Annabell, Glennie Mae, and Betty. Memorials may be made to Cedar Grove United Methodist Church, Cemetery or Choir Fund c/o Pam Smith 36071 Rocky River Springs Road, Norwood, NC 28128.

Jimmie was preceded in death by his son, Cale Owen, and his sister, Vickie Weaver.

Jimmie was a retired truck driver. He was known for his humor and unique personality. Jimmie was a great dad and pawpaw and will be missed by all who knew him. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff of Tillery Compassionate Care for the care they provided to Jimmie during his declining health. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Tillery Compassionate Care (960 N 1st Street, Albemarle, NC 28001) or the Building Fund at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church (17236 Frog Pond Road, Oakboro, NC 28129).

Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is serving the Owen family.

officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends at the church from 2 to 2:45 p.m., prior to the service.

Born on October 11, 1950, in Stanly County, NC, Kenneth was the son of the late Carl Lorenzo Liles and Lillian Hazel Broome Liles. He was a retired employee of Allendale Furniture and a dedicated farmer.

Kenneth was a man of many passions: he was an avid beekeeper, enjoyed attending livestock sales and found joy in gardening and canning. He was generous with his harvest, often sharing eggs and fresh vegetables with his elderly neighbors. His kindness, strong work ethic and quiet acts of service will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.

He is survived by a number of cousins and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his sister, Glenda Donahue.

James Roseboro

June 23, 1967 ~ January 10, 2023

Rachel Lefler Whittington

James Arthur Roseboro, 55, of Albemarle, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at Anson Health and Rehab.

Dec.16, 1944 – April 19, 2025

John B. Kluttz

James Kenneth Smith

March 23, 1935 - January 9, 2023

Aug. 29, 1936 – April 19, 2025

Mr. Roseboro was born on June 23, 1967 to the late Robert and Delena Shipp Roseboro. He graduated from South Stanly High School and was employed by Triangle Brick. He enjoyed watching football and basketball, especially the Carolina TarHeels and Miami.

In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his brothers and sisters: Barbara Lee Roseboro, Dorothy Brown, Verna Roseboro, Henrietta Ingram, and Harold Roseboro.

Rachel Lefler Whittington, aged 80, passed away peacefully while being held by her family on April 19, 2025. She was born on December 16, 1944, the only child of Ulysses and Zona Lefler in Albemarle, NC. Rachel graduated from LenoirRhyne College (now University) in 1967. While there, she met her special love, Howard Whittington, whom she married following his graduation in 1968. Howard and Rachel enjoyed a wonderful and fulfilling marriage of over 53 years prior to his passing in 2021.

James Kenneth Smith, 88, of Albemarle passed away on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at his home surrounded by his family. The family will receive friends at Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle on Thursday evening, April 24, 2025, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. A graveside service, officiated by Rev. Delane Burris will be on Friday, April 25, 2025, at 3 p.m. at Anderson Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.

John grew up in the Millingport community where he drove a school bus and worked at the local gas station during his High School years. He graduated from Millingport High in 1954 and entered into service with the US Airforce immediately afterward. Upon return from the service, he and his high school sweetheart Julie were married in 1956. He graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College later in 1959 and began his career as a diesel mechanic at Mitchell Distributing Company, moving his growing family to Charlotte where they lived until their retirement.

Doris Jones Coleman

Jason Allen Huneycutt

October 11, 1944 - January 10, 2023

April 23, 1975 – April 19, 2025

Jason Allen Huneycutt, 49, of Locust, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 19, 2025, at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center.

Born on April 23, 1975, in Richmond, Virginia, Jason was the beloved son of the late Allen Huneycutt and is survived by his devoted mother, Sara Lane Oliver.

He is survived by his sisters: Helen (James) Roseboro Edwards of Albemarle, Mary Roseboro of Washington DC, and Marion Morrison of Albemarle; brothers: Thomas D. Roseboro of Charlotte, Robert Roseboro (Patricia) of Norwood, and Van Horne; a special friend of over 40 years, Michelle McLendon of the home; special nieces: Nybrea Montague, Knya Little, and Laquanza Crump; special nephews: Robert Jr., Desmond Roseboro, and Marcus Lilly; and God daughter, Daphne Johnson; and special friends, Vetrella Johnson and Ben McLendon.

Rachel taught all levels of mathematics at South Stanly High School for 30 years. While she loved teaching different areas of mathematics, her favorite was always geometry. One of her favorite activities each year was teaching students how to make Moravian Stars. Former students were always coming up to her telling her how they had loved her class. They shared how they continued to display their Moravian Star years later.

After being taught how to cross-stitch by a cousin, Rachel continued to stitch for over 50 years, learning various forms of cross-stitch. Beautiful pieces of art she created continue to be displayed in the homes of family and friends. She gifted pieces to churches where she was a member. As a long-time member of regional and national stitching guilds, she enjoyed traveling to various stitching events to both share her knowledge and learn from others. Rachel did not always need a pattern, often creating her own. She became a designer and created her own project, winning two first-place ribbons in a competition at one of the national events. One blue ribbon was for the design and another for the quality of the stitching of the same piece.

Darrick Baldwin

January 7, 1973 ~ January 8, 2023

Rachel was a long-time member of First Lutheran Church in Albemarle, where she served as a Sunday school teacher and a member of Lutheran Women’s Group. After moving to be closer to family, she became a member of First Lutheran Church in Greensboro. While there, she became active in Face Out.

Darrick Vashon Baldwin, age 50, entered eternal rest, Sunday, January 8, 2023, Albemarle, North Carolina. Born January 7, 1973, in Stanly County, North Carolina, Darrick was the son of Eddie James Baldwin Sr. and the late Phyllis Blue Baldwin. Darrick enjoyed life, always kept things lively and enjoyed making others smile. His presence is no longer in our midst, but his memory will forever live in our hearts.

He was educated in the Stanly County public schools and attended Albemarle Senior High School, Albemarle.

In addition to her parents, Rachel was preceded in death by her son, Chad Whittington, and husband, Howard Whittington. She is survived by her son, Russell Whittington, of Greensboro, NC, and a daughter, Kendra Whittington, of Greensboro, NC.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at Stanly Gardens of Memory in Albemarle, NC, followed by a Memorial service at 3 p.m. at First Lutheran Church in Greensboro, NC, with Rev. Michael Dickson presiding. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorials be made to Out of the Garden Project at outofthegardenproject.org, which provides food and other assistance for children in need. Stanly Funeral Home in Albemarle, NC is assisting the family.

He was a great conversationalist and loved meeting people. Darrick never met a stranger and always showed love and compassion for his fellowman. He also loved his dog, Rocky.

He is survived by his father, Eddie J. Baldwin Sr.; sisters: Crystal (Eric) Jackson, LaFondra (Stoney) Medley, and Morgan Baldwin; brothers: Eddie Baldwin Jr., Anton Baldwin, and Lamont Baldwin; a host of other relatives and friends. A limb has fallen from our family tree. We will not grieve Darrick’s death; we will celebrate his life. We give thanksgiving for the many shared memories.

James was born in Stanly County on August 29, 1936, to the late Raeford and Selmer Smith. He is lovingly survived by his wife, Jewel “Judy” Barringer Smith, of 69 years. Those also left to cherish his memory are son Keith Smith (Monzell) of Albemarle, daughters Ann Huneycutt (Kevin “Cookie”) of Albemarle, and Tina Almond (Guy) of Albemarle, grandchildren, Holly Hatley (Kevin), Emily Greenlee (Jordan), Nick Huneycutt (Lauren), Darren Huneycutt (Rachel), Andrew Huneycutt (Amber), Jana Morton (Gregory), Cindel Boles (Philip), and Cody Almond, great-grandchildren, Silas, Elijah, Colton, Bryson, Olivia, Will, Ben, Sam, Cale, Bo, Colby, Allia, Maxton and Elliott.

When John purchased his first Model A Ford at the age of 17, he said that he took the car to the community mechanic when he had a small problem.The mechanic told him that if he was going to keep the car, he needed to learn to work on it. This is when John’s passion for Model A Fords began and how he spent his happiest days with his best friends from around the globe for the rest of his life!

Doris Elaine Jones Coleman, 78, went home into God’s presence on January 10 after a sudden illness and a valiant week-long fight in ICU. Doris was born on October 11, 1944, in the mountains of Marion, NC while her father was away fighting in the US Navy during World War II. Raymond Jones was so proud to return after the war and meet his little girl! Doris grew up in Durham, NC and graduated from Durham High School. She furthered her studies at Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1966.

Doris married Rev. Dr. Ted Coleman in 1966 and had two daughters Amy and Laura. Doris raised Amy and Laura in North Augusta, SC.

A proud and loving father, Jason leaves behind his daughters, Cassidy Huneycutt (Brian) of Locust and Cera Huneycutt of Petersburg, VA. He was a cherished grandfather to Jorden, with another grandchild on the way. Jason is also survived by his sisters, Jennifer Moses (Scott) and Jessica Mullis (Ryan); and his nieces and nephews, Jarren, Zaynah, Shayla and Lane, all of whom held a special place in his heart.

At age 50, after years as a Detroit Diesel Mechanic he and Julie decided to take the plunge and open a full Model A Restoration Shop. They thrived at their shop in Cornelius, NC until their retirement in 1998 when they moved back to Cabarrus County. John once again set up shop in his back yard garage where he attracted a loyal group of friends who visited almost daily.

James was preceded in death by his brother, Ray Gene Smith, and a great-granddaughter, Brynlee Huneycutt.

Doris was an incredible neonatal intensive care nurse for most of her career, and this was her passion. The Augusta Chronicle did a feature on her in 1985. She was a clinical nurse manager in Augusta, Georgia at University Hospital NICU and worked there for 20 years. During this time, Doris mentored young nurses and assisted in saving the lives of so many babies. She also worked for Pediatrician Dr. William A. Wilkes in Augusta for several years prior to her NICU career. Doris retired from the mother/baby area at Atrium Stanly in 2007 after over 40 years of nursing.

While on the farm in Gold Hill, John also began a lifelong love with Alis Chalmers tractors after he restored his Dad’s tractor and began amassing his collection of tractors as well.

James was a stand-out athlete during his youth, having played football for Coach Toby Webb at Albemarle Senior High School and going to college at Catawba on a football scholarship. He had the opportunity to play in the Shrine Bowl in 1953. James also played for the American Legion Baseball team.

He was an active member of Anderson Grove Baptist Church while his health permitted.

John restored many cars of his own and had the crowning achievement of winning the most prestigious award from MARC, The Henry for a restoration that garnered top points. He was also presented with the Ken Brady Service Awardthe highest award given to members at the national level.

James enjoyed hunting and fishing during his spare time. James was a jack of all trades and could fix anything. He will be missed by all who knew him.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Catie Godfrey and all the staff at Tillery Compassionate Care for the care they provided to James during his declining health. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Tillery Compassionate Care (960 N 1st Street, Albemarle, NC 28001).

Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is serving the Smith family.

This is what John’s Model A Community had to say upon learning of his death: He was an active member of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church where he loved serving as greeter on Sunday mornings. He also belonged to the United Methodist Men. John is survived by his wife Julie Ussery Kluttz, for 66 years of the home. He is also survived by a son John David Kluttz (Kim) of Oakboro, NC; two daughters, Sally Simerson of Denver, CO and Betsy Tusa (John) of Lafayette, CO; three grandchildren, Bonnie Kluttz Sammons (Ben) of Richfield, NC John Alexander McKinnon (Sarah) of Asheville, NC and Seth William McKinnon (Amanda) of Germany; five great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Meredith, Grant, Victoria and Ronan. John is also preceded in death by his parents, J.S. Kluttz and Mary Wyatt Clayton Kluttz; a large and loving group of brothers and sisters, Jack Methias Kluttz, Annie Lou Kluttz Honeycutt, Jake Nelson Kluttz, Julius Kluttz, Mary Patricia Phillips and a grandson, Kevin Fowler Kluttz.

Jason had a deep passion for life and a spirit that was both bold and kind. He found joy in the rhythm of music and taught himself to play the guitar, overcoming a hearing deficit to pursue his passion. He was a fitness enthusiast who found peace in his daily workouts, and his love for automobiles was unmatched; he admired everything from muscle cars to classics and loved getting under the hood himself. Jason also enjoyed collecting firearms and spending time at the shooting range.

More than anything, Jason loved being surrounded by family. Whether it was a backyard cookout or simply sharing a laugh, he was happiest when making memories with those he loved. Known for his quick wit, sense of humor, and infectious personality, Jason never met a stranger. He was a devoted father and a doting grandfather, roles he cherished deeply.

Jason will be remembered for his strength, his laughter, and the love he gave so freely. He will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Doris was a gentle and sweet spirit and loved her Lord. She never met a stranger, and she always left you feeling uplifted after talking with her. She would often claim that she had “adopted” friends into her immediate family, and honestly, she never made a distinction between the two. Positivity radiated from her like sunlight. She was selfless, funny, smart, and sentimental. During her lifetime she was an active member of First Baptist Church of Durham, First Baptist Church of Augusta, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Augusta, and Palestine United Methodist Church in Albemarle. She especially loved helping at church with older adults, youth, and children.

At this time, no formal services are scheduled.

Arrangements are being handled by Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle.

She was especially talented at sewing from a young age and made gifts for friends, Christmas ornaments, Halloween Costumes, doll clothes, pageant dresses, prom dresses, coats, tote bags, scarves, outfits for Amy and Laura, and Christening gowns for each of her grandchildren.

Doris was preceded in death by her father Arthur Raymond Jones, her mother Mary Ellen Cameron Jones, and her sister Maryanne Jones Brantley. Survivors include her two precious daughters: Amy Cameron Coleman (partner Dr. Edward Neal Chernault) of Albemarle, NC, and Laura Lindahl Coleman Oliverio (husband David) of Cincinnati, Ohio; seven grandchildren: Cameron David Oliverio, Stephanie Jae Dejak, Luca Beatty Oliverio, Coleman John Dejak, Carson Joseph Oliverio, Ryan Nicholas Dejak, and Jadon Richard Oliverio; and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and loved ones.

STATE & NATION

Pritzker calls out ‘do-nothing’ Democrats for failing to push back on Trump administration

He spoke at an event in the early primary state of New Hampshire

By Joey Cappelletti and Holly Ramer The Associated Press

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sharply criticized fellow Democrats on Sunday for not doing enough to oppose President Donald Trump, drawing a clear divide between himself and other high-profile Democrats seen as future presidential contenders.

Pritzker delivered the keynote address at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, the latest and most high-profile in a series of speeches this year.

While Pritzker continued to attack Trump, he also focused on what he says are shortcomings in his own party, assailing Democrats for listening to “a bunch of know-nothing political types” instead of everyday Americans. Without naming names, he called out Democrats “flocking to podcasts and cable news shows to admonish fellow Democrats for not caring enough about the struggles of working families.”

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption,” Pritzker said.

The second-term governor has yet to say whether he will run for that office again in 2026, but the billionaire Hyatt heir has been laying the groundwork for a potential presidential campaign for years.

Notably, California Gov.

More than

100

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner on Sunday in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Gavin Newsom, another high-profile 2028 contender, said on his podcast recently that the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador and detained at one point in a notorious megaprison, was a “distraction” from issues such as tariffs. Newsom also said on his podcast’s inaugural episode that he opposes trans athletes competing in women’s sports. Polling suggests immigration is Trump’s strongest issue and that a majority of Democrats also oppose trans participation in women’s sports. Pritzker on Sunday night

said it was no time for Democrats to be in despair.

“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now,” he said, stressing that the party “must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.”

Pritzker has already spoken this year at the Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles dinner and is scheduled to headline a Minnesota Democratic dinner in June. He drew national attention in February when he used part of his joint budget and State of the State address to draw a parallel between

suspected illegals detained at after-hours nightclub in Colorado

The club had been under investigation by the DEA for months

By John Raby The Associated Press

MORE THAN 100 immigrants suspected of being in the United States illegally were taken into custody early Sunday following a federal raid at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, authorities said.

Video posted online by the Drug Enforcement Administration showed agents announcing their presence outside the building and ordering patrons to leave with their hands up. Other videos showed dozens of people fleeing the building through its entrance after federal agents smashed a window. Later, dozens of suspects were shown in handcuffs stand-

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today.”

Jonathan Pullen, DEA special agent

ing on a sidewalk waiting to be transported.

During his second stint as U.S. president, Donald Trump’s campaign of immigration enforcement has slowed illegal immigration at the southern border to a trickle.

On Sunday in Colorado, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the club-going immigrants into custody, said Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division.

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today,”

he said. The city, Colorado’s second largest, lies about 70 miles south of Denver.

More than 300 law enforcement officers and officials from multiple agencies responded to the nightclub, which had been under investigation for several months for alleged activities including drug trafficking, prostitution and “crimes of violence,” Pullen said at a news conference. Cocaine was among the drugs found, he said.

“When the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor,” Pullen said.

An undisclosed number of guns were seized, he said.

Trump posted a link to the DEA video of the raid on his social media site, Truth Social. “A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes,” the president wrote.

Trump’s rhetoric and the rise of Nazi Germany.

On Sunday, Pritzker again invoked his Jewish faith, criticizing Trump’s efforts to deport foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He called on Trump to “stop tearing down the Constitution in the name of my ancestors,” a line that drew a standing ovation from the crowd.

But Pritzker was also adamant in calling out the “do-nothing Democrats,” asserting that while the party “may need to fix our messaging and strategy, our values are ex-

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

actly where they should be.” He added, “We will never join so many Republicans in a special place in hell reserved for quislings and cowards.”

Lou D’Allesandro, who retired from the New Hampshire State Senate last year after five decades in public service and met Pritzker in Chicago years ago, said the Illinois governor “has all the ingredients to make it to the big time.”

“He’s very quick on his feet, very gregarious,” he said. But any Democrat who wants to win in 2028 has their work cut out for them, he said.

“They’ve got to reintroduce themselves to the grassroots,” he said. “They’ve got to let people know Democrats care about them, or they’re gonna be in big trouble.”

Last year’s featured speaker at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who went on to become his party’s vice presidential nominee.

The annual event is especially significant among state Democratic fundraisers given New Hampshire’s historic role holding the nation’s first presidential primary, though Democrats last year moved South Carolina ahead at the behest of former President Joe Biden.

The first 100 Club dinner was held in 1959 to promote the presidential candidacy of John F. Kennedy. In 2020, speakers included 10 Democratic candidates for president.

Pullen estimated more than 200 people were inside the nightclub. Among them were more than a dozen active-duty military members who either were patrons or working as armed security. He said the DEA will consult with the Army’s Criminal Investiga-

tion Division to determine the next steps involving the service members. In addition, some patrons were arrested on undisclosed outstanding warrants, Pullen said.

Pullen did not specify the countries where the detained immigrants were from.

U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION VIA AP Officers stop a patron fleeing from a nightclub where a raid occurred on Sunday in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

REBA SALDANHA / AP PHOTO

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Barber arrested at U.S. Capitol during budget protest

Washington, D.C.

The Rev. William Barber, a North Carolina minister and activist, was arrested alongside other faith leaders at a demonstration Monday in the Capitol Rotunda The prominent minister and former NAACP NC president was protesting against the proposed Republican-led federal budget, which would extend and expand broad tax cuts alongside cuts to social and environmental programs.

“If you can’t challenge your adversary with the hope that they change and to know that even if they don’t, at least they will have no excuse that they did not get told what is right. That is a powerful witness,” Barber said in remarks outside the Capitol shortly before his arrest. Barber organized and led Moral Mondays marches in Raleigh a decade ago that spread elsewhere in the state. Protestors engaged in civil disobediance at the rallies, and several — including Barber — were arrested and charged with misdemeanors.

Trump offers U.S. automakers some relief on tariffs

Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to relax some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. Tuesday’s action is a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers. Independent analyses have indicated that the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make United States production less competitive worldwide.

$2.00

Decision looming on PFAS drinking water limits

The Trump EPA will soon weigh in on “forever chemicals”

By Michael Phillis The Associated Press

IN PAIN SO bad he couldn’t stand, Chris Meek was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening ruptured gallbladder. When he emerged from surgery, he learned he had kidney cancer that thankfully hadn’t yet spread. Meek, a social studies teacher in Wilmington, North Carolina, was 47 at the time. But he remained confused for years about why, as someone seemingly not at risk, he had gotten cancer until Emily Donovan, a parent of students at his school, gave a guest talk about high levels of harmful forev-

er chemicals known as PFAS in North Carolina’s environment. When Donovan mentioned kidney cancer, the possible cause of Meek’s diagnosis finally clicked.

Until then, Meek said, he “had no idea what PFAS was.”

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoro -

alkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.

In a decision with consequences for tens of millions of Americans, the Trump administration is expected to soon say whether it intends to stand by those strict standards and defend the limits against a water utility industry challenge in federal court.

PFAS in drinking water created a crisis for many communities

In North Carolina, runoff from a Chemours plant contaminated the Cape Fear River, creating a crisis for cities like Wilmington that use it for drinking water. Amid public outcry, Wilmington effectively eliminated it from tap water. Other U.S. communities — often near military bases or industrial sites — did the same when test results were

See PFAS, page A4

Commissioners approve incentive packages for 2 potential manufacturers

The county put together nearly $450K to help entice new businesses

By Ryan Henkel Twin City Herald

WINSTON-SALEM — The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners held a variety of public hearings at its April 24 meeting, most notably, two relating to economic development incentives.

The board held a public hearing for the potential expenditure of just under $300,000 in county funds for an economic development incentive package for Polyvlies USA.

“Plolyvlies is a needle-punched, nonwovens manufacturer who’s been operating in Winston-Salem since 2014,” said Community and Economic Development Director Kirby Robinson. “They produce materials for a variety of industries such as automotive, geotextiles,

agricultural and construction industries. They are evaluating plans to potentially construct a new facility in Winston-Salem.”

According to Robinson, the company is proposing to make a $31 million total capital investment in Forsyth County over the five-year incentive period and they are projecting to create 28 new jobs with an average annual wage of $47,000.

“The capital investment made by the company is expected to generate $582,366 in new county property taxes over the five-year period,” Robinson said. “So the maximum incentive is essentially 50% of that number.”

The annual incentive payments will not exceed 50% of new county property taxes generated in any one year.

The second economic development hearing dealt with a potential incentive package of approximately $145,000 for GMAX Industries.

“They are a global distributor of disposable medical supplies,” Robinson said. “They are a 100% minority-owned small business that serve hospital systems, healthcare providers and medical device companies. They are starting an initiative to reshore production back to the United States and they are evaluating the use of an existing facility in Winston-Salem.”

According to Robinson, the company is proposing a total investment of $15 million in capital investment and would be projecting to create 42 new jobs with an average wage of $64,000.

The board approved both incentive packages following the hearings. In addition, Winston-Salem also approved similar incentive packages with both companies as well earlier in the month.

“Both of these projects are typical of the kinds that this board considers and frequently

approves,” said Commissioner Dan Besse. “They’re both new manufacturing developments which is the archetypical type of economic project that provides net, new local property taxes and net, new economic activity in the area.”

The board also held three rezoning requests, with the first being for approximately 30 acres of property located at the northern terminus of Martin Street and Avalee Street to go from Residential (RS-20) to Residential - Special Use (RS12-S) for a 93-unit, single-family development.

“This isn’t a zero-sum game,” said Planning Director Chris Murphy. “It’s not zero lots or 93 lots. With the RS-20 zoning, there are 64 lots that are allowed. So if this rezoning were to be approved, it would be for 29 additional lots, not the entire 93.”

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO Pelicans sit on a dock in the Cape Fear River.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Tanks hold water at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant as the Northeast Cape Fear River flows past in Wilmington.

“Join the conversation”

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Neal Robbins, Publisher

Jim Sills, VP of Local Newspapers

Cory Lavalette, Senior Editor

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Shawn Krest, Sports Editor

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Ryan Henkel, Reporter

P.J. Ward-Brown, Photographer

Court blocks NC law to strip governor’s election board powers

with one dissenting

By Gary D. Robertson and Makiya Seminara The Associated Press

RALEIGH — North Carolina trial judges threw out last Wednesday another Republican attempt to strip the governor of his authority to appoint State Board of Elections members, declaring that a law shifting the task to the state auditor is unconstitutional.

One registered Republican judge and one Democratic judge on the three-member panel sided with Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, who with his predecessor Roy Cooper sued over the law finalized by the GOP-dominated General Assembly in December. The third judge, a Republican, dissented.

The governor picks the five board members, three of whom are traditionally members of the governor’s party. Appointments are made from candidates provided by the two major political parties.

ing Cooper were blocked by courts — including a 2023 law declared unconstitutional by the same three-judge panel that ruled last Wednesday. Voters in 2018 rejected a constitutional amendment that would have forced the governor to pick members recommended by legislative leaders.

INCENTIVE from page A1

There were substantial citizen comments brought up in the hearing, almost all of which related to the potential for increased traffic, which they said could lead to safety concerns and further issues with ingress and egress.

As such, following the hearing, the board voted to deny the request.

The board also held a public hearing for a rezoning request for approximately 5.5 acres of property located on the northwest side of Elbert Road and north of Evans Road from Residential (RS-9) to General Business – Special Use (GB-S) for the purpose of constructing a storage facility.

The final rezoning request for approximately 30 acres of property located on the east side of Wallburg Road and between Union Cross Road and Business Park Drive from Agricultural (AG) and General Industry – Special Use (GI-S) to Limited Industrial – Special Use (LIS) for a 420,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehousing building.

“The project will provide approximately $35 million of investment and would create 250 estimated jobs within the community,” Murphy said.

Following the two hearings, the board approved both rezoning requests.

Finally, the board then held a public hearing for the issuance, in principle, of up to $855 million in tax-exempt Healthcare Facilities Revenue and Revenue Refunding Bonds for the benefit of Novant Health.

“This is a procedural approval under federal tax law,” said Charles Bowyer of Robinson Bradshaw, the firm representing the National Finance Authority and Novant as bond counsel. “The bonds do not constitute debt of the county nor will the county have any liability for the bonds.”

The board also approved a $65,000 contract with BW&A Books to provide book production services for the publication of the Forsyth County Architectural History manuscript.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will next meet May 8.

The latest law would have given the responsibility to new GOP state Auditor Dave Boliek starting May 1, with the expectation that Republicans would assume a majority on the board.

Superior Court Judges Edwin Wilson and Lori Hamilton said the law would “interfere with the Governor’s constitutional duties.” Other elected executive officials assist the governor in executing state law, but the governor “bears the ultimate duty of faithful execution,” they wrote.

Their decision also cited rulings on previous unsuccessful attempts by the General Assembly to strip powers from the governor. Since late 2016, the Republican-dominated legislature has sought to erode or eliminate a governor’s authority to appoint the board that administers elections in the ninth-largest state.

Four previous laws target-

Republicans have complained that a governor has too much control over elections, resulting in one-party decision-making and a lack of voter confidence. But Democrats say the laws are a GOP power grab designed to give Republicans an unfair advantage in elections in the battleground state. The board’s importance has been apparent in the still-unresolved election for a state Supreme Court seat.

Dissenting Superior Court Judge Andrew Womble argued that the General Assembly does have the constitutional authority to assign new powers to the state auditor. When it comes to allocating certain powers in the executive branch, the legislature is the “final authority,” he wrote.

Stein’s lawyer argued in court last week that the auditor’s historic role in state government has nothing to

do with elections — it’s best known for issuing reports uncovering waste and fraud in state government. Upholding the law, he said, would have given the legislature the goahead to move other gubernatorial powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution to other statewide elected officials who would be inclined to carry out laws as GOP lawmakers wanted.

“The North Carolina Constitution puts the Governor in charge of executing the law. That’s what the voters elected me to do, so that’s what I’ll do,” Stein said in a post to X after the ruling.

Attorneys for Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall contend the constitution disperses executive-branch power in North Carolina government to many statewide elected leaders including the auditor, who can be tasked with carrying out elections and other laws. The board of elections isn’t mentioned in the constitution, which says the auditor’s duties “shall be prescribed by law.”

“The current partisan Democrat-controlled NC State Board of Elections has

conducted our state’s elections much like in a banana republic, making up the rules as it goes along while ignoring the clear mandate of the law,” Hall said in a statement on X. “From failing to properly clean up our voter rolls, to determining third party ballot access based on the political winds, to completely bungling simple voter registration requirements, the partisan Democrat board is a national embarrassment.”

“We will appeal and we are confident Senate Bill 382 will ultimately be upheld, resulting in a board that will finally follow the law as it is written and not based on left wing fantasies,” Hall added.

Boliek, who joined with GOP legislative leaders in the case, said last Wednesday that he would appeal the ruling. Republicans hold the majority of seats on both the state Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

“We are taking immediate steps to rectify this constitutionally corrosive and misguided ruling,” Berger said in a statement. “The Board of Elections functioned in a highly partisan manner during the Cooper administration, with handpicked partisan Democrats running elections and rewriting rules. There’s no indication it will change under the Stein administration.”

Last Wednesday’s ruling also strikes down changes to how the 100 county elections boards are chosen, which also with Boliek’s involvement, would likely have Republican majorities, too. The county board changes would have started in June.

Stein is also suing lawmakers over additional provisions in the wide-ranging December law that weaken other powers of the governor and other Democratic officials. Cooper vetoed the bill, but Republicans completed an override.

North State Journal’s A.P. Dillon contributed to this report.

An Atlas V rocket carrying Project Kuiper satellites took off from Cape Canaveral in Florida

By Marcia Dunn The Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

— Amazon’s first batch of internet satellites rocketed into orbit Monday, the latest entry in the mega constellation market currently dominated by SpaceX’s thousands of Starlinks. The United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket carried up 27 of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites, named after the frigid fringes of our solar system beyond Neptune. Once released in orbit, the satellites will eventually reach an

altitude of nearly 400 miles.

Two test satellites were launched in 2023, also by an Atlas V. Project officials said major upgrades were made to the newest version. The latest satellites also are coated with a mirror film designed to scatter reflected sunlight in an attempt to accommodate astronomers.

Stargazers oppose the fast-growing constellations of low-orbiting satellites, arguing they spoil observations. Others fear more satellite collisions.

Founded by Jeff Bezos, who now runs his own rocket company, Blue Origin, Amazon aims to put more than 3,200 of these satellites into orbit to provide fast, affordable broadband service around the globe.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX already

has launched more than 8,000 Starlinks since 2019. The company marked its 250th Starlink launch Sunday night. More than 7,000 Starlinks are still in orbit some 300-plus miles above Earth. The European-based OneWeb satellite constellation numbers in the hundreds in an even higher orbit.

Amazon already has purchased dozens of rocket launches from United Launch Alliance and Blue Origin for Project Kuiper, as well as others.

“There are some things you can only learn in flight” despite extensive testing on the ground, said Rajeev Badyal, the project’s vice president.

“No matter how the mission unfolds, this is just the start of our journey,” he said in a statement ahead of the evening liftoff. The first liftoff attempt earlier this month was nixed by bad weather. It took until now to secure another spot

Two of the three judges sided with Gov. Josh Stein,

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

Is violence justified?

The most troubling part of all this is the change of attitude on the left. The violence appears to be celebrated and applauded.

VIOLENCE FROM THE FAR LEFT has become over the top, and it’s starting to get scary. These people have lost their marbles completely. They must stay up late at night cramming to reach double digits on the IQ scale. There appears to be no difference, in their minds, between men and women. They also don’t recognize right and wrong and appear to approve of all things immoral.

Most of the political violence has always come from the left. I have written before about the campus unrest of the ’60s and ’70s and the Weather Underground Organization that was responsible for many bombings, including the State Department headquarters.

In the “summer of love” in 2020 after the death of George Floyd, there were riots all over the country. While the media portrayed the riots as “mostly peaceful protests,” there was lots of violence, including burning down buildings and taking over a police headquarters. Recently, the violence has moved to a new level. Tesla dealerships have been attacked all over the country. Imagine that! Elon Musk was the darling of the left because he produced their beloved electric vehicle. Now he is the most despised man around because he is identifying waste, fraud and abuse in the government. It takes a special kind of crazy to oppose saving taxpayers money and ending corruption. Tesla cars have been firebombed and destroyed, and innocent owners are suffering losses. Most Tesla owners are liberals themselves. Musk said the left had descended into madness, saying, “They’ve gone psycho.”

The most troubling part of all this is the change of attitude on the left. The violence appears to be celebrated and applauded. In their minds, they seem to believe that whatever they do is justified. It reminds me of the attitude years ago toward women who were victims of rape. Too many times, we heard things like: “She shouldn’t dress like that. She asked for it.”

Nothing has been more indicative of that attitude than the facts surrounding the murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of United HealthCare. He was in New York, headed to give a speech to a group early in the morning. This was an innocent man, a husband and a father murdered in cold blood. He was allegedly gunned down by Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old man from a well-to-do family. When Mangione showed up for his day in court, it looked like a rock star coming in for a concert. The streets were lined with supportive fans.

California just isn’t working

Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of high-

FOUR MONTHS AGO, the Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 homes in Los Angeles. Three months later, only four permits had been issued to rebuild the community.

Clearly, California just isn’t working.

The radical environmentalism, wokeism, and unionized bureaucratic micromanagement that Sacramento has imposed on the whole state is distorting reality and grinding things to a halt.

I talked with Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin about the fire and recovery. He was surprised at the tiny number of permit approvals. Under his aggressive, dynamic leadership, the EPA already cleared the burned-out neighborhoods for federal permits. Of course, as he noted, the federal permits require city and county permission.

This permitting logjam is happening even with a supposed one-stop local permit office and other efforts to cut through the red tape.

But this is only the latest part of the story. Years before the fire, two new reservoirs were approved to ensure there would be enough water for firefighting. They were never built. Some fire hydrants simply did not work. Further, emergency vehicles were trapped in government parking lots because they needed oil changes. They could not be used to fight the fires because the bureaucracy’s firm rules about routine maintenance overruled common sense and public safety.

And fire is a real danger in the whole state. I spoke with Laguna Beach Mayor Alex Rounaghi and Fire Chief Niko King on my Newt’s World podcast. They shared their strategy for fire prevention. Laguna Beach brought in 400 goats to eat underbrush. It was a low-cost solution to clear out the vegetation that leads to hot uncontrollable fires.

The California government is trying to eliminate their goat fire prevention because the goats might eat endangered plants.

(You have to wonder: What do state bureaucrats think fire does to endangered plants?) The powers in Sacramento want Laguna Beach to switch to human vegetation removal, which is four times more expensive. Meanwhile, a couple hundred goats might have saved the Palisades.

He has become a national hero to the left. More than $900,000 has been donated to a GoFundMe page, and he is receiving truckloads of fan mail. Keith Morris of the punk band Circle Jerks has called for an “army of Luigis” in support of the health care CEO assassin. A 17-year-old high school student recently stabbed another teenager to death at a track meet in Texas. Karmelo Anthony was asked to move from a seat as he was in the wrong spot. He stabbed the other young man in the heart, and he died in the arms of his twin brother. The perpetrator is black, and the victim was white. Of course, “white supremacy and racism” had to be played. Anthony’s family set up a GoFundMe page and has already raised more than $420,000. A judge lowered his bond, and he was immediately back on the street. His family moved to a new home with fund money. A young man is dead from an act of violence, and the perpetrator is being handsomely rewarded. What does that do to encourage more violence?

I recently read that there was another assassination attempt against President Donald Trump. Three attempts on his life have now been thwarted. Musk has threats daily against his life. These incidents are getting way too commonplace.

Don’t forget the assassination attempt against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Also, don’t forget the threats made by Sen. Chuck Schumer on the steps of the Supreme Court. He said, “Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, you won’t know what hit you.”

Most striking of all is a shocking study that emerged from The Network Contagion Research Institute. The report stated that “a growing number of people are willing to justify and even applaud killing in the name of politics and a warped sense of justice.” The most chilling thing in the report was a poll. A disturbing 48.6% of those who self-identified as “left of center” agreed that the murder of Musk was justified. A staggering 55.2% thought the murder of Trump was justifiable.

A dying man’s last grasp is his strongest. The left is feeling helpless and afraid. There can never be justification for violence against innocent people. When will they ever learn?

Joyce Krawiec represented Forsyth County and the 31st District in the North Carolina Senate from 2014 to 2024. She lives in Kernersville.

But the tragedy of the Palisades fire is just one example of how California is falling apart. The combination of weird values, ossified bureaucracy, and state legislators devoted to principles and ideas that simply don’t work are slowly destroying the state.

On a totally different front, California had more than $20 billion stolen from its COVID-19 related unemployment compensation funds. Much of the theft came from California state prisoners using the state prison’s computer system. They used identity theft and partners outside the prison to defraud taxpayers. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert joined me on Newt’s World to discuss the fraud. The story is unbelievable. When we spoke in February 2021, the estimate was only $11.5 billion had been stolen. It has since doubled and no one really knows the upper limit. This astonishing incompetence drives up taxes on businesses to replenish the unemployment funds that have been drained by crooks. It’s a vicious cycle.

One final example of California not working is the proposed high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was originally proposed in 2008 for $33 billion. It was supposed to be completed by 2020. Now, a small portion has been built between small towns. The projected cost has ballooned to $128 billion — and at the current rate it will not be completed in this century. It will never reach San Francisco or Los Angeles but instead stop at small towns about 25 miles outside the cities.

While California has been squandering money on costly failures, the Japanese have had more than 60 years-experience with high-speed trains. Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of high-speed rail. California simply doesn’t work anymore.

Since California is our largest state, this collapse of competence and common sense is a national problem. The state represents 14 percent of the national economy.

We need a serious commitment to get back to a commonsense, problem-solving California that works again. It should be a national priority.

Newt Gingrich was Republican speaker of the U.S. House.

TRIAD STRAIGHT TALK | JOYCE KRAWIEC

COLUMN | NEWT GINGRICH

speed rail.

frightening and public pressure, local leadership or state law forced PFAS-laden wells offline or prompted installation of expensive filtering systems, according to Mark White, drinking water global practice leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith.

The EPA said the PFAS found in North Carolina, often called GenX chemicals, can be toxic to the kidney. While other types of PFAS may raise kidney cancer risk, little research has focused on the link between kidney cancer and GenX, according to Sue Fenton, director of the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University. Chemours said evidence doesn’t support arguments that GenX at low levels is a health threat. The company has sharply reduced PFAS discharges.

So far, sampling has found nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the recently set EPA limits, but most aren’t above by much. Forcing this group to reduce PFAS more than doubles the rule’s health benefits but roughly triples its costs, the EPA has said.

The Biden administration’s rule set standards for two common types of PFAS at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. Standards for several other PFAS chemicals were set, too, and utilities must meet those levels by 2029.

PFAS have had wide uses over the decades

Manufactured by companies like Chemours and 3M, PFAS were incredibly useful in many applications -– among them, helping clothes to withstand rain and ensuring that firefighting foam snuffed out flames. But the chemicals also accumulate in the body. As science advanced in recent years, evidence of harm at far lower levels became clearer.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has championed fossil fuels and the rollback of major clean air and water rules. His history with PFAS is more nuanced; during his time as a New York congressman, he supported legislation to regulate forever chemicals in drinking water.

“It’s an issue that touches people in a very tangible way across the political spectrum, including in Lee Zeldin’s former district,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

Zeldin has offered clues about what the EPA could do. The agency estimated the rule would cost about $1.5 billion annually and Zeldin said recently that communities struggling to afford a fix for PFAS that are just above the standard might be handled differently than wealthy places with lots of it.

“What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out,” he said.

On Monday, the EPA said it will establish an agency lead for PFAS, develop wastewater lim-

its for PFAS manufacturers and investigate sources that pose an immediate danger to drinking water, among other actions.

EPA decision looms on whether to let the rule stay as it is

Soon, the EPA must tell a federal appeals court in Washington whether the rule should stand or be rewritten, although weakening it could be complicated because the Safe Drinking Water Act prevents new rules from being looser than previous ones. The agency could, however, encourage exemptions and deadline extensions, according to Erik Olson, an attorney with the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council supporting the current standards in the court case.

Consider Avondale, Arizona, outside of Phoenix, which produces PFAS results modestly above the limits. Officials have done detailed testing and are planning to enhance water treatment. All told, lowering PFAS may cost Avondale more

“What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out.”

Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator

than $120 million, according to Kirk Beaty, the city’s public utility director.

That’s money a city like Avondale “just doesn’t have sitting in a back room somewhere,” Beaty said, adding he’ll defer to federal experts to dictate what’s acceptable.

“We’re hoping we’re a little further ahead of everybody else. If the regulation changes, well you know, we may let off the gas a little bit, we may not,” he said, adding that it is hard to justify spending extra money to do more than what’s required when the cost falls on residents.

If the government decides higher amounts of PFAS are acceptable, that could con-

fuse people, especially in areas where the public is already concerned.

“If we enter into a gray area over what’s healthy and what’s not healthy, then utilities are at risk of being caught up in a debate for which they have no real responsibility nor expertise to decide on,” said Karine Rougé, CEO for municipal water at Veolia North America, a water operations company.

Industry group says the rule goes too far and is too costly

The American Water Works Association, an industry group, filed the court challenge to the new rule. It agrees that certain PFAS should be regulated but argues the EPA’s standards go too far, underestimate costs and are “neither feasible nor cost-effective.” There are serious consequences for residents’ water bills, it says.

The burden of complying will fall heavily on small utilities that can least afford it. Many water providers already struggle

to maintain their existing infrastructure, some experts say. On top of everything else, they face new requirements to replace lead pipes. The AWWA wants the EPA to extend the PFAS and lead deadlines by two years. There is money available to help. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $9 billion for chemicals like PFAS and utilities have won multibillion-dollar settlements against PFAS polluters that help as well.

Meek, who successfully recovered after surgery from cancer and is now 59, is planning to sue over his illness. He once didn’t second-guess using tap water. Now he reaches for bottled water.

Donovan, who introduced Meek to PFAS and helped start Clean Cape Fear, says if the government’s standards are weakened, it’ll relieve pressure on utilities to effectively treat the water.

Previously, “our local utilities could tell us publicly that the water met or exceeded all state and federal guidelines because there weren’t any,” she said.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Left, Chris Meek, who survived cancer he suspects was caused PFAS in drinking water, stands in front of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington on Monday. Right, pumps at work insideinside the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant, which processes water for much of New Hanover County.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Water is processed through carbon filters inside large reservoirs designed to remove forever chemicals, known as PFAS.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Equipment inside the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant, which processes water for much of New Hanover County.

Forsyth SPORTS

Cindric delivers Penske first win of Cup Series season

for him

By Jenna Fryer

The Associated Press

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Aus-

tin Cindric gave Team Penske its first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season by holding off a huge pack of challengers over the closing lap in a rare drama-free day at Talladega Superspeedway.

Well, there was a tiny bit of drama: Penske teammate Joey Logano was livid following the end of Sunday’s second stage when Cindric didn’t push him, allowing Toyota driver Bubba Wallace to win the stage.

“Way to go Austin,” seethed Logano, who used multiple expletives in his anger over his Penske radio. “You just gave it to him. Gave a Toyota a stage win. Nice job. Way to go ... put that in the book.”

It didn’t matter to Cindric as he celebrated the third win of his Cup Series career and snapped a 30-race losing streak. The victory makes him the first Penske driver locked into the playoffs.

“Rock on, guys,” Cindric said over his radio. “Rock and roll. Let’s go!”

Cindric was followed by Ryan Preece as Ford drivers went 1-2. Kyle Larson and William Byron

“About time one of us wins these things.”

Teammate Joey Logano

finished third and fourth for Hendrick Motorsports, but the two Chevrolet drivers pushed Cindric and Preece from the second row rather than pull out of line on the final lap and make a third lane in an attempt to win.

It was Larson’s best career finish at Talladega, where drafting and pack racing is required and neither suits his style. He said he wanted to make a move to try to take the win from Cindric, but there was never any room.

“I wanted to take it, but I felt like the gap was too big,” Larson said. “I was just stuck inside and just doing everything I could to advance our lane and maybe open it up to where I then could get to the outside. But we were all just pushing so equally that it kept the lanes jammed up.”

Logano was fifth and followed by Noah Gragson for two more Ford cars, while Hendrick driver Chase Elliott was seventh — two spots ahead of teammate Alex Bowman, with Carson Hocevar of Spire Motorsports sandwiched in between at eighth. Wallace at 10th

was the highest-finishing Toyota driver.

Cindric led five times but for only seven of the 188 laps in an unusually calm race for chaotic Talladega. The track last fall recorded the largest crash in the Cup Series history when 28 cars were collected in a demolition derby with four laps remaining.

On Sunday, there were only four cautions — two for stage breaks — totaling 22 laps. It was the fourth consecutive Talladega race with only four cautions, the two for stage breaks and the two for natural cautions.

But Sunday featured season highs in lead changes (67) among different drivers (23). Only five cars failed to finish from the 40-car field, and a whopping 30 drivers finished on the lead lap.

Cindric marked the 10th consecutive different winner at Talladega, extending the track record of no repeat winners. And, by the time it was over, Logano seemed to have calmed down.

“About time one of us wins these things,” Logano said of the Penske trio. “When you think about the amount of laps led by Team Penske and Ford in general, just haven’t been able to close. To see a couple of Fords on the front row duking it out, I wish one of them was me, in a selfish way. But it’s good to see those guys running up there and being able to click one off.”

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

KJ Henry

West Forsyth, football

KJ Henry is a 2018 graduate of West Forsyth High School.

While with the Titans football team, Henry was a three-time all-conference player and the Central Piedmont Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2017. He was invited to play in the Shrine Bowl and Under Armour Bowl. He also played basketball for West Forsyth. Henry went on to play at Clemson and is now preparing for his third year in the NFL.

He’s also the newest member of the West Forsyth Hall of Fame, joining with other Class of 2025 inductees, including Norton Barnhill, Kevin Besecker, Haywood Cloud, Norman Denny, Madeline Para, Cammy Pereira, TR Richards, Adrian Snow, Ashley Sullivan and Kurt Telford.

Svechnikov’s hat trick helps Hurricanes overcome injury to Andersen in Game 4 win

The Carolina goalie was injured in the second period after a collision with Timo Meier

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

NEWARK, N.J. — The Hurricanes have faced some adversity despite being in control of their first round series against the New Jersey Devils since their few minutes of the opening game.

But not even a Game 3 double-overtime loss felt like as dire a situation as goaltender Frederik Andersen being flat on his back in the net in Sunday’s Game 4 after a second period collision with Devils forward Timo Meier.

“It was a tough moment for us,” said stablemate Pyotr Kochetkov, who came on in relief when Andersen went to the locker room, knocked out of the game with the Hurricanes leading by two goals just before the midway point of regulation. It got tougher when Meier’s spinning shot from the side boards skittered past Kochetkov, cutting Carolina’s lead to one just over three minutes after Andersen was helped off the ice.

“When he scored, it’s my goal,” Kochetkov said, taking

the blame for allowing New Jersey to get within a goal. “I try to just focus for the next shot. … I needed to feel the puck, and after I had a couple shots, the game (came to) me.”

He also had the help of Andrei Svechnikov.

Svechnikov finished with the second postseason hat trick in franchise history and Kochetkov shut the door the rest of the way, stopping the other 14 shots he faced, as the Hurricanes won 5-2 at Prudential Center to take a 3-1 series lead and push the Devils to the brink of elimination.

“It was kind of a hard season for me, but right now, in playoff time, it’s kind of my time,” said Svechnikov, who also scored the other hat trick, in the COVID season qualifying round against the Rangers, in 2020. “I love this time of the year. I love playing a physical game and just trying to do everything that’s going to help my team win the games.”

The real challenge, however, was still ahead for the visiting Hurricanes.

Nico Hischier got New Jersey on the scoreboard just over two minutes later, then Meier, engaged with Svechnikov, crashed into Andersen shortly thereafter, knocking the Carolina goalie from the game.

No penalty was initial-

ly called, and then the officials opted for a five-minute major on Meier, which allowed for a video review. After the review, the referees determined there was no penalty on the play.

“There’s clearly contact, and you’re not really supposed to go in there,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the contact by Meier, who has been stymied by Andersen throughout the series. “And maybe even if we had a little bump, it’s still — he’s a big guy, he could stop. But it wasn’t egregious, I get it.”

To their credit, the Hurricanes resisted seeking retribution on Meier and instead tried to reestablish their game.

“We know in a game you’re leading … that we don’t need any fights or anything, any more penalties,” Svechnikov said. “And we just tried to stay focused and try to play our game.”

Svechnikov then finished off his hat trick, scoring into an empty net to seal Game 4 and send the Hurricanes back to Raleigh with a chance to close out the series on Tuesday.

“Your best players have to be your best players. … He was around it,” Brind’Amour said of Svechnikov.

Carolina may need to do it without Andersen, whose history of injuries has always served as a looming dark cloud over his successes.

“He wasn’t good enough to continue,” Brind’Amour said. “So that’s not a good sign. But I don’t have any other information, so we’ll know more, I guess, tomorrow when he gets evaluated.”

JEFFREY MCWHORTER / AP PHOTO

SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO

Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov celebrates his third goal in Carolina’s 5-2 Game 4 win Sunday in Newark, New Jersey.

The victory at Talladega snapped a 30-race losing streak

BUTCH DILL / AP PHOTO

NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Cindric (2) beats driver Ryan Preece (60) to the finish line during Sunday’s race at Talladega.

SIDELINE REPORT

NASCAR Legge claims she’s receiving death threats after Xfinity crash at Rockingham

Rockingham

NASCAR driver Katherine Legge said she has been receiving “hate mail” and “death threats” after a crash last weekend at Rockingham. Legge was off the pace when she was hit by William Sawalich and collected Kasey Kahne. Legge said “the inappropriate social media comments I’ve received aren’t just disturbing, they are unacceptable.” The 44-year-old Legge has started four Indianapolis 500s and been a regular in several series around the world. But she is a relative novice when it comes to stock cars. She crashed in her Cup Series debut at Phoenix earlier this season.

MLB Arizona’s Suárez becomes 19th player in MLB history with 4 home runs in game

Phoenix Arizona Diamondbacks

third baseman Eugenio Suárez homered in his first four at-bats against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, becoming the 19th player in MLB history to hit four homers in a game and first since 2017. The 33-year-old third baseman hit a solo shot in the second, a two-run homer in the fourth, and two more solo drives in the sixth and ninth. Suárez has 10 homers this season.

NCAA SPORTS

Judge delays $2.8B NCAA settlement to address roster limit concerns

San Francisco

The judge overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences has delayed final approval of the plan until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken signaled she is ready to approve the rest of the settlement but wants both sides to come up with a way to not harm current athletes who will lose their spots on teams. The settlement calls for scholarship limits to be replaced by roster limits. Some attorneys argued that Wilken’s order could throw college sports into chaos.

Former Baylor official placed nearly 3,000 impermissible fantasy bets, 113 involving the school

Waco, Texas

A former Baylor athletic official has received a show- c ause penalty from the NCAA after he placed nearly 3,000 impermissible daily fantasy bets on professional and college games over a five-year period. Those included 113 involving Baylor teams and student-athletes.

Sam Hancock, Baylor’s former director of resource development, allegedly placed 2,950 impermissible bets totaling $45,979 on three different sports betting platforms from July 2019 through September 2024. He acknowledged that he engaged in sports betting before his employment at Baylor and continued to do so after being hired, despite knowing it violated NCAA rules.

Manfred eager to see how many fans turn out for MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol

Vanderbilt winner of two college titles. Manfred sees lots of alignment between NASCAR and MLB fans.

By Teresa M. Walker The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ma-

jor League Baseball has played at the “Field of Dreams” movie site. Now baseball is eager to see just how big a crowd will show up for a game at a NASCAR bullring of a track. And Bristol Motor Speedway can hold a lot of people. It’s part of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s push to take MLB to locations where baseball isn’t played every day live. MLB played a game at the movie site in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022. Alabama, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, too.

Now it’s Tennessee’s turn.

Manfred noted Tuesday after speaking at the CAA World Congress of Sports Presented by Sports Business Journal that the Tennessee Volunteers are the defending college baseball national champions, with

“Big crowd, big crowd,” Manfred said of what is expected at Bristol on Aug. 2. “We think that it’s an opportunity to have a really large audience for a major league game, and we think the setting in really a legendary speedway is going to be awesome for a baseball game.”

Nobody is ready to put a number on how many will turn out for the MLB Speedway Classic when the Cincinnati Reds host the Atlanta Braves. Bristol set a record for a college football game in 2016 and has a capacity of 146,000 for racing.

This game will be played on a field laid over part of the speedway infield and the highbanked track.

Derek Schiller, president and chief executive officer of the Braves, said MLB approached the team a few years ago about this possibility. Schiller said the Braves were adamant about wanting to be a part of this game.

Pope Francis loved soccer, San Lorenzo, sport’s power to unite

The late pontiff was a lifelong fan and weighed in on the best player ever debate

By Debora Rey The Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Pope Francis’ passion for soccer was evident throughout his pontificate.

A lifelong supporter of Argentine club San Lorenzo, he agreed with those who describe soccer as the most beautiful game in the world. But Francis, who died last week at 88, also turned to the sport for anecdotes about camaraderie, fellowship and teamwork in an increasingly individualistic society.

“Soccer is a team sport. You can’t have fun alone,” the pope told a crowd of Italian youth, soccer players and coaches at the Vatican in 2019.

“And if it’s lived like that, it can do good for your mind and your heart in a society that is exasperated by subjectivism.”

Like most Argentine children, young Jorge Mario Bergoglio grew up with soccer. He played for hours with friends in his native Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

According to his own assessment, he was not that good.

In his recently published au-

“Soccer

is a team sport. You can’t have fun alone. And if it’s lived like that, it can do good for your mind and your heart.”

Pope Francis

tobiography

“Hope,” Francis said his skills were so poor that he was nicknamed “hard foot.”

Like many in his family, he became a supporter of San Lorenzo, a club founded by priest Lorenzo Massa in 1908. Its fans are nicknamed “the crows” due to the black cassock of its founder.

As a boy, he became fascinated by the colorful style of play of the team that won the local title in 1946. Until his death, he remembered the entire lineup.

Club executives decided to name their planned future stadium after Pope Francis, who until the end paid his dues to the club as member No. 88,235.

In a 2023 interview, Francis weighed in on the debate about who is the greatest soccer player of all time.

Asked to choose between his compatriots Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, World Cup w inners from different generations, Francis’ answer was unexpected.

“We

think the setting in really a legendary speedway is going to be awesome for a baseball game.”

Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner

“We know that there’s a uniqueness to it that is unmatched,” Schiller said. “Playing a baseball game at a motor speedway and being part of that was really important also because this is part of where our fan base comes from. So we we think many, maybe most of those fans are going to be Atlanta Braves fans.”

Officials announced last Tuesday that country superstar Tim McGraw will perform a concert an hour before first pitch. McGraw has ties to baseball, having earned a college scholarship playing the sport. His late father, Tug McGraw, won two World Series ti-

tles pitching for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. That’s just part of the day of events planned leading up to the game. Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, would only tease that more announcements are coming. All are designed to give fans reasons to get to the track and into their seats as early as possible. Hosting an event like this is nothing new for Bristol. The track hosted the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech in the Battle of Bristol in 2016 before a record 156,990 fans. So track officials have experience adapting the half-mile concrete track into something new. Caldwell said preparations started before the track’s spring race April 13, won by Kyle Larson. Bristol then will have six weeks until hosting a night NASCAR Cup Series race in the playoffs on Sept. 13. “It’s becoming very real,” Caldwell said. “We’re approaching 100 days out from the game, and we’re thrilled with the progress.”

“I will add a third,” he said. “Pelé.” He met the Brazilian great, a devout Catholic and three-time World Cup winner, before he was elected pope. Francis later met Messi and Maradona at the Vatican as pontiff.

“Maradona, as a player, was great. But as a man, he failed,” Francis said about the 1986 World Cup winner, who struggled with cocaine use and health issues and died in 2020 at 60. Maradona was celebrated by people who in the end didn’t help him, the pope added.

He described Messi, who lifted the World Cup trophy in 2022, as “very correct” and a gentleman.

“But for me, among those three, the great gentleman is Pelé,” the pope said.

Despite being a big soccer fan, Francis didn’t watch any games on television. He said he avoided watching TV altogether because of a promise he had made to

the Virgin of Carmen in 1990. The radio became his means to stay informed and listen to soccer matches until he moved to Rome.

Once in the Vatican, members of the Swiss Guard, who took care of his security, informed him about San Lorenzo and Argentina match results.

That’s how he found out that Argentina had won their third World Cup title.

While he was enthusiastic about the game, he spoke out against the fanaticism and violence that sometimes overshadow it. He called on top-level players to show humility and always remember their origins.

“Don’t forget where you came from. Those pitches in the outskirts, that place for prayer, that small club,” he said in 2019.

“I hope you can always feel the gratitude for your story, which is made of sacrifice, victories and battles,” Francis added. “Being great in life. That is the victory for all of us.”

ALESSANDRA TARANTINO / AP PHOTO

Pope Francis holds a San Lorenzo soccer jersey after celebrating his first Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in 2013.

The Braves and Reds will play on the track’s infield on Aug. 2

GEORGE WALKER IV / AP PHOTO

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference on the Speedway Classic.

the stream

Tina Fey, Steve Carell in ‘Four Seasons’, ‘Yes, Chef!’ with Martha Stewart, José Andrés

Country duo Maddie & Tae drop “Love and Light”

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick going to Italy for a wedding and some mafia intrigue in the movie “Another Simple Favor” and Tina Fey and Steve Carell reuniting for the Netflix series “The Four Seasons” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: Season 2 of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” lumbers into view, RaMell Ross’ shattering movie “Nickel Boys” and country music duo Maddie & Tae return with another album full of good-time anthems.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Murder, betrayal and martinis are on the menu for “Another Simple Favor,” which brings Lively and Kendrick’s characters to Italy for a wedding, and some mafia intrigue. Paul Feig returned to the director’s chair for the film, which got largely favorable reviews out of the South by Southwest Film Festival. “Another Simple Favor” premieres on Prime Video on Thursday.

Also coming to Prime Video is one of the best movies of 2024, Ross’ shattering “Nickel Boys,” which is now streaming. The adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel employs a first-person point of view to tell the story of two boys at a brutal reform school in the Jim Crow South. In my review, I wrote that it was “formally and emotionally eye-opening,” a memory piece and “a reconciling of unspeakable traumas and human resilience.” It was Oscar nominated for best picture and best adapted screenplay.

There’s another gem streaming on MUBI on Friday, but this is likely one most haven’t heard of. The independent film “La Cocina” flew under the radar with a modest release, but it’s worth a watch for anyone who loves innovative cinema. Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, “La Cocina” is an artistic behind-the-scenes look at a kitchen staff during the lunch rush at a busy Times Square restaurant. The tension is ramped up due to missing money and interpersonal drama between an undocumented chef (Raúl Briones) and the waitress he loves (Rooney Mara).

MUSIC TO STREAM

In a recent viral interview, the innovative Swedish rapper

Stewart and José Andrés

Yung Lean declared “the party is over.” In the music video for “Forever Yung,” the lead single from his forthcoming record, he takes that spirit quite literally and holds a funeral for himself. It’s a sinisterly cheerful affair, bolstered by the song’s lo-fi production and reverbed vocals. His latest album, “Jonatan” — taken from his real name Jonatan Leandoer Håstad — arrives Friday via World Affairs. Country music duo Maddie & Tae return with another album full of good-time anthems titled “Love & Light,” their latest for Mercury Nashville/ UMG. “Drunk Girls in Bathrooms” might be the most romantic song written about a glorious five-minute friendship;

“Kissing Cowboys” sounds like a raucous good time in a crowded dive bar. It is the soundtrack to a summertime road trip with girlfriends.

Isaiah Falls, a fresh voice in R&B, will release the A-side to his debut album, “LVRS PARADISE” on Friday. The rising talent brings Southern Florida bounce to his smooth vocal performances.

TELEVISION TO STREAM

Fey and Carell — who teamed up in 2010 for “Date Night” — are reuniting again for the upcoming Netflix series “The Four Seasons.” Based on the 1981 movie of the same name, “The Four Seasons” is a come-

dy-drama about three couples who take four yearly vacations together, one for each season. Fey and Carell are joined by Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani and Kerri Kenney-Silver. Fey co-created “The Four Seasons” with her “30 Rock” collaborators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield. It starts Thursday.

Season 2 of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” lumbers into view Sunday on AMC. One of six “Walking Dead” spin-offs produced so far, “Dead City” reunites the show’s unlikely duo — Negan, played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, and Maggie, played by Lauren Cohan. They are trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long since isolated from the mainland. New faces joining the cast include Kim Coates (“Sons of Anarchy”) as the menacing Bruegel, Keir Gilchrist (“Atypical”) as Benjamin Pierce, and Dascha Polanco (“Orange Is the New Black”) as Major Lucia Narvaez.

Apple TV+ hits the kitchen with “Carême,” a French historical drama that’s being called “The Bear” crossed with “The Bourne Identity.” It tells the story of Marie-Antonin Carême, often called the father of French cuisine, as he climbs to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. It’s not just a food show — our hero must also navigate the volatile world of shifting political alliances, royal secrets and revolution-fueled suspicions.

“The party is over.” Yung Lean

NBC is also heading to the kitchen with “Yes, Chef!,” a new cooking competition that pairs Martha Stewart and José Andrés. The show pits 12 professional chefs, and Stewart and Andrés will judge their cooking skills and ability to work together as they complete in a series of high-stakes culinary challenges. The top chef will take home a $250,000 grand prize. “Yes, Chef!” is streaming on Peacock.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Skin Deep isn’t the sort of title you’d expect from California’s Blendo Games, a one -man studio that has blessed us with gonzo cult hits like Quadrilateral Cowboy and Thirty Flights of Loving. But designer Brendon Chung’s signature weirdness is all over the story, in which insurance agent Nina Pasadena has to rescue a bunch of frozen cats from space pirates. The bad guys are well-a rmed, but Nina isn’t, so she’ll have to use whatever’s at hand — broken glass, banana peels, boxes of ragweed — to take them down before she can hurl them out the airlock. It’s like “Die Hard” on a space station with a healthy dose of

and it’s available on

This image shows Steve Carell, Kerri Kenney, Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani and Will Forte in a scene from the Netflix series “The Four Seasons.”

STATE & NATION

Pritzker calls out ‘do-nothing’ Democrats for failing to push back on Trump administration

He spoke at an event in the early primary state of New Hampshire

By Joey Cappelletti and Holly Ramer The Associated Press

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sharply criticized fellow Democrats on Sunday for not doing enough to oppose President Donald Trump, drawing a clear divide between himself and other high-profile Democrats seen as future presidential contenders.

Pritzker delivered the keynote address at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, the latest and most high-profile in a series of speeches this year.

While Pritzker continued to attack Trump, he also focused on what he says are shortcomings in his own party, assailing Democrats for listening to “a bunch of know-nothing political types” instead of everyday Americans. Without naming names, he called out Democrats “flocking to podcasts and cable news shows to admonish fellow Democrats for not caring enough about the struggles of working families.”

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption,” Pritzker said.

The second-term governor has yet to say whether he will run for that office again in 2026, but the billionaire Hyatt heir has been laying the groundwork for a potential presidential campaign for years.

Notably, California Gov.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during the McIntyre-Shaheen

New Hampshire.

Gavin Newsom, another high-profile 2028 contender, said on his podcast recently that the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador and detained at one point in a notorious megaprison, was a “distraction” from issues such as tariffs. Newsom also said on his podcast’s inaugural episode that he opposes trans athletes competing in women’s sports. Polling suggests immigration is Trump’s strongest issue and that a majority of Democrats also oppose trans participation in women’s sports. Pritzker on Sunday night

said it was no time for Democrats to be in despair.

“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now,” he said, stressing that the party “must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.”

Pritzker has already spoken this year at the Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles dinner and is scheduled to headline a Minnesota Democratic dinner in June. He drew national attention in February when he used part of his joint budget and State of the State address to draw a parallel between

More than 100 suspected illegals detained at after-hours nightclub in Colorado

The club had been under investigation by the DEA for months

By John Raby The Associated Press

MORE THAN 100 immigrants suspected of being in the United States illegally were taken into custody early Sunday following a federal raid at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, authorities said.

Video posted online by the Drug Enforcement Administration showed agents announcing their presence outside the building and ordering patrons to leave with their hands up. Other videos showed dozens of people fleeing the building through its entrance after federal agents smashed a window. Later, dozens of suspects were shown in handcuffs stand-

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today.”

Jonathan Pullen, DEA special agent

ing on a sidewalk waiting to be transported.

During his second stint as U.S. president, Donald Trump’s campaign of immigration enforcement has slowed illegal immigration at the southern border to a trickle.

On Sunday in Colorado, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the club-going immigrants into custody, said Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division.

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today,”

he said. The city, Colorado’s second largest, lies about 70 miles south of Denver.

More than 300 law enforcement officers and officials from multiple agencies responded to the nightclub, which had been under investigation for several months for alleged activities including drug trafficking, prostitution and “crimes of violence,” Pullen said at a news conference. Cocaine was among the drugs found, he said.

“When the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor,” Pullen said.

An undisclosed number of guns were seized, he said.

Trump posted a link to the DEA video of the raid on his social media site, Truth Social. “A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes,” the president wrote.

Trump’s rhetoric and the rise of Nazi Germany.

On Sunday, Pritzker again invoked his Jewish faith, criticizing Trump’s efforts to deport foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He called on Trump to “stop tearing down the Constitution in the name of my ancestors,” a line that drew a standing ovation from the crowd.

But Pritzker was also adamant in calling out the “do-nothing Democrats,” asserting that while the party “may need to fix our messaging and strategy, our values are ex-

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

actly where they should be.” He added, “We will never join so many Republicans in a special place in hell reserved for quislings and cowards.”

Lou D’Allesandro, who retired from the New Hampshire State Senate last year after five decades in public service and met Pritzker in Chicago years ago, said the Illinois governor “has all the ingredients to make it to the big time.”

“He’s very quick on his feet, very gregarious,” he said. But any Democrat who wants to win in 2028 has their work cut out for them, he said.

“They’ve got to reintroduce themselves to the grassroots,” he said. “They’ve got to let people know Democrats care about them, or they’re gonna be in big trouble.”

Last year’s featured speaker at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who went on to become his party’s vice presidential nominee.

The annual event is especially significant among state Democratic fundraisers given New Hampshire’s historic role holding the nation’s first presidential primary, though Democrats last year moved South Carolina ahead at the behest of former President Joe Biden.

The first 100 Club dinner was held in 1959 to promote the presidential candidacy of John F. Kennedy. In 2020, speakers included 10 Democratic candidates for president.

Pullen estimated more than 200 people were inside the nightclub. Among them were more than a dozen active-duty military members who either were patrons or working as armed security. He said the DEA will consult with the Army’s Criminal Investiga-

tion Division to determine the next steps involving the service members. In addition, some patrons were arrested on undisclosed outstanding warrants, Pullen said.

Pullen did not specify the countries where the detained immigrants were from.

U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION VIA AP Officers stop a patron fleeing from a nightclub where a raid occurred on Sunday in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

REBA SALDANHA / AP PHOTO

100 Club Dinner on Sunday in Manchester,

Randolph record

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Barber arrested at U.S. Capitol during budget protest

Washington, D.C.

The Rev. William Barber, a North Carolina minister and activist, was arrested alongside other faith leaders at a demonstration Monday in the Capitol Rotunda The prominent minister and former NAACP NC president was protesting against the proposed Republican-led federal budget, which would extend and expand broad tax cuts alongside cuts to social and environmental programs.

“If you can’t challenge your adversary with the hope that they change and to know that even if they don’t, at least they will have no excuse that they did not get told what is right. That is a powerful witness,” Barber said in remarks outside the Capitol shortly before his arrest. Barber organized and led Moral Mondays marches in Raleigh a decade ago that spread elsewhere in the state. Protestors engaged in civil disobediance at the rallies, and several — including Barber — were arrested and charged with misdemeanors.

Trump offers U.S. automakers some relief on tariffs

Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to relax some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. Tuesday’s action is a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers. Independent analyses have indicated that the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make U.S. production less competitive worldwide.

Trump portrayed the changes as a bridge toward automakers moving more productions into the United States. The administration provides automakers that finish their vehicles domestically a 15% rebate this year, offsetting the cost of the tariffs. That rebate would be 10% the second year, giving automakers some time to relocate production of parts to the United States.

$2.00

Inman’s next stop is NC Sports Hall of Fame

The former NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief is embracing an honor in his home state

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

LEVEL CROSS — Dale Inman has just about spanned the globe because of his ties to motor sports and yet there’s something appealing when the famed NASCAR crew chief returns home.

“I was born right here in Level Cross,” Inman said this week. “I’ve been dedicated to racing, and it has let us travel mostly all over the world. When you’re getting back and you see the sign that says ‘Level Cross,’ it lets you know you’re home.”

Inman, 88, will be inducted into another shrine when he goes into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame on Friday. That ceremony takes place at Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.

His career in NASCAR was tightly tied to driver Richard Petty and the Petty family. Inman was part of eight NASCAR Cup Series championships, seven with Petty and another with Terry Labonte.

All told, there were 193 victories, including seven in the Daytona 500.

Fame came with it.

“I still get fan mail,” Inman said. “I still sign autographs.”

Although it was well more than a half-century ago, Inman said his roots in the sport took hold because of his connections to the Petty family.

“I don’t know where I’d be if Lee Petty didn’t start driving a race car in ’49,” he said.

From there, Inman carved a path that many credit with forging a special identity for crew chiefs. His accomplishments include developing and enhancing the driver-pit communication system.

Inman remains a keen observer of NASCAR, which he points out as trended more toward business than sports. He and Petty churn out a regular

podcast to dissect races and racing issues. For Inman, he still feels part of a team.

“When I say ‘we,’ I mean Richard,” he said.

They go weekly to Statesville to visit Legacy Motor Club, which was developed in the aftermath of Petty Enterprises. “As far as I’m concerned the ‘43’ is still a Petty Enterprises car,” Inman said. And there’s still attendance at races, mostly those in the region though he and Petty sometimes take flights to be part of the scene.

“I go to several of the races,” he said. “But I haven’t been to as many this year. … I’m not complaining about my age, but I’ve got a little age.”

He has been around long enough to experience many

special occasions. He visited the White House during the Carter administration, and a few years later he was at Daytona International Speedway for the July 4, 1984, spectacle when Ronald Reagan became the first sitting president to attend a Cup race.

Inman’s involvement in NASCAR includes serving on a panel that selects inductees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Away from the tracks, he handled roles in the development of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a facility in Level Cross for youth with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.

Inman is already in the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. This week, it will be a different type of collection of personalities from various sports, something he said he’s looking forward to experiencing. He knew inductee Bobby Isaac, a former NASCAR driver who’ll be inducted posthumously.

Petty and Labonte are expected to attend the induction.

“I’ve been blessed to be in a lot of Hall of Fames,” he said. “To be recognized this far down in my life is special. It has been a pretty long ride.”

Inman’s paths always lead to Level Cross.

“I lay down at night about 100 yards from where I was born,” he said.

A woman faces charges after the multi-vehicle crash on Easter Sunday

Randolph Record staff

ASHEBORO — A Providence Grove student died in an Easter Sunday traffic crash, with a driver of one of the vehicles facing charges. Michael Bautista-Chauiz, 16, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a passenger in the back seat.

Providence Grove student dies in automobile crash Decision looming on PFAS drinking water limits

Suzanne Lewis, 43, was charged with felony death by motor vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, driving with a revoked license, expired registration and failure to reduce speed. The police reports says that Lewis was traveling westbound on East Dixie Drive on the afternoon of April 20 when her vehicle struck a vehicle that had stopped for a red light in the westbound lane near Dublin Road. That col-

lision caused the stopped vehicle to start a chain-reaction with two more vehicles involved in the crash.

One of the adults injured was airlifted to a hospital. Five other victims were transported to different medical facilities in the area, police said.

Elizabeth Chauiz, the deceased teenager’s sister, was also in the vehicle. She told a Triad television station that she suffered an injured back and a minor concussion from the crash.

Asheboro police make arrests in March shooting

Asheboro police charged five individuals with the same charges, ranging from felony conspiracy, attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon intent to kill and discharge of a weapon at occupied property. They are Jayden Maines, 18;

The Trump EPA will soon weigh in on “forever chemicals”

By Michael Phillis The Associated Press

IN PAIN SO bad he couldn’t stand, Chris Meek was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening ruptured gallbladder. When he emerged from surgery, he learned he had kidney cancer that thankfully hadn’t yet spread. Meek, a social studies teacher in Wilmington, North Carolina, was 47 at the time. But he remained confused for

PETTY FAMILY RACING

Dale Inman sits for a recent interview at his racing team’s former headquarters in Level Cross.

“I still get fan mail.”

Dale Inman, former NASCAR crew chief

hold water at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant as the Northeast Cape Fear River flows past in Wilmington.

THURSDAY 5.1.25

Liberty adjusts festival schedule, sees work on park projects

A

fall event will be geared more toward health and wellness

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

LIBERTY — Liberty has reworked its festival schedule for 2025 in addition to a busy time for the town’s parks and recreation department.

There was a spring festival and fall festival in 2024, but both have been set aside this year. Kolby Riddle, director of the parks and recreation department, said it’s about finding the right balance.

The summer gathering, scheduled this year for July 12, remains in place.

“That’s our biggest one,” Riddle said.

The festivals generally feature food trucks, vendors with arts and crafts and baked goods and a kidszone.

Inconsistent attendance, often related to the weather, had

CRIME from page A1

Yosef Reyes-Gonzalez, 18; Ricardo Castaneda, 19; Cayden Ramos, 17; and Jaden McClain, 16. All of them are being charged as adults. Reyes-Gonzalez and Castaneda were apprehended April 10 outside of city limits and Maines was apprehended April 11 outside of the city. On April 15, Mc-

CRIME LOG

April 22

THURSDAY MAY 1

FRIDAY MAY 2

SATURDAY MAY 3

SUNDAY MAY 4

MONDAY MAY 5

TUESDAY MAY 6 WEDNESDAY

• Lesley Marie Ball, 33, of Seagrove, was arrested by Randolph County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) for trafficking opium or heroin and possessing drug paraphernalia.

• Marcell Pierre Alsbrook, 35, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for manufacturing, selling, or delivering cocaine within 1000 feet of a park, conspiring to sell or deliver cocaine, selling cocaine, possessing cocaine and possessing drug paraphernalia.

• Jenna Marie Beverly, 35, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for possessing methamphetamine, possessing marijuana, possessing drug paraphernalia, assault with a deadly weapon and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

• Cesar Vazquez, 28, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

• Guy Maurice Wise, 49, of Ramseur, was arrested by Asheboro PD for discharging a weapon in an occupied dwelling and discharging a weapon in occupied property.

April 23

• Kenneth Sean Gray, 32, of Asheboro, was arrested by RCSO for second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

• Ashley Elizabeth Kinton, 39, of

“(Fit for Liberty) kind of fits our mission a little bit better.”

Kolby Riddle, Director of Liberty Parks and Recreation

hindered past spring events. Riddle said there tended to be a decline in the number of vendors for spring festivals.

Plus, a highly notable Antiques Festival, which was held this past weekend, is on the spring calendar.

“It was competing in a way,” Riddle said.

The fall festival is being replaced by “Fit for Liberty,” which is overseen by the parks and recreation department.

In conjunction with Fit for Liberty, a turkey trot was held in 2024. It will be held again this year, with Fit for Liberty to be designated for either the third or fourth Saturday in No -

Clain and Ramos were arrested by Asheboro police.

These charges stem from a mid-March incident when Asheboro police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of 512 Martin Luther Jr. Dr.

A local medical facility provided information that a male – later identified as Castaneda from Staley – had arrived via private vehicle for treatment of

Randleman, was arrested by Randleman PD for possessing a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

April 24

Shaina Maria Caviness, 38, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for possessing a controlled substance, cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

• Tommy Wayne Jordan, 36, of Seagrove, was arrested by Asheboro PD for possessing a controlled substance, cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

• William Anthony Muckenfuss, 49, of Randleman, was arrested by NC Highway Patrol for driving while impaired, driving with a revoked license, reckless driving and failing to maintain lane control.

• Robert William Smith, 34, of Ramseur, was arrested by Asheboro PD for larceny.

April 25

• Donald Durane Baker, 55, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for possessing marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia.

• Kierra Lana’e Hall, 30, of Lucama, was arrested by Asheboro PD for assaulting a government official and resisting a public officer.

• Kevin Milton Udofa, 35, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for malicious conduct by a prisoner, simple assault, disorderly conduct and resisting a public officer.

vember. The event focuses on health and wellness.

“It kind of fits our mission a little bit better,” Riddle said.

The recreation department is already planning for 2026 events. There’s an anticipated May grand opening for the splash pad at Freedom Park, even if the project is completed later this year.

A new amphitheater at Freedom Park also should be in use by that time next May. Work on the area has been ongoing, with lights removed from where the tennis courts had been positioned. Riddle said repaving some areas at the park might also take place.

Attendance at Liberty’s parks has been rising.

“We’re definitely seeing an uptick,” Riddle said. “There’s an increase in foot traffic.”

Funding for the splash pad and amphitheater comes in part from a grant in addition to the town’s $150,000 cost and Randolph County’s $200,000 contribution.

a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his lower leg.

Police investigating determined that two apartments at 512 Martin Luther Jr. Dr. and three vehicles had received damage from gunfire.

Based on the police investigation, it was determined that multiple firearms were used and that two groups of people were shooting at each other.

April 26

• Michael Edward Henderson, 36, of Sophia, was arrested by Randleman PD for possessing a controlled substance in jail and possessing a controlled substance.

• Rosnielys Abreu Torres, 23, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for simple assault and domestic violence.

April 27

• Thomas Brandon Hill, 34, of Asheboro, was arrested by Asheboro PD for misdemeanor larceny, possessing stolen goods and possessing a controlled substance.

• James Adrian Kelley, 44, of Haw River, was arrested by Asheboro PD for driving while impaired, possessing stolen goods, driving with a revoked license and failing to use headlights.

• Matthew Antonio Lampkins, 43, of Randleman, was arrested by RCSO for possessing cocaine and methamphetamine.

• Kenneth Wayne Linton, 51, of Trinity, was arrested by RCSO for possessing a controlled substance, possessing drug paraphernalia, driving with a revoked license and lacking liability insurance.

• Emmanuel Dwayne Toole, 32, of Winston Salem, was arrested by Asheboro PD for assault on a female, domestic violence and resisting a public officer.

Randolph Guide

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

May

2

5 O’clock Somewhere: Jimmy Buffett Tribute 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $25-$55 each and are available now at Lucky’s Burger-n-Tap or The Rusty Rooster, or call 336-4 65-8183. Hosted by Rip Rhymes and DJ Dank Williams of the Smokeridge Boys. Featuring The Parrot Head Reefer Band with Duane Latham, Matt Mabe, Chris Barker, Ethan Hodge and Danny Mull.

Sunset Theatre 234 Sunset Avenue Asheboro

May

3

Andy Gross: Are You Kidding Me?

7 p.m.

Andy Gross: Are You Kidding Me? Tour makes a stop in Asheboro! Andy is a multitalented entertainer who combines stand-up comedy, magic and ventriloquism, making him one of the most sought-after entertainers in the world. You may recognize him from his numerous TV appearances, including The Ellen Show. Tickets are $25.

Sunset Theatre 234 Sunset Avenue Asheboro

May 3, 6 & 8

City of Asheboro Farmers Market

7 a.m.-1 p.m.

Join us in supporting local farmers from the central and southwestern portion of the Heart of North Carolina, providing fresh seasonal produce, farm-fresh products, baked goods, and a variety of flowers and plants. Open weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through the end of October.

134 S. Church St. Asheboro

May 5 & 7

Liberty Farmers Market

4-7 p.m.

This farmers market is designed to serve as an organized and convenient market and customer source for local farmers and growers. Promoting local farmers or growers as significant contributors to the local economy and providing a wide variety of high-quality, fresh produce at a convenient location. Open every Monday and Wednesday through the end of October.

423 W. Swannanoa Avenue Liberty

May 6

Making Art with the Masters

11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Art classes for ages 8-12 that teach history, theory and practice. 11 a.m. classes are for ages 10-12 and 3:30

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

California just isn’t working

Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of highspeed rail.

FOUR MONTHS AGO, the Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 homes in Los Angeles. Three months later, only four permits had been issued to rebuild the community. Clearly, California just isn’t working.

The radical environmentalism, wokeism, and unionized bureaucratic micromanagement that Sacramento has imposed on the whole state is distorting reality and grinding things to a halt.

I talked with Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin about the fire and recovery. He was surprised at the tiny number of permit approvals. Under his aggressive, dynamic leadership, the EPA already cleared the burned-out neighborhoods for federal permits. Of course, as he noted, the federal permits require city and county permission.

This permitting logjam is happening even with a supposed one-stop local permit office and other efforts to cut through the red tape.

But this is only the latest part of the story. Years before the fire, two new reservoirs were approved to ensure there would be enough water for firefighting. They were never built. Some fire hydrants simply did not work. Further, emergency vehicles were trapped in government parking lots because they needed oil changes. They could not be used to fight the fires because the bureaucracy’s firm rules about routine maintenance overruled common sense and public safety.

And fire is a real danger in the whole

state. I spoke with Laguna Beach Mayor Alex Rounaghi and Fire Chief Niko King on my Newt’s World podcast. They shared their strategy for fire prevention. Laguna Beach brought in 400 goats to eat underbrush. It was a low-cost solution to clear out the vegetation that leads to hot uncontrollable fires.

The California government is trying to eliminate their goat fire prevention because the goats might eat endangered plants. (You have to wonder: What do state bureaucrats think fire does to endangered plants?) The powers in Sacramento want Laguna Beach to switch to human vegetation removal, which is four times more expensive. Meanwhile, a couple hundred goats might have saved the Palisades.

But the tragedy of the Palisades fire is just one example of how California is falling apart. The combination of weird values, ossified bureaucracy, and state legislators devoted to principles and ideas that simply don’t work are slowly destroying the state.

On a totally different front, California had more than $20 billion stolen from its COVID-19 related unemployment compensation funds. Much of the theft came from California state prisoners using the state prison’s computer system. They used identity theft and partners outside the prison to defraud taxpayers. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert joined me on Newt’s World to discuss the fraud. The story is unbelievable. When we spoke in February 2021, the estimate was

Musk half right about fertility crisis

China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

THE WORLD’S RICHEST MAN isn’t just juggling multiple companies. He’s juggling multiple baby mamas.

The Wall Street Journal recently had a long piece on Elon Musk’s complicated personal life. He has at least 14 children with four different women. The “harem drama” — in the words of Musk’s exgirlfriend Ashley St. Clair — is a mess. There are fights about custody and questions about paternity. There are details about Musk using a message on X to unsuccessfully recruit a woman to have his child. Reportedly, Musk has a compound where he wants his children and their mothers to live. There are enough emotions and chaos here to make a soap opera blush.

But the reason Musk has fathered so many children isn’t mere sexual hedonism. Musk has four children with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Neuralink. Zilis previously said Musk offered to donate sperm that she could use to have children. Musk also donated sperm to a “high-profile woman” at the request of Japanese officials, the Journal reported.

“I think for most countries, they should view the birthrate as the single biggest problem they need to solve,” Musk said last year at an investment conference. “If you don’t make new humans, there’s no humanity, and all the policies in the world don’t matter.”

The interviewer then jokingly referenced Musk’s many offspring.

“You’ve got to walk the talk,” Musk replied. “So, I do have a lot of kids, and I encourage others to have lots of kids.”

Musk is right about the need for more babies. Last year, the CDC announced that America’s fertility rate had dropped to “another historic low.” For a generation to replace itself, there needs to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women, as measured over their lifetimes. In 2023, the total fertility rate was under 1,620 births per 1,000 women. For now, immigration drives U.S. population growth.

It’s worse in many places around the world. In South Korea, women have less than 0.7 children on average. Its population is projected to drop from more than 51 million now to under 22 million by 2100. China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

This drop in population will usher in a host of problems, including an epidemic of loneliness and reduced economic growth.

But Musk’s approach to fixing this problem is wrong, immoral and ultimately counterproductive.

Children aren’t robots to build in a factory. They are human beings whose future depends greatly on the people around them. Statistically, the best thing

only $11.5 billion had been stolen. It has since doubled and no one really knows the upper limit. This astonishing incompetence drives up taxes on businesses to replenish the unemployment funds that have been drained by crooks. It’s a vicious cycle.

One final example of California not working is the proposed high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was originally proposed in 2008 for $33 billion. It was supposed to be completed by 2020. Now, a small portion has been built between small towns. The projected cost has ballooned to $128 billion — and at the current rate it will not be completed in this century. It will never reach San Francisco or Los Angeles but instead stop at small towns about 25 miles outside the cities.

While California has been squandering money on costly failures, the Japanese have had more than 60 years-experience with high-speed trains. Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of high-speed rail.

California simply doesn’t work anymore.

Since California is our largest state, this collapse of competence and common sense is a national problem. The state represents 14 percent of the national economy.

We need a serious commitment to get back to a commonsense, problem-solving California that works again. It should be a national priority.

Newt Gingrich was Republican speaker of the U.S. House.

for children is to be raised by their married biological parents. That’s why intentionally creating fatherless babies is a grave mistake.

Moms and dads approach parenting differently. That doesn’t make one sex better at parenting than the other. It allows them to complement each other.

Moms and dads play with and talk to their kids in different but important ways. A child needs both the comfort of a mother’s love and the confidence that comes from a father pushing him or her to take safe risks.

Marriage brings stability that children need. Growing up with a single parent significantly increases a child’s likelihood of growing up in poverty and going to jail. It decreases their chances of graduating from college.

Married women are more likely to have children too. In 2022, the fertility rate among married women was 84.2 births per 1,000 women. Among unmarried women, it was 37.2 per thousand.

Obviously, there will be outliers when you’re talking about hundreds of millions of people, but the trends are obvious.

If Musk wants to boost birth rates and improve outcomes for children, he should promote marriage, not sperm donations.

Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

COLUMN | VICTOR JOECKS

COLUMN | NEWT GINGRICH

years about why, as someone seemingly not at risk, he had gotten cancer until Emily Donovan, a parent of students at his school, gave a guest talk about high levels of harmful forever chemicals known as PFAS in North Carolina’s environment.

When Donovan mentioned kidney cancer, the possible cause of Meek’s diagnosis finally clicked. Until then, Meek said, he “had no idea what PFAS was.”

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.

In a decision with consequences for tens of millions of Americans, the Trump administration is expected to soon say whether it intends to stand by those strict standards and defend the limits against a water utility industry challenge in federal court.

PFAS in drinking water created a crisis for many communities

In North Carolina, runoff from a Chemours plant contaminated the Cape Fear River, creating a crisis for cities like Wilmington that use it for drinking water. Amid public outcry, Wilmington effectively eliminated it from tap water.

Other U.S. communities — often near military bases or industrial sites — did the same when test results were frightening and public pressure, local leadership or state law forced PFAS-laden wells offline or prompted installation of expensive filtering systems, according to Mark White, drinking water global practice leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith.

The EPA said the PFAS found in North Carolina, often called GenX chemicals, can be toxic to the kidney. While other types of PFAS may raise kidney cancer risk, little research has focused on the link between kidney cancer and GenX, according to Sue Fenton, director of the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University. Chemours said evidence doesn’t support arguments that GenX at low levels is a health threat. The company has sharply reduced PFAS discharges.

So far, sampling has found nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the recently set EPA limits, but most aren’t above by much. Forcing this group to reduce PFAS more than doubles the rule’s health benefits but roughly triples its costs, the EPA has said.

The Biden administration’s rule set standards for two common types of PFAS at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. Standards for several other PFAS chemicals were set, too, and utilities must meet those levels by 2029.

PFAS have had wide uses over the decades

Manufactured by companies like Chemours and 3M, PFAS were incredibly useful in many applications -– among them, helping clothes to withstand rain and ensuring that firefighting foam snuffed out flames. But the chemicals also accumulate in the body. As science advanced in recent years, evidence of harm at far lower levels became clearer.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has championed fossil fuels and the rollback of major clean air and water rules. His history with PFAS is more nuanced; during his time as a New York congressman, he supported legislation to regulate forever chemicals in drinking water.

“It’s an issue that touches people in a very tangible way across the political spectrum, including in Lee Zeldin’s former district,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

Zeldin has offered clues about what the EPA could do.

The agency estimated the rule would cost about $1.5 billion annually and Zeldin said recently that communities struggling to afford a fix for PFAS that are just above the standard might be handled differently than wealthy places with lots of it.

“What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out,” he said.

On Monday, the EPA said it will establish an agency lead for PFAS, develop wastewater limits for PFAS manufacturers and investigate sources that pose an immediate danger to drinking water, among other actions.

EPA decision looms on whether to let the rule stay as it is

Soon, the EPA must tell a federal appeals court in Washington whether the rule should stand or be rewritten, although weakening it could be complicated because the Safe Drinking Water Act prevents new rules from being looser than previous ones. The agency could, however, encourage exemptions and deadline extensions, according to Erik Olson, an attorney with the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council supporting the current standards in the court case.

Consider Avondale, Arizona, outside of Phoenix, which produces PFAS results modestly above the limits. Officials have done detailed testing and are planning to enhance water treatment. All told, lowering PFAS may cost Avondale more than $120 million, according to Kirk Beaty, the city’s public utility director.

That’s money a city like Avondale “just doesn’t have sitting in a back room somewhere,” Beaty said, adding he’ll defer to federal experts to dictate what’s acceptable.

“We’re hoping we’re a little further ahead of everybody else. If the regulation changes, well you know, we may let off the gas a little bit, we may not,” he said, adding that it is hard to justify spending extra money to do more than what’s required when the cost falls on residents.

If the government decides higher amounts of PFAS are acceptable, that could confuse people, especially in areas where the public is already concerned.

“If we enter into a gray area over what’s healthy and what’s not healthy, then utilities are at risk of being caught up in a debate for which they have no real responsibility nor expertise to decide on,” said Karine Rougé, CEO for municipal water at Veolia North America, a water operations company.

Industry group says the rule goes too far and is too costly

The American Water Works Association, an industry group, filed the court challenge to the new rule. It agrees that certain PFAS should be regulated but argues the EPA’s standards go too far, underestimate costs and are “neither feasible nor cost-effective.” There are serious consequences for residents’ water bills, it says. The burden of complying will fall heavily on small utilities that can least afford it. Many water providers already struggle to maintain their existing infrastructure, some experts say. On top of everything else, they face new requirements to replace lead pipes. The AWWA wants the EPA to extend the PFAS and lead deadlines by two years. There is money available to help. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $9 billion for chemicals like PFAS and utilities have won multibillion-dollar settlements against PFAS polluters that help as well.

Meek, who successfully recovered after surgery from cancer and is now 59, is planning to sue over his illness. He once didn’t second-guess using tap water. Now he reaches for bottled water.

Donovan, who introduced Meek to PFAS and helped start Clean Cape Fear, says if the government’s standards are weakened, it’ll relieve pressure on utilities to effectively treat the water.

Previously, “our local utilities could tell us publicly that the water met or exceeded all state and federal guidelines because there weren’t any,” she said.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Chris Meek, who survived cancer he suspects was caused PFAS in drinking water, stands in front of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington on Monday.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Water is processed through carbon filters inside large reservoirs designed to remove forever chemicals, known as PFAS.

Jose Uribe Ramirez

June 24, 1962 – April 27, 2025

Jose Uribe Ramirez, age 62, of Asheboro, NC, passed away on April 27, 2025, in Southern Pines.

Jose was born on June 24, 1962, to Juan Uribe Ramirez and Maria Rosa Ramirez Bautista. A man full of life and heart, Jose found joy in the simple pleasures: planting roses, lemons, and nuts, cooking meals filled with love and sharing laughter with family and friends. He proudly owned and operated his own restaurant for more than 15 years, where he not only served food but built friendships with everyone who walked through his doors.

Jose loved Mexican music, soccer, and politics, believing wholeheartedly he could outcoach the soccer teams he watched on TV and had the perfect solutions to the world’s problems. He enjoyed fishing anywhere there was water, often taking his children along for unforgettable memories. A man who never met a stranger, Jose could strike up a conversation with anyone, and his heart was as open as his smile. He loved his family and children above all else and was known for his generosity, always willing to help others, even giving the shirt off his back to those in need.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Juan and Maria Rosa Ramirez, and his brothers, Asuncion and Jesus Uribe.

Jose is survived by his sons, Josue Otoniel Uribe Garcia and Alexis Uribe Garcia; his daughter, Deysi Ruviela Uribe Garcia; and his grandson, Julian Acosta Uribe. He is also survived by his brothers, Magdaleno, Juan, Felipe, Manuel and Luis Uribe; his sisters, Maria and Guadalupe Uribe; and by Alma Garcia, the beloved mother of his children.

Jose’s kindness, spirit and love will forever be remembered by all who knew him.

The family will receive friends on Thursday beginning at noon at Rudy’s, 116 W Central Avenue, Asheboro, NC 27203. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Americas Catholic Church, 298 Farmers Market Road, Biscoe, NC, with Father Ricardo Sanchez officiating. Burial will follow at New Hope Memorial Gardens.

Jon Michael “Mike” Lilge

Dec. 14, 1939 – April 25, 2025

Jon Michael Lilge, 85, of Randleman, passed away peacefully from Moses Cone Hospital on Friday, April 25, 2025, after conversing and expressing gratitude and prayer with family members directly before he entered whole and healed into the arms of Jesus.

Mike loved his Lord and Savior and actively shared Jesus with others, including making trips to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to share his faith and embarking on mission trips to Honduras in his younger years. Daily prayer was a long-term habit, and his children and grandchildren were at the top of his list. He previously attended First Wesleyan Church of High Point. Mike was born in Washington, D.C., and graduated from McLean High School in Virginia, where he lettered in track. He matriculated with a scholarship to Virginia Military Institute and earned a degree in Physics with the class

Lawson Lihugh Parrish

Oct. 27, 1940 – April 25, 2025

Lawson Lihugh Parrish, age 84, passed away on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Hospice of Randolph House.

Lawson was born in Randolph County to Locke Craig Parrish and Beulah Voncannon Parrish on October 27, 1940.

He was a man who loved his wife and spending time with her, loved being a father, grandfather, brother, and took great pride in all of them. Lawson enjoyed flying his private plane, gardening, water skiing and dirt track racing with his brothers.

He was one of the founding members of the Randleman Chamber of Commerce. Lawson started building furniture in his basement in 1974. He built furniture for Interior Designers and owned his own business, Milltowne Furniture, for more than 30 years. He later became a motor coach driver for Holiday Tours and Royal Tours.

Lawson was preceded in death by his parents, Locke and Beulah Parrish, five brothers: Tommy Parrish, Willard Parrish, Paul Parrish, Donald Parrish and Elvin Parrish.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Margaret Saunders Parrish, of the home, son: Rodney Parrish and his wife, Kellie of Randleman, grandchildren: Chance Parrish, Eddie Garner (Samantha), Jackson Garner (Cheyann), Mason Garner (Elly) and Grace Garner; great -grandchildren: Anna-Leigh, Elizabeth and Gracyn; brothers: Roger Parrish (Jeanie) of Glenola, and Wayne Parrish of Randleman, sisters: Linda Styles of Burnsville, NC, Frankie Pelletier (Ira) of Archdale and Iris Hayes of Cherry Grove, SC.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, May 1, 2025, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Midway Wesleyan Church, 331 Worthville Road, Randleman, NC 27317. The funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. with Pastor Arnold Luther and Pastor Andy Garner officiating. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.

Pugh Funeral Home, Randleman, has the honor of serving the Parrish family.

of 1962. He was extremely fond of his VMI “brother rats” as they called one another. He was in the Air Force ROTC for four years and received a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force. Later in 1962, as an interim Physics instructor at VMI, a car accident left him in a coma and paralyzed, but God wasn’t finished with him. He recovered, though his Air Force dreams were ended, he moved into the Air Force Retired Reserve.

In Mike’s own words, “In 1966, I had a personal encounter with the LORD Jesus and my life has been blessed ever since. From my track record, few blessings are evident, however, the audible voice of God said to me, ‘none of these things move me….’ This quotes His Word, the Bible, from Acts 20:24a (KJV).”

Mike’s additional favorite scripture passages were, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him from them all.” Psalm 34:19 (KJV). “We know all things work together for the good, to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (KJV).“

Mike taught High School Physics and Algebra in Virginia, followed by a government career with Harry Diamond Laboratories in Washington, D.C., eventually performing classified testing in White Sands, New Mexico. Later, he worked in various nuclear power plants in radiation control and retired in 2009 from Argonne National Laboratories in Illinois as a radiation protection technician. He had a cheerful and humorous disposition and was known to avoid complaining despite many health challenges, including ten years of kidney failure

William “Will” Glenn Evans Jr.

Feb. 20, 1990 – April 24, 2025

He kept the lights on for others, and now he shines among the stars.

William “Will” Glenn Evans Jr., 35, of Randleman, NC, passed away tragically while working on the job he loved as a dedicated lineman of 10 years.

Will gave his life in service, doing the work that brought him purpose and pride. Known affectionately as Will or Jr. to those who loved him, had a larger-than-life spirit and a heart just as big. He was a man of many passions: an avid movie lover who could quote scenes like second nature, a true grill master who lit up every gathering with his skills and laughter, and a loyal friend who made everyone around him feel like family.

To know Will was to know unwavering love. He was a devoted father to his son, Kolson Reese Evans, who was the center of his world. His pride in Kolson was unmatched, and his memory will live on through the life and light of his son.

He is survived by his father, William Glenn Evans Sr., his son Kolson, his brother, Fritz Evans, extended relatives in Florida, and many close friends who became his chosen family.

Will had a deep love for the outdoors; he found joy in fishing and tearing through the mud on four-wheelers. He was a fan of slot machines, always chasing the next big win, and cruising around in his beloved truck, Black Betty—the love of his life on four wheels.

Though his time was cut far too short, Will’s legacy will live on in every story shared, every memory held close and every spark of joy he gave to those lucky enough to know him.

The family will receive friends in a public visitation on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, from 12-2 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home of Randleman, 600 S. Main Street, Randleman, NC 27317.

A funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel, and will conclude with burial at Randolph Memorial Park, 4538 US Hwy 220 Business N. Asheboro, NC 27203.

and dialysis. His mind was sharp, and he could recall old addresses and phone numbers from various states he lived including VA, MD, FL, AZ, SC, IL and NC. He loved good food, especially Chinese and New England clam chowder, and he eagerly looked forward to going out to eat or having meals or snacks brought to him. Remembering people’s names was important to him, whether waitresses, church friends, or the staff serving him so kindly at North Pointe of Asheboro, and the Asheboro Kidney Center. His favorite songs from his favorite artists will be shared at his celebration of life.

Mike was preceded in death by his mother, Doris Hope Day Lilge, and his father, Louis Meade Lilge, who are both buried at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as his brother, Douglas Lilge. He expressed fond memories of his Granny Lilge, who played a large part in raising him, when his mom passed when he was only seven. He is survived by his brother, Greg (Jill) Lilge, and two daughters, Brenda Delegatti (David) of Greenville, SC, and Elaine McAden (Robert) of Randleman, NC, and his ex-wife of many years, Ruth Graybill Hughes. Grandchildren surviving include Daniel Delegatti, Dustin Delegatti, Christian Segers (Savannah), Hope Cochran (Ethan) and Faith Barts (Ian).

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at Pugh Funeral Home in Asheboro.

Pugh Funeral Home is serving the Lilge Family.

Gina Wohlford Pugh

June 8, 1963 – April 21, 2025

Gina Wohlford Pugh, aged 61, of Asheboro, passed away Sunday, April 21, 2025, at her home. She was born on June 8, 1963, in Asheboro to Clarence and Francis Wohlford.

Gina was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother who will be missed by her family and friends. She enjoyed taking care of her flowers and cooking for her family. She especially loved being around her grandchildren. Gina was a member of Mt. Lebanon UMC in Randleman.

Gina is survived by her beloved husband David, of 43 years, her son, Matt (Brittany), of Sophia; a daughter, Katie Harrelson of High Point; grandchildren, Colton and Caden Pugh, Emma Hardy and Aeva Harrelson. She is also survived by her sisters: Trisha Dennis, Tammy Reynolds and Linda Paul. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her loving mother-in-law, Nancy Tarlton.

Family will receive friends on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Berean Memorial Baptist Church in Sophia at 6 p.m. for a celebration of life. Casual and colorful clothing is preferred. The church is located at 4990 Branson Davis Road, Sophia, NC 27350 Pugh Funeral Home is honored to serve the Pugh family.

Elvie Sue Campbell Brown

Nov. 14, 1944 – April 27, 2025

Elvie Sue Campbell Brown, 80, passed away Sunday, April 27, 2025, at Novant Thomasville Medical Center. She was born on November 14, 1944, in Asheboro, NC, to Marcus Evan Campbell and Lelia Berta Curtis Campbell.

Sue loved spending time walking on the beach, collecting shells and sharing her love of music and dancing with her family. She enjoyed attending music events at the park in Randleman with her special companion, Jerry Russell. With extreme compassion and devotion, she dedicated her life to helping the elderly community, both in her personal life and professionally. Sue will be missed and loved by all who knew her.

Sue is survived by her daughters, Shauna Brown Carrick of Randleman and Terri Brown Street (Tony) of Randleman; son, Greg Brown (Tammi) of Randleman; grandchildren, Amy Brown, Andy Brown, Steven Overby, Jai Carrick, Chris Street, Matt Street; seven greatgrandchildren; a sister, Joyce Campbell Graves (Richard); a brother, Tony Campbell (Faith). She is preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Harvey Preston Brown; her brother, Evan Campbell; and two sisters, Loleta Prevo and Betty King.

The family will receive friends from 6 – 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at Pugh Funeral Home, 600 S. Main Street in the Eddie Pugh Memorial Chapel. A graveside service will follow at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at Whitehall Community Methodist Church with Dr. Harold Thompson officiating. Pugh Funeral Home in Randleman is honored to serve the Brown family.

Julia Ann Maness Garner

Jan. 22, 1946 – April 22, 2025

Julia Ann Maness Garner, 79, of Asheboro, passed away peacefully Tuesday evening, April 22, 2025, at the Randolph Hospice House, Asheboro, surrounded by her family. Julia was born in Montgomery County to William Wallace and Annie Belle Maness in 1946. She was a 1964 graduate of Seagrove High School, where she was Valedictorian of her graduating class.

Julia earned her LPN in 1967 and worked at Randolph Hospital and Montgomery Nursing Home until she took a break to raise her children and be a homemaker. She worked harder at home than she did in the public sector: babysitting, gardening, canning, crocheting, serving as the “community nurse” and raising her children. In the late 1980s, she reentered the workforce sewing at Becky’s of Asheboro, then ultimately returned to her passion of nursing at Brian Center Health & Rehabilitation. She finished her career there with 25 years of service.

After retirement, she enjoyed attending her book club at the Seagrove Public Library, watching her grandkids, reading, watching her shows on PBS and playing games on her iPad.

She attended Riverside Baptist Church for almost sixty years, where she taught the adult ladies’ class for many of those years.

Julia was preceded in death by her parents as well as her sister, Rachel Hines. She is survived by three daughters, Ann Perez (Tommy) of Randleman, Tina Brower (Stephen), and Karen Henley (Erik), both of Asheboro, and a son, Aaron Garner (Lauren Zarzar) of State College, PA, six grandchildren: Morgan Brower, Lucas Henley, Karsyn Brower, Annalice Perez, Gabriel Perez and Jonah Henley; a brother, David Maness (Judy), of Salemburg; as well as many nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, April 26, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue, Asheboro, NC, and all other times at the home of Tina Brower. Funeral services for Julia will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, April 27, 2025, at Riverside Baptist Church, 8123 Riverside Road, Seagrove, NC 27341 with Rev. Kenneth Bouldin and Rev. Gerald Hussey officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

The family is requesting that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Hospice of Randolph Co., the Randolph County Public Library or PBS.

Pugh Funeral Home has the honor of serving the Garner family.

March 28, 2020 –April 26, 2025

Zoey Yvonne Schwan, aged 5, of Liberty, passed away suddenly on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Service arrangements are pending.

Zoey Yvonne Schwan

STATE & NATION

Pritzker calls out ‘do-nothing’ Democrats for failing to push back on Trump administration

He spoke at an event in the early primary state of New Hampshire

By Joey Cappelletti and Holly Ramer The Associated Press

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sharply criticized fellow Democrats on Sunday for not doing enough to oppose President Donald Trump, drawing a clear divide between himself and other high-profile Democrats seen as future presidential contenders.

Pritzker delivered the keynote address at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, the latest and most high-profile in a series of speeches this year.

While Pritzker continued to attack Trump, he also focused on what he says are shortcomings in his own party, assailing Democrats for listening to “a bunch of know-nothing political types” instead of everyday Americans. Without naming names, he called out Democrats “flocking to podcasts and cable news shows to admonish fellow Democrats for not caring enough about the struggles of working families.”

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption,” Pritzker said.

The second-term governor has yet to say whether he will run for that office again in 2026, but the billionaire Hyatt heir has been laying the groundwork for a potential presidential campaign for years.

Notably, California Gov.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner on Sunday in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Gavin Newsom, another high-profile 2028 contender, said on his podcast recently that the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador and detained at one point in a notorious megaprison, was a “distraction” from issues such as tariffs. Newsom also said on his podcast’s inaugural episode that he opposes trans athletes competing in women’s sports. Polling suggests immigration is Trump’s strongest issue and that a majority of Democrats also oppose trans participation in women’s sports.

Pritzker on Sunday night

said it was no time for Democrats to be in despair.

“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now,” he said, stressing that the party “must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.”

Pritzker has already spoken this year at the Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles dinner and is scheduled to headline a Minnesota Democratic dinner in June. He drew national attention in February when he used part of his joint budget and State of the State address to draw a parallel between

More than 100 suspected illegals detained at after-hours nightclub in Colorado

The club had been under investigation by the DEA for months

By John Raby The Associated Press

MORE THAN 100 immigrants suspected of being in the United States illegally were taken into custody early Sunday following a federal raid at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, authorities said.

Video posted online by the Drug Enforcement Administration showed agents announcing their presence outside the building and ordering patrons to leave with their hands up. Other videos showed dozens of people fleeing the building through its entrance after federal agents smashed a window. Later, dozens of suspects were shown in handcuffs stand-

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today.”

Jonathan Pullen, DEA special agent

ing on a sidewalk waiting to be transported.

During his second stint as U.S. president, Donald Trump’s campaign of immigration enforcement has slowed illegal immigration at the southern border to a trickle.

On Sunday in Colorado, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the club-going immigrants into custody, said Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division.

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today,”

he said. The city, Colorado’s second largest, lies about 70 miles south of Denver.

More than 300 law enforcement officers and officials from multiple agencies responded to the nightclub, which had been under investigation for several months for alleged activities including drug trafficking, prostitution and “crimes of violence,” Pullen said at a news conference. Cocaine was among the drugs found, he said.

“When the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor,” Pullen said.

An undisclosed number of guns were seized, he said.

Trump posted a link to the DEA video of the raid on his social media site, Truth Social. “A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes,” the president wrote.

Trump’s rhetoric and the rise of Nazi Germany.

On Sunday, Pritzker again invoked his Jewish faith, criticizing Trump’s efforts to deport foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He called on Trump to “stop tearing down the Constitution in the name of my ancestors,” a line that drew a standing ovation from the crowd. But Pritzker was also adamant in calling out the “do-nothing Democrats,” asserting that while the party “may need to fix our messaging and strategy, our values are ex-

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

actly where they should be.” He added, “We will never join so many Republicans in a special place in hell reserved for quislings and cowards.”

Lou D’Allesandro, who retired from the New Hampshire State Senate last year after five decades in public service and met Pritzker in Chicago years ago, said the Illinois governor “has all the ingredients to make it to the big time.”

“He’s very quick on his feet, very gregarious,” he said. But any Democrat who wants to win in 2028 has their work cut out for them, he said.

“They’ve got to reintroduce themselves to the grassroots,” he said. “They’ve got to let people know Democrats care about them, or they’re gonna be in big trouble.”

Last year’s featured speaker at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who went on to become his party’s vice presidential nominee.

The annual event is especially significant among state Democratic fundraisers given New Hampshire’s historic role holding the nation’s first presidential primary, though Democrats last year moved South Carolina ahead at the behest of former President Joe Biden.

The first 100 Club dinner was held in 1959 to promote the presidential candidacy of John F. Kennedy. In 2020, speakers included 10 Democratic candidates for president.

Pullen estimated more than 200 people were inside the nightclub. Among them were more than a dozen active-duty military members who either were patrons or working as armed security. He said the DEA will consult with the Army’s Criminal Investiga-

tion Division to determine the next steps involving the service members. In addition, some patrons were arrested on undisclosed outstanding warrants, Pullen said.

Pullen did not specify the countries where the detained immigrants were from.

U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION VIA AP Officers stop a patron fleeing from a nightclub where a raid occurred on Sunday in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

RandolpH SPORTS

Cougars secure PAC softball crown

Southwestern Randolph has been strong on defense in conference competition

Randolph Record staff

ASHEBORO — Southwestern Randolph registered three shutouts in Piedmont Athletic Conference softball last week. Those latest zeroes added up to another conference championship.

In building an 11-0 record in PAC play, the Cougars have notched nine shutouts.

Last week’s trio of blankings

began with Alyssa Harris tossing a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 13-0, six-inning ripping of host Eastern Randolph. Kami Dunn knocked in four runs.

Macie Crutchfield struck out 12 batters in a 5-0 home victory against second-place Randleman. Crutchfield and Harris combined for a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts to defeat visiting Wheatmore 6-0. Crutchfield fanned 15 in 52/3 innings.

Southwestern Randolph (152), the defending state champion in Class 2A, concludes the regular season Thursday night at Uwharrie Charter Academy.

• Randleman clipped UCA

8-5 with Lilah Covington scoring three runs and Kinzie Ivey and Addyson Dees combining on the pitching.

Also, Ivey drove in five runs with four hits and Lyric Chriscoe posted four runs batted in during the Tigers’ 19-1 cruising at Trinity.

• UCA’s 16-1 romp past visiting Eastern Randolph came with Kenzie Duty driving in three runs and scoring three runs, while teammates Victoria Jennings, Katelyn West and Emory Johnson all had two runs batted in.

• Providence Grove drilled host Trinity 24-0 and popped visiting UCA 7-2.

Randleman rises for another title

The Tigers proved to be the best in the PAC for yet another season

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

RANDLEMAN — Randle -

man’s baseball team ended up in a familiar spot by the time the Piedmont Athletic Conference portion of its season was complete — the Tigers are in first place again.

“I had no doubt,” pitcher/first baseman Braxton Walker said. “The guys come to practice and we and the team morale is as high as it ever has been.” The clinching victory came with an 8-1 decision against visiting Trinity on Friday night as John Kirkpatrick threw 62/3 strong innings. Two powerful swings made the difference. Walker’s tiebreaking grand slam and Tate Andrews’ three-run blast gave the Tigers enough offense.

While the other six PAC teams complete league play this week, Tigers are done at 10-2. Uwharrie Charter Academy’s 2-0 loss at Wheatmore on Friday means Randleman will be the outright champion. Randleman secured the regular-season conference championship for the fourth consecutive season in this league configuration.

“They worked so hard all

• Trinity enjoyed a 20-11 nonconference victory against visiting Williams as Phoebe McCall scored four runs and drove in three runs. Desiree Rondon added three runs batted in, Mya Hooker scored four times and Karrington Batten scored three runs. Winning pitcher Jessica Ann Huneycutt struck out nine.

Girls’ soccer

Natalie Bowman had five goals and two assists and Jocelyn McDowell scored three times when Wheatmore defeated host Eastern Randolph 9-0.

The Warriors were on the wrong end of a 7-1 nonconference score at Mt. Tabor despite a goal from Bowman.

• Jazmin Palma posted all three goals in first-place UCA’s 3-0 triumph at Trinity.

• Randleman won home games on back-to-back nights by holding off Southwestern Randolph 5-1 and then rolling in a 9-0 nonleague matchup with Winston-Salem Carver.

• Chloe Chanmaly and Gigi Flores notched two second-half goals apiece Asheboro won 5-2 at Eastern Randolph in a nonleague game. Penny Smith had two goals and one assist.

Opinions vary on league baseball tournaments

PAC teams are completing their regular seasons this week prior to the state playoffs

By Bob Sutton Randolph Record

THERE’S NO Piedmont Athletic Conference Tournament in baseball this year, something that would have taken place this week. Instead, teams are wrapping up their regular seasons.

Opinions vary on the topic of whether to hold a tournament. The decision to nix the tournament was made prior to the school year.

“It’s fun to have,” Trinity coach Ryan Spencer said. “We always got to have a couple extra games.” Teams can play up to 24 regular-season games, so a tournament provided opportunities, in some cases, for up to three more games.

said it was a nice perk for the Eagles, but he sees benefits of going without the tournament. UCA went on to win its second consecutive Class 1A state championship last year.

“Even beating a team like Randleman (in the PAC Tournament final), it didn’t help us in any of the rankings,” Shore said. “But I think it better prepared us going into the playoffs. To have that under our belts was huge.” Randleman has a regular-season title in all four years of this conference cycle. The Tigers captured PAC Tournament titles in 2022 and 2023.

“I think it better prepared us going into the playoffs. To have that under our belts was huge.”

Rob Shore, UCA coach

Uwharrie Charter Academy coach Rob Shore, whose team won the 2024 tournament,

“It serves no purpose,” Randleman coach Jake Smith said of the tournament.

“You’re playing the same teams over again for another week.” Smith said there’s no harm either way regarding the tournament. He said he likes the emphasis on the regular season.

“It shows your whole season,” he said. “It’s not like I got to have (a tournament).”

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

Southwestern Randolph outfielder Nauttica Parrish, left, and shortstop Alyssa Harris react after Parrish’s diving catch earlier this season in softball.

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

Randleman’s Braxton Walker unloads for a tiebreaking grand slam against Trinity in the Tigers’ PAC-clinching baseball victory Friday night.

Natalie Bowman HOME PLATE MOTORS

PJ WARD-BROWN / RANDOLPH RECORD

Wheatmore, girls’ soccer

It has been another high-scoring season for the senior midfielder.

She has a team-leading 41 goals and nine assists to help the Warriors to another strong season. She posted six goals combined in two games last week. Bowman, who has tallied more than half of her team’s goals this year, has scored more than 30 goals in three of her four seasons, with her senior season turning out to be the most productive.

The Warriors carried a 10-5 record into this week and they hold second place in the Piedmont Athletic Conference.

Blue Comets find late-season boost

Eastern Randolph claimed a pair of victories against Providence Grove

Randolph Record staff

ASHEBORO’S BASEBALL team went into this week’s Mid-Piedmont Conference Tournament on a four-game winning streak.

The Blue Comets toppled Jordan-Matthews twice in nonleague play last week.

A 10-2 home result came with Adam Curry and Gavin Allen leading the offense. Nolan Shaw and Mason Kotlowski combined for a shutout in the 11-0 road domination, with Cohen Caviness driving in four runs and notching three hits and Jacob

Tevebaugh scoring three runs.

• Uwharrie Charter Academy and Wheatmore split Piedmont Athletic Conference games.

UCA topped visiting Wheatmore 3-0 on Logun Wilkins’ four-hitter with 10 strikeouts. Jaxon Mabe scored two runs.

The Eagles then outlasted visiting Eastern Randolph 3-2 in 11 innings in the completion of a suspended game, with Jake Hunter’s six innings of relief coming with 10 strikeouts and one run allowed. Mabe’s two-out hit in the 11th ended the game.

Lucas Smith of Eastern Randolph doubled and scored in the seventh to extend the game.

Wheatmore’s Parker Kines threw a one-hitter as the War-

riors prevailed 2-0 in the rematch with UCA. Brett Smith threw a complete game for the Eagles.

Wheatmore also won by 13-2 against Southwestern Randolph in the completion of a suspended game with Rowan Wagner knocking in three runs.

• Eastern Randolph won twice against Providence Grove, taking a 9-2 home victory as Will Stalker and Rayden West both drove in two runs and Bryson Marley worked 62/3 innings on the mound.

In the rematch, Maddox Dunn had three hits and scored three times as the Wildcats won 6-3. Cade McCallum had a two-run triple. Smith pitched four innings in relief for the victory.

• Southwestern Randolph won a pair of nonconference games, taking down host Montgomery Central 5-4 with Lane Poole and Kam Carter handling the pitching. Then the Cougars nipped visiting Leadership Academy 3-2.

Wheatmore’s Jessup repeats as singles champion in PAC tennis

A duo from Wheatmore prevailed for a conference title in doubles

Randolph Record staff

ASHEBORO — Wheatmore

sophomore Silas Jessup won the Piedmont Athletic Conference championship in boys’ tennis for the second year in a row in singles. He topped Southwestern

Randolph’s Rodolfo Fiscal by 6-1, 6-0 in the final last week at Asheboro Memorial Park. Jessup earlier defeated Randleman’s Malaqui Swift 6-0, 6-0 and handled Providence Grove’s Micah Oates 6-0, 6-0. Fiscal, who moved up from a third-place spot last year, advanced to the final by ousting two teammates. There was a 6-0, 6-0 triumph against Jonathan Spivey in the quarterfi-

Hathcock claims dual wins

New winners emerged in some races at Caraway Speedway

Randolph Record staff

SOPHIA — Justin Hathcock won twice in the Chargers division on Saturday night at Caraway Speedway. Hathcock won from the pole position in the first race and finished ahead of runner-up Matthew Smith in both 20-lap events.

RANDLEMAN from page B1

year to get to this point,” Tigers coach Jake Smith said. “Part of (some early mishaps) is from youthfulness and inexperience. It takes a while.”

Randleman won its final five league games.

“Every game is important,” Kirkpatrick said. “If you underestimate any of your opponents, it’s bad things waiting to happen.”

Trinity pitcher Camden Nelson put together a solid effort, but a couple of pitches were costly.

“I wish we could have two pitches back,” Trinity coach Ryan Spencer said. “In those moments, they had good swings. That’s big-time at-bats.”

The Bulldogs had dodged earlier trouble because after Jackson Hill’s run-scoring single in the second inning the Tigers threatened for more. They

TOURNEY from page B1

Shore and others said that without a tournament it allowed the PAC to begin conference games a week later because they’re using this week as part of the regular season. That was beneficial, coaches said, especially for schools with winter sports teams making extended postseason appearances and keeping baseball players off the field.

Eastern Randolph coach Nate Cockman said he sees ad-

Tyler Chapman and Richard Shofner were third and fourth, respectively, in both races.

• The 602 Modifieds race was won by Cody Norman, who withstood pressure from Dean Lowder to claim his first victory of the year at the track. Lowder ended up third behind Goby Grynewicz. In the second feature, Lowder held off Norman for the victory.

• In UCARs, Jeremy Kidd claimed the top spot ahead of Tito Clapp and Ron Mock. But Clapp and the initial fourth-

were denied after putting runners at second and third with one out.

Trinity got its first two base runners with one out in the fourth when Gate Griffiths reached on an infield single and Brody Little followed with a double. Walker Parrish put down a squeeze bunt and the score was tied.

Randleman loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth before a strikeout and a force-out at the plate nearly allowed the Bulldogs to escape. That was until Walker pummeled a 2-2 pitch well beyond the left-field fence.

“It feels great,” Walker said.

“And on Senior Night and this might be about the biggest crowd we’ve had.”

Trinity had two runners aboard with two outs in the fifth, but Hill, the left fielder, made a diving catch to end the inning. Andrews delivered the final blow in the sixth.

vantages either way. He said players like more games, something a tournament provides.

Yet without a tournament it makes this week – the final week prior to the state playoffs – more predictable.

“You get to save some pitching right before the playoffs,” Cockman said. “It has made this last week a little more mind at ease.”

State playoffs begin Tuesday and conclude May 31.

Eastern Randolph played nonconference games as basketball players competed in the

nals and a 6-4, 1-6 (11-9) defeat of Braydon Tyl in the semifinals. Wheatmore’s doubles tandem of Matthew Davis and Avery Plummer won the title by defeating Trinity’s Trey Groves and Kwame Mathole by 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Mathole was part of a runner-up pairing for the second year in a row.

Davis/Plummer beat Randleman’s Ramiro Vences and Dylan Diaz 8-2 in the semifinal.

place finisher Josh Phillips had their cars fail post-race inspections and so they were bumped from those positions.

• In the Crown Vic division, Brandon Mock won for his first time at the speedway, with TJ Gibson the runner-up.

• Josh Lowe notched the Legends victory ahead of Anthony Freedle and David Hall.

• For Bandeleros, Charlie Evans outlasted the field across 15 laps. The next regular racing card at the track is set for May 10, with a 100-lap feature for Limited Late Models among the races on the docket.es and Dylan Diaz 8-2 in the semifinal.

Kirkpatrick recorded nine strikeouts and senior Elijah Prince was summoned to notch the last out.

Randleman went 44-4 in the PAC regular season in this fouryear cycle. The Tigers shook off a midseason stretch with two league losses in a three-game span.

“It’s how you respond to that is what matters,” Kirkpatrick said.

Third-place Trinity has lost four consecutive games overall. The Bulldogs have posted a total of two runs across their last three games.

“We’ve got to get a couple cold bats hot again,” Spencer said.

Randleman began the week by trouncing host Trinity 10-0 as Walker threw a one-hitter with eight strikeouts. Walker homered and Jake Riddle scored three runs.

The Tigers then won 6-1 at Providence Grove in the completion of a suspended game.

postseason without the risk of enduring a league setback.

“You see how much depth you have,” Cockman said. “Got us a chance to throw in some different lineups early.”

Around the Triad, some conferences are holding tournaments and others decided not to.

Current PAC teams will be spread among three conferences beginning with the next school year. So the tournament topic is bound to be revisited.

“I want to bring it back in our next conference,” Spencer said.

pen & paper pursuits

this week in history

Napoleon dies in exile, Eiffel Towers opens, Shepard goes into space, Mandela wins presidency,

MAY 1

1931: The Empire State Building was dedicated in New York City; it would be the world’s tallest building for four decades.

1960: The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane over Sverdlovsk and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

1963: Jim Whittaker became the first American to summit Mount Everest.

1971: The national passenger rail service Amtrak went into operation.

2011: President Barack Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden.

MAY 2

1927: The U.S. Supreme Court, in Buck v. Bell, upheld 8-1 a Virginia law allowing the forced sterilization of people in order to promote the “health of the patient and the welfare of society.”

1972: A fire at the Sunshine silver mine in Kellogg, Idaho, claimed the lives of 91 miners who succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.

1994: Nelson Mandela claimed victory in the wake of South Africa’s first democratic elections.

MAY 3

1802: Washington, D.C., was incorporated as a city.

1937: Margaret Mitchell

won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, “Gone with the Wind.”

1979: The Conservative Party ousted the incumbent Labour government in British parliamentary elections.

MAY 4

1904: The United States took over construction of the Panama Canal from France.

1942: The Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircraft, began in the Pacific during World War II.

2006: A federal judge sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui to life in prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks, telling the convicted terrorist, “You will die with a whimper.”

MAY 5

1821: Napoleon Bonaparte, 51, died in exile on the island of St. Helena. 1973: Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby, the first of

his Triple Crown victories, in a time of 1:59.4, a record that still stands.

1961: Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became America’s first space traveler.

1994: Singapore caned American teenager Michael Fay for vandalism, a day after the sentence was reduced from six lashes to four.

MAY 6

1882: President Chester Alan Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S. for 10 years. (The act would remain in effect until 1943.)

1889: The Eiffel Tower opened to the public as part of the Paris World’s Fair.

1937: The hydrogen-filled German airship Hindenburg caught fire and crashed while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey; 35 of the 97 people on board and one crew member on the ground were killed.

MAY 7

1915: A German U-boat torpedoed and sank the British liner RMS Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, out of the nearly 2,000 on board.

1945: Nazi Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, ending its role in World War II.

1954: The 55-day Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended with Vietnamese insurgents overrunning French forces; it would be the last major battle of the First Indochina War.

MAZHAR ALI KHAN / AP PHOTO

Former President Barack Obama announces that Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in a raid in Pakistan on May 1, 2011, ending a nearly decade-long search.

MURRAY BECKER / AP PHOTO

The German dirigible Hindenburg crashed to the ground in flames after exploding at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937, killing 36 people.

Spielberg, De Niro praise Coppola for earning AFI Life Achievement Award

The auteur directed many iconic films including “The Godfather”

By Krysta Fauria

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Steven Spielberg proclaimed, “The Godfather” the “greatest American film ever made,” Robert De Niro teasingly bemoaned being cast in the sequel and not the original, and Harrison Ford fought back tears reflecting on his role in the 1974 film, “The Conversation.”

At the center of it all was Francis Ford Coppola, who on Saturday received the AFI Life Achievement Award at a ceremony at Dolby Theatre that brought together legendary stars from a seemingly bygone era of cinema,

A founding AFI trustee, Coppola’s recognition from the organization was a kind of full circle moment for the “Apocalypse Now” director.

“When I was a kid, there was the Oscars and that was it. Now they’re going to have an award show for the best award show,” the 86-year-old said on the red carpet ahead of the show.

“But this is a little different because it’s a personal recognition of the people that you’ve known all your life and your colleagues over many years, so

“You, sir, are peerless. You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film.”

Steven Spielberg

it’s like a homecoming in a way.”

“You, sir, are peerless. You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film,” Spielberg said.

Coppola sat between Spielberg and George Lucas, as actors and fellow filmmakers like Spike Lee, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Morgan Freeman took turns gushing over the Oscar winner.

“Dreamer of dreams on a dime, teller of tales that cost and lost millions. But tonight, (expletive) the bankers and the bank,” Freeman said to laughs and cheers.

Lucas, Coppola’s longtime friend and colleague, presented him with the award. The pair have known each other for decades and cofounded their own production company, American Zoetrope, in 1969.

“You rounded up a bunch of young film students, gathered us together. We moved to San Francisco, hoping to beat the system. And we did. Like the filmmakers from the dawn of the art form, we had no rules. We wrote them, and you were holding the pen,” Lucas said.

Coppola was mostly stoic throughout the ceremony as Hollywood sang his praises — until he accepted the award at the end of the night.

“Now I understand here, this place that created me, my home, isn’t really a place at all, but you — friends, colleagues, teachers, playmates, family, neighbors, all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back,” he said. “I am and will always be nothing more than one of you.”

Coppola was the 50th recipient of the award first handed out to John Ford in 1973.

Coppola last year released his long-in development “Megalopolis,” a Roman epic set in a modern New York. The film drew mixed reviews from critics and flopped with audiences.

“For a year in our culture when the importance of the arts is minimized, and our industry is seemingly out in the open that the only metric to judge a film’s success is by how much money it makes, I hang on to individuals like Francis for inspiration, who live through their convictions,” said Adam Driver, who starred in the film.

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, right, accepts the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award from presenters George Lucas, left, and Steven Spielberg on Saturday.

Joan Didion therapy session notes published in “Notes to John”

The guarded author died in 2021 at age 87

By Anita Snow The Associated Press

READING THE newly re -

leased “Notes to John,” it’s hard not to of wonder how the late author Joan Didion would feel about having her personal notes from a series of painful therapy sessions converted into a book after her death.

Discovered in a small filing cabinet in Didion’s office after she died in 2021 at age 87, the 150 loose pages formed a kind of journal she kept for her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, about her meetings starting in late 1999 with psychiatrist Roger MacKinnon.

The writer of such cult favorites as “The Book of Common Prayer” (1977) and “The White Album” (1979) was an assiduous notetaker and recordkeeper who explained her lifelong compulsion to write things down in her well-k nown essay, “On Keeping a Notebook,” to remember what certain moments had meant to her.

Still, the pages weren’t exactly a secret. They were included in papers that were placed by Didion’s heirs, her late brother’s children, without restrictions on access in the Didion/Dunne archive at the New York Public Library.

Much of the writings in the book released by Knopf center

KNOPF VIA AP

“Notes to John” is a collection of notes written by late author Joan Didion.

on the couple’s adult daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne, who was adopted as a baby and named after a Mexican territory that later became a state.

In the notes to Dunne, the famously guarded Didion details her worries and guilt about Quintana’s chronic alcoholism more openly than she did in the books she later wrote on that painful period.

“The Year of Magical Thinking” (2005) focused on Dunne’s fatal heart attack in 2003, and “Blue Nights” (2011) mourned her death just two years later at age 39 from acute pancreatitis.

“He wanted to know how old Quintana was when we got her, the details of the adop -

SOLUTIONS FOR THIS WEEK

“She was sitting by the window, and she was getting drunker and drunker, and there was nothing I could do about it. She couldn’t see me watching her.”

Joan Didion

tion,” Didion writes to Dunne about one session with MacKinnon. “We talked at some length about that, and I said I had always been afraid we would lose her. Whale watching. The hypothetical rattlesnake in the ivy on Franklin Avenue.’

Some of the most poignant passages are about the numerous dreams she described to the psychiatrist about her daughter’s addiction.

The hopelessness and vulnerability she acknowledged belie Didion’s cool and controlled public image.

“I told him about the dream I had this week in which Quintana and I were sharing a room and every time I woke during the night she wasn’t in her bed, she was sitting by the window, and she was getting drunker and drunker,” Didion writes. “And there was nothing I could do about it. She couldn’t see me watching her.”

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP PHOTO

Clooney will be 64 on Tuesday.

GAGE SKIDMORE VIA WIKIPEDIA Singer Thelma Houston celebrates her 79th birthday on Wednesday.

Judy Collins is 86, Frankie Valli turns 91, Donatella Versace hits 70, MTV’s Kurt Loder celebrates 80

THESE CELEBRITIES have birthdays this week.

MAY 1

Singer Judy Collins is 86. Filmmaker John Woo is 79. Musician Ray Parker Jr. is 71. Singer-actor Tim McGraw is 58. Filmmaker Wes Anderson is 56.

MAY 2

Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is 89. Fashion designer Donatella Versace is 70. Actor-wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is 53. Former soccer player David Beckham is 50.

MAY 3

Singer Frankie Valli is 91. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) is 82. Singer Christopher Cross is 74. Actor Amy Ryan is 57. Country musician Eric Church is 48. Golfer Brooks Koepka is 35.

MAY 4

Singer Peggy Santiglia of The Angels is 81. Actor Richard Jenkins (“The Shape of Water”) is 78. Singer Oleta Adams is 72. Country singer Randy Travis is 66.

MAY 5

Actor Michael Murphy is 87. Comedian-actor Michael Palin (Monty Python) is 82. Actor John Rhys-Davies (“Lord of the Rings,”) is 81. Former MTV News correspondent Kurt Loder is 80.

MAY 6

Singer Bob Seger is 80. Host Tom Bergeron (“Dancing with the Stars,” new “Hollywood Squares”) is 70. Actor George Clooney is 64.

MAY 7

Singer Thelma Houston is 79. Drummer Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead is 79. Director Amy Heckerling (“Clueless,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”) is 72.

ELAINE THOMPSON / AP PHOTO

Singer Judy Collins, pictured in 2017, celebrates her 86th birthday on Thursday.

the stream

Tina Fey, Steve Carell in ‘Four Seasons’, ‘Yes, Chef!’ with Martha Stewart, José Andrés

Country duo Maddie & Tae drop “Love and Light”

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick going to Italy for a wedding and some mafia intrigue in the movie “Another Simple Favor” and Tina Fey and Steve Carell reuniting for the Netflix series “The Four Seasons” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time: Season 2 of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” lumbers into view, RaMell Ross’ shattering movie “Nickel Boys” and country music duo Maddie & Tae return with another album full of good-time anthems.

MOVIES TO STREAM

Murder, betrayal and martinis are on the menu for “Another Simple Favor,” which brings Lively and Kendrick’s characters to Italy for a wedding, and some mafia intrigue. Paul Feig returned to the director’s chair for the film, which got largely favorable reviews out of the South by Southwest Film Festival. “Another Simple Favor” premieres on Prime Video on Thursday.

Also coming to Prime Video is one of the best movies of 2024, Ross’ shattering “Nickel Boys,” which is now streaming. The adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel employs a first-person point of view to tell the story of two boys at a brutal reform school in the Jim Crow South. In my review, I wrote that it was “formally and emotionally eye-opening,” a memory piece and “a reconciling of unspeakable traumas and human resilience.” It was Oscar nominated for best picture and best adapted screenplay.

There’s another gem streaming on MUBI on Friday, but this is likely one most haven’t heard of. The independent film “La Cocina” flew under the radar with a modest release, but it’s worth a watch for anyone who loves innovative cinema. Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios, “La Cocina” is an artistic behind-the-scenes look at a kitchen staff during the lunch rush at a busy Times Square restaurant. The tension is ramped up due to missing money and interpersonal drama between an undocumented chef (Raúl Briones) and the waitress he loves (Rooney Mara).

MUSIC TO STREAM

In a recent viral interview, the innovative Swedish rapper

Yung Lean declared “the party is over.” In the music video for “Forever Yung,” the lead single from his forthcoming record, he takes that spirit quite literally and holds a funeral for himself. It’s a sinisterly cheerful affair, bolstered by the song’s lo-fi production and reverbed vocals. His latest album, “Jonatan” — taken from his real name Jonatan Leandoer Håstad — arrives Friday via World Affairs. Country music duo Maddie & Tae return with another album full of good-time anthems titled “Love & Light,” their latest for Mercury Nashville/ UMG. “Drunk Girls in Bathrooms” might be the most romantic song written about a glorious five-minute friendship;

“Kissing Cowboys” sounds like a raucous good time in a crowded dive bar. It is the soundtrack to a summertime road trip with girlfriends.

Isaiah Falls, a fresh voice in R&B, will release the A-side to his debut album, “LVRS PARADISE” on Friday. The rising talent brings Southern Florida bounce to his smooth vocal performances.

TELEVISION TO STREAM

Fey and Carell — who teamed up in 2010 for “Date Night” — are reuniting again for the upcoming Netflix series “The Four Seasons.” Based on the 1981 movie of the same name, “The Four Seasons” is a come-

dy-drama about three couples who take four yearly vacations together, one for each season. Fey and Carell are joined by Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani and Kerri Kenney-Silver. Fey co-created “The Four Seasons” with her “30 Rock” collaborators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield. It starts Thursday.

Season 2 of “The Walking Dead: Dead City” lumbers into view Sunday on AMC. One of six “Walking Dead” spin-offs produced so far, “Dead City” reunites the show’s unlikely duo — Negan, played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, and Maggie, played by Lauren Cohan. They are trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long since isolated from the mainland. New faces joining the cast include Kim Coates (“Sons of Anarchy”) as the menacing Bruegel, Keir Gilchrist (“Atypical”) as Benjamin Pierce, and Dascha Polanco (“Orange Is the New Black”) as Major Lucia Narvaez.

Apple TV+ hits the kitchen with “Carême,” a French historical drama that’s being called “The Bear” crossed with “The Bourne Identity.” It tells the story of Marie-Antonin Carême, often called the father of French cuisine, as he climbs to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. It’s not just a food show — our hero must also navigate the volatile world of shifting political alliances, royal secrets and revolution-fueled suspicions.

“The party is over.” Yung Lean

NBC is also heading to the kitchen with “Yes, Chef!,” a new cooking competition that pairs Martha Stewart and José Andrés. The show pits 12 professional chefs, and Stewart and Andrés will judge their cooking skills and ability to work together as they complete in a series of high-stakes culinary challenges. The top chef will take home a $250,000 grand prize. “Yes, Chef!” is streaming on Peacock.

VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY

Skin Deep isn’t the sort of title you’d expect from California’s Blendo Games, a one -man studio that has blessed us with gonzo cult hits like Quadrilateral Cowboy and Thirty Flights of Loving. But designer Brendon Chung’s signature weirdness is all over the story, in which insurance agent Nina Pasadena has to rescue a bunch of frozen cats from space pirates. The bad guys are well-a rmed, but Nina isn’t, so she’ll have to use whatever’s at hand — broken glass, banana peels, boxes of ragweed — to take them down before she can hurl them out the airlock. It’s like “Die Hard” on a space station with a healthy dose of

and it’s available on

This image shows Steve Carell, Kerri Kenney, Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, Marco Calvani and Will Forte in a scene from the Netflix series “The Four Seasons.”

HOKE COUNTY

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Barber arrested at U.S. Capitol during budget protest

Washington, D.C.

The Rev. William Barber, a North Carolina minister and activist, was arrested alongside other faith leaders at a demonstration Monday in the Capitol Rotunda The prominent minister and former NAACP NC president was protesting against the proposed Republican-led federal budget, which would extend and expand broad tax cuts alongside cuts to social and environmental programs.

“If you can’t challenge your adversary with the hope that they change and to know that even if they don’t, at least they will have no excuse that they did not get told what is right. That is a powerful witness,” Barber said in remarks outside the Capitol shortly before his arrest. Barber organized and led Moral Mondays marches in Raleigh a decade ago that spread elsewhere in the state. Protestors engaged in civil disobediance at the rallies, and several — including Barber — were arrested and charged with misdemeanors.

Trump offers U.S. automakers some relief on tariffs

Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to relax some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. Tuesday’s action is a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers. Independent analyses have indicated that the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make U.S. production less competitive worldwide.

Decision looming on PFAS drinking water limits

The Trump EPA will soon weigh in on “forever chemicals”

By Michael Phillis The Associated Press

IN PAIN SO BAD he couldn’t stand, Chris Meek was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening ruptured gallbladder. When he emerged from surgery, he learned he had kidney cancer that thankfully hadn’t yet spread.

Meek, a social studies teacher in Wilmington, North Carolina, was 47 at the time. But he remained confused for years about why, as someone seemingly not at risk, he had gotten cancer until Emily Donovan, a parent of students at his school, gave a guest talk about high levels of harmful forever chemicals

Tanks hold water at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant as the Northeast Cape

known as PFAS in North Carolina’s environment. When Donovan mentioned kidney cancer, the possible cause of Meek’s diagnosis finally clicked.

Until then, Meek said, he

“had no idea what PFAS was.”

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl sub-

Commissioners approve changes for county medical insurance

The new plan is projected to save employees money without affecting coverage

By Ryan Henkel North State Journal

RAEFORD — The Hoke County Board of Commissioners approved a small change to the county’s medical insurance plan renewal for 2025-26 at its April 21 meeting.

The change to the plan involves the county transitioning away from an Individual Health Association guaranteed cost plan to a new cooperative.

“New for 24-25 is CPEC, which is the Carolina Public-Sector Employer Cooperative,” said Mark Browder, a Vice President with Mark III, an independent broker agency which has worked with the

county for about a decade.

“What it does is it actually smooths out the volatility that you might have on a self-funded basis by working together with other like-minded employers. To the employee, it’s going to look like a BlueCross solution.”

CPEC is governed by North Carolina statutes, regulated by the N.C. Department of Insurance and members of its Board of Trustees is appointed by each participating entity.

According to Browder, the renewal cost for the original plan would be approximately a 13.5% increase, but just about 6.7% under CPEC.

“It’ll be a savings to the county and a savings to the employees,” Browder said. “Being in a self-funded pool, the costs, the retention and the expenses are going to be half of what you would see in a normal, fully en-

sured environment. Therefore, it’s going to be a more cost efficient solution and give you a lot more flexibility and control.”

In addition, the plan will remain with BCBS networks and pharmacies, meaning employees shouldn’t see any disruption to the current doctors and specialists they see according to Browder.

“The formula is going to look the same and it’s going to be a very seamless transition for the employee,” Browder said. “The only change to them would be an ID card change and a group number change.”

“We did not mess with our plan to change our premiums,” said county manager Letitia Edens. “Our plan, our copayments, everything remains the same.”

There were no changes to the plan or benefits with the county’s dental plan.

stances, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.

In a decision with consequences for tens of millions of Americans, the Trump administration is expected to soon say whether it intends to stand by those strict standards and defend the limits against a water utility industry challenge in federal court.

PFAS in drinking water created a crisis for many communities

In North Carolina, runoff from a Chemours plant contaminated the Cape Fear River, creating a crisis for cities like Wilmington that use it for drinking water. Amid public outcry, Wilmington effectively eliminated it from tap water. Other U.S. communities — often near military bases or industrial sites — did the same when test results were frightening and public pressure, local leadership or state law forced

See PFAS, page A4

The plan will go into effect July 1, 2025.

“It’s a lot to digest tonight, but I think, just looking at the rates is what is helping me,” said Commissioner Tony Hunt. “To see that our members, which are our employees, are going to save money is the most important thing for me and it seems like a good plan that we can actually maybe receive some money back for if we have a good year.”

The board also received two bids for surplus property.

The first was a $3,000 bid for 0.1 acres of property on Army Road, which was accepted by the board, but the second bid, which was a $5,2000 bid for nearly 0.5 acres of property located at 202 N Highland Rd, was not accepted. Since the surplus property had not been on the market for at least a year, the board would not accept full price, which was advertised as just under $6,650.

After a year, the price will reduce to 75% of the full cost.

The Hoke County Board of Commissioners will next meet May 5.

THE HOKE COUNTY EDITION OF NORTH STATE JOURNAL

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Pelicans sit on a dock in the Cape Fear River.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Fear River flows past in Wilmington.

5.1.25

WEEKLY FORECAST

THURSDAY

Byron Clay Scott pleaded guilty to robbing 10 stores across four counties

North State Journal staff

A FORSYTH COUNTY man has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a string of armed robberies targeting dollar stores across four counties.

Byron Clay Scott, 33, was sentenced on April 18 to 240 months in prison for five counts of interference with commerce by robbery. He received an additional 24 months to run consecutively for committing the crimes while on supervised release for a previous armed robbery conviction.

According to court documents, Scott and at least one accomplice robbed 10 Dollar General and Family Dollar stores in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Burlington and Reidsville between November 2023 and January 2024. During the robberies, Scott brandished a 9mm handgun while forcing employees to open safes and cash registers.

Store surveillance footage showed Scott and his accomplices wearing Halloween-style masks, gloves and dark cloth-

ing. In one robbery at a Family Dollar in Burlington on Dec. 29, 2023, two masked men followed the store manager through the front door and then Scott’s accomplice asked her where the money was located.

The men forced her and another store employee to the floor and instructed the manager to open the safe and cash registers, with Scott putting the money in Family Dollar plastic bags.

Scott pointed to the employee’s purse, and the unnamed accomplice stated he was not going to take any of their personal belongings because he was only interested in “the white people s--t

Just “taking the white people s--t because they have insurance.”

Unnamed accomplice

because they have insurance.”

Scott was arrested Jan. 15 when Winston-Salem police responded to a robbery in progress at the Dollar General on South Main Street. Officers apprehended Scott as he fled from the store’s back door. Investigators found evidence linking Scott to the crime spree in his rental vehicle, including

his birth certificate, Social Security card, and masks and latex gloves consistent with those worn during the robberies. Data from the rental car’s GPS tracking device and Scott’s phone search history also connected him to each robbery location.

Besides prison time, U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder ordered Scott to pay $21,005.38 in restitution and to forfeit the handgun used in the robberies.

According to court records, Scott committed these crimes while on supervised release after serving a 130-month sentence for a 2013 armed robbery conviction.

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP PHOTO

Byron Clat Scott robbed almost a dozen Family Dollar and Dollar General stores across N.C.

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

California just isn’t working

Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of highspeed rail.

FOUR MONTHS AGO, the Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 homes in Los Angeles. Three months later, only four permits had been issued to rebuild the community.

Clearly, California just isn’t working.

The radical environmentalism, wokeism, and unionized bureaucratic micromanagement that Sacramento has imposed on the whole state is distorting reality and grinding things to a halt.

I talked with Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin about the fire and recovery. He was surprised at the tiny number of permit approvals. Under his aggressive, dynamic leadership, the EPA already cleared the burned-out neighborhoods for federal permits. Of course, as he noted, the federal permits require city and county permission.

This permitting logjam is happening even with a supposed one-stop local permit office and other efforts to cut through the red tape.

But this is only the latest part of the story. Years before the fire, two new reservoirs were approved to ensure there would be enough water for firefighting. They were never built. Some fire hydrants simply did not work. Further, emergency vehicles were trapped in government parking lots because they needed oil changes. They could not be used to fight the fires because the bureaucracy’s firm rules about routine maintenance overruled common sense and public safety.

And fire is a real danger in the whole

state. I spoke with Laguna Beach Mayor Alex Rounaghi and Fire Chief Niko King on my Newt’s World podcast. They shared their strategy for fire prevention. Laguna Beach brought in 400 goats to eat underbrush. It was a low-cost solution to clear out the vegetation that leads to hot uncontrollable fires.

The California government is trying to eliminate their goat fire prevention because the goats might eat endangered plants. (You have to wonder: What do state bureaucrats think fire does to endangered plants?) The powers in Sacramento want Laguna Beach to switch to human vegetation removal, which is four times more expensive. Meanwhile, a couple hundred goats might have saved the Palisades.

But the tragedy of the Palisades fire is just one example of how California is falling apart. The combination of weird values, ossified bureaucracy, and state legislators devoted to principles and ideas that simply don’t work are slowly destroying the state.

On a totally different front, California had more than $20 billion stolen from its COVID-19 related unemployment compensation funds. Much of the theft came from California state prisoners using the state prison’s computer system. They used identity theft and partners outside the prison to defraud taxpayers. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert joined me on Newt’s World to discuss the fraud. The story is unbelievable. When we spoke in February 2021, the estimate was

Musk half right about fertility crisis

China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

THE WORLD’S RICHEST MAN isn’t just juggling multiple companies. He’s juggling multiple baby mamas.

The Wall Street Journal recently had a long piece on Elon Musk’s complicated personal life. He has at least 14 children with four different women. The “harem drama” — in the words of Musk’s exgirlfriend Ashley St. Clair — is a mess. There are fights about custody and questions about paternity. There are details about Musk using a message on X to unsuccessfully recruit a woman to have his child. Reportedly, Musk has a compound where he wants his children and their mothers to live. There are enough emotions and chaos here to make a soap opera blush.

But the reason Musk has fathered so many children isn’t mere sexual hedonism. Musk has four children with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Neuralink. Zilis previously said Musk offered to donate sperm that she could use to have children. Musk also donated sperm to a “high-profile woman” at the request of Japanese officials, the Journal reported.

“I think for most countries, they should view the birthrate as the single biggest problem they need to solve,” Musk said last year at an investment conference. “If you don’t make new humans, there’s no humanity, and all the policies in the world don’t matter.”

The interviewer then jokingly referenced Musk’s many offspring.

“You’ve got to walk the talk,” Musk replied. “So, I do have a lot of kids, and I encourage others to have lots of kids.”

Musk is right about the need for more babies. Last year, the CDC announced that America’s fertility rate had dropped to “another historic low.” For a generation to replace itself, there needs to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women, as measured over their lifetimes. In 2023, the total fertility rate was under 1,620 births per 1,000 women. For now, immigration drives U.S. population growth.

It’s worse in many places around the world. In South Korea, women have less than 0.7 children on average. Its population is projected to drop from more than 51 million now to under 22 million by 2100. China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

This drop in population will usher in a host of problems, including an epidemic of loneliness and reduced economic growth.

But Musk’s approach to fixing this problem is wrong, immoral and ultimately counterproductive.

Children aren’t robots to build in a factory. They are human beings whose future depends greatly on the people around them. Statistically, the best thing

only $11.5 billion had been stolen. It has since doubled and no one really knows the upper limit. This astonishing incompetence drives up taxes on businesses to replenish the unemployment funds that have been drained by crooks. It’s a vicious cycle.

One final example of California not working is the proposed high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was originally proposed in 2008 for $33 billion. It was supposed to be completed by 2020. Now, a small portion has been built between small towns. The projected cost has ballooned to $128 billion — and at the current rate it will not be completed in this century. It will never reach San Francisco or Los Angeles but instead stop at small towns about 25 miles outside the cities.

While California has been squandering money on costly failures, the Japanese have had more than 60 years-experience with high-speed trains. Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of high-speed rail.

California simply doesn’t work anymore.

Since California is our largest state, this collapse of competence and common sense is a national problem. The state represents 14 percent of the national economy.

We need a serious commitment to get back to a commonsense, problem-solving California that works again. It should be a national priority.

Newt Gingrich was Republican speaker of the U.S. House.

for children is to be raised by their married biological parents. That’s why intentionally creating fatherless babies is a grave mistake. Moms and dads approach parenting differently. That doesn’t make one sex better at parenting than the other. It allows them to complement each other.

Moms and dads play with and talk to their kids in different but important ways. A child needs both the comfort of a mother’s love and the confidence that comes from a father pushing him or her to take safe risks.

Marriage brings stability that children need. Growing up with a single parent significantly increases a child’s likelihood of growing up in poverty and going to jail. It decreases their chances of graduating from college.

Married women are more likely to have children too. In 2022, the fertility rate among married women was 84.2 births per 1,000 women. Among unmarried women, it was 37.2 per thousand. Obviously, there will be outliers when you’re talking about hundreds of millions of people, but the trends are obvious.

If Musk wants to boost birth rates and improve outcomes for children, he should promote marriage, not sperm donations.

Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

COLUMN | VICTOR JOECKS

COLUMN | NEWT GINGRICH

PFAS-laden wells offline or prompted installation of expensive filtering systems, according to Mark White, drinking water global practice leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith.

The EPA said the PFAS found in North Carolina, often called GenX chemicals, can be toxic to the kidney. While other types of PFAS may raise kidney cancer risk, little research has focused on the link between kidney cancer and GenX, according to Sue Fenton, director of the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University. Chemours said evidence doesn’t support arguments that GenX at low levels is a health threat. The company has sharply reduced PFAS discharges.

So far, sampling has found nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the recently set EPA limits, but most aren’t above by much. Forcing this group to reduce PFAS more than doubles the rule’s health benefits but roughly triples its costs, the EPA has said.

The Biden administration’s rule set standards for two common types of PFAS at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. Standards for several other PFAS chemicals were set, too, and utilities must meet those levels by 2029.

PFAS have had wide uses over the decades

Manufactured by companies like Chemours and 3M, PFAS were incredibly useful in many applications -– among them, helping clothes to withstand

rain and ensuring that firefighting foam snuffed out flames. But the chemicals also accumulate in the body. As science advanced in recent years, evidence of harm at far lower levels became clearer.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has championed fossil fuels and the rollback of major clean air and water rules. His history with PFAS is more nuanced; during his time as a New York congressman, he supported legislation to regulate forever chemicals in drinking water.

“It’s an issue that touches people in a very tangible way across the political spectrum, including in Lee Zeldin’s former district,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

Zeldin has offered clues about what the EPA could do.

The agency estimated the rule would cost about $1.5 billion

annually and Zeldin said recently that communities struggling to afford a fix for PFAS that are just above the standard might be handled differently than wealthy places with lots of it.

“What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out,” he said.

On Monday, the EPA said it will establish an agency lead for PFAS, develop wastewater limits for PFAS manufacturers and investigate sources that pose an immediate danger to drinking water, among other actions.

EPA decision looms on whether to let the rule stay as it is

Soon, the EPA must tell a federal appeals court in Washington whether the rule should stand or be rewritten, although weakening it could be complicated because the Safe Drink-

ing Water Act prevents new rules from being looser than previous ones. The agency could, however, encourage exemptions and deadline extensions, according to Erik Olson, an attorney with the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council supporting the current standards in the court case.

Consider Avondale, Arizona, outside of Phoenix, which produces PFAS results modestly above the limits. Officials have done detailed testing and are planning to enhance water treatment. All told, lowering PFAS may cost Avondale more than $120 million, according to Kirk Beaty, the city’s public utility director.

That’s money a city like Avondale “just doesn’t have sitting in a back room somewhere,” Beaty said, adding he’ll defer to federal experts to dictate what’s acceptable.

“We’re hoping we’re a little further ahead of everybody else. If the regulation changes, well you know, we may let off the gas a little bit, we may not,” he said, adding that it is hard to justify spending extra money to do more than what’s required when the cost falls on residents.

If the government decides higher amounts of PFAS are acceptable, that could confuse people, especially in areas where the public is already concerned.

“If we enter into a gray area over what’s healthy and what’s not healthy, then utilities are at risk of being caught up in a debate for which they have no real responsibility nor expertise to decide on,” said Karine Rougé, CEO for municipal water at Veolia North America, a water operations company.

Industry group says the rule goes too far and is too costly

The American Water Works Association, an industry group, filed the court challenge to the new rule. It agrees that certain PFAS should be regulated but argues the EPA’s standards go too far, underestimate costs and are “neither feasible nor cost-effective.” There are serious consequences for residents’ water bills, it says.

The burden of complying will fall heavily on small utilities that can least afford it. Many water providers already struggle to maintain their existing infrastructure, some experts say. On top of everything else, they face new requirements to replace lead pipes. The AWWA wants the EPA to extend the PFAS and lead deadlines by two years. There is money available to help. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $9 billion for chemicals like PFAS and utilities have won multibillion-dollar settlements against PFAS polluters that help as well.

Meek, who successfully recovered after surgery from cancer and is now 59, is planning to sue over his illness. He once didn’t second-guess using tap water. Now he reaches for bottled water.

Donovan, who introduced Meek to PFAS and helped start Clean Cape Fear, says if the government’s standards are weakened, it’ll relieve pressure on utilities to effectively treat the water.

Previously, “our local utilities could tell us publicly that the water met or exceeded all state and federal guidelines because there weren’t any,” she said.

PFAS from page A1

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Water is processed through carbon filters inside large reservoirs designed to remove forever chemicals, known as PFAS.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Chris Meek, who survived cancer he suspects was caused PFAS in drinking water, stands in front of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington on Monday.

HOKE SPORTS

SPRING SPORTS ROUNDUP

Softball opens postseason with a win

North State Journal staff

SOFTBALL AND baseball finished their regular seasons prior to this week’s spring break. Girls’ soccer still has a week left on the schedule, while the other two teams await the postseason.

Softball

Hoke County softball opened postseason play with a win, knocking off Southern Lee in the first round of the Sandhills Conference tournament. The Bucks played Union Pines in the second round after press time. Niya Jones struck out eight in a complete-game shutout, while also getting two hits, including a double, to help her cause at the plate. Kailey Bowman also had a pair of hits, while McKenzie

Freeman had three. Athlete of the Week Bailey Mass drove in four runs in the game.

Girls’ soccer

The Bucks returned to action last week, earning a 2-2 tie with East Blaen in their final non-conference match of the regular season. Three games remain in the regular season, two of them at home. The Bucks will return to the pitch April 28, following spring break. Hoke is now 7-121 and riding a three-game unbeaten streak. The Bucks are 2-8 in the Sandhills and 5-5-1 at home.

Hoke will close out the home schedule with a conference game against Pinecrest next week. The Bucks will then play Union Pines on the road be-

fore starting postseason play. Baseball

Hoke baseball returned from spring break with a pair of losses, to Richmond, 8-0, and to Southern Lee, 10-0. The team finishes a two-win campaign.

The team parts ways with a senior class that includes team hitting leader Eric EJ Carter, RBI leader Dawson Spivey, Connor Oldham, Jacob Williams, Ryland Hunt, Emmanuel Parson, Owen Autry and Chase Carter.

The team will try to build on returning players, including Jayden Hollingsworth, a rising senior who led the team in runs and on-base percentage, Carson Hewitt, another rising senior who contributed at the plate and on the mound, and Gabe Allen.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Bailey Mass

Hoke County, softball

Bailey Mass is a senior outfielder for the Hoke County softball team. She has also played varsity tennis for the Bucks.

Mass brought the big bat in Hoke’s conference tournament opener against Southern Lee. She went 3 for 3 with a double, scored a run and drove in four in the win. She also stole a base.

For the year, Bailey is third on the team in RBIs, doubles and triples.

The Braves and Reds will play on the track’s infield on Aug. 2

By Teresa M. Walker

The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Major League Baseball has played at the “Field of Dreams” movie site. Now baseball is eager to see just how big a crowd will show up for a game at a NASCAR bullring of a track.

And Bristol Motor Speedway can hold a lot of people.

It’s part of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s push to take MLB to locations where baseball isn’t played every day live. MLB played a game at the movie site in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022. Alabama, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, too.

Now it’s Tennessee’s turn.

Manfred noted Tuesday after speaking at the CAA World Congress of Sports Presented by Sports Business Journal that the Tennessee Volunteers are the defending college baseball

national champions, with Vanderbilt winner of two college titles. Manfred sees lots of alignment between NASCAR and MLB fans.

“Big crowd, big crowd,” Manfred said of what is expected at Bristol on Aug. 2. “We think that it’s an opportunity to have a really large audience for a major league game, and we think the setting in really a legendary speedway is going to be awesome for a baseball game.”

Nobody is ready to put a number on how many will turn out for the MLB Speedway Classic when the Cincinnati Reds host the Atlanta Braves. Bristol set a record for a college football game in 2016 and has a capacity of 146,000 for racing.

This game will be played on a field laid over part of the speedway infield and the high-banked track.

Derek Schiller, president and chief executive officer of the Braves, said MLB approached the team a few years ago about this possibility. Schiller said the Braves were adamant about

wanting to be a part of this game.

“We know that there’s a uniqueness to it that is unmatched,” Schiller said. “Playing a baseball game at a motor speedway and being part of that was really important also because this is part of where our fan base comes from. So we we think many, maybe most of those fans are go -

ing to be Atlanta Braves fans.”

Officials announced last Tuesday that country superstar Tim McGraw will perform a concert an hour before first pitch. McGraw has ties to baseball, having earned a college scholarship playing the sport. His late father, Tug McGraw, won two World Series titles pitching for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.

That’s just part of the day of events planned leading up to the game. Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, would only tease that more announcements are coming. All are designed to give fans reasons to get to the track and into their seats as early as possible.

Hosting an event like this is nothing new for Bristol. The track hosted the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech in the Battle of Bristol in 2016 before a record 156,990 fans.

So track officials have experience adapting the half-mile concrete track into something new. Caldwell said preparations started before the track’s spring race April 13, won by Kyle Larson. Bristol then will have six weeks until hosting a night NASCAR Cup Series race in the playoffs on Sept. 13.

“It’s becoming very real,” Caldwell said. “We’re approaching 100 days out from the game, and we’re thrilled with the progress.”

HCHS BUCKS SOFTBALL / FACEBOOK Niya Jones was a two-way player, helping to pitch and hit Hoke County to a tournament victory

Svechnikov’s hat trick helps Hurricanes overcome injury to Andersen in Game 4 win

The Carolina goalie was injured in the second period after a collision with Timo Meier

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

NEWARK, N.J. — The Hurricanes have faced some adversity despite being in control of their first round series against the New Jersey Devils since their few minutes of the opening game.

But not even a Game 3 double-overtime loss felt like as dire a situation as goaltender Frederik Andersen being flat on his back in the net in Sunday’s Game 4 after a second period collision with Devils forward Timo Meier.

“It was a tough moment for us,” said stablemate Pyotr Kochetkov, who came on in relief when Andersen went to the locker room, knocked out of the game with the Hurricanes leading by two goals just before the midway point of regulation.

It got tougher when Meier’s spinning shot from the side boards skittered past Kochetkov, cutting Carolina’s lead to one just over three minutes after Andersen was helped off the ice.

“When he scored, it’s my goal,” Kochetkov said, taking the blame for allowing New Jersey to get within a goal. “I try to just focus for the next shot. … I needed to feel the puck, and after I had a couple shots, the game (came to) me.”

He also had the help of Andrei Svechnikov.

Svechnikov finished with the second postseason hat trick in franchise history and Kochetkov shut the door the rest of the way, stopping the other 14 shots he faced, as the Hurricanes won 5-2 at Prudential Center to take a 3-1 series lead and push the Devils to the brink of elimination.

SIDELINE REPORT

NASCAR Legge claims she’s receiving death threats after Xfinity crash at Rockingham

Rockingham NASCAR driver Katherine Legge said she has been receiving “hate mail” and “death threats” after a crash last weekend at Rockingham. Legge was off the pace when she was hit by William Sawalich and collected Kasey Kahne. Legge said “the inappropriate social media comments I’ve received aren’t just disturbing, they are unacceptable.” The 44-yearold Legge has started four Indianapolis 500s and been a regular in several series around the world. But she is a relative novice when it comes to stock cars. She crashed in her Cup Series debut at Phoenix earlier this season.

MLB Arizona’s Suárez becomes 19th player in MLB history with 4 home runs in game

Phoenix Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez homered in his first four at-bats against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, becoming the 19th player in MLB history to hit four homers in a game and first since 2017. The 33-year-old third baseman hit a solo shot in the second, a two-run homer in the fourth, and two more solo drives in the sixth and ninth. Suárez has 10 homers this season.

“It was kind of a hard season for me, but right now, in playoff time, it’s kind of my time,” said Svechnikov, who also scored the other hat trick, in the COVID season qualifying round against the Rangers, in 2020. “I love this time of the year. I love playing a physical game and just trying to do everything that’s going to help my team win the games.”

The real challenge, however, was still ahead for the visiting Hurricanes.

Nico Hischier got New Jersey on the scoreboard just over two minutes later, then Meier, en-

NCAA SPORTS

Former Baylor official placed nearly 3,000 impermissible fantasy bets, 113 involving the school Waco, Texas

A former Baylor athletic official has received a show- c ause penalty from the NCAA after he placed nearly 3,000 impermissible daily fantasy bets on professional and college games over a five-year period. Those included 113 involving Baylor teams and student-athletes.

Sam Hancock, Baylor’s former director of resource development, allegedly placed 2,950 impermissible bets totaling $45,979 on three different sports betting platforms from July 2019 through September 2024.

He acknowledged that he engaged in sports betting before his employment at Baylor and continued to do so after being hired, despite knowing it violated NCAA rules.

NWSL

NWSL submits request for lower-tier women’s league to develop players

The National Women’s Soccer League has asked U.S. Soccer to sanction a lower division women’s professional soccer league that could launch as early as next year. The sixteam league would sit on the second tier of the U.S. soccer pyramid, below the NWSL and the USL Women’s Super League, and would serve to develop young players.

gaged with Svechnikov, crashed into Andersen shortly thereafter, knocking the Carolina goalie from the game.

No penalty was initially called, and then the officials opted for a five-minute major on Meier, which allowed for a video review. After the review, the referees determined there was no penalty on the play.

“There’s clearly contact, and you’re not really supposed to go in there,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the contact by Meier, who has been stymied by Andersen throughout the series. “And maybe even

if we had a little bump, it’s still — he’s a big guy, he could stop. But it wasn’t egregious, I get it.”

To their credit, the Hurricanes resisted seeking retribution on Meier and instead tried to reestablish their game.

“We know in a game you’re leading … that we don’t need any fights or anything, any more penalties,” Svechnikov said. “And we just tried to stay focused and try to play our game.”

Svechnikov then finished off his hat trick, scoring into an empty net to seal Game 4 and send the Hurricanes back to

Raleigh with a chance to close out the series on Tuesday.

“Your best players have to be your best players. … He was around it,” Brind’Amour said of Svechnikov.

Carolina may need to do it without Andersen, whose history of injuries has always served as a looming dark cloud over his successes.

“He wasn’t good enough to continue,” Brind’Amour said. “So that’s not a good sign. But I don’t have any other information, so we’ll know more, I guess, tomorrow when he gets evaluated.”

Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov celebrates his third goal in Carolina’s 5-2 Game 4 win Sunday in Newark, New Jersey.

Inez Richardson

Sept. 13, 1969 – April 22, 2025

Ms. Inez Richardson, aged 55, went home to be with her Heavenly Father on April 22, 2025. The Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, April 28, at 1 p.m. at the Pauline T. Buie Chapel. Inez will be greatly missed.

James Robert “Bobby” Currie

Sept. 29, 1942 –April 26, 2025

Mr. James Robert Currie (Bobby), of Raeford, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, April 26, 2025.

He was born in Hoke County, NC, on September 29, 1942, to the late John Henry Currie and Irene Collins Currie.

Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife Lois Currie.

In life Bobby served in The National Guard and retired from NC Department of Transportation. He volunteered with the West Hoke Fire Department, and American Red Cross Disaster Reaction Team.

Bobby was a member of Bethel Presbyterian Church, where he served as both a Deacon and Elder. He enjoyed square dancing and was a member of several local square dance clubs. Bobby was also a member of the Raeford Masonic Lodge.

He is survived by his sister Brenda Sue Currie of Raeford, NC; a brother, Henry Lee Currie of Bolivia, NC; and several nieces and nephews who will miss him dearly.

A visitation will be held on Friday, May 2, 2025, 6-8 p.m. at Crumpler Funeral Home, 131 Harris Avenue, Raeford, NC.

A Graveside Service will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery, 150 John Russell Road, Raeford, NC 28376. Online condolences may be made on the Crumpler Funeral Home Website.

Dennis Mitchell Raikakos

Feb. 8, 1946 – April 23, 2025

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Dennis Mitchell Raikakos, of Lumber Bridge, NC. Dennis departed this earth, surrounded by his loved ones, on April 23, 2025.

Dennis was a proud United States Air Force veteran. He was awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his heroic actions in Da Nang Vietnam.

An avid collector of toy trains and baseball memorabilia, Dennis filled his home with treasures related to his interests.

A stroll through his house could find you perusing anything from original Polo ground seats to a room with an elaborate toy train table. Still more collectibles, lining shelves and walls, pay homage to his childhood growing up in New York and the many vacations he took with his children and girlfriend to places like Lake George, Plattsburgh, and Williamsburg, amongst others.

However, of all his treasures, his most cherished was his family. Dennis, a devoted father and loving Papou, cherished every moment spent in the company of the ones he loved; sharing stories of his past, traveling the country with his sweetie, and enjoying the simple pleasures of living a life surrounded by the ones he loved most.

Dennis is survived by his children, Michelle Hurd (Wally) of Parkton, NC, Denise Cuiffo (Joe) of Bay Shore, NY, Peter (Jamie) of Hope Mills, NC and Christopher of Hope Mills, NC, grandchildren Victoria Armstrong (Daniel), Tyler, Jared, Blake, Billie, Daniel, Amara, Aiden, Katherine and Samuel, great grandchildren Finnley, Rowan and Sonni Rae, his Sweetie Sheila and her son Chrisjohn, his fur babies Shadow, Cat, and Mini Pearl. He was preceded in death by his parents, Katherine and Peter, and his wife, Billie.

Viewing will be held Saturday, May 3, at Crumpler Funeral Home, 131 Harris Avenue, Raeford, from 3-8 p.m. A memorial reading will be done at 7 p.m. Burial services will be held Thursday, May 29, at noon, at Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, 8220 Bragg Blvd., Spring Lake.

In lieu of flowers the family is asking for donations to be made in honor of Dennis to the Gary Sinise Foundation in support of America’s heroes.

Stan Love, brother of Beach Boys’ Mike Love and father of Heat’s Kevin Love, dies at 76

The Associated Press

MIAMI — Former NBA player Stan Love, the brother of Beach Boys singer Mike Love and the father of Miami Heat player Kevin Love, has died. He was 76.

Kevin Love announced his father’s death in an Instagram post Sunday night. No cause was given, but he referenced longstanding health issues in the post.

“Dad, you fought for a long time,” Kevin posted. “The hardest stretch being these past 6 months. The most painful to witness being these last few weeks. And even at the end as you continued to deteriorate — I still saw you as a Giant. My Protector. My first Hero.”

He went on to write, “Dad, I’m so proud to be your son. My only hope is that you’re proud of me. It was all I ever wanted. Thank you for everything.”

Stan Love was a 6-foot-9 forward who starred at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California, and at Oregon before he was selected ninth overall by Baltimore in the 1971 NBA draft.

He averaged 6.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 226 games in four seasons with the Bullets and the Los Angeles Lakers. He also played 12 games for San Antonio in the American Basketball Association.

Mike Love posted, “My big younger brother, you called me the superstar, but to me you are the superstar!! You always had my back! I am blessed to be your brother. I will cherish our lives spent together, whether spoofing on each other or reliving memories. I know you’re on the big court now, pounding

down 3’s; don’t foul out, bro.” Stan Love introduced Kevin to basketball after the family moved from California to Oregon in the 1980s. He often attended UCLA games along with Mike Love when Kevin starred for the Bruins as a freshman in 2007-08.

“He’d always tell me stories about Wes Unseld, Connie Hawkins, Jerry West,” the younger Love told The Associated Press in 2008. “I wanted to be the greatest basketball player of all time, like every little kid wanted to be.”

The elder Love focused his hard-nosed development ef-

Celebrate the life of your loved ones. Submit obituaries and death notices to be published in NSJ at obits@northstatejournal.com

Stan Love (34) of the Los Angeles Lakers gets Steve Mix’s arm out of the way as he gets off a jump shot against the 76ers in 1975 in Philadelphia.

forts on Kevin, his middle child and second son. Some days, Kevin would be outside in the rain at their Lake Oswego, Oregon, home shooting jumper after jumper.

“My hands would be all dirty, I’d come in and make the floor all muddy,” Love told AP. “Once he saw I was a self-starter, then he kind of backed off.” Besides Kevin, the elder Love is survived by wife Karen, son Collin and daughter Emily. Kevin Love has been away from Heat because of personal reasons and will not play in Game 4 against Cleveland on Monday night.

Virginia Giuffre, Prince Andrew’s accuser in Epstein scandal, dead

She died by suicide at her farm in Australia

By Jennifer Peltz and Hallie Golden The Associated Press

VIRGINIA GIUFFRE, who accused Britain’s Prince Andrew and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager trafficked by financier Jeffrey Epstein, has died. She was 41. Giuffre died by suicide last Friday at her farm in Western Australia, her publicist confirmed.

“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors,” her family said in a statement. “Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure.”

Her publicist Dini von Mueffling described Giuffre as “deeply loving, wise and funny.”

“She adored her children and many animals. She was always more concerned with me than with herself,” von Mueffling wrote in a statement. “I will miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”

The American-born Giuffre, who lived in Australia for years, became an advocate for sex trafficking survivors after emerging as a central figure in Epstein’s prolonged downfall.

The wealthy, well-connected New York money manager killed himself in August 2019 while awaiting trial on U.S. federal sex trafficking charges

involving dozens of teenage girls and young women, some as young as 14. The charges came 14 years after police in Palm Beach, Florida, first began investigating allegations that he sexually abused underage girls who were hired to give him massages. Giuffre came forward publicly after the initial investigation ended in an 18-month Florida jail term for Epstein, who made a secret deal to avoid federal prosecution by pleading guilty instead to relatively minor state-level charges of soliciting prostitution. He was released in 2009.

In subsequent lawsuits, Giuffre said she was a teenage spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago — President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach club — when she was approached in 2000 by Epstein’s girlfriend and later employee, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Giuffre said Maxwell hired her as a masseuse for Epstein, but the couple effectively made her a sexual servant, pressuring her into gratifying not only Epstein but his friends and associates. Giuffre said she was flown around the world for assignations with men including Prince Andrew while she was 17 and 18. The men denied it and assailed Giuffre’s credibility. She acknowledged changing some key details of her account, including the age at which she first met Epstein.

But many parts of her story were supported by documents, witness testimony and photos — including one of her and Andrew, with his his arm around her bare midriff, in Maxwell’s London townhouse. Giuffre said in one of her

lawsuits that she had sex with the royal three times: in London during her 2001 trip, at Epstein’s New York mansion when she was 17 and in the Virgin Islands when she was 18.

“Ghislaine said, ‘I want you to do for him what you do for Epstein,’” Giuffre told NBC News’ “Dateline” in September 2019. Andrew categorically rejected Giuffre’s allegations and said he didn’t recall having met her.

His denials blew up in his face during a November 2019 BBC interview. Viewers saw a prince who proffered curious rebuttals — such as disputing Giuffre’s recollection of sweaty dancing by saying he was medically incapable of perspiring — and showed no empathy for the women who said Epstein abused them.

Within days of the interview, Andrew stepped down from his royal duties. He settled with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum, agreeing to make a “substantial donation” to her survivors’ organization. A statement filed in court said that the prince acknowledged Epstein was a sex trafficker and Giuffre “an established victim of abuse.”

She also filed, and in at least some cases settled, lawsuits against Epstein and others connected to him. In one case, she dropped her claims against a prominent U.S. attorney, saying she might have erred in identifying him as one of the men to whom Epstein supplied her.

Epstein’s suicide put an end to his accusers’ hopes of holding him criminally accountable.

RUSTY KENNEDY / AP PHOTO

STATE & NATION

Pritzker calls out ‘do-nothing’ Democrats for failing to push back on Trump administration

He spoke at an event in the early primary state of New Hampshire

By Joey Cappelletti and Holly Ramer The Associated Press

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sharply criticized fellow Democrats on Sunday for not doing enough to oppose President Donald Trump, drawing a clear divide between himself and other high-profile Democrats seen as future presidential contenders.

Pritzker delivered the keynote address at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, the latest and most high-profile in a series of speeches this year.

While Pritzker continued to attack Trump, he also focused on what he says are shortcomings in his own party, assailing Democrats for listening to “a bunch of know-nothing political types” instead of everyday Americans. Without naming names, he called out Democrats “flocking to podcasts and cable news shows to admonish fellow Democrats for not caring enough about the struggles of working families.”

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption,” Pritzker said.

The second-term governor has yet to say whether he will run for that office again in 2026, but the billionaire Hyatt heir has been laying the groundwork for a potential presidential campaign for years.

Notably, California Gov.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner on Sunday in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Gavin Newsom, another high-profile 2028 contender, said on his podcast recently that the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador and detained at one point in a notorious megaprison, was a “distraction” from issues such as tariffs. Newsom also said on his podcast’s inaugural episode that he opposes trans athletes competing in women’s sports. Polling suggests immigration is Trump’s strongest issue and that a majority of Democrats also oppose trans participation in women’s sports. Pritzker on Sunday night

said it was no time for Democrats to be in despair.

“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now,” he said, stressing that the party “must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.”

Pritzker has already spoken this year at the Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles dinner and is scheduled to headline a Minnesota Democratic dinner in June. He drew national attention in February when he used part of his joint budget and State of the State address to draw a parallel between

More than 100 suspected illegals detained at after-hours nightclub in Colorado

The club had been under investigation by the DEA for months

By John Raby The Associated Press

MORE THAN 100 immigrants suspected of being in the United States illegally were taken into custody early Sunday following a federal raid at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, authorities said.

Video posted online by the Drug Enforcement Administration showed agents announcing their presence outside the building and ordering patrons to leave with their hands up. Other videos showed dozens of people fleeing the building through its entrance after federal agents smashed a window. Later, dozens of suspects were shown in handcuffs stand-

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today.”

Jonathan Pullen, DEA special agent

ing on a sidewalk waiting to be transported.

During his second stint as U.S. president, Donald Trump’s campaign of immigration enforcement has slowed illegal immigration at the southern border to a trickle.

On Sunday in Colorado, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the club-going immigrants into custody, said Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division.

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today,”

he said. The city, Colorado’s second largest, lies about 70 miles south of Denver.

More than 300 law enforcement officers and officials from multiple agencies responded to the nightclub, which had been under investigation for several months for alleged activities including drug trafficking, prostitution and “crimes of violence,” Pullen said at a news conference. Cocaine was among the drugs found, he said.

“When the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor,” Pullen said.

An undisclosed number of guns were seized, he said.

Trump posted a link to the DEA video of the raid on his social media site, Truth Social. “A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes,” the president wrote.

Trump’s rhetoric and the rise of Nazi Germany.

On Sunday, Pritzker again invoked his Jewish faith, criticizing Trump’s efforts to deport foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He called on Trump to “stop tearing down the Constitution in the name of my ancestors,” a line that drew a standing ovation from the crowd.

But Pritzker was also adamant in calling out the “do-nothing Democrats,” asserting that while the party “may need to fix our messaging and strategy, our values are ex-

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

actly where they should be.” He added, “We will never join so many Republicans in a special place in hell reserved for quislings and cowards.”

Lou D’Allesandro, who retired from the New Hampshire State Senate last year after five decades in public service and met Pritzker in Chicago years ago, said the Illinois governor “has all the ingredients to make it to the big time.”

“He’s very quick on his feet, very gregarious,” he said. But any Democrat who wants to win in 2028 has their work cut out for them, he said.

“They’ve got to reintroduce themselves to the grassroots,” he said. “They’ve got to let people know Democrats care about them, or they’re gonna be in big trouble.”

Last year’s featured speaker at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who went on to become his party’s vice presidential nominee.

The annual event is especially significant among state Democratic fundraisers given New Hampshire’s historic role holding the nation’s first presidential primary, though Democrats last year moved South Carolina ahead at the behest of former President Joe Biden.

The first 100 Club dinner was held in 1959 to promote the presidential candidacy of John F. Kennedy. In 2020, speakers included 10 Democratic candidates for president.

Pullen estimated more than 200 people were inside the nightclub. Among them were more than a dozen active-duty military members who either were patrons or working as armed security. He said the DEA will consult with the Army’s Criminal Investiga-

tion Division to determine the next steps involving the service members. In addition, some patrons were arrested on undisclosed outstanding warrants, Pullen said.

Pullen did not specify the countries where the detained immigrants were from.

U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION VIA AP Officers stop a patron fleeing from a nightclub where a raid occurred on Sunday in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

REBA SALDANHA / AP PHOTO

MOORE

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Barber arrested at U.S. Capitol during budget protest

Washington, D.C.

The Rev. William Barber, a North Carolina minister and activist, was arrested alongside other faith leaders at a demonstration Monday in the Capitol Rotunda The prominent minister and former NAACP NC president was protesting against the proposed Republican-led federal budget, which would extend and expand broad tax cuts alongside cuts to social and environmental programs.

“If you can’t challenge your adversary with the hope that they change and to know that even if they don’t, at least they will have no excuse that they did not get told what is right. That is a powerful witness,” Barber said in remarks outside the Capitol shortly before his arrest. Barber organized and led Moral Mondays marches in Raleigh a decade ago that spread elsewhere in the state. Protestors engaged in civil disobediance at the rallies, and several — including Barber — were arrested and charged with misdemeanors.

Trump offers U.S. automakers some relief on tariffs

Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump has signed executive orders to relax some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts. Tuesday’s action is a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers. Independent analyses have indicated that the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make United States production less competitive worldwide.

Decision looming on PFAS drinking water limits

The Trump EPA will soon weigh in on “forever chemicals”

By Michael Phillis The Associated Press

IN PAIN SO BAD he couldn’t stand, Chris Meek was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening ruptured gallbladder. When he emerged from surgery, he learned he had kidney cancer that thankfully hadn’t yet spread. Meek, a social studies teacher in Wilmington, North Carolina, was 47 at the time. But he remained confused for years about why, as someone seemingly not at risk, he had gotten cancer until Emily Donovan, a parent of students at his school, gave a guest talk about high levels of harmful forev-

er chemicals known as PFAS in North Carolina’s environment. When Donovan mentioned kidney cancer, the possible cause of Meek’s diagnosis finally clicked.

Until then, Meek said, he “had no idea what PFAS was.”

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency set the first federal drinking water limits for PFAS, or perfluoro -

Sen. Chris Murphy aims to connect with Democratic voters

The Connecticut Senator held an event in Saxapahaw

By Mary Clare Jalonick

The Associated Press

SAXAPAHAW — Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy isn’t drawing stadium-size crowds like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are as he tours the country talking to voters. But in a packed Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, people are starting to view the Democrat as worthy of the national spotlight. Murphy and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) have been staging events in Republican congressional districts in recent weeks, trolling GOP lawmakers such as Rep. Richard Hudson, who represents the area

alkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, finding they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.

In a decision with consequences for tens of millions of Americans, the Trump administration is expected to soon say whether it intends to stand by those strict standards and defend the limits against a water utility industry challenge in federal court.

PFAS in drinking water created a crisis for many communities

In North Carolina, runoff from a Chemours plant contaminated the Cape Fear River, creating a crisis for cities like Wilmington that use it for drinking water. Amid public outcry, Wilmington effectively eliminated it from tap water. Other U.S. communities — often near military bases or industrial sites — did the same when test results were frightening and public pressure, lo -

hold one on his home turf in North Carolina.

“We are doing the job that these Republican congressmen and senators won’t do,” Murphy told the hyped-up crowd of mostly older voters at the event, while acknowledging that Democrats need to do more to soothe their anxiety and counter President Donald Trump. “I want to make sure that everywhere, in every corner of this country, people are willing to stand up and fight.”

As other Democrats grasp for a response to Trump’s election, unsure of how to confront him, Murphy is channeling his own frustration and anger into a sustained blitz of television appearances, fundraising appeals, Senate floor speeches and events like the one in Alamance County. He also is talking directly to voters on social media, including through lengthy live videos on Instagram where he sits in his kitchen with a cocktail and tries to explain what he sees as “the central story” of Trump’s presidency — “the billionaire

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Pelicans sit on a dock in the Cape Fear River.

$2.00

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Tanks hold water at the Sweeney Water Treatment Plant as the Northeast Cape Fear River flows past in Wilmington.

ALLEN G. BREED / AP PHOTO

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) speaks from the stage of the Haw River Ballroom during a town hall in Saxapahaw last week as Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) listens at left.

5.1.25

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North State Journal (USPS 20451) (ISSN 2471-1365)

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CRIME LOG

April 23

• Phylis Conner McCrimmon, 31, was arrested by Moore County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) for trafficking in opium or heroin.

• Ashley Leigh Williams, 31, was arrested by MCSO for driving while impaired.

April 24

• Jessica Anne Chriscoe, 38, was arrested by MCSO for misdemeanor domestic violence.

• Terry Michael Poplin, 29, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for possession of a controlled substance.

• Jessica Stutts Troublefield, 46, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for possession of methamphetamine.

• Tabitha Troyer Wilder, 40, was arrested by MCSO for possession of methamphetamine.

April 26

• Monica Lee Montenery, 54, was arrested by MCSO for simple assault.

April 27

• Chrisalasis Marnee Marsh, 52, was arrested by MCSO for petty theft.

• Thomas Ryan Phillips, 32, was arrested by MCSO for possession of drug paraphernalia.

• Phillip Dean Sounia, 54, was arrested by Southern Pines PD for cyberstalking.

• Jessica Diane Uppole, 28, was arrested by MCSO for involuntary manslaughter.

April 28

• Brad Aaron Kovacs, 32, was arrested by MCSO for obtaining property by false pretense.

• Jesse Franklin Odom, 32, was arrested by MCSO for assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

• Brian Bernard Swann, 60, was arrested by Aberdeen PD for breaking and entering.

Dollar store bandit gets 22 years

Byron Clay Scott pleaded guilty to robbing ten stores over four counties

North State Journal staff

A FORSYTH COUNTY man has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a string of armed robberies targeting dollar stores across four counties.

Byron Clay Scott, 33, was sentenced on April 18 to 240 months in prison for five counts of interference with commerce by robbery. He received an additional 24 months to run consecutively for committing the crimes while on supervised release for a previous armed robbery conviction. According to court documents, Scott and at least one accomplice robbed 10 Dollar General and Family Dollar stores in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Burlington and

MURPHY from page A1 takeover of our government made possible by the destruction of our democracy.”

It’s a methodical approach for Murphy, 51, a serious-minded legislator who has been most well known for his yearslong fight to stem gun violence in the aftermath of the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 first-grade students and six educators.

While the kitchen talks on Instagram seem to come more naturally to Murphy than riling up a crowd, his message is clearly resonating with his party’s base of voters, many of whom are angry at Democrats in Washington for inaction. He raised around $8 million in the first quarter of the year, a significant sum that could rival the totals for Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, who have been drawing much larger crowds on a tour together.

“I mean, I’m not Bernie Sanders,” Murphy said in an interview after the event in Saxapahaw. “I’m not going to draw 70,000 people. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t still have an obligation to try to go out and support a national mobilization.”

Frustration with the Democratic Party’s leaders came to a boil last month, with most of the anger directed at Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who voted for a Republican bill to keep the government open just as the base was hoping to see more fight from their elected officials. Murphy was strongly against the bill, even if opposing it meant Democrats would trigger a government shutdown.

Reidsville between November 2023 and January 2024. During the robberies, Scott brandished a 9mm handgun while forcing employees to open safes and cash registers.

Store surveillance footage showed Scott and his accomplices wearing Halloween-style masks, gloves and dark clothing. In one robbery at a Family Dollar in Burlington on Dec. 29, 2023, two masked men followed the store manager through the front door and then Scott’s accomplice asked her where the money was located.

The men forced her and another store employee to the floor and instructed the manager to open the safe and cash registers, with Scott putting the money in Family Dollar plastic bags. Scott pointed to the employee’s purse, and the unnamed accomplice stated he was not going to take any of their per-

“I think when people see us engaged in risk-averse behavior, then they are much less likely to show up for rallies to ultimately engage in the kind of civil disobedience we might need to save the democracy,” Murphy said.

His fundraising haul, and his barrage of media and events, begs questions about his future ambitions. But it is unclear where Murphy’s moment might lead. He insists that he is not thinking about a presidential bid or a future in Senate leadership after the No. 2 Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, announced this week that he will retire next year.

“I think it’s probably not a coincidence that my content is breaking through and more people are listening to me at a time when I’m not getting up every day thinking about my personal political future,” said Murphy, who was reelected to the Senate last year.

“There’s not going to be an election in 2028 if we don’t win this fight right now. So it seems kind of silly to think about anything other than the emergency that exists today. I’m not trying to avoid the question. It’s not a cop out. That is legitimately what drives me.”

Ron Osborne, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Alamance County, where last Thursday’s event was located, said he had not previously considered Murphy a major contender for the presidency in 2028. But “he’s doing the right things,” Osborne said.

“He is speaking out where others could do the same thing and have not,” Osborne said, and “that takes courage.”

Terry Greenlund, a 78-yearold Democrat who was also in

sonal belongings because he was only interested in “the white people s--t because they have insurance.”

Scott was arrested Jan. 15 when Winston-Salem police responded to a robbery in progress at the Dollar General on South Main Street. Officers apprehended Scott as he fled from the store’s back door.

Investigators found evidence linking Scott to the crime spree in his rental vehicle, including his birth certificate, Social Security card, and masks and latex gloves consistent with those worn during the robberies. Data from the rental car’s GPS tracking device and Scott’s phone search history also connected him to each robbery location. Besides prison time, U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder ordered Scott to pay $21,005.38 in restitution and to forfeit the handgun used in the robberies.

the audience, said he thinks Murphy “has a way of talking with people.”

“I think it’s time for a new generation to move in with some new views and insight and energy,” Greenlund said, echoing many others in the room.

Murphy, 51 and the father of two teenagers, seems to be enjoying the attention. He joked at the event that he may not be as “cool” as Frost, who is the youngest member of Congress at 28. But Murphy is still decades younger than many of his colleagues, who have controlled the party for years.

“I’m trying to be dad cool,” Murphy said.

Murphy was in Missouri last Friday after visiting a Republican district in Michigan with Frost last month. And they are not the only Democrats venturing into red states. In addition to Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 vice presidential nominee, and Rep. Ro Khanna of California have also recently traveled to talk to voters in Republican areas.

Murphy said he does not want to “reinvent the wheel” with his fundraising haul, but he does not want to sit on it, either. He said he plans to help organizations mobilize voters before the 2026 midterm elections and also put pressure on Republicans as they try to push tax and spending cuts through Congress.

“The only way that history tells us that you stop an elected leader from converting a country away from democracy is mass mobilization,” he said.

“Our party has made mistakes, and if we don’t learn from those mistakes,” Murphy said, “we’re cooked.” THURSDAY

MOORE CITIZENS FOR FREEDOM

MOORE COUNTY

Here’s a quick look at what’s coming up in and around Moore County:

May 1

Rockin’ in the Pines

6-9 p.m.

This year, our guests will enjoy several things, including a fresh and flavorful grazing table prepared by The Debonair Chef, signature cocktails crafted by The Gentleman Mobile Bar, and live music and dancing with our friends at The Main Event Band. Tickets are $75 each, and all proceeds will allow the Food Bank to continue our efforts to end hunger for more than 35,000 individuals in Lee, Moore, Richmond and Scotland counties who face food insecurity.

The Fair Barn 200 South Beulah Hill Road (Hwy 5) Pinehurst

May 1 – 3

Moore County Historical Association: Shaw House & Property Tours

1-4 p.m.

The Moore County Historical Association’s Shaw House grounds and properties are open for tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. The tours are free and open to all ages. Enjoy learning about the impressive history here in Moore County. Shaw House 110 Morganton Road Southern Pines

May 3

Marty Haggard: A Tribute to Merle Haggard

7 p.m.

Tickets are $38-$78. Call 336-524-6822 for more information.

Liberty Showcase Theater 101 South Fayetteville St. Liberty

Movie: Star Wars: Episode IV –A New Hope

4 p.m.

Sunrise Theatre 250 NW Broad St. Southern Pines

Movie: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

7 p.m.

Sunrise Theatre 250 NW Broad St. Southern Pines

THE CONVERSATION

Neal Robbins, publisher | Frank Hill, senior opinion editor

VISUAL VOICES

California just isn’t working

Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of highspeed rail.

FOUR MONTHS AGO, the Palisades fire destroyed more than 6,800 homes in Los Angeles. Three months later, only four permits had been issued to rebuild the community.

Clearly, California just isn’t working.

The radical environmentalism, wokeism, and unionized bureaucratic micromanagement that Sacramento has imposed on the whole state is distorting reality and grinding things to a halt.

I talked with Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin about the fire and recovery. He was surprised at the tiny number of permit approvals. Under his aggressive, dynamic leadership, the EPA already cleared the burned-out neighborhoods for federal permits. Of course, as he noted, the federal permits require city and county permission.

This permitting logjam is happening even with a supposed one-stop local permit office and other efforts to cut through the red tape.

But this is only the latest part of the story. Years before the fire, two new reservoirs were approved to ensure there would be enough water for firefighting. They were never built. Some fire hydrants simply did not work. Further, emergency vehicles were trapped in government parking lots because they needed oil changes. They could not be used to fight the fires because the bureaucracy’s firm rules about routine maintenance overruled common sense and public safety.

And fire is a real danger in the whole

state. I spoke with Laguna Beach Mayor Alex Rounaghi and Fire Chief Niko King on my Newt’s World podcast. They shared their strategy for fire prevention. Laguna Beach brought in 400 goats to eat underbrush. It was a low-cost solution to clear out the vegetation that leads to hot uncontrollable fires.

The California government is trying to eliminate their goat fire prevention because the goats might eat endangered plants. (You have to wonder: What do state bureaucrats think fire does to endangered plants?) The powers in Sacramento want Laguna Beach to switch to human vegetation removal, which is four times more expensive. Meanwhile, a couple hundred goats might have saved the Palisades.

But the tragedy of the Palisades fire is just one example of how California is falling apart. The combination of weird values, ossified bureaucracy, and state legislators devoted to principles and ideas that simply don’t work are slowly destroying the state.

On a totally different front, California had more than $20 billion stolen from its COVID-19 related unemployment compensation funds. Much of the theft came from California state prisoners using the state prison’s computer system. They used identity theft and partners outside the prison to defraud taxpayers. Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert joined me on Newt’s World to discuss the fraud. The story is unbelievable. When we spoke in February 2021, the estimate was

Musk half right about fertility crisis

China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

THE WORLD’S RICHEST MAN isn’t just juggling multiple companies. He’s juggling multiple baby mamas.

The Wall Street Journal recently had a long piece on Elon Musk’s complicated personal life. He has at least 14 children with four different women. The “harem drama” — in the words of Musk’s exgirlfriend Ashley St. Clair — is a mess. There are fights about custody and questions about paternity. There are details about Musk using a message on X to unsuccessfully recruit a woman to have his child. Reportedly, Musk has a compound where he wants his children and their mothers to live. There are enough emotions and chaos here to make a soap opera blush.

But the reason Musk has fathered so many children isn’t mere sexual hedonism. Musk has four children with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Neuralink. Zilis previously said Musk offered to donate sperm that she could use to have children. Musk also donated sperm to a “high-profile woman” at the request of Japanese officials, the Journal reported.

“I think for most countries, they should view the birthrate as the single biggest problem they need to solve,” Musk said last year at an investment conference. “If you don’t make new humans, there’s no humanity, and all the policies in the world don’t matter.”

The interviewer then jokingly referenced Musk’s many offspring.

“You’ve got to walk the talk,” Musk replied. “So, I do have a lot of kids, and I encourage others to have lots of kids.”

Musk is right about the need for more babies. Last year, the CDC announced that America’s fertility rate had dropped to “another historic low.” For a generation to replace itself, there needs to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women, as measured over their lifetimes. In 2023, the total fertility rate was under 1,620 births per 1,000 women. For now, immigration drives U.S. population growth.

It’s worse in many places around the world. In South Korea, women have less than 0.7 children on average. Its population is projected to drop from more than 51 million now to under 22 million by 2100. China is projected to go from 1.4 billion people to under 670 million by the end of the century.

This drop in population will usher in a host of problems, including an epidemic of loneliness and reduced economic growth.

But Musk’s approach to fixing this problem is wrong, immoral and ultimately counterproductive.

Children aren’t robots to build in a factory. They are human beings whose future depends greatly on the people around them. Statistically, the best thing

only $11.5 billion had been stolen. It has since doubled and no one really knows the upper limit. This astonishing incompetence drives up taxes on businesses to replenish the unemployment funds that have been drained by crooks. It’s a vicious cycle.

One final example of California not working is the proposed high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was originally proposed in 2008 for $33 billion. It was supposed to be completed by 2020. Now, a small portion has been built between small towns. The projected cost has ballooned to $128 billion — and at the current rate it will not be completed in this century. It will never reach San Francisco or Los Angeles but instead stop at small towns about 25 miles outside the cities.

While California has been squandering money on costly failures, the Japanese have had more than 60 years-experience with high-speed trains. Communist China has built more than 29,000 miles of high-speed rail.

California simply doesn’t work anymore. Since California is our largest state, this collapse of competence and common sense is a national problem. The state represents 14 percent of the national economy.

We need a serious commitment to get back to a commonsense, problem-solving California that works again. It should be a national priority.

Newt Gingrich was Republican speaker of the U.S. House.

for children is to be raised by their married biological parents. That’s why intentionally creating fatherless babies is a grave mistake. Moms and dads approach parenting differently. That doesn’t make one sex better at parenting than the other. It allows them to complement each other.

Moms and dads play with and talk to their kids in different but important ways. A child needs both the comfort of a mother’s love and the confidence that comes from a father pushing him or her to take safe risks.

Marriage brings stability that children need. Growing up with a single parent significantly increases a child’s likelihood of growing up in poverty and going to jail. It decreases their chances of graduating from college.

Married women are more likely to have children too. In 2022, the fertility rate among married women was 84.2 births per 1,000 women. Among unmarried women, it was 37.2 per thousand. Obviously, there will be outliers when you’re talking about hundreds of millions of people, but the trends are obvious.

If Musk wants to boost birth rates and improve outcomes for children, he should promote marriage, not sperm donations.

Victor Joecks is a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

COLUMN | VICTOR JOECKS

COLUMN | NEWT GINGRICH

cal leadership or state law forced PFAS-laden wells offline or prompted installation of expensive filtering systems, according to Mark White, drinking water global practice leader at the engineering firm CDM Smith.

The EPA said the PFAS found in North Carolina, often called GenX chemicals, can be toxic to the kidney. While other types of PFAS may raise kidney cancer risk, little research has focused on the link between kidney cancer and GenX, according to Sue Fenton, director of the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University. Chemours said evidence doesn’t support arguments that GenX at low levels is a health threat. The company has sharply reduced PFAS discharges.

So far, sampling has found nearly 12% of U.S. water utilities are above the recently set EPA limits, but most aren’t above by much. Forcing this group to reduce PFAS more than doubles the rule’s health benefits but roughly triples its costs, the EPA has said.

The Biden administration’s rule set standards for two common types of PFAS at 4 parts per trillion, effectively the lowest level at which they can be reliably detected. Standards for several other PFAS chemicals were set, too, and utilities must meet those levels by 2029.

PFAS have had wide uses over the decades

Manufactured by companies like Chemours and 3M, PFAS were incredibly useful in many applications -– among them, helping clothes to withstand rain and ensuring that firefighting foam snuffed out flames. But the chemicals also accumulate in the body. As science advanced in recent years, evidence of harm at far lower levels became clearer.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has championed fossil fuels and the rollback of major clean air and water rules. His history with PFAS is more nuanced; during his time as a New York congressman, he supported legislation to regulate forever chemicals in drinking water.

“It’s an issue that touches people in a very tangible way across the political spectrum, including in Lee Zeldin’s former district,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

Zeldin has offered clues about what the EPA could do. The agency estimated the rule would cost about $1.5 billion annually and Zeldin said recently that communities struggling to afford a fix for PFAS that are just above the standard might be handled differently than wealthy places with lots of it.

“What we are going to have to be is extremely thoughtful in figuring this out,” he said.

On Monday, the EPA said it will establish an agency lead for PFAS, develop wastewater limits for PFAS manufacturers and

investigate sources that pose an immediate danger to drinking water, among other actions.

EPA decision looms on whether to let the rule stay as it is

Soon, the EPA must tell a federal appeals court in Washington whether the rule should stand or be rewritten, although weakening it could be complicated because the Safe Drinking Water Act prevents new rules from being looser than previous ones.

The agency could, however, encourage exemptions and deadline extensions, according to Erik Olson, an attorney with the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council supporting the current standards in the court case.

Consider Avondale, Arizona, outside of Phoenix, which produces PFAS results modestly above the limits. Officials have done detailed testing and are planning to enhance water treatment. All told, lowering PFAS may cost Avondale more than $120 million, according to

Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator

Kirk Beaty, the city’s public utility director.

That’s money a city like Avondale “just doesn’t have sitting in a back room somewhere,” Beaty said, adding he’ll defer to federal experts to dictate what’s acceptable.

“We’re hoping we’re a little further ahead of everybody else. If the regulation changes, well you know, we may let off the gas a little bit, we may not,” he said, adding that it is hard to justify spending extra money to do more than what’s required when the cost falls on residents.

If the government decides higher amounts of PFAS are acceptable, that could confuse people, especially in areas where

the public is already concerned.

“If we enter into a gray area over what’s healthy and what’s not healthy, then utilities are at risk of being caught up in a debate for which they have no real responsibility nor expertise to decide on,” said Karine Rougé, CEO for municipal water at Veolia North America, a water operations company.

Industry group says the rule goes too far and is too costly

The American Water Works Association, an industry group, filed the court challenge to the new rule. It agrees that certain PFAS should be regulated but argues the EPA’s standards go too far, underestimate costs and are “neither feasible nor cost-effective.” There are serious consequences for residents’ water bills, it says.

The burden of complying will fall heavily on small utilities that can least afford it. Many water providers already struggle to maintain their existing infra-

structure, some experts say. On top of everything else, they face new requirements to replace lead pipes. The AWWA wants the EPA to extend the PFAS and lead deadlines by two years. There is money available to help. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $9 billion for chemicals like PFAS and utilities have won multibillion-dollar settlements against PFAS polluters that help as well.

Meek, who successfully recovered after surgery from cancer and is now 59, is planning to sue over his illness. He once didn’t second-guess using tap water. Now he reaches for bottled water.

Donovan, who introduced Meek to PFAS and helped start Clean Cape Fear, says if the government’s standards are weakened, it’ll relieve pressure on utilities to effectively treat the water.

Previously, “our local utilities could tell us publicly that the water met or exceeded all state and federal guidelines because there weren’t any,” she said.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

Left, Chris Meek, who survived cancer he suspects was caused PFAS in drinking water, stands in front of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington on Monday. Right, pumps at work insideinside the

Treatment Plant,

for much of New Hanover County.

BEN MCKEOWN / AP PHOTO

chemicals, known as PFAS.

MOORE SPORTS

SPRING SPORTS ROUNDUP

Tennis, baseball, softball start postseason play

North State Journal staff

BASEBALL AND softball regular seasons wrapped up, kicking off the postseason in both spring sports. Meanwhile, tennis playoff pairings were announced, and girls’ soccer plays out the final matches in the regular season.

Baseball

North Moore won its opening game in the Mid-Carolina Conference tournament, beating Chatham Central, 7-1. The Mustangs also ended the regular season with a win over the Bears, 7-4. North Moore played Seaforth after press time in the second round of the conference tourney.

Pinecrest closed the regular season on a four-game winning streak, including a sweep of Union Pines and a win over Central Davidson last week. The Patriots played Southern Lee in the Sandhills Conference semis after press time.

After getting swept by Pinecrest, 4-1 and 9-2, Union Pines snapped a three-game skid by beating Montgomery Central, 5-2, to close the regular sea-

Winning streak for Union Pines softball heading into the second round of the Sandhills Conference tournament

son. The Vikings then fell in the first round of the Sandhills Tournament, 6-0, to Lee County. At 9-14, 3-9 in conference, Union Pines will wait to see if it has done enough to earn a playoff berth.

Softball

North Moore dropped its last two regular-season games, 9-0 to Chatham Central and 10-3 to Seaforth. The losing streak then hit three with a first-round loss in the Mid-Carolina conference tournament, 8-3, to Southeast Alamance. The Mustangs now sit at 14-7, waiting to hear their NCHSAA fate when playoff brackets are revealed.

Pinecrest had its second two-

game win streak of the season snapped last week, 12-2, at Union Pines. The Patriots then dropped their Sandhills Conference Tournament opener, 8-4 to Richmond. At 6-17, 3-9 in the Sandhills, Pinecrest will wait to see if it earns a bid to the playoffs.

Union Pines won its last five games of the regular season, including a 15-0 win over Southern Lee and a 12-2 win over Pinecrest last week. The Vikings then won their Sandhills tourney opener, 13-3 over Lee County. They played Hoke in the second round of the conference tournament after press time.

Boys’ tennis

North Moore received a bid to the NCHSAA dual team championships. The Mustangs drew the No. 12 seed in class 1A and will face No. 5 Voyager to open play on April 30.

Union Pines earned a No. 9 seed in class 3A and played No. 24 Richlands after press time.

Pinecrest drew the No. 6 seed in class 4A and beat No. 27 Topsail, 6-0, to open play. They’ll take on No. 11 Cardinal Gibbons next.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Mitch Baek

Pinecrest, baseball

Mitch Baek is a senior on the Pinecrest baseball team. The Patriots head into the postseason on a four-game winning streak, including going 3-0 last week. Baek had hits and was responsible for runs in all three contests last week.

Against Union Pines at home, he homered, walked, drove in two runs and scored one in a 1-for-2 day. In the game at Union Pines, he went 1 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Against Central Davidson, Baek went 1-for-2 with two RBIs. For the year, he is second on the team in batting, homers, runs, hits and RBIs.

Svechnikov’s hat trick helps Hurricanes overcome injury to Andersen in Game 4 win

The Carolina goalie was injured in the second period after a collision with Timo Meier

By Cory Lavalette North State Journal

NEWARK, N.J. — The Hurricanes have faced some adversity despite being in control of their first round series against the New Jersey Devils since their few minutes of the opening game.

But not even a Game 3 double-overtime loss felt like as dire a situation as goaltender Frederik Andersen being flat on his back in the net in Sunday’s Game 4 after a second period collision with Devils forward Timo Meier.

“It was a tough moment for us,” said stablemate Pyotr Kochetkov, who came on in relief when Andersen went to the locker room, knocked out of the game with the Hurricanes leading by two goals just before the midway point of regulation.

It got tougher when Meier’s spinning shot from the side boards skittered past Kochetkov, cutting Carolina’s lead to one just over three minutes after Andersen was helped off the ice.

“When he scored, it’s my goal,” Kochetkov said, taking

the blame for allowing New Jersey to get within a goal. “I try to just focus for the next shot. … I needed to feel the puck, and after I had a couple shots, the game (came to) me.”

He also had the help of Andrei Svechnikov.

Svechnikov finished with the second postseason hat trick in franchise history and Kochetkov shut the door the rest of the way, stopping the other 14 shots he faced, as the Hurricanes won 5-2 at Prudential Center to take a 3-1 series lead and push the Devils to the brink of elimination.

“It was kind of a hard season for me, but right now, in playoff time, it’s kind of my time,” said Svechnikov, who also scored the other hat trick, in the COVID season qualifying round against the Rangers, in 2020. “I love this time of the year. I love playing a physical game and just trying to do everything that’s going to help my team win the games.”

The real challenge, however, was still ahead for the visiting Hurricanes.

Nico Hischier got New Jersey on the scoreboard just over two minutes later, then Meier, engaged with Svechnikov, crashed into Andersen shortly thereafter, knocking the Carolina goalie from the game. No penalty was initial-

ly called, and then the officials opted for a five-minute major on Meier, which allowed for a video review. After the review, the referees determined there was no penalty on the play.

“There’s clearly contact, and you’re not really supposed to go in there,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of the contact by Meier, who has been stymied by Andersen throughout the series. “And maybe even if we had a little bump, it’s still — he’s a big guy, he could stop. But it wasn’t egregious, I get it.”

To their credit, the Hurricanes resisted seeking retribution on Meier and instead tried to reestablish their game.

“We know in a game you’re leading … that we don’t need any fights or anything, any more penalties,” Svechnikov said. “And we just tried to stay focused and try to play our game.”

Svechnikov then finished off his hat trick, scoring into an empty net to seal Game 4 and send the Hurricanes back to Raleigh with a chance to close out the series on Tuesday.

“Your best players have to be your best players. … He was around it,” Brind’Amour said of Svechnikov.

Carolina may need to do it without Andersen, whose history of injuries has always served as a looming dark cloud over his successes.

“He wasn’t good enough to continue,” Brind’Amour said. “So that’s not a good sign. But I don’t have any other information, so we’ll know more, I guess, tomorrow when he gets evaluated.”

DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

DAVID SINCLAIR FOR NORTH STATE JOURNAL

Pinecrest’s Eythan Reynolds (left) tags out Union Pines’ Preston Whitaker on a steal attempt in a game between the two Sandhills Conference rivals late in the regular season.

SETH WENIG / AP PHOTO

Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov celebrates his third goal in Carolina’s 5-2 Game 4 win Sunday in Newark, New Jersey.

SIDELINE REPORT

NASCAR Legge claims she’s receiving death threats after Xfinity crash at Rockingham

Rockingham

NASCAR driver Katherine Legge said she has been receiving “hate mail” and “death threats” after a crash last weekend at Rockingham. Legge was off the pace when she was hit by William Sawalich and collected Kasey Kahne. Legge said “the inappropriate social media comments I’ve received aren’t just disturbing, they are unacceptable.” The 44-year-old Legge has started four Indianapolis 500s and been a regular in several series around the world. But she is a relative novice when it comes to stock cars. She crashed in her Cup Series debut at Phoenix earlier this season.

MLB Arizona’s Suárez becomes 19th player in MLB history with 4 home runs in game

Phoenix Arizona Diamondbacks

third baseman Eugenio Suárez homered in his first four at-bats against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, becoming the 19th player in MLB history to hit four homers in a game and first since 2017. The 33-year-old third baseman hit a solo shot in the second, a two-run homer in the fourth, and two more solo drives in the sixth and ninth. Suárez has 10 homers this season.

NCAA SPORTS

Judge delays $2.8B NCAA settlement to address roster limit concerns

San Francisco

The judge overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation’s five largest conferences has delayed final approval of the plan until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken signaled she is ready to approve the rest of the settlement but wants both sides to come up with a way to not harm current athletes who will lose their spots on teams. The settlement calls for scholarship limits to be replaced by roster limits. Some attorneys argued that Wilken’s order could throw college sports into chaos.

Former Baylor official placed nearly 3,000 impermissible fantasy bets, 113 involving the school

Waco, Texas

A former Baylor athletic official has received a show- c ause penalty from the NCAA after he placed nearly 3,000 impermissible daily fantasy bets on professional and college games over a five-year period. Those included 113 involving Baylor teams and student-athletes.

Sam Hancock, Baylor’s former director of resource development, allegedly placed 2,950 impermissible bets totaling $45,979 on three different sports betting platforms from July 2019 through September 2024. He acknowledged that he engaged in sports betting before his employment at Baylor and continued to do so after being hired, despite knowing it violated NCAA rules.

Manfred eager to see how many fans turn out for MLB Speedway Classic at Bristol

Vanderbilt winner of two college titles. Manfred sees lots of alignment between NASCAR and MLB fans.

By Teresa M. Walker The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ma-

jor League Baseball has played at the “Field of Dreams” movie site. Now baseball is eager to see just how big a crowd will show up for a game at a NASCAR bullring of a track. And Bristol Motor Speedway can hold a lot of people. It’s part of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s push to take MLB to locations where baseball isn’t played every day live. MLB played a game at the movie site in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022. Alabama, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, too.

Now it’s Tennessee’s turn.

Manfred noted Tuesday after speaking at the CAA World Congress of Sports Presented by Sports Business Journal that the Tennessee Volunteers are the defending college baseball national champions, with

“Big crowd, big crowd,” Manfred said of what is expected at Bristol on Aug. 2. “We think that it’s an opportunity to have a really large audience for a major league game, and we think the setting in really a legendary speedway is going to be awesome for a baseball game.”

Nobody is ready to put a number on how many will turn out for the MLB Speedway Classic when the Cincinnati Reds host the Atlanta Braves. Bristol set a record for a college football game in 2016 and has a capacity of 146,000 for racing.

This game will be played on a field laid over part of the speedway infield and the highbanked track.

Derek Schiller, president and chief executive officer of the Braves, said MLB approached the team a few years ago about this possibility. Schiller said the Braves were adamant about wanting to be a part of this game.

Pope Francis loved soccer, San Lorenzo, sport’s power to unite

The late pontiff was a lifelong fan and weighed in on the best player ever debate

By Debora Rey The Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Pope Francis’ passion for soccer was evident throughout his pontificate.

A lifelong supporter of Argentine club San Lorenzo, he agreed with those who describe soccer as the most beautiful game in the world. But Francis, who died last week at 88, also turned to the sport for anecdotes about camaraderie, fellowship and teamwork in an increasingly individualistic society.

“Soccer is a team sport. You can’t have fun alone,” the pope told a crowd of Italian youth, soccer players and coaches at the Vatican in 2019.

“And if it’s lived like that, it can do good for your mind and your heart in a society that is exasperated by subjectivism.”

Like most Argentine children, young Jorge Mario Bergoglio grew up with soccer. He played for hours with friends in his native Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

According to his own assessment, he was not that good.

In his recently published au-

“Soccer

is a team sport. You can’t have fun alone. And if it’s lived like that, it can do good for your mind and your heart.”

Pope Francis

tobiography

“Hope,” Francis said his skills were so poor that he was nicknamed “hard foot.”

Like many in his family, he became a supporter of San Lorenzo, a club founded by priest Lorenzo Massa in 1908. Its fans are nicknamed “the crows” due to the black cassock of its founder.

As a boy, he became fascinated by the colorful style of play of the team that won the local title in 1946. Until his death, he remembered the entire lineup.

Club executives decided to name their planned future stadium after Pope Francis, who until the end paid his dues to the club as member No. 88,235.

In a 2023 interview, Francis weighed in on the debate about who is the greatest soccer player of all time.

Asked to choose between his compatriots Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, World Cup w inners from different generations, Francis’ answer was unexpected.

“We

think the setting in really a legendary speedway is going to be awesome for a baseball game.”

Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner

“We know that there’s a uniqueness to it that is unmatched,” Schiller said. “Playing a baseball game at a motor speedway and being part of that was really important also because this is part of where our fan base comes from. So we we think many, maybe most of those fans are going to be Atlanta Braves fans.”

Officials announced last Tuesday that country superstar Tim McGraw will perform a concert an hour before first pitch. McGraw has ties to baseball, having earned a college scholarship playing the sport. His late father, Tug McGraw, won two World Series ti-

tles pitching for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. That’s just part of the day of events planned leading up to the game. Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, would only tease that more announcements are coming. All are designed to give fans reasons to get to the track and into their seats as early as possible. Hosting an event like this is nothing new for Bristol. The track hosted the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech in the Battle of Bristol in 2016 before a record 156,990 fans. So track officials have experience adapting the half-mile concrete track into something new. Caldwell said preparations started before the track’s spring race April 13, won by Kyle Larson. Bristol then will have six weeks until hosting a night NASCAR Cup Series race in the playoffs on Sept. 13. “It’s becoming very real,” Caldwell said. “We’re approaching 100 days out from the game, and we’re thrilled with the progress.”

“I will add a third,” he said. “Pelé.” He met the Brazilian great, a devout Catholic and three-time World Cup winner, before he was elected pope. Francis later met Messi and Maradona at the Vatican as pontiff.

“Maradona, as a player, was great. But as a man, he failed,” Francis said about the 1986 World Cup winner, who struggled with cocaine use and health issues and died in 2020 at 60. Maradona was celebrated by people who in the end didn’t help him, the pope added.

He described Messi, who lifted the World Cup trophy in 2022, as “very correct” and a gentleman.

“But for me, among those three, the great gentleman is Pelé,” the pope said.

Despite being a big soccer fan, Francis didn’t watch any games on television. He said he avoided watching TV altogether because of a promise he had made to

the Virgin of Carmen in 1990. The radio became his means to stay informed and listen to soccer matches until he moved to Rome.

Once in the Vatican, members of the Swiss Guard, who took care of his security, informed him about San Lorenzo and Argentina match results.

That’s how he found out that Argentina had won their third World Cup title.

While he was enthusiastic about the game, he spoke out against the fanaticism and violence that sometimes overshadow it. He called on top-level players to show humility and always remember their origins.

“Don’t forget where you came from. Those pitches in the outskirts, that place for prayer, that small club,” he said in 2019.

“I hope you can always feel the gratitude for your story, which is made of sacrifice, victories and battles,” Francis added. “Being great in life. That is the victory for all of us.”

ALESSANDRA TARANTINO / AP PHOTO

Pope Francis holds a San Lorenzo soccer jersey after celebrating his first Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in 2013.

The Braves and Reds will play on the track’s infield on Aug. 2

GEORGE WALKER IV / AP PHOTO

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference on the Speedway Classic.

William “Bill” M. Van O’Linda Sr.

Nov. 26, 1951 – April 26, 2025

William M. Van O’Linda Sr., aged 73, died on Saturday, April 26, 2025.

Bill was born on November 26, 1951, in Amsterdam, New York, to the late Raymond W. and Shirley Van O’Linda. He was a graduate of Cave Spring High School in Roanoke, VA in 1970, received his Bachelor of Arts from Roanoke College in Salem, VA in 1974, and his Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, SC, in 1978. Bill married his college sweetheart, Barbara, in 1974, whom he met at the first freshman mixer at Roanoke College.

He was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Lutheran Church of America (now ELCA) in 1978.

During his over 30 years in ordained ministry, Bill served in congregations in Largo, FL, Wytheville, VA, DeLand, FL, New Port Richey, FL, and Pompano Beach, FL. Bill and Barbara retired to Richmond, Virginia in 2008, and later moved to Southern Pines, NC, in 2022. He will be remembered for his laughter, love of jokes and storytelling.

Bill is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Barbara Van O’Linda; three children, Christine Huffman (Nathan), William Van O’Linda Jr. (Katie), and Matthew Van O’Linda (Cassandra); sister, Lois Glott (Frank); brother, Lee Van O’Linda; six grandchildren, Cora, Billy, Ada, John, Calvin and Ember; also survived by nieces, nephews, cousins and other family and friends.

A memorial service will be held at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Southern Pines, NC, on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 11 a.m. Inurnment will be at a later date at Riverview Cemetery in Richmond, VA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Global Refuge, P.O. Box 17467, Baltimore, MD 21297-1467; or the Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C. 200906011.

Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Southern Pines.

Brenda Joyce Lovette Thomas

May 7, 1940 – April 26, 2025

Brenda Joyce Lovette Thomas age 84 of Pinehurst (formerly of Aberdeen) passed away on April 26, 2025.

Brenda, the eldest of four children, was born on May 7, 1940, in Lumberton to William Theodore “Ted” Lovette Sr., a locomotive engineer with Amtrak and Aberdeen Rockfish Railroad and Sarah Mildred Ivey Lovette, a registered nurse.

She was raised and attended school in Hamlet until the family relocated to Aberdeen during her high school years. She was a 1958 graduate of Aberdeen High School and attended Elon University from 1958-1960 where she majored in business. She loved to sing in the church choir during her younger years. She was an avid reader, enjoyed scrapbooking and loved genealogy.

Brenda loved to travel and enjoyed spending time at her beach condominium in Sunset Beach. She found solace and comfort walking on the beach and collecting shells. She loved driving her golf cart around the Sea Trail neighborhood. She was known for her fashion, outlandish hair bows and stylish jewelry.

She was a member of First Baptist Church in Aberdeen. She was in the childcare business for 30 years.

She is survived by daughters, Laura Ivey Stafford of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Caroline Joyce Thomas of Newport, Sarah Margaret Thomas Jones of Otway and son Steven Benjamin Thomas and wife Twyla of North Richland Hills, Texas; sisters Gay Lovette Workman and husband Terry of San Antonio, Texas and Kathryn Lovette Blowers and husband Robert of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, grandchildren Lincoln Phillip Benjamin Thomas and wife Cassady, Mattie Emmanuel Iana Thomas, Charlotte Amelia Thomas and Spencer Thomas Jones, great granddaughter Corinne Jane Thomas and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Watson Benjamin “Ben” Thomas Jr., and a brother, William Theodore Lovette Jr., and her parents.

A memorial service is planned for a later date at Sunset Beach.

Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church in Aberdeen, PO Box 1066, Aberdeen, NC 28315. Service arrangements are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home.

Billy Ray Jackson

May 4, 1939 – April 25, 2025

Billy Ray Jackson, 86, passed away peacefully at home on April 25, 2025, in Pinehurst, NC.

Born on March 4, 1939, Bill grew up in Red Springs, NC, where he graduated from Red Springs High School before continuing his education at Campbell College and East Carolina University. His early career was devoted to teaching and coaching basketball at Seventy First High School in Fayetteville, NC. In 1968, Bill began running the family business, Jackson Distributing Company, in Red Springs, which he operated until 2010. He also owned and operated Waterboggan of Windy Hill in North Myrtle Beach, SC, for decades. In addition, he was a part-owner and partner of Oak Island Golf Course. Bill proudly served seven years in the North Carolina National Guard. His faith was an important part of his life. He was a longtime member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Red Springs from 1968 to 2017 and later worshiped at Sandhills Presbyterian Church in Southern Pines from 2017 until his passing.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Rebecca Singleton Jackson; his sister June Alls; daughters Cathy Wilkison (Andy) and Paige Fisher (Mark); grandchildren Sarah Beth Albornoz (Dan), Mary Catherine Broderick (Conor), Thomas Fisher (Leigh Anne), Aaron Wilkison (Mary Jessup), and Rebecca Mercer (Ryan). He is also survived by the blessing of 11 great-grandchildren: Thomas, Hampton, Tatum Grace, Peter, Wilkes, Jackson, Wells, Sybil, John, Paul Scully, and Watson. Extended family also includes many loved in-laws, nieces and nephews. Bill was predeceased by his parents, Ellis and Betty Jackson; his sisters, Joan, Janice and Carolyn; and a brother, Steve.

Bill’s passions included people, golf, horses, storytelling, traveling and spending time with his grandchildren. Known for his optimism and gift for storytelling, he brought joy to all who knew him.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church in Red Springs, NC. A reception/visitation will follow the service.

Memorials can be made to Samaritan’s Purse or the International Mission Board at this link: imb.org/give/project/beesteam.

Bill’s family would like to thank everyone for their love, prayers and kindness during this time. A special thanks to the First Health Hospice Team, who served so well.

Bill’s memory will continue to inspire all who were fortunate enough to know him. Please feel free to share your “Billy Ray” stories online at bolesfuneralhome.com.

Service arrangements are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home of Pinehurst.

Margie Holder Herring

Feb. 5, 1936 – April 21, 2025

Margie Holder Herring met her Savior, Jesus Christ, on Monday, April 21, 2025, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 89 years old. Her life began on February 5, 1936, in Coats, NC, where she lived a modest life in the country with her parents, Erwin and Ida Holder, and her six brothers and three sisters. She graduated from Coats High School and worked at Dorthea Dix Hospital where she met her faithful and steadfast husband, A.T. Herring.

Margie went on to earn her certification as a medical lab assistant and worked at the NC State Board of Health while raising their two daughters. She was a fierce supporter of the GOP, spending the past 50 years volunteering with her local precincts and encouraging voter registration.

Margie boldly lived her life for the Lord and shared her faith with anyone who would listen, and even those who wouldn’t listen. She loved studying the Bible and was involved with Bible Study Fellowship for 30 years. She loved people and was energized just by being around others. She sought out true connection with others, not just on a surface level, but truly knowing their interests and their heart.

Margie and A.T. recently

Wayne Kenneth Buies

Jan. 6, 1953 – April 23, 2025

Wayne Kenneth Buies, aged 72, of Pinebluff, NC passed away in his home on April 23, 2025 surrounded by his loved ones.

Wayne was born in Syracuse, NY, on January 6, 1953, to Kenneth Edward Buies and Murna Temple Buies. He served in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War and was a proud Veteran. Wayne loved classic cars and was part

celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, a true testament to their commitment to the covenant of marriage. She stayed active until the very end, but the thing that brought her the most joy was being surrounded by her family. Even through the midst of her recent diagnosis, she shared truth about Jesus to everyone who walked into her hospital room and maintained an attitude of “to God be the Glory.”

Her legacy of deep faith will live on for generations. She will most be remembered for her love for Jesus and her family, bargain shopping, a hearty debate about the latest topics, fried cornbread, collards, her butterfly pins, white bouffant hair, for always having a radio playing in the house, and for signing every card with her favorite bible verse, Numbers 6:24-26.

Margie is survived by her husband, A.T. Herring; daughter Teresa Herring Taylor (Bob); daughter Sharon Herring Cox (Craig); brother-in-law Don Herring; four grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, four greatgrandchildren, three step-greatgrandchildren and countless nieces, nephews and cousins.

A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 3 p.m. at Christ Community Church (220 Campground Rd, West End, NC 27376). The family will receive visitors at the church following the service. A brief graveside service will be held the following week, on Saturday, May 3, at 2 p.m., at Raleigh Memorial Park Cemetery in Raleigh, NC (7501 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27612). In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Bible Study Fellowship at bsfinternational. org/support, or BSF Global Headquarters, PO Box 675241, Dallas, TX 75267-5241.

Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home, Southern Pines.

of the Cruizing 4 Kidz car club for many years. He was the lead vehicle for every parade the club participated in. He always loved to build models of military vehicles, and this was one of his favorite pastimes. Other interests were being part of a local bowling league, bow shooting, along with airsoft guns target shooting. He was married to his current wife for 24 years. He had three children from a previous marriage.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Donna Craven Buies; sister Linda and husband Gregg, daughter Kristen, husband Jeff and grandchildren Noah, Evan, wife Aubrey, great-grandchild Jacob, daughter Charlene, husband David, grandchild Addison, daughter Tanya, husband James, and grandchild Phoebe. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Murna Buies, his uncle, Earl Buies, and his wife.

Memorial contributions can be made to Cruizing 4 Kidz car club at Cruizing4Kidz@outlook.com (paypal) or mail to: 1415 Hoffman Road, West End, NC 27376.

STATE & NATION

Pritzker calls out ‘do-nothing’ Democrats for failing to push back on Trump administration

He spoke at an event in the early primary state of New Hampshire

By Joey Cappelletti and Holly Ramer The Associated Press

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sharply criticized fellow Democrats on Sunday for not doing enough to oppose President Donald Trump, drawing a clear divide between himself and other high-profile Democrats seen as future presidential contenders.

Pritzker delivered the keynote address at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, the latest and most high-profile in a series of speeches this year.

While Pritzker continued to attack Trump, he also focused on what he says are shortcomings in his own party, assailing Democrats for listening to “a bunch of know-nothing political types” instead of everyday Americans. Without naming names, he called out Democrats “flocking to podcasts and cable news shows to admonish fellow Democrats for not caring enough about the struggles of working families.”

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption,” Pritzker said.

The second-term governor has yet to say whether he will run for that office again in 2026, but the billionaire Hyatt heir has been laying the groundwork for a potential presidential campaign for years.

Notably, California Gov.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during the McIntyre-Shaheen

New Hampshire.

Gavin Newsom, another high-profile 2028 contender, said on his podcast recently that the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador and detained at one point in a notorious megaprison, was a “distraction” from issues such as tariffs. Newsom also said on his podcast’s inaugural episode that he opposes trans athletes competing in women’s sports. Polling suggests immigration is Trump’s strongest issue and that a majority of Democrats also oppose trans participation in women’s sports. Pritzker on Sunday night

said it was no time for Democrats to be in despair.

“Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now,” he said, stressing that the party “must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.”

Pritzker has already spoken this year at the Human Rights Campaign’s Los Angeles dinner and is scheduled to headline a Minnesota Democratic dinner in June. He drew national attention in February when he used part of his joint budget and State of the State address to draw a parallel between

More than 100 suspected illegals detained at after-hours nightclub in Colorado

The club had been under investigation by the DEA for months

By John Raby The Associated Press

MORE THAN 100 immigrants suspected of being in the United States illegally were taken into custody early Sunday following a federal raid at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, authorities said.

Video posted online by the Drug Enforcement Administration showed agents announcing their presence outside the building and ordering patrons to leave with their hands up. Other videos showed dozens of people fleeing the building through its entrance after federal agents smashed a window. Later, dozens of suspects were shown in handcuffs stand-

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today.”

Jonathan Pullen, DEA special agent

ing on a sidewalk waiting to be transported.

During his second stint as U.S. president, Donald Trump’s campaign of immigration enforcement has slowed illegal immigration at the southern border to a trickle.

On Sunday in Colorado, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the club-going immigrants into custody, said Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Division.

“Colorado Springs is waking up to a safer community today,”

he said. The city, Colorado’s second largest, lies about 70 miles south of Denver.

More than 300 law enforcement officers and officials from multiple agencies responded to the nightclub, which had been under investigation for several months for alleged activities including drug trafficking, prostitution and “crimes of violence,” Pullen said at a news conference. Cocaine was among the drugs found, he said.

“When the cops showed up at the door, most of the drugs hit the floor,” Pullen said.

An undisclosed number of guns were seized, he said.

Trump posted a link to the DEA video of the raid on his social media site, Truth Social. “A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes,” the president wrote.

Trump’s rhetoric and the rise of Nazi Germany.

On Sunday, Pritzker again invoked his Jewish faith, criticizing Trump’s efforts to deport foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He called on Trump to “stop tearing down the Constitution in the name of my ancestors,” a line that drew a standing ovation from the crowd.

But Pritzker was also adamant in calling out the “do-nothing Democrats,” asserting that while the party “may need to fix our messaging and strategy, our values are ex-

“Those same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on our defense of Black people, of trans kids, of immigrants, instead of their own lack of guts and gumption.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

actly where they should be.” He added, “We will never join so many Republicans in a special place in hell reserved for quislings and cowards.”

Lou D’Allesandro, who retired from the New Hampshire State Senate last year after five decades in public service and met Pritzker in Chicago years ago, said the Illinois governor “has all the ingredients to make it to the big time.”

“He’s very quick on his feet, very gregarious,” he said. But any Democrat who wants to win in 2028 has their work cut out for them, he said.

“They’ve got to reintroduce themselves to the grassroots,” he said. “They’ve got to let people know Democrats care about them, or they’re gonna be in big trouble.”

Last year’s featured speaker at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who went on to become his party’s vice presidential nominee.

The annual event is especially significant among state Democratic fundraisers given New Hampshire’s historic role holding the nation’s first presidential primary, though Democrats last year moved South Carolina ahead at the behest of former President Joe Biden.

The first 100 Club dinner was held in 1959 to promote the presidential candidacy of John F. Kennedy. In 2020, speakers included 10 Democratic candidates for president.

Pullen estimated more than 200 people were inside the nightclub. Among them were more than a dozen active-duty military members who either were patrons or working as armed security. He said the DEA will consult with the Army’s Criminal Investiga-

tion Division to determine the next steps involving the service members. In addition, some patrons were arrested on undisclosed outstanding warrants, Pullen said.

Pullen did not specify the countries where the detained immigrants were from.

U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION VIA AP Officers stop a patron fleeing from a nightclub where a raid occurred on Sunday in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

REBA SALDANHA / AP PHOTO

100 Club Dinner on Sunday in Manchester,